RIF strums sweet success after years of struggle

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): Only two days after the October release of its debut album, Radja (King), RIF was baptized a supergroup-to-be by a local radio station.

But it seems it will still take a while for these five lads to put themselves on the map of Indonesian pop music crowded with talent.

RIF has tread the rough road to fame. It took them five years of thankless performing in small bars and cafes in their hometown, Bandung, before an international major label, Sony Music, noticed them and produced their debut album.

RIF is an interesting combination of musical talent and the quirky personality traits which make a band's charisma.

Brothers Andy, 28, the lead singer, and Magi, 24, the drummer, are the funky element, reflected in their outfits and boisterous stage manner.

It is a contrast to the other three members. Bassist Iwan, 27, represents a calming side, the member who seeks solitude even on stage by relinquishing all the spotlight to Andy.

Guitarists Jikun and Denny, both 28, concentrate on their mission of keeping the melody sweet.

"Except Iwan, who is a jazz fan, we are all into rock music," Andy said. "We 'poisoned' him into playing these hardcore tunes."

RIF now has two songs on top of the Indonesian charts. The hit, Radja, exploring the whimsical dream of being king, is a little ahead of Bunga (Flower) in sales.

Would any of the members really want to be a king? They laughed and grinned.

"Actually, we'd like to warn the people who want to be a king ..," said Andy.

The smell of success is around them, but RIF knows there is no shortcut to gaining recognition. They had the guts to present an alternative music program to audiences in the past. They played songs from international rock groups outside the mainstream, a departure from the usual easy-listening tunes in cafes.

"We played songs from groups like Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Suede, Prodigy, all from the 1990s, and older ones from U2, Motley Crue, up to the outrageous Marilyn Manson.

The endeavor won over a small group of loyal fans, and at the same time honed musical skills.

RIF moved into a higher orbit as the opening band for major groups such Dewa 19 and Gigi. Opening for one of Dewa 19's gigs in Bandung in July, RIF won acclaim from the music press, who said they nearly stole the show and pushed Dewa 19 to play all out to reclaim the spotlight. Their hit, Radja, was already popular in Bandung on an indie label.

RIF's journey to success began five years ago when Andy, Iwan and Minnie, the manager, put the band together. In the past few years, band members have come and go, but the present formation was fixed two years ago.

"Only with this lineup did we start to compose our own songs," said Andy. They created the melody and arranged the sounds together, mostly through jam sessions in the studio. Andy works on the lyrics in Indonesian and English with the help of friends.

Their first composition, Planet Kosong (Lonely Planet), taken from the name of a restaurant, is a contemplative cry of teenage musings. The source of their prolific themes comes from their own lives, particularly active at night ("We're nocturnal people," a member said).

"The name is catchy. I just wrote down the words and kept it until I found a theme for it," said Andy.

The lyrics in Indonesian are clear in ideas, direct and descriptive. Their English ones involve more of a play on words, as in Sick:

"I see a cup of tea on the table, I grab and I taste it, but it tastes like beer; it's not tea... I see a red rose bloom in the garden, I grab and smell it, but it smells like shit; it makes me sick."

Andy said: "I took the idea from Magi's shorts, with tea cups and beer on them. It's unique."

In eight weeks, Radja sold 40,000 copies, no small feat amid the monetary crisis. Credit should go to its solid rock basis, backed by 1990s sound and arrangement, and accentuated by Andy's unique ear-grating nasal voice and his flamboyant stage act.

"We just want to keep playing music until we gain 'something'," said Andy.

"To be in rock and roll, and forever young," chimed in Magi.

When pushed to describe what that certain 'something' was, Magi said it was "being satisfied in playing our own songs. If they turn out to be hits, it's better".

They do not hide their ambition to go international someday. They are already feeling the effects of fame on the local front, but they say they are keeping levelheaded.

"Some people do recognize us now," Andy said, probably referring to the legion of teenyboppers who scream themselves hoarse at their shows.

"But we still take angkot public transportation everywhere," Magi added as a qualifier.