On the record

On the record

Album : Keroncong Supra (Dian Records)
Artist : Didi Kempot

The music of keroncong, a mixture of Indonesian and Portuguese
musical traditions, might not appeal to everyone, least of all
the pop-loving youth of today, but it should, perhaps, be
considered a national asset as its popularity is increasingly
turning international.

Singer Dewi Gita, for example, has reportedly been invited to
sing keroncong at Budokan Hall in Japan on an annual basis.

Other noted keroncong singers Mus Mulyadi and Waljinah
regularly perform in other countries too, such as the Netherlands
and Suriname.

Now, singer Didi Kempot is trying his luck by singing
keroncong. Didi is a popular Javanese pop singer with hits like
Stasiun Balapan (Racing Station) and Sewu Kuto (A Thousand
Cities).

In his first keroncong album, he sings 10 numbers in Bahasa
Indonesia, all of which are already famous, such as Malam
Kenangan (Memorable Night), Keroncomg Mawar Sekuntum (Rose Bud
Keroncong) and Langgam Kalung Mutiara (Music of Pearl Necklaces).

But instead of singing all of the numbers exactly the way they
are normally played, Didi has improvised by adding electric and
acoustic guitars, arranging it into a more popular style,
occasionally highlighting it with cello.

In Langgam Riwayat Sangkuriang (Music of the Legend of
Sangkuriang), which tells the story of the Sundanese legend of
Sangkuriang, Didi even blends the music with a dangdut sound.

The resulting music is quite unique and definitely worth
listening to. It is just a pity that the packaging is rather poor
and simplistic, and the cassette is far from being high quality.
(Hera Diani)