Djaduk's Kua Etnika mixes music and fun

Djaduk's Kua Etnika mixes music and fun

Text and photo by Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Imagine the sight of a bunch of
adults playing around with whistles, toy pistols and small
trumpets. Perhaps it would be taken as a bit of regression and
the enjoyment of a second childhood, a chance to escape the
stress of daily life.

But put those same toys in the hands of established musicians
like Djaduk Ferianto and his Kua Etnika, a group known for its
deep involvement in the development of ethnic music, and you have
something of value.

Being Playful was one of the 11 compositions in a musical
performance called Unen-unen (sounds) last Saturday at the Grand
Theater of the Indonesian Art Institute (STSI) Surakarta. The
other compositions were Merapi Horeg (Merapi Quivers), Kembang
Boreh (Wilted Flower), Blue Jeans Biru (Blue Blue Jeans), Susul
Susuling (Chasing each other), TumBend Tak Drum Band (Why Has it
Been So Long Since You Played in the Drumband?), Galaxi, Arigato
(Separation), Kupu Tarung (Butterflies Fight) and Festival.

Djaduk and Kua Etnika mesmerized the audience, who had waited
some time for the performers to take the stage after some
technical problems were fixed.

During the performance, traditional musical instruments formed
the greater part of all the instruments used on the large stage.
There were percussion instruments from Java and Bali (gamelan), a
keyboard, flutes and African jembe. Unen-unen was spectacular in
that it presented music of different ethnic traditions, a
combination of Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Betawi, Kalimantan,
Chinese, Japanese and African music.

Unen-unen was based on a spirit to communicate with art
lovers. Every sound and voice was not just "musical material" but
also a medium of communication. Djaduk said that Kua Etnika set
out to process dialog and interaction between traditions as
interaction between individuals and the surrounding world.

"To liken this to a journey, this is like asking people to
make a journey inside oneself," said the 37-year-old father of
four.

In the process of communication, Indonesia's present social
and political conditions added color to each composition. A
composition called Main-Main (Just For Fun), for example, could
be interpreted as an invitation to all of us to play around with
our own lives before other people play around with us. This is a
reflection on the House of Representatives, the "esteemed"
representatives of the people, who are simply playing around with
their own agendas.

As for Kembang Boreh, a flower symbolizes the process of life,
at first beautiful and then slowing wilting and dying. It could
be taken as a metaphor of this nation, which is slowly rotting in
terms of morality of the Indonesian people and the concept of
life.

Kua Etnika was set up in 1996 in Yogyakarta. Members include
Butet Kartaredjasa, Indra Tranggono and Poerwanto. The group is
dedicated to the development of music stemming from various
cultures in Indonesia. Thanks to creative breakthroughs, the
group has successfully introduced ethnic music to the public.

They have interpreted and reprised various ethnic musical
pieces in Indonesia to make them more accessible to the general
public. They hope that their music will be a cultural product
that can be appreciated at home and abroad.

Kua Etnika, which has a temporary rehearsal space located in a
rural area, has successfully collaborated with other groups in
Dua Warna (Two Colors), a musical program aired by private
television station RCTI. It also participated successfully in a
world musical event held in Bali in early 2000 under the theme of
Sacred Rhythm: the Millennium Percussion for Unity. It has also
arranged music for dance performances by Padepokan Tari Bagong
Kusudiharja (Bagong Kusudiharja Dance Workshop), Eksotika
Karmawibangga, Miroto Dancer, Sentot Budiharto, Teater Koma,
Teater Gandrik and several domestic film companies.