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Banggai Briefs: Om Nelis Bagitar Tangan Sebelah

Solilungon Nelis N. Yuune Download Masih Adakah Cinta Nelis N. Yuune Download Sampai Kapan Lagi Nelis N. Yuune Download Location: Ds. Basosol Sound: Bagitar tangah sebelah Nelis N. Yuune was born in 1969 in Basosol, a village on the island of Peling in Central Sulawesi’s Banggai Islands to a family of cassava farmers. Struck by an illness at four years old, Om Nelis was left with only partial use…

Kalason Oto: Singing Bus Horns in West Sumatra

Sinar Riau Pak Budahar Download Palayaran Pak Budahar Download Sound: Kalason oto (often simply “ kalason ”) Location : Alahan Panjang, Kab. Solok, West Sumatra This post is dedicated to Pak Budahar - a real Minang musical legend who literally spread music across Sumatra, providing sweet solace to his passengers for decades. Next time you honk your horn, I hope you think of him. +++ What was the…

On the Hunt with Hatong: Buffalo Horn Music in Banten

Hatong Musicians of Mangong - Buah Kawung Bah Rasjaya, Ka Men, Bah Joha, Bah Parjo, Ka Amen, Ka Jarta Download Hatong Animal Noises Bah Rasjaya Download Location: Kp. Mangong, Ds. Parigi, Kec. Saketi, Kab. Pandeglang, Banten Sound: Hatong Tooooot. Tooooot. I’m sweating in the tropical brush of Pulosari, a mountain deep in Java’s far western Banten province, and my ears are wide open. Beside me, a…

Enter the Octagon: Hyperlocal Zither Drum Ensembles in Sumedang, West Java

Medley No. 1 Lingkung Seni Kacapi Celempungan Panineungan - Download Medley No. 2 Lingkung Seni Kacapi Celempungan Panineungan Download Sound: Kacapi celempungan (also called simply celempungan ) Location: Ds. Pamulihan, Sumedang Regency, West Java Of all the various wonderful micro-genres tucked away in the verdant mountains of West Java’s Sumedang Regency (see tanji , songah , or tarawangsa ),…

Celempung Mang Jama

Kidung Mang Jama and Bu Nanih Download Tepang Sono Mang Jama and Bu Nanih Download Location: Dus. Ciledre, Ds. Cibubuan, Kec. Conggeang, Kab. Sumedang, West Java Sound: Celempung Mang Jama (feat. Bu Nanih) Mang Jama was an eight year old shepherd when he first picked up celempung in the late 1960s. Taking him to the bamboo groves, his grandfather taught him how to pick the finest awi surat , the…

Pikon: Mouth Harp Music of Papua

Courtship Song (Ilu Elu Wulugi) Pospan Elopere Download Widow Song Pospan Elopere Download Tribal Warfare (Victory Song) Pospan Elopere Download Sound: Pikon (also called pikon ane ) Location: Waena, Jayapura, Papua In much of the highlands of Papua, the pikon mouth harp has long been the primary musical instrument: men of the wider Baliem valley region consider their instruments so important as…

Papuan Strings, Pt. 3: Wisisi

Wisisi Natan, Horius, Roni, Yupris, Jeki, Jami Alom Download Wirenare Natan, Horius, Roni, Yupris, Jeki, Jami Alom Download Sogiri Natan, Horius, Roni, Yupris, Jeki, Jami Alom Download Sound: Wisisi (also called iniki one, pesek ) Location: Waena, Jayapura City, Papua As we reach the end of our Papuan Strings trilogy, I can’t help but marvel at the sheer diversity of expression that has emerged…

Papuan Strings, Pt. 2: Yorbo, Arnold Ap, and Musical Solace in Biak

Medley: Karnindi Maundori/Biaki Swan Ine/La La La La/Rowanja/Marefo Baitel Download Yamarisen Yakaindo Musicians of Ujung Pagar, Biak Download Sound: Yorbo (also, in different contexts, called yospan , or simply musik akustik .) Location: Insrom, Biak Kota, Biak Numfor Regency, Papua Everywhere I went in Papua , I met Biak people. These folks ( orang Biak in Indonesian, sometimes called Biakers in…

Stambul Fajar: Jalur Rempah

Satu Mol Pengekar Campo Download Dua Mol Pengekar Campo Download Location: Mendanau, Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Sound : Stambul fajar Note: This article is written collaboratively by Jabink Suherman, Iqbal Saputra, and Hannah Standiford. It’s impossible to talk about Mendanau without talking about the ocean. Mendanau is a small island in between Bangka and Belitung (also spelled…

Papuan Strings, Pt. 1: Songgeri

Songgeri Medley (Smaller Ensemble, After Sunday Service) Musicians of Kawipi Download Songgeri Medley (Full Village Welcoming Party) Musicians of Kawipi Download Location: Kawipi, Kepulauan Ambai, Yapen Regency, Papua Sound: Songgeri It’s Sunday, and I’m in a church in Kawipi, a small village in the Ambai archipelago of Papua . As the service starts, the vaulted ceilings of the church come alive…

