Indonesian pop music out of tune with creativity

Indonesian pop music out of tune with creativity

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): On the surface, the past year in Indonesian pop
music has yielded hints of promising prospects for young
musicians, many of whom have achieved dreams of having their
creations recorded.

Their teenybopper fan followings holler and whoop on glitzy
tours across the country. Soon, popularity is at hand, and they
are sharing the stage with a MTV VJ to signal their arrival on
the big music scene.

Onstage, Indonesian pop music may never have shone as bright
as it does now. But the commercialization and industrialization
of music here is no simple fairy tale.

There is an intriguing clash between goals of performers,
motivated by love of music, and producers more concerned about
the bottom line.

From a macro industrial viewpoint, there are continuing issues
of pirated cassettes and the distribution of royalties. And while
more musicians are getting their moment to shine, at the end of
the day only a few have what it takes to remain in the spotlight.

The broadcast of MTV Asia on private TV station ANteve over
the last two years has undoubtedly influenced the local music
scene, not only in the speedier infiltration of information, but
also in its exposure of different lifestyles and value systems.

"The good thing is that penetration of (music) information
happens instantly," said noted musician and arranger Erwin
Gutawa. But he added the danger of a loss of creativity.

Instead of treating the information merely as a reference to
enrich their works, "our musicians now tend to 'adapt' their
international idols to their works, from songwriting to singing
style, not analyze them to come out with something of their own".

Still, some groups, such as the minimalist Potret, do buck the
conformist trends. Their second album, Potret II released toward
the end of the year, is a refinery of their musical concept.

Others had hits without exploring new territory. Among them
are Lingua, a trio of vocalists adhering to the 1980s melodious
pop-fusion trend with melancholy lyrics, and Base Jam, which once
gained fans with easy-listening melodies about the ironies of
teenage lives.

Individual skill in playing musical instruments, so important
in the last decade, seemed to have slipped from prominence.

Nirvana

Dewa Budjana, 33, said this was "because the current music
trend doesn't require a player who has really mastered the
technique. It's more collectively oriented. The concept as a band
is more important rather than the flamboyance of an individual."

Many young musicians absorb trends started by 1990s rock icons
like the late Nirvana guitarist, Kurt Cobain, who fascinated
audiences by his fingerpicking "from the heart" which defied
established musical technique. Only a decade before, people had
been stunned by the troupe of distinctive players with their own
take on playing instruments.

Gutawa said three characteristics made for enduring success in
music. "The artists have to possess a strong musical character,
good musical skill and appreciation from the public as well. Dewa
19 and Gigi fit this category.."

The country is no exception to the musical trends riding the
fast lane of punk, grunge, alternative music, ska to techno and
electronics.

Soloists and bands from these genres made headway to more
solid popularity after releasing their second albums this year.
Nugie and his Alv Band, Netral and Pas were among them, although
still struggling to make the magic 100,000 sales mark.

However only songs with heavy pop elements were commercial
hits. Those melodious tunes of the married duo of Anang-
Krisdayanti did very well -- their second album sold 750,000
copies, surpassing the 600,000 sales of their first effort.

"Maybe the Indonesian public has not changed that much, but
probably this happened because our music does not offer anything
really new," commented Gutawa.

Dewa 19 stands out from the pack, praised for its creativity
and feted for its commercial success. Their three albums each
sold more than 250,000 copies, and the most recent, Pandawa Lima,
has reached the 600,000 mark.

Young musicians seemed to be tempted to follow the 1990s
musical trends by exploring grunge, hardcore, alternative,
electronic, even though these could be perceived as short-lived.

"If young musicians only base their music on these trends,
they will fade soon," warned Gutawa, "..unless they include
perseverance so they mature as musicians -- in skill, image and
knowledge."

Perseverance seems the key in the increasingly competitive
industry. Living proof are groups like Koes Plus and the Rollies,
playing their nostalgic tunes, and others continuing to try new
avenues. Several hitmakers from the 1980s like Chrisye, Fariz RM
and God Bless released albums this year. The latter even threw a
gigantic promo tour of several cities which brought together
their old and new works into the set.

Major labels

If MTV Asia is ushering globalization in music, the presence
of several international major labels is bringing capital into
Indonesian music world. Sony Music, EMI, Warner Music Indonesia
and Polygram are among those which have opened representative
offices here.

Could this pave the way for good local musicians to tread the
daunting path to international careers?

"Don't set your hopes too high," said Gutawa. Those major
labels, according to him, are acting more as extensions to sell
their international artists here.

"It's not true. We're here more to promote local artists,"
countered Jan Djuhana, artist and repertoire director of Sony
Music Indonesia. Sony Music Indonesia intends to send samples of
their local artists to affiliates in 10 Asian countries,
including India and Malaysia.

"If they're interested in releasing them, they're more than
welcome," he added.

Going international demands establishing more conducive
conditions. "It's not only the artists who are supposed to be
ready in term of professionalism, but also the industry," said
Gutawa. " ... no piracy, the need of a clear rule of contracts
between artist and producer, royalty, those sorts of things."

The year closed with the debut of the AMI (Anugerah Musik
Indonesia) or Indonesian Music Awards. Unlike honors given by
cassette producers such as the BASF Awards or HDX Awards, which
appear biased by commercial interests, AMI is presented by
independent organizations of the Indonesian Producers Association
(ASIRE), the Organization of Indonesian Recording Artists
(PAPPRI) and the Indonesian Creative Foundation, which collects
and distributes royalties.

Held in November, AMI promised to base judgments on music
creativity alone, divorced from sales or period spent in the
charts. Seven hundred jurors from throughout the music industry
chose in 47 categories.

Despite some poor preparation and controversy over several
choices -- Chrisye got the best male pop artist by beating the
younger Harvey Malaiholo and Andre Hehanusa, and Protonema's
Adinda won over Edane's Borneo for best rock song -- AMI did
spark hope that Indonesian pop music is may be appreciated on its
own merits. This is a good start, but other longstanding issues,
particularly over pirated cassettes and royalties, still remain
to be solved.