The Indonesian capital, to be fair, has never been known for having a music scene. When Metallica played in the city over 20 years ago a blackout was caused and a riot ensued. The locals’ attitude towards rock concerts would suffer in the years since because of this.
While international bands would steer clear from Indonesia for years after the Metallica concert that doesn’t mean the country abandoned music altogether.
Jakarta’s streets have always been known for its performers and buskers. This is one practice that is seemingly unstoppable.
But bands, rock or otherwise, continued to struggle in Jakarta with a lack of established venues and spaces providing few avenues for acts to showcase their music.
The silver lining for Rolling Stone Indonesia journalist Soleh Solihun though was that “history has shown that indie bands can bloom even without others’ helping hands. If there is will and passion, there’s a way”.
Two years since that quote was published on The Jakarta Journal and it looks as if there is a glimmer of hope for Jakarta’s music scene.
Indonesia has started to become a viable option for international tours to take place. Or as Cheri Ibrahim from Dyyandra Production tells Yahoo News Singapore, “Indonesia has become the must-visit country for European and American artists. In the early 2000s, we [Indonesians] had to go to Singapore to watch concerts”.
With big artists like David Guetta, David Foster and Jennifer Lopez venturing across the Pacific, more and more music promoters and sponsors have started putting their hand up to participate in this new development.
While this has yet to filter down to more interest in local gigs the fact there is interest in live music is promising.
As Solihun says above indie bands can bloom without a strong framework. And there are plenty of quality Indonesian bands that could be much bigger if the scene was stronger.
However that doesn’t make their music any less worthy of exploring. There are still avenues to experience Jakarta’s music scene and within you may just find a band ready invigorate a music city waiting to come to life.
Shop
Jakarta isn’t known for its vast record stores or music bookstores like the other music cities around the world that we’ve covered before. However that doesn’t mean there aren’t places to shop for music and vinyl goods while you’re visiting the Indonesian capital.
Flea Market, Jl Surabaya
In the city’s most famous flea market you’ll find all manner of things. Whether that be hand-me-downs, trash or treasure there’s a bargain or two to be found here. While woodcarvings, furniture, textiles and antiques can be found in abundance you may also notice quite a few stalls that sell old vinyl records. Who knows what old gem could be waiting for you here!
Mangga Dua Mall, Jl Mangga Dua
This mall is the place for most electronics. Whether that is household goods or TVs you should be able to find it here. But what should interest you more is that there are DVDs and CDs for sale as well. You’ll find an eclectic array of genres and maybe even a few local releases worth tyring out too. The best thing about Mangga Dua Mall though is that it’s located in close proximity to other malls in the area, so if can’t find what you want you have the option of trying somewhere else close by.
Blok M Mall, Kebayoran Baru
Located close to a large bus terminal it should be a breeze getting here. Characterised by its small shops potential customers should find that the clothes, shoes, CDs and DVDs on sale here are all fairly cheap. When you’re finished shopping refuel at the quality restaurants and cafes on the ground floor.
Listen
Deemed as one of the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere this jazz event is held each March and is designed to be one of the largest jazz festivals globally. Since the inaugural event was held in 2005 the festival has quickly grown to the point of hosting 1500 different artists performing across 187 shows. With over 47,000 punters each year the festival has become not only one of Jakarta’s biggest events, but one of the most notable celebrations of jazz music in the world.
Stadium, Jl Hayum Waruk III FF-JJ
DJs from around the world have hit the decks in this hardcore club, which seems infallible in an uncertain music scene. But this is much in thanks to its loyal crowd. The four levels here cater for an underground audience. While most punters spread themselves between the four floors the main room is almost always filled to the brim with Jakarta’s most energetic dancers.
Eastern Promise, Jl Kemang Raya 5
This British style pub is one of the few places in Jakarta that hosts bands throughout the weekend. It might be of particular interest to foreigners due to its largely expat centered crowd. Regardless of the clientele the pool table, Indian food, friendly service and great music will be a treat.
See
Molek Lane Museum
Ilham Priananda might just be Indonesia’s biggest Oasis fan. After being profiled by The Jakarta Post, Priananda’s obsession was exposed to the world in the form of his very own Oasis museum. Opened in 2010 with most of its guests finding out through Twitter, the museum holds 500 Oasis related items. The museum holds CDs, cassettes, vinyl, videos, official merchandise, t-shirts, posters, calendars and magazines. If you’d like to visit the museum or even obsess with the owner about Oasis you can find him on Twitter under the handle of @gbhlive.
Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini Raya Street 37
This art and cultural centre is not only one of Jakarta’s more interesting architectural sights, but it is also a stronghold of the city’s arts scene. The art and cultural centre is also home to a planetarium amongst six modern theatres, an exhibition hall, gallery, archive building and a cinema. The centre is also noteworthy because it was named after Ismail Marzuki, one of the country’s most influential composers.
Jakarta Acts You Should Check Out
White Shoes & The Couples Company – Soundcloud
This sextet were formed in 2002 and found their influences in 1970s Indonesian movie soundtracks, retro disco beats and 30s jazz to name a few. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2005 and sold 15,000 copies, which is a remarkable achievement for an indie band in Indonesia. The band have since signed to Chicago based indie label Minty Fresh and have made appearances at SXSW and CMJ.
Kid Jakarta – Soundcloud
Representing some of the best of Indonesian hip-hop this act adds in the elements of soul and funk to forge his sound. While there is little information available on this Kid Jakarta, his Soundcloud is full of great tunes worth checking out. Listen to ‘Mood Swing’ below.
Efek Rumah Kaca – Soundcloud
With a name that translates to Greenhouse Effect this trio formed in 2001 and have since released their self-titled debut album in 2007. While they describe their sound as pop others attribute adjectives such as post rock and shoegaze to their sound. This independent band continues to write songs and tour, while their influences range form Jeff Buckley to Bjork.
