New group out to boost RI's own world music

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.