New group out to boost RI's own world music

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What does "world music" actually mean? According to www.free-definition.com, world music is a term that covers all music that is not part of mainstream pop music or classical music, and has some kind of "ethnic" (whatever that means) component.

Musician Peter Gabriel is someone with a lot of interest in the genre, which led him to found the World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) movement and festival back in 1982.

Yet it's often the case that a song is categorized as world music as long as it is not in English. Check out the world music section in a record store here, for instance, and you will find albums by pop groups from Taiwan.

"World music is, like, the mother of all genre. What people have been referring to all this time, the amalgamation with traditional music, that is actually world beat," singer/musician Nyak "Ubiet" Ina Raseuki once told The Jakarta Post.

In response to the confusion, the British Guinness Rockopedia defines world music simply as the "generic term for any non-Anglo American music that can't be traced to Chuck Berry".

All the confusing definitions aside, Indonesia is a fertile ground for the development of world music due to its rich and very diverse traditional music.

Despite its growing popularity worldwide, the genre has always been sidelined by other musical forms.

Concerned by the situation, a group of people recently formed the Indonesian World Community (IWC), which is aimed at developing the local world music scene.

"It's going to be an avenue for local observers, fans or musicians of world music. It's so that they can communicate, share information with each other, as well as with the world music community in other countries," said IWC chairman Monang Sianipar, owner of MS Cargo and MS record.

Monang's son, Viky Sianipar, 27, is a rising star who has produced two world music albums -- Toba Dream (2002) and last year's Didia Ho. The music blends pop and the traditional music of his Batak heritage in North Sumatra.

Monang said that while exploring his ancestral music, he and Viky often felt they were going it alone.

"It's different in Malaysia, for instance. We recently visited the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching. It's a relatively small area, but hundreds of people came to the place... hotels were fully booked, they only come to see world music performances.

"Imagine if we can do the same thing here. It could contribute something to local tourism. We could also hold a campaign against environmental destruction, like in Kuching," said Monang.

According to IWC vice chairman Wawan Juanda, the organization is open to everyone with an interest in world music.

At MS Cargo office at Jl. Minangkabau No. 43, Jakarta, IWC provided the Viky Sianipar Music Center with an open air stage, cafe, recording studio and rehearsal studio. A series of activities will be held, such as a workshop, discussion forum and music performance from new groups or musicians.

"We provide facilities so that local world music can develop well," said Wawan, who organized 500 percussionists to perform in the recent street carnival in line with Jakarta's 477th anniversary.

As for the definition itself, Wawan said they refer to what Gabriel has popularized.

"A definition can be anything. Here, perhaps is something or a music which is based on the diversity of local music."

IWC's establishment, according to Wawan, was a belated move because local world music started developing a long time ago.

"Our musicians, such as Guruh Soekarnoputra and Harry Roesli, did East/West collaborations years ago," he said.

Groups like Samba Sunda and Krakatau, which incorporated West Java's Sundanese traditional music into their sound, perform more often in festivals abroad than in their homeland.

"Samba Sunda, for instance, spends eight months a year touring the world. At the recent festival in Kuching, people were actually waiting for their performance. It's kind of sad that Indonesians barely know them. We, especially the government, have yet to have a concern for the world music group," Wawan said.

Viky said it was no time to lay blame.

"My concern is for young people to be attracted to their own roots through world music. Therefore, we have to make it with a good package, certainly not complicated as long as it sounds good and sells," he said.