Gigi releases latest album 'Kilas Balik'

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): A vocalist and three musicians went up to a villa in the Puncak, West Java, and locked themselves in for three days.

The result?

Kilas Balik (Flashback), the fifth album released by the pop group Gigi, which hit the shops last month. It is the creation of vocalist Armand Maulana, guitarist Dewa Budjana, drummer Budhy Haryono and bass player Opet Alatas.

"The ideas - from melody to sound arrangements - were all thought of up there (in the Puncak), but we did the production work back in Jakarta," commented Budhy.

They composed nine songs during a jamming session mixed with plenty of pranks and jokes. Their work shows a combination of mature musicianship and a astute sense of the secret ingredient which makes a song fit into the pop mould.

The songs range from the light pop song Terbang (Flying) to the unusual Rindukan Damai (Longing for Peace) sung as a duet between Armand and Pranawengrum Katamsi, a senior soprano.

Gigi are renowned for their experimental attitude to music. In their previous albums they explored the use of traditional instruments including the Indian sitar and Sundanese gendang (percussion instruments).

In Kilas Balik, they flirt with techno music -- the latest trend in the pop music scene -- in Terbang, but do not overdo their use of the monotonous electronic beats, wisely deciding to use the style to complement rather than dominate their song. "We want to follow the trend but also to play our own music. Techno has never been ours, but we put it just to give the song a slightly different touch," Armand said. Gigi invited Agung Sasongko - a young techno musician - to play a loop in Terbang. "We told him exactly what we wanted because Budhi didn't want to synthesize the loop himself," he added.

They asked senior composer Titiek Puspa to write the lyrics for Rindukan Damai then invited a cello quartet and choir to add a touch of color to the song.

Through their experimentation they have succeeded in creating a new atmospheric sound on their most recent album and the four members of the group seem to be more relaxed in this new role -- gone are the angst-ridden songs which characterized their previous album 2X2.

The band's line-up has changed several times during the four years the group has been together. Only Armand and Dewa remain from the original Gigi. Budhy and Opet joined the group last year.

"We know each other a lot better after playing together for a year," Opet said.

Last year they played 30 of their planned 100 gigs. "That contributed to our chemistry," he added.

Kilas Balik marks the beginning of a new era for the band. They have found a new recording company and signed a three album contract with Sony Music, a major record label. Sony Music flew them to Malaysia in May to play before its representatives from other countries. The first step to international success? "They apparently liked our music, but for the time being those heady heights are still a long way away," commented Dewa. "We are hindered by our inability to speak English," he added. The band are however trying to rectify this shortcoming and always slip at least one song in English into their albums. The other concern: "Are we truly ready mentally?" Budjana questioned.

Gigi are one of the few groups in Indonesia which takes the management side of their work seriously. The Gigi management rent a house in South Jakarta as their base and have four full-time members of staff. When the band go on tour many more workers are recruited. They plan to buy their own van to tour in and to set up the Gigi Management as a corporation.

However, this year they would be happy enough to see their album ride the storm of the monetary crisis. They began a promotional tour at the Fashion Cafe on the third Sunday of last month with a set of 13 songs taken mostly from their previous album. The concert coincided with Jakarta's 471st anniversary celebrations.

"We have scheduled some gigs in several towns for the coming months, but it is difficult to tell what will happen with the way things currently are," Dani Widjanarko, Gigi's manager, said.

Gigi had to cancel a planned gig in Ancol, North Jakarta, early this month for safety reasons and although they are trying to remain optimistic, the band has serious concerns over sales of their new album.

"I recently heard that a promising group sold only 25,000 copies while under normal conditions they would easily sell 200,000 to 300,000," Dani said.

Gigi's fourth album 2X2 sold around 130,000 copies - a flop compared to their previous one, which hit the 300,000 mark. One of the reasons for this failure, explained Armand, was the lack of promotion which 2X2 received.