Cafe party drives nightlife in capital city

Cafe party drives nightlife in capital city

By Izabel Deuff

JAKARTA (JP): Black might symbolize death or sadness, but
being in black, one could also be cheerful, as reflected in
Models in Black, a theme of an evening at Cafe Automobili
Lamborghini at Taman Ria Senayan Complex, Central Jakarta.

On July 31, from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., Radio Prambors staged a
varied party which included live music, disco and a fashion show,
the dress code of which was black.

The young middle-class audience religiously followed the
watchword and enjoyed themselves.

After paying a cover charge of Rp 25,000 (entrance fee
including a soft drink, a beer or a house drink was included)
late revelers went through a long red passage against the walls
of which well-off youngsters leaned and stared at newcomers.

In that corridor, women from Sampoerna, one of the sponsors of
the evening, offered free cigarettes, but there was not much
smokes in the room, showing they were not successful in luring
the wise young jet set of Jakarta.

In line with the cafe's name, the background could have been
provided with some reminiscence of the famous car brand. But
apart from the brightly shining car engine exposed in the
entrance near two video game machines, there was not a hint
of the Italian sports car.

"The cafe is called Lamborghini because it is well-known in
Indonesia and because we are sure the name is a good selling
point," said Akbar, the public relations director of the cafe.

Since its opening in February 1998, the cafe has made great
efforts to attract guests with various music genres as well as
its regular activities.

Cafe Automobili Lamborghini has live music on Fridays and
Saturdays, when it closes at 2 am. The music played by invited
bands ranges from jazz to alternative rock with /rif or Papi who
play on Saturday nights.

Some Mondays, the cafe plans special evenings centered around
the music of famous bands like Queen on Aug. 10 or the Beatles on
Aug. 31.

From Monday to Friday, people can sing karaoke, or even dance
when the cafe becomes a discotheque from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Those
who like billiards can also play a game. On the same days, happy
hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m enable guests to get a 50 percent
discount on soft drinks and draft beers. On Sundays, the cafe
remembers its origins and welcomes sport viewers to watch F-1,
soccer and basketball.

One innovative aspect of this cafe is its video equipment. A
few screens are scattered around the main room on which are
displayed pictures of what is happening on the stage.

At the left side of the main room, the mirrored bar displaying
bottles of alcohol doesn't seem to have much of a function and is
used more as a background than a place for people to order
drinks. Besides, drinks are not cheap: a glass of beer costs Rp
22,500 and a soft drink is Rp 12,500. Opposite the bar is a
raised area demarcated by a ship's rail-like barriers behind
which are large red armchairs.

About 1,000 youngsters packed the cafe that night. Most of the
crowd stood up because there were not enough seats. Yet, many
chairs in the back room were left unoccupied because from there
nothing on the stage could be seen because the DJ's room was
blocking the view.

The DJ, Indra Musaffa, played some soft house music at the
Prambors night. Live music was performed by the jazzy Warna band
and alternative Ahmad band, while the singers were Anjasmara and
Melly Manuhutu.

"On Saturday night after the live music, he (the DJ) plays the
Underground Sound of Lamborghini, a new trend which combines
house music, disco, jungle sounds, etc.," Akbar said.

Akbar said the Prambors night was organized "to make a
gathering for its audience, which is mostly teenagers and young
people".

Seeing the success generated by such an evening, Prambors is
planning other parties in coming months. Prambors Nite 2 is
scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29 at Cafe Automobili Lamborghini.