Foreign artists dominated local music stages in 1996

JAKARTA (JP): The year l996 was an anticlimactic year for the domestic music scene when compared to the previous year, which was filled with a series of government-sponsored music fanfares.

In l995, when Indonesia celebrated its 50th independence anniversary, the government, as well as the private sector were willing to sponsor large-scale local music performances, including rock, pop, dangdut (a blend of Indian and Malayan style music), jazz and classical concerts, throughout the year. Other art performances also received special attention from both parties.

But the golden celebration is over. There are no more government-sponsored festivals or mass-music gatherings. Again, local musicians have to rely on private companies to help finance their music performances. Even the organizer of the country's annual jazz fiesta, Jak Jazz, almost failed to hold the event due to financial constraint.

It is discouraging to see this gloomy situation in the national music industry. Local artists have to compete with their foreign counterparts, who have high-selling points and are more appealing to audiences.

Local artists, however, should not be discouraged. They are still attracting attention. Last June, a reunion of old bands, including Koes Plus, Panbers, D'Lloyd, Favourites and the Mercy's presented a memorable concert that drew about 40,000 people to the Ancol Circuit in North Jakarta.

Compared to a concert by the U.S. band Def Leppard that only managed to attract 5,000 fans, the "oldies" show was a success. The bands, which were popular in early l970s, were able to attract teenage fans to the venue.

Other outstanding concerts were held by KLA Project who presented an acoustic show at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta in the middle of the year. Leo Kristi and his group also performed their high-quality folk music for their fanatic fans at the same venue last weekend.

Artist-politician Guruh Soekarnopoetra, the youngest son of Indonesia's first president, launched a new album titled NTXTC, no to ecstasy, an experiment in digital music composition. But, this was nothing special compared to his previous creations, such as Guruh Gypsy.

Despite all the shortcomings, Indonesian artists have actually a strong foothold in local music scene. Of course, we must admit that some concerts held by foreign artists could widen their musical know-how. A number of prominent concerts in l996 included Carlos Santana, Canadian Alanis Morissette and Toto.

The year l996 was opened in February with a post-punk concert by alternative music group Green Day, at the Jakarta Convention Center. The concert attracted more than 3,000 ecstatic fans. Green Day has become a phenomenon in the international music industry, offering an alternative music which blends neo-punk rock, heavy metal and pop. Their alternative music captures the spirit of a supposedly apathetic young generation of the l990s. Disillusioned , self-deprecating and bored color the lives of today's youth, which are perfectly reflected in many of the band's songs and imageries.

Originally a punk band from Berkeley, California, Green Day was voted by readers and critics of Rolling Stone music magazine as the Best New Band of l995. Its album Dookie, which has sold eight million copies, was the best album of that year.

The influence of the band in terms of its music genre and fashion style to the youth worldwide was immense. Among Indonesia's youth, alternative-fashion accessories are now the hip-tag to wear. This neo-punk tag is currently defined by dyed hair.

Green Day's successful concert, unfortunately, was followed by a riot. Thousands of fans who failed to get concert tickets were involved in a fierce battle against the police. It reminded people of a similar brawl at the l993 Metallica concert held at Lebak Bulus Stadium, South Jakarta.

This is another lesson for local concert organizers trying to manage international-scale music events more properly. High ticket prices have always triggered public unrest. Unless the organizers improve their professionalism, Indonesia's reputation for holding such international music events is questionable.

In June, British rock group Def Leppard performed at the former Ancol Circuit, North Jakarta, before 5,000 hard-rock fans; far from the targeted 50,000 attendance goal.

The concert to promote the group's newest album, Slang, was a failure. The 3,500 policemen, 60 paramedics, an on-site hospital and an ambulance prepared by the organizers, overwhelmed the small audience.

Another American group, Manhattan Transfer, presented good music to limited audiences in several of the country's cities.

After 24 years in the music world, as one of America's best- known vocal groups, Manhattan Transfer is still in command of its solid and highly aesthetic vocal technique.

The group produced 19 albums over 24 years. Manhattan Transfer's concerts in Indonesia, organized by Buena Produktama, were part of their Asian tour to promote their latest album Tonin.

Manhattan Transfer's performances were followed by rock band Toto, which made a successful comeback when it appeared before nearly 6,000 people at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Established in l977, this Californian group has produced nine albums Toto (l978), Hydra (l980), Turn Back (l981) Toto IV (l982), Isolation (l984),Fahrenheit (l986), The Seventh One (l988), Kingdom of Desire (l992) and their latest, Tambu (l995).

In May, Carlos Santana, a veteran rock guitarist, performed at the Jakarta Convention Center. The concert rounded off a series of international superstars' performances in the capital, including Phil Collins and Bon Jovi.

Santana, a living legend from the flower power generation, still delivers music of quality that captivates a much younger generation who is now drawn to the din of rock, thrash, grunge and rap.

Santana launched his first album Santana in October, l969. Since then, he has released 22 albums, which earned him 14 gold records and nine platinums.

The year was closed by Canadian Alanis Morissette, whose Jagged Little Pill was the best-selling debut album by a female artist in American music history. It was a nice close to the year to have Morissette performing in Jakarta.

Her album, which featured darkly introspective lyrics and an original sound, sold 10 million copies this year, adding to the four million sold in 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America stated in its year-end sales totals.

This amount surpassed the 12 million copies sold of Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album, the association said, and put Morissette, a Canadian, on a pace to break Boston's record of 15 million copies with its self-titled debut album released in 1976. (raw)