Ethnic music needs innovation to flourish
Ethnic music needs innovation to flourish
By Yogita Tahil Ramani
JAKARTA (JP): Although the nation is composed of over an
estimated 400 ethnic groups, indigenous music as one of its
cultural riches is poorly developing in the face of western pop
culture, observers say.
The efforts to preserve indigenous culture have been facing
tough challenges as broadcast media has made Indonesia part of
the world's borderless village.
The challenge to preserve and promote indigenous music was the
subject of a discussion held to coincide with national Radio Day
in Jakarta last week.
A key question in the discussion fielding senior radio
managers and musicians was why the Indonesian younger generation
loves western music more than indigenous music.
It was revealed that western music dominated the programs of
the 713 radio stations registered nationwide, with some playing
it up to 22 hours a day.
So where does Indonesian ethnic music fit in?
Chandra Novriadi, director of Masima Corporation which
controls several well-known radio stations in Jakarta, said that
as far as music was concerned, the programs of top radio stations
nationwide broadcast only western music.
Ethnic music, he said, was aired by less popular stations with
faithful listeners aged 40 and above.
Masima Corporation controls six top radio stations in Greater
Jakarta: Prambors FM, Delta FM, Female Radio, M-97 Classic Rock
FM, Radio SPFM and Bahana Metropolitan, and one in Bandung,
Ethnic music that retains popularity on the radio is that of
major ethnic groups such as the Javanese, the Minang, the Batak
and the Manadoese.
The seminar was co-organized by eight organizations, including
the Ford Foundation, the Komseni public relations group, Radio
Suara Surabaya, the Indonesian Performing Arts Society and Radio
Geronimo Yogyakarta, and was held at Hotel Paragon.
Representatives of over 20 radio stations and several
musicians, including ethnic music composer Sapto Rahardjo of
Yogyakarta, attended the seminar.
Radio broadcaster Debra H. Yatim said that introducing ethnic
music to popular radio stations whose majority of listeners were
youngsters was like a "chicken-and-egg situation".
"Radio stations won't sell it because few listen to it. And
why don't listeners ask for it? Because nobody's heard it on our
more popular radio stations," Debra said.
However, Debra, who is a Komseni official, suggested it was
time radio stations popular with youngsters, like Prambors,
Trijaya, Kiss FM and Female Radio, took the risk of airing
traditional music.
"If for instance, say Gambang Kromong (traditional music of
Cirebon, West Java) was put on 15 times a day on Prambors, I bet
my boots 20 kids would phone Prambors the next day and ask 'can
you play that music again?'"
"I am a radio broadcaster. I know if you put on Bragi's Janji
seven times a day on TV, Prambors and Kiss FM would play it as
well, and within two weeks people would start looking for the
cassettes."
Meanwhile, Sapto, who is nationally and internationally known
as a master of Javanese karawitan (orchestra) and for his
experimental works, offered another option.
Over the past two years, he has sold his radio series in
different formats and versions of traditional music to radio
stations in Medan, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.
The series comprise information on music including Gambang
Kromong, Ajeng, Pelog and Slendro, as well as inserts that are
for sale to potential sponsors for the stations.
Forty-nine stations have so far ordered the packages for the
period of August to November, he said.
Sapto said that to teach traditional music to teenagers,
composers had to use "world music" as a base to convey the music
to listeners.
"World music means using a language that makes everybody
happy. The music should just take the values of Minang folk
music, for example, and infuse it into techno, disco or reggae,"
he said. "No lyrics needed. Just sound."
He said that this would be one way of allowing Yogyakartans,
for instance, to enjoy the music of Irian Jaya.