A Satisfaction of My Senses

hmm is it because of the 'gotong royong' spirit or because this country just have no guts for different kind of music? well, anyway these are Aksara Records' missiles, (self) profiles were taken from myspace..

LAIN
4 ordinary people with musical talents, driven by the same vision in music, Aghi Narottama, Harris Khaseli, Bemby Gusti & Iman Fattah decide to get together in a band and bring their musical vision up front. without much of a problem, they recorded the songs in Seattle, USA in 2000 and finally released by mid 2001. LAIN...a project of these 4 young people are noting more but a band, an institution which they can express themselves in whatever artform they want. in fact, each of these individuals have their own project. Aghi is the brain behind an electronic/experimental band "APEONTHEROOF", which blend the elements of strings and danceable electronic beats to make an inspiring music with a female vocalist Utari Syaukat. Bemby also play with "SORE", an imaginative but highly anticipated band that break all the traditional rules of popular music on local music scene. and there is "ZEKE AND THE POPO", a trippy, experimental, dark, layered ambient sounds blend with a british vintage guitar driven music by 2 of the members, Zeke & Iman. some even say that "ZATPP" (a nickname for zeke and the popo) is "LAIN in a slight darker but cathcy tunes". well, whatever the name is...they are sure here to stay in this music scene and the way they have their own project makes them have a broader perspective & experience in music which they will mix it and create music forever...

Zeke and the Popo
Zeke & the popo, begins as a side project from Zeke (vocal, piano & guitar from the band LAIN) at 2003. Zeke then asked Leonardo Ringo (a.k.a Mugeni) to jam & the two quickly felt a chemistry between them to create music together. Not long after, they asked Iman Fattah (a.k.a Babyfaced) also from the band LAIN to play synthesizer.

As the trio jammed & played gigs often, they contributed for J.K.T.S.K.R.G compilation from aksara records and this marked the need for a drummer & bass player because the band had felt that their music has grown from a 3 piece sound based band to a spacey, ambient layered analog band. Thus, they asked Amir (a.k.a Kuro) to play drum & Yudi (a.k.a Sideburns) to play bass.

In 2005, ZATPP (as the band is also known) contributed 3 of their music to the soundtrack of the film "janji joni" and the film became a major success and so is ZATPP gained a large number of fans.

Zeke & the popo is known through out a local independent music scene because they have a unique sound, arrangement & stage act. they always brought along their own visual to display each time they perform and this is one of the thing that makes them remembered as a one-of-a-kind visual sound band.

Tika --> this one from Jakarta Post, but posted in their myspace indeed
Rebellion against dull mainstream music indeed knows no genre boundaries nor sartorial preferences.

A case in point is newcomer Tika Jahja.

If the local alternative music scene has championed the rawness of garage rock or lo-fi music as their way of keeping major labels' interest at bay, Tika chose the new genre "trip hop", arguably the second most inorganic musical genre after disco.

A mix of hip hop and house music that was first done by Bristol-based outfits Massive Attack and Portishead, trip hop has become the weapon of choice for Tika to prove the big labels wrong in their assumption that trip hop would not sell.

"Record companies always say that music buyers are not ready yet for my kind of music. I think they've misjudged consumer preferences in music and I want to educate them with this album," Tika said before kicking off a small gig that marked the release of Defrosted Love Songs, a repackaged edition of her debut album Frozen Love Songs.

And just like 80's alternative group Talking Heads, who kicked off their musical rebellion by wearing the unlikely apparel of button-down shirts, Tika, a graduate of a Seattle-based Arts Institute majoring in costume design, wore the cuddliest costume a la Marilyn Monroe.

Although Defrosted Love Songs should not automatically prompt executives from big labels to look away, at least it will give them a second or third thought about releasing an album replete with jazz-tinged downtempo electronic music.

Little wonder that Tika finally found a home with Aksara Records, a thriving indie label that has championed "left-field" music.

Aksara apparently had their eye on Tika since the 26-year-old released Frozen Love Songs on tiny indie label Rooftopsound Records and agreed to sign her on the strength of the debut album.

Tika, however, was not a complete neophyte to Jakarta's indie scene.

Her vocals have graced the soundtrack album of the film Janji Joni (Joni's Promise). Tika has also lent her vocals for a couple of tracks on Centralismo, the debut album of indie band Sore.

In the production of her debut album, Tika got a big helping hand from musicians, who has long inhabited Jakarta's somewhat incestuous indie music scene.

Four musicians from indie outfit Zeke and the Popo, Ape on the Roof, Lain and Sore served as session players during recording and have been the backing band for her in live shows.

Both the debut album and its re-issued version stand out largely from Tika's breathy vocals, reminiscent of Portishead's Beth Gibbon complete with her muted wails and spaced-out arrangement that relies heavily on inorganic samples and turntable scratch.

The only hint of life was the occasional drops of acoustic guitars in between thick layers of ethereal synths that gives the album a cinematic quality.

When such songs were performed live during the album launch on Thursday evening at a small club in one of Jakarta's tallest buildings, they were the perfect accompaniment for city lights-gazing and solitary musing, if only the sound system at the venue worked better.

Ape on the Roof
A Musical Project by Aghi Narottama from LAIN and Utari Syaukat, with incredible help from Iman (LAIN), and AGE a.k.a DJ OREO...some say our music is undefined..some say we're into eclectic..call it whatever you like, we always appreciate it...

Sore
Centralismo, the band's first album released on July 2005, chosen as one of 5 Asian Albums Worth Buying (Time, September 12, 2005). --> gosh.. i cut this part only, their myspace profile has no talk about history or anything about their music, just advertisement, but it's okay then