LISTEN TO LOCAL MUSIC

For my english practical exam, my class was told to make a speech about anything. So I made a speech on Indonesian music. Hope this persuades you Indonesians and non-Indonesians to listen to our local music as well.

Today, I would like to talk to you about a big deal that not everyone is aware of: good local music. The Westernization of art and culture into Indonesia is spreading quickly without us knowing it is. Therefore, we automatically know more international music rather than our own music. Why yes, some people might say Indonesian modern music is a shame, since they aren’t meaningful and have very bad music arrangements. Well, I thought of that too a few years back. But I grew up going to music festivals and events, that I received a bunch of very good Indonesian music that is worth listening to. And I want you guys to consider listening to them as well.

Indonesia has very high levels of culture, which leads to a variety of music, outfits, languages, visual and performing arts, and so on. Although we are built out of various music, Indonesians would still like to catch up with what’s trending and due to that, they will create a new kind of music. The new kind of music they will create will definitely be different than western music, because we have traditional music. Gamelans, angklung, keroncong, dangdut… The list goes on! With the creative minds of our youth, they could combine Indonesian and modern music into one. An example of a local duo that is greatly influenced by Indonesian traditional music is Parisude. White Shoes and The Couples Company also produced an album on their arrangements of traditional music which is amazing.

Remember when I said most Indonesian songs aren’t worth to listen to? Well, that’s just because the bad ones hide the good ones! Nowadays, music isn’t art anymore, but it’s business. The more money you make, the success you’ll be. But ‘more money’ doesn’t determine whether you music is good. Since the radio is determined to play the newest songs there are, they don’t really care whether it is considered good or bad. There are good Indonesian songs on the radio, for example Raisa, Sheila on 7, RAN and Maliq & d’ Essentials… However, the media in Indonesia should explore that hidden/independent music and play their songs instead. I mean, did you know a band called White Shoes and The Couples Company have traveled around the globe, bringing Indonesia’s name with them? That’s because the not-so-important music news hid the amazing news!

Finding good local music isn’t hard. You just need a will and an Internet connection. Explore websites such as Soundcloud, 8tracks, Youtube or last.fm, and the list of Indonesian music will blow your mind. Follow on twitter or instagram a variety of hangout places, because some Indonesian acts usually have a gig at cafes and restaurants. And lastly, go to local music festivals! If you’re not allowed to go by yourself, ask an older sibling, a friend or even your parents to accompany you. Local music festivals usually cost around Rp. 50.000 – Rp. 100.000, but I promise you, it is worth it. I once went to a festival called Djaksphere’s Joyland Festival, and I watched some very powerful and soothing acts that changed my paradigm on Indonesian music.

As you can conclude from my speech, Indonesian music is wide and some of them are really good. You just need to know where to look. If the locals start listening to their own music, the music will expand. And when the music expands, it will probably be recognize internationally. When it is recognized internationally, Indonesia will create an outstanding progress that will benefit the country and the people itself.