Dance party to blow cobwebs from National Museum

Dance party to blow cobwebs from National Museum

Cameron Bates, Contributor, Jakarta

Worn Borobodur statuettes and Batak buffalo-horn modeled house
replicas crowding Indonesia's National Museum will tonight
(Friday) make way for 45,000 watts of the latest in live dance
music from England -- and the best of local DJs.

Though the four lads performing as The Bays cough
disbelievingly when reading Indonesian-prepared publicity
material for tonight's strangely-themed Punk Valentine concert,
and the follow-up event in Bandung on Saturday, the British
Council would not have forked out big bucks to help bring The Bay
boys to Indonesia if they were not the Best of British.

The council, set up to enhance the United Kingdom's
reputation, say clubbing music is part of the eclectic scene of
contemporary culture in the UK, one that has spread throughout
the world, including to Indonesia.

"One of the recent trends in the UK clubbing scene is to have
a live band playing the tunes, so it creates a unique and
different atmosphere every time it's staged."

Enter The Bays.

Touted by the council as the "next big thing", the Londoners'
musical backgrounds, though now linked, are as diverse as the
shapes and personalities of each of the group's individuals.

The shiny pink and black Punk Valentine's pamphlet states that
Andy Gangadeen is among the best drummers in the world and has
toured with Massive Attack for three years, Jeff Beck, Lisa
Stansfield, Des'ree and ummmmm The Spice Girls.

Jamie O'Dell, a jazz pianist and graduate of the Manchester
College of Music, has recorded under the aliases Jimpster and
Audio Montage as well as remixing and producing for a variety of
labels.

Nick Cohen, one of London's most respected bass players, has
also played for Massive Attack, M People and early 90s acid jazz
band Vibraphonic.

The last member of the foursome is Simon Smugg, a "star of
London's reggae scene", DJ and producer. He has owned Smugg
Records for more than 13 years.

The British Council say at the heart of the group's music is
the beat, the groove for the rest to play on.

"Then come the bass-lines, which create the rhythmical
backdrop on which everyone can build. The keyboards come in
creating patterns that give body to the rhythm section. The last
element is dubbed the 'Science Department'. Synthesizers are used
as tone generators and other sound effects such as vocal samples
are cut in."

The group, together now for two years, put it more simply,
saying Andy sets the beat, Jamie plays the tune, Nick the "mad
bass lines" and Simon fills in with the reggae vocal samples to
create a "uniquely London sound, a uniquely our sound".

But the thing is that the music is not recorded on a computer,
never rehearsed or even discussed before a show, with the final
product dependent on the audience's desires and/or energy levels
-- be it phat hip hop, deep house or drum'n bass.

They have played at big dance festivals in Europe, including
the dance stage at Glastonbury, and have turned down "nice"
offers to record an album, saying they are still yet to define
themselves or evolve fully.

It would make for a bit of a dilemma too. How do you ask a go-
with-the-flow improvising band of free musical spirits to play
track 7 off album 2?

Punk Valentine, also in association with Future Productions
and Hard Rock FM, hosts 11 other DJs, including Future's Anton,
spinning tunes in two dance arenas lit with lasers and
intelligent lighting.

Other attractions, this couldn't be left out, include "sexy
punk dancers".

The gates open for The Bays' second concert, Higher Level, at
Buqiet Cafe, Bandung on Saturday (Feb. 16) at 7 p.m. The party
there includes three areas, divided into techno/house, drum 'n
bass and hip hop/rare groove/house. Tickets are Rp 30,000.

In Jakarta, Punk Valentine kicks off at 8 p.m. with tickets
going for Rp. 50,000 available at the British Council, Hard Rock
FM or Future Productions, or at the door for Rp 65,000. Rp 50,000
tickets can be bought at the door between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

A donation booth will also be set up for flood victims.