Jalan Jalan takes Jakarta entertainment to new heights

Jalan Jalan takes Jakarta entertainment to new heights

By Marieke Van Heek

JAKARTA (JP): On the top floor of one of the highest office
buildings in Jakarta's business district, a nightclub enjoys a
full house every weekend. The normally deserted parking lot
around Menara Imperium on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, is
filled with luxury cars while their owners have a good time in
the club above.

Guests have to go up to the 36th and 37th floors, where Jalan
Jalan is situated. The club offers live music, a separate
discotheque, bars and a restaurant. The gleaming, white marble
floor, the wooden furniture and the well-dressed patrons tell you
at once that this is a place for the middle and upper classes of
Jakarta.

The entrance fee is Rp 25,000, and includes a house drink, a
beer or soft drink. If you want to get the most bang for your
rupiah, opt for a house drink -- vodka or rum mixed with a soft
drink.

Entering the Margarita Bar, relaxing pop music greets you. The
familiar songs and the friendly atmosphere make you feel at home.
Next to the Margarita Bar, in the Japanese restaurant, people can
often be found still enjoying their dinner. Most newly arrived
guests, however, walk straight to the discotheque.

Swinging on the dance floor, seeing the skyline of nighttime
Jakarta, you can really feel like you are part of the universe.
The New York-style interior, decked out with metal balconies
above the dance floor and colorful wall paintings, emphasizes the
universal atmosphere. Listening to the soft house music, it is
hard to stand still.

"I feel the people and so I adjust the music to that feeling",
says DJ Microdot, one of Jalan Jalan's two resident DJs.

DJ Microdot's real name is Charlie and he originally comes
from London. After spending a few years in the United States, he
decided to continue his career in Indonesia. "Music is the most
important part of a discotheque."

The other DJ is Anto, a local Jakarta resident. Both DJs have
their own style but the guests seem to like the variety of the
music. Dancing, shaking their hips, laughing and trying to sing
as well as the artists, it is obvious that people have a good
time here.

Jalan Jalan opened in August 1996 with the aim of offering a
different formula. "We wanted to launch an exclusive place with
dress codes and house music, but after a few months it appeared
that there was no market for it," Brigitta Lisa, the promotion
manager, says.

After a year of hard work to create a special niche in
Jakarta's nightlife, Jalan Jalan became successful and has
continued to have brisk business even during the crisis.
According to Brigitta, they still have many guests every night.
Over the weekend, an average of 1,000 people come to the
nightspot.

With all of its crowded bars, rooms and small passages darkly
lit with discotheque lightning flashes, Jalan Jalan can disorient
the first-time visitor to the point that finding the way to see
the live band performance can be difficult.

"We used to have famous bands in Jalan Jalan, but we can't
afford it anymore. So we use local and Philippine bands for the
present," Brigitta says.

The Atlantic, a local band, is a group that can be found at
the club entertaining guests with what they call kampung
(village) music, African songs and pop music. The five artists of
the band are great entertainers, using not only their musical
talent but also involving their audience. Yelling, swinging and
cheering with their friends, many guests seem very enthusiastic
about the group. But for some foreigners who are not used to
their style of performance, it is a bit hard to feel the band's
sense of humor.

If you get tired of the music or get bored with the crowd, you
can try the game corner where a table soccer game and a billiard
table await you.

Drinking until you are tipsy is another alternative, but it
will cost you a small fortune. A bottle of beer costs Rp 12,000.

Apart from all of its regular entertainment, Jalan Jalan
offers a special party every month.

Starting late last year, Jalan Jalan has organized roof
parties. Last year's Full Moon theme allowed guests to enjoy
themselves under a full moon from the top of the Imperium
building.

The club originally planned to have this year's Out of This
World theme take place every month, but the plan for monthly
parties was canceled due to the crisis.

Last month saw the first party of the year, called The Launch
From Earth. A rocket was launched into the skies of Jakarta and
Brigitta said 3,000 people showed up for the event -- three times
the normal number.

The next roof party, Moon Base Alfa, is planned for this
Saturday.

Jalan Jalan is open nightly Tuesday through Sunday. The
Margarita Bar and the Rabota Bar, with the Japanese restaurant,
open at 6 pm. These have happy hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and
guests do not have to pay the entrance fee. The discotheque is
open from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m.