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.