Music a tie that binds for singer Ubiet

Music a tie that binds for singer Ubiet

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Singer Nyak Ina Raseuki, better known as Ubiet, left her hometown
in Aceh 20 years, and so hardly sees her ethnic identity as a
defining point of who she is today.

Yet, because of the conflict in the westernmost province,
there are the inevitable if somewhat uncomfortable associations
with the place she grew up in but left as a teenager.

"My parents are Acehnese, and I still have relatives who live
there, so people ask questions. Whereas I've been living in
Jakarta for so long, and I don't like to have anything to do with
politics," said Ubiet, 38.

That is notwithstanding the remaining strong connection with
her ancestral homeland that goes beyond sentimental childhood
memories.

Ubiet earned her master's degree from the University of
Wisconsin at Madison from her research on seudati traditional
arts. For her doctorate at the same university, she was studying
Islamic music in Aceh when the political situation in the
province deteriorated and she had to drop the subject.

"Acehnese traditional music is my strongest relationship with
my hometown. It was very difficult for me to switch to another
subject. But it is impossible for me to go there and do
research," she said.

Many genre of traditional music continue to be performed by
Acehnese, usually in villages.

"But because of the conflict, people can't even go to work,
let alone play and sing music. If this war keeps going on,
traditional music can become extinct."

Friendly yet blunt, Ubiet is a rare breed in the local music
scene. She has a distinctive ornamented vocal range, able to go
up and down freely, and a music that is an amalgamation of pop
and Indonesian traditional music.

She started in pop back in the 1980s, singing for Splash Band.
It was not until she was studying classical singing at the
Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) that she stumbled onto traditional
music.

"I got so sick of pop music, so I looked for something else,"
Ubiet said.

"Besides, classical or opera singing only uses resonance in
the head, while I want to do techniques of diaphragm, nasal and
head resonances."

She began to learn to produce voice through unconventional
methods.

"I learn, especially from the sinden (traditional Javanese and
Sundanese singers) and traditional music from Aceh and Bali. I
listen to everything, including animals' voices. I want to
develop all of the sounds," said Ubiet, whose nickname comes from
the Acehnese for small, given her petite figure.

She even displays her musical talents on her answering
machine.

After graduating from IKJ, Ubiet received a scholarship from
the University of Wisconsin with a major in ethnomusicology. She
is now working on a new doctorate in traditional music in
Kerinci, Jambi.

During her study at Madison, she released an album in 2000
called Archipelagongs. Comprising 10 songs, it is about a journey
across the Indonesian archipelago where pop music blends with
traditional music.

The album was an effort to introduce the world beat genre, as
well as an attempt to produce songs with good lyrics -- something
rarely found in local songs.

"The lyrics are so trashy, sorry to say," she laughed.

"The music isn't distinctive whatsoever, it has no such thing
as Indonesian style. If we took out the lyrics, we've got music
that is similar to American or European pop music, only worse..
Ooh, it's bad. But don't write that down," she said, laughing
again.

Indonesian musicians lack technique as they are reluctant to
learn and gather many references to draw from, she added.

"It doesn't have to be in a formal institution like IKJ, but
please get some education. Whether it's through courses, or
private lessons, but learn music composition. Or just listen to a
lot of things, to enrich our references. Just listen, and then
find the influence, the idea..".

Indonesian musicians cannot catch up with the trend of pop
music in the world, but they feel that they have produced some
great works, even though, of course, these are only known in this
country.

"We're lagging behind Africa, for instance. African musicians,
like Senegal's Youssou Ndour, for instance, plays pop with modern
instruments, but it is still played in an African style," she
said.

"No wonder, there are many African musicians who are known all
over the world.

"We have Indonesian music like keroncong (popular music with
Portuguese influences) and dangdut (Arab/Indian influenced
music), which can actually be included in the international world
beat music scene. If only we can develop it."

People play dangdut and keroncong in the same time-honored
style, which many consider outdated and stagnant.

"Whereas if it is arranged well, it can become a national
asset."

Music like Ubiet sings on Archipelagongs, or when she
collaborated with contemporary musician Tony Prabowo, has yet to
find an avenue into the mainstream in this country.

In the meantime, she accepts more gigs abroad: Ubiet has sung
on stages in the United States, Colombia, Morocco, England,
Australia and South Korea.

Last year, she sang at the grand opening of Esplanades Theater
on the Bay in Singapore, accompanied by a local Malay orchestra.

"I sing on stage here too, but usually at a small event
because the audience is limited. Getting an audience of 200 to
300 is already good," said Ubiet, who co-founded the New Jakarta
Ensemble which plays contemporary music.

She is planning to make another album, yet another attempt to
push the world beat genre into the mainstream.

"Record labels are usually reluctant to distribute such genre,
saying that it's not popular. Well, shouldn't we popularize it?
Otherwise we will continue to lag behind other countries," said
Ubiet, who is married to writer Nirwan Dewanto.

Right now, aside from working on her thesis, teaching world
music at IKJ and singing, Ubiet is working as a director of Taman
Musik Dian Indonesia music school for children.

Established early this year, it is aimed at sharpening musical
sensibility of children aged two years to five years.

"My colleagues and I are worried because the music education
in this country is not structured. Little kids are directly given
musical instruments to learn, whereas this only works for
children with high musicality. In most cases, children stop
learning music because they have been forced to do so," Ubiet
said.

At her school, children are introduced to the most basic
musical elements, like tone and rhythm, through play.

There are also classes for children with Down's syndrome,
providing them with musical therapy that will help them to be
more independent and increase their motoric balance.

"Let's just hope that music education will get better," she
smiled.