Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Popscape Moves
Popscape has moved to Wordpress. I have decided that wordpress is the blogging platform for me. Therefore I have moved there. Most of the posts from this version of popscape have migrated to that blog. Check for updates there.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Rocking On in Indonesia
Indonesia’s rock and roll scene is second to none in Southeast Asia.
“Wha’?”
The Archipelago, which is the most populous nation south of China, has a very developed recording industry. Labels like EMI have branches in Indonesia, and MTV is a major media force amongst the younger generations. A large share of the music network’s broadcasts is geared towards commercialism. Of course, it’s MTV.
However, there seems to be something a little deeper to the music industry. Perhaps it is simply that Indonesia is a young nation and has yet to loose it’s innocence to the ravages of advertising and tabloids. Perhaps, as I like to think, the belief in music is part of the country’s culture.
Rock acts like Slank and Dewa pack stadiums when they tour. Though the rock is mostly typical anthem and power pop fare, a few songs with political and religious undertones sneak on the playlists. Dewa, for example, has a recent song, Laskar Cinta, which condemns the views of extreme Muslims. Though a vast majority of Indonesians would be considered completely secular, extremist groups, like the one, which planned the recent bombings on Kuta Beach in Bali, do exist. Along with Slank, Dewa and others seem to be preaching nothing but rock and roll. Judging by the radio airplay and record sales attributed to the bands, not to mention their high visibility on national and regional MTV, Indonesia is eating it up.
Perhaps I am reading too much into the success of rock in Indonesia. But I see nothing negative coming out of the fact that most of a generation seems to be embracing the scene so heartily. Even if the current state of indo-rock is based on a fleeting innocence of that generation, one has to ask what would Indonesia be without her music scene?
“Wha’?”
The Archipelago, which is the most populous nation south of China, has a very developed recording industry. Labels like EMI have branches in Indonesia, and MTV is a major media force amongst the younger generations. A large share of the music network’s broadcasts is geared towards commercialism. Of course, it’s MTV.
However, there seems to be something a little deeper to the music industry. Perhaps it is simply that Indonesia is a young nation and has yet to loose it’s innocence to the ravages of advertising and tabloids. Perhaps, as I like to think, the belief in music is part of the country’s culture.
Rock acts like Slank and Dewa pack stadiums when they tour. Though the rock is mostly typical anthem and power pop fare, a few songs with political and religious undertones sneak on the playlists. Dewa, for example, has a recent song, Laskar Cinta, which condemns the views of extreme Muslims. Though a vast majority of Indonesians would be considered completely secular, extremist groups, like the one, which planned the recent bombings on Kuta Beach in Bali, do exist. Along with Slank, Dewa and others seem to be preaching nothing but rock and roll. Judging by the radio airplay and record sales attributed to the bands, not to mention their high visibility on national and regional MTV, Indonesia is eating it up.
Perhaps I am reading too much into the success of rock in Indonesia. But I see nothing negative coming out of the fact that most of a generation seems to be embracing the scene so heartily. Even if the current state of indo-rock is based on a fleeting innocence of that generation, one has to ask what would Indonesia be without her music scene?
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