Member:
ffroyd
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by ffroyd)
Date:
6/5/2009
Format:
CD (Album)
Demi Masa is the second Moonjune records release from the Indonesian band simakDialog. They have been around several years and had at least three albums before joining with Moonjune. While the band’s previous effort Patahan was nothing short of excellent, they really seem to be hitting their stride with the new one. The band employs an interesting mixture of jazz-fusion and traditional Indonesian music driven by Sudanese kedang percussion, a very interesting combination that works quite well.
The band came together originally in 1993, formed by keyboardist Riza Arshad and guitarist Tohpati. The intention was to construct music that would not only display the influence of progressive rock and fusion but also incorporate their own musical heritage. Also in the band are bassist Adhithya Pratama and percussionists Endang Ramdan and Erlan Suwardana. While I don’t have much knowledge of the more traditional style that they are using here, I can tell you that the music seems heavily influenced by bands like Weather Report and Return To Forever. Riza’s Rhodes piano is particularly effective and I would say in this way they remind me of label-mates DFA in this regard.
The disc opens with “Salilana Pertama” which translates to “Forever Part One”. I like the fact that they not only give the titles in the original language but also translate them into English. I also like that they don’t try to disguise anything and come right out with lots of percussion and gamelan rhythm. They also come out totally smoking on this 14-minute track. The Rhodes here is simply amazing! The last few minutes of the track feature some outstanding lead guitar work from Tohpati. He’s got some strange effects tacked on that make him sound a bit like Adrian Belew. This is followed by “Salilana Kedua” (“Forever Part Two”), a mellower rhythmic track which contains some additional percussion and chanting vocals from guest musician Emy Tata. There’s also some strange swirling synth tones going on in the background, too. This goes on for a few minutes and towards the end there is a reprise of the style from part one.
The next two tracks are another two part song “Tak Jauh” which means “Not So Far”. This starts out with a beautiful electric piano melody and rhythm which gradually becomes more intense. There’s also more weird guitar tones here. The second part is a little mellower with an almost Pat Metheny or Bob James feel.
Up next is a suite in three parts called “Trah Lor” or “Northern People” and it starts out fairly wild. There is a lot going on here in the first part, subtitled “Laras”/”Voices”. I’d almost call this avant-garde but it seems much too under control for that label. For a short couple minutes there are multiple melodies and plyrhythms that are very wild. The second part “Rupa”/”Faces” brings in a freer sound with lots of excellent percussion including some wonderful sounding gamelan gongs. The final part “Tapak”/”Prints” has a somewhat atmospheric touch in parts that is a very different contrast from the rest of the album. This piece also features some nice female vocals from guest Mian Tiara.
Track number eight “Karuhun”/”To Elders” showcases Riza’s skill on grand piano which is just as impressive as his electric piano ability. This track also features another guest in Dave Lumenta who provide light soundscapes throughout the piece. I almost couldn’t find his minimalist contributions but once I did, I thought it was very nice. The disc ends with another long one entitled “Disapih” or “Being Away”. This one has an early Return To Forever feel that reminds me slightly of Light As A Feather mixed with a slightly more modern touch.
Overall this is an astonishing disc that folks who were impressed by the last album will definitely want to hear. For those that haven’t already heard simakDialog’s seamless combination of hot fusion and Eastern island rhythms, I would definitely recommend this one. I would be very surprised if we didn’t see these guys with a festival appearance in the U.S. some time soon.
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