Alas Ethnic Minority Music of Aceh: Bangsi Alas

Tandang Mendem + Tangis Dilo Pak Rabatin Download Location: Kuta Cingkam, Kec. Lawe Alas, Kab. Aceh Tenggara Sound: Bangsi Alas (also spelled bansi Alas ) One more post from that land of musical treasures, the Alas Valley of Southeast Aceh, the northernmost province of Sumatra. In just a few short days there, I managed to record and learn about so many rare and beautiful musical traditions, from…

Alas Ethnic Minority Music of Aceh: Canang Bulu

Canang Gasak Ibu Kamrah, Ibu Satunya, Ibu Siti Rahma Download Sound: Canang buluh (also called canang kecapi ) Location: Ds. Muara Baru, Kec. Lawe Alas, Kab. Aceh Tenggara (Southeast Aceh) There’s something delightful about multiple musicians teaming up to play on a single instrument together - whether it’s a piano duet or two gamelan musicians sitting across from each other and playing…

Alas Ethnic Minority Music of Aceh: Canang Situ

Canang Tangis Dilo Ibu Kamrah, Ibu Tinah, Ibu Satunye, Ibu Najiah, Ibu Siti Rahma Download Canang Gasak Ibu Kamrah, Ibu Tinah, Ibu Satunye, Ibu Najiah, Ibu Siti Rahma Download Sound: Canang Situ Location: Ds. Muara Baru, Kec. Lawe Alas, Kab. Aceh Tenggara (Southeast Aceh) The Alas Valley is full of musical anomalies, and for the past year I’ve been obsessing over exactly why. Is it their location?…

Alas Ethnic Minority Music of Aceh: Kecapi

Canang Gasak Ibu Siti Rahma Download Sound: Kecapi (also known as canang kecapi or gitar ) Location: Ds. Muara Baru, Kec. Lawe Alas and Ds. Pedesi, Kec. Bambel in Kab. Aceh Tenggara (Southeast Aceh), Aceh The Alas people live on the very fringe of Aceh , the northernmost province of Sumatra, in a river valley cleft into the Bukit Barisan mountains. Most of what makes Aceh famous - the massive…

Angklung Buncis: Mutual Aid and Music in the Fields of West Java

Tabeuh Jalan Mekar Pusaka Download Tonggeret Pusaka Mekar Download Cis Buncis Pusaka Mekar Download Sound: Angklung buncis (often called simply buncis ) Location: Ds. Datarkubang, Kec. Naringgul, Kab. Cianjur, West Java Take out a 1,000 rupiah coin and flip it over, and you’ll see a single angklung , embossed and floating in a void in front of the mirage-like facade of the Gedung Sate (literally…

Suspended Traditions: A Calung Renteng Addendum

Aki Aki Kunang Iteuk (Old Men with their Canes) Pak Adeng Download Sound: Calung renteng (also known as calung rantay) Location: Ds. Sukamulya, Kec. Leles, Kab. Cianjur, West Java The rural hinterlands of West Java are full of musical surprises. Some of my favorite are modern performance traditions still brimming with youthful energy, like the bajidoran -esque all-night frame drum-filled dance…

Harpa Mulut Nusantara [Mouth Harps of Indonesia]: Kuriding

Kuriding Improvisation Julak Larau Download Ever since I moved to Bandung and fell into the booming karinding scene, I’ve had a special place in my heart for Indonesian mouth harps. Since then, I’ve made a special effort to track down local variations of mouth harp culture across the archipelago, often sharing the results with Asosiasi Harpa Mulut Indonesia , the Indonesian Mouth Harp Association,…

Sounds of Madurese East Java, Pt. 2: Serbung

Kerap Sapeh Serbung Jatimulyo Download Lak Angleng Serbung Jatimulyo Download This is Part 2 in the Sounds of Madurese East Java series, a collection of posts exploring the rich sound worlds of the Madurese diaspora in “mainland” East Java. To read Part 1, including the introduction to this series, click here. Location: Ds. Jatimulyo, Kec. Kunir, Kab. Lumajang, East Java Sound: Serbung The “blown…

Harpa Mulut Nusantara [Mouth Harps of Indonesia]: Rinding Lumajang

Rinding Lumajang Duet Pak Sutimbang and Pak Suhar Download Rinding Lumajang Solo (Pak Sutimbang) Pak Sutimbang Download Rinding Lumajang Solo (Pak Suhar) Pak Suhar Download Ever since I moved to Bandung and fell into the booming karinding scene, I’ve had a special place in my heart for Indonesian mouth harps. Since then, I’ve made a special effort to track down local variations of mouth harp…

Sounds of Madurese East Java, Pt. 1: Tong Tong Kerapan

Tok Elang Antok Musicians of Kalisemut Download Perondian Musicians of Kalisemut Download Location: Kalisemut, Kec. Padang, Kab. Lumajang, East Java Sound: Tong tong kerapan (aka penthongan ) The Madurese have been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. Beginning in June 2021, the regency of Bangkalan in Madura , an island off the northeast coast of Java, became a hotspot for the…