New Roots at Cafe Batavia
New Roots at Cafe Batavia
By David Zweifler
JAKARTA (JP): When it comes to reggae, I've been spoiled.
Instead of studying, fortunately or unfortunately, I spent most
of my University career in small, smoke-filled reggae bars on the
north side of Chicago. And while Chicago doesn't have the same
reputation for reggae that it does for the blues, I did get the
chance to see Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle and others before they
became foreign MTV's pick of the month.
That is to say, when I arrived at Cafe Batavia last Tuesday to
check out the new reggae group New Roots, I was expecting not to
like them. My prejudice is based on the fact that, up to now,
there were usually two kinds of "reggae" acts to hit Jakarta: The
first was any group made up of non-white musicians that could do
a UB40 cover. The second was UB40.
To my surprise, instead of black guys imitating white guys
imitating black guys, New Roots played some grooves that were
solid in both a local and an absolute sense. They also seemed to
have a strong Afro-pop influence -- probably taken with them from
Surinam which is the original home of many in the band. This
South American, Caribbean beat is a excellent compliment to their
reggae and gives them a unique sound.
New Roots is an eight-piece band with the standard bass and
lead guitar, drums and vocalist, plus a synthesizer and steel
drum setup. Their music is somewhat of a departure from the bare
bones, heavy groove of English or American club reggae, with a
defter touch on the lead instruments and a less dominant rhythm
section.
Some purist snobs have said that this quality was a mark of
insincerity in their music, and that New Roots are another fake,
easy listening import. However, authenticity isn't a function of
unintelligible lyrics, usually a result of a hard day of pot-
smoking, or a small band, which is because less people mean a
bigger cut of the profits.
Doubtless, the band is somewhat constrained by the fact that
people in Jakarta have only had limited exposure to reggae. I had
the feeling that they might have been holding back on a few of
their songs to keep things lighter for new listeners. However,
their quality showed through for me, especially when their
version of "Buffalo Soldier" got a table full of apathetic ex-
pats off their stools and dancing. I even saw a couple of Chinese
businessmen take a break from their negotiations and start
snapping their fingers to the music.
The only weakness of New Roots, and it's a major one I'm
afraid, is their original tunes, which they characterize as
"pop." In what I assume is an effort to make their music sound
"modern" or "trendy," their own work is stripped bare of the
African sound which makes them good in the first place.
The beats are sterile and repetitious, and the lyrics seem to
be making such an effort to be sophisticated that they fall on
their face. Let's face it, the word "paleontologists" should
never, ever be used in a song. Period.
This aside, New Roots is putting forth some good reggae in a
city that doesn't see much. Hopefully, they will serve to broaden
the following that reggae already has in this town, and also
teach others that this style of music does not equal a bunch of
Londoners singing "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You."
New Roots will be in Jakarta at Cafe Batavia until July 4.