Dangdut is inseparable from our culture. Whether you're into punk, metal, rock, once you hear dangdut, there's no denying in swaying that shoulder and hips. This list is comprised of popular hits following a general timeline from the 60's
01. Ya Mahmud - Orkes Kelana Ria
02. Pandangan Pertama - A Rafiq
03. Zakia - Achmad Albar
04. Mari Berjoget - Koes Plus
05. Elvy Sukaesih - Cubit2an
06. Aku Bukan Pengemis Cinta - Jhonny Iskandar
07. Lebih Baik Sakit Gigi - Meggie Z
08. Colak-Colek - Camelia Malik
09. Kalau Bulan Bisa Ngomong - Doel Sumbang & Nini Karlina
10. Bang Toyib - Ade Irma
11. Goyang Inul - Inul Daratista
12. Mbah Dukun - Alam
13. SMS - Ria Amalia
14. Mimpi Manis - Dewi Perssik
15. Sik Asik - Ayu Ting Ting
16. Dangdut Is The Music of My Country (Outro) - Project Pop
There are songs out there that you cannot get enough of. A feeling of excitement surfaces at the first listen, and the incessant repeated listenings that follows familiarizes you with the individual elements that make up the song(instruments, composition, production, lyrics, etc), helping you understand what made you fall for the tune in the first place, as well as reliving that excitement over and over again. I have been very fortunate to have experienced this euphoria numerous time, and a song that had me smitten recently is
The combination of Leonard Cohen's frantic guitar plucking, his baritone voice quietly speaking words of a freedom fighter in the midst of war, and the sound of an accordion weaving in and out is moving experience - it is as if reading the train of thought of a man who has resigned to a soldier's fate, but still has a flicker of hope for the war to end. The Partisan is truly a moving experience found in Cohen's second album, .
Now listening to The Partisan you immediately understand that the song is about war with lyrics such as and this particular passage really drives the war and heroism theme home. But then suddenly in the middle of the song there is a woman singing along in french which took me by surprise, and made me even more curious about the song.
So first I looked for translations of the lyrics:
Les Allemands e'taient chez moi
ils me dirent, "Signe toi"
mais je n'ai pas peur;
j'ai repris mon arme.
J'ai change' cent fois de nom
j'ai perdu femme et enfants
mais j'ai tant d'amis
j'ai la France entie`re.
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
pour la nuit nous a cache'
les Allemands l'ont pris;
il est mort sans surprise.
The Germans were at my home
They said, "resign yourself"
But I am not afraid
I have retaken my weapon.
I have changed names a hundred times
I have lost wife and children
But I have so many friends
I have all of France
An old man, in an attic
Hid us for the night
The Germans captured him
He died with no surprise.
So now it has become obvious that "The Partisan" refers to the French Resistance during World War II, and it is a bit curious that the French lyrics seems a lot more specific than Cohens (who mentions neither warring parties). Delving deeper into learning about "The Partisan" I found out that this song is actually a cover/adapation of a French song called "La Complainte du Partisan" (The Rime of the Partisan).
The original was written in 1943 by a soldier named Emmanuel D'Astier de la Vigerie and turned into a song by singer Anna Marly (whose version you can listen to above). "La Complainte du Partisan", which was indeed dedicated to the French Resistance, was then translated by composer Hy Zaret (who famously wrote the song "Unchained Melody"). Hy Zaret translation stayed relatively true to Emmanuel D'Astier de la Vigerie in all but the omission of the fighting parties and one important sentence - and a pretty significant one (translation by Google Translate):
Le vent souffle sur les tombes (The wind over the graves)
La liberté reviendra (Freedom return)
On nous oubliera (We forget)
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Coming from the shadows is significantly different from returning to the shadows - the original spoke of the selflessness of the resistance fighters as they will return to their normal lives in anonymity. Meanwhile, Zarets' translation implies that the fighters will reveal themselves to the normal/regular life when freedom returns. Coming out of the shadows does give an aire of glory to the fighters' return, and perhaps Zarets wanted to end the prose on a hopeful and heroic note instead of the more stoic original. Zarets' version is what Leonard Cohen sang after listening to a version of the song on BBC Canada.
So that is where my tiny bit of research on Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan" ended. It is a beautiful song that turns out to have an interesting history behind it. If you have read this far do listen to the variety of song versions posted above (click the left and right arrows), and if you want to learn more about the music this Google search is a good place to start. I hope you will be as moved by the song as I was.
It's a proud day for us here in Whiteboard Journal as today, June 26, If you regularly read our website you probably have noticed that our recent literary picks have been made possible by the Japanese book shop, and to take it a step further Kinokuniya provided a physical space in their store to display the selection - making it easier for readers to find the books!
Joining this collaboration to promote reading is , who has provided us with a for us to display the selection so customers can read the book descriptions before making their choice of literature.
Every month the display in Kinokuniya will change as we bring you a new selection of books on our website, so if you are looking for that next great read make your way to the 5th floor of Sogo, Plaza Senayan, and stop by our booth!
JL Asia Afrika 8 Sogo
Plaza Senayan Lt. 5
Jakarta 10270
This edition features precious little mixing, focusing solely on a few of my favourite jazz related tracks that have been released over the last 20 years. Featuring Robert Glasper, Osunlade, Chirs Dave, Mala, Masaru Imada and finished off by two killer tracks from the late great Austin Peralta.
01. Osunlade – Into: Jungle Sounds
02. Mala In Cuba – Calle F
03. Menagerie – The Chosen
04. Tribe – Rebirth
05. Robert Glasper Trio – Alone Together
06. St. Germain – So Flute
07. Chris Dave – Africa…I Freak Her
08. Masaru Imada – Nowin
09. Austin Peralta – Capricornus
10. Austin Peralta – Algiers
When talking about bboying in Indonesia Bboy Kreate is a name that everybody knows. Born Febian Hidranto, Kreate is an influential figure that helped shape the current Indonesian bboy scene. Affiliated with a number of crews across the globe, he has competed and judged numerous competitions, many of them he organized himself. Mr. Hidranto is truly one of the most passionate dancers in Indonesia, and his dedication has earned him well deserved respect and accolades. Bboy Kreate visited Whiteboard Journal's HQ on a rainy afternoon and shared with our host Bergas 5 songs that he loves. Click the play button and enjoy the conversation and the selection.
01. Notorious BIG - Juicy
02. Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck
03. Booker T and the MGs - Melting Pot
04. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
05. Mos Def - Travellin' Man
For the most of Indonesians, tea is associated for its health benefits. But there needs to be proper knowledge in actually understanding why it is labeled as healthy. Bambang Laresolo, as an avid tea connoisseur, gives proper insight on dissecting the tea culture.
