For four days, March 24-27, the IMEX – Indonesian Music Festival takes to the stages in Ubud, Central Ubud. The event will feature more than 100 musicians and vocalists from across Indonesian, including top musicians from Aceh, Kalimantan, Flores, Timor, Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara.
At IMEX – top Indonesian musical groups, many of whom have performed at prestigious world music festivals, will showcase their talent, ranging from indigenous tribal music to jazz to an ensemble version of the Indonesian National Orchestra.
Festival Director Franki Raden has handpicked all 17 Indonesian music groups to perform at this year’s IMEX.
The music on offer will be both diverse and delightful. Kande – an up-and-coming Indonesian musical group from Aceh in North Sumatra, represents one of many headline groups at IMEX. Rafli leads Kande – a singer-songwriter widely praised for his superb vocal quality.
Suarasama will provide mystical Sufi nuance from Medan, North Sumatra. Jazz lovers are sure to adore Aksilarasi – a group for Lombok that blends a unique jazz sound with the indigenous sound of Sasak gamelan music.
Festival Director Franki Raden is especially proud of a “musical discovery” called Dadendate that hails from Central Sulawesi. Dadendate, claims Franki, is a unique sound, unlike anything he has ever encountered in his long career as a musician and ethnomusicologist. “I had to travel for hours, to the middle of nowhere in Central Sulawesi to find this tribe,” he explained. “Their ancient form of music dates back to the mythical Kingdom of Sindue. It is very intricate and conveyed in a unique storytelling style. Locating them was quite an effort and a little tricky. However, when I finally heard their music, I was captivated by the blending of their melodic vocal line and instruments. You are in for a treat – it is one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. Don’t miss it.”
Dadendate wil perform at the Puri Lukisan Museum on Friday, 25 March 2022 from 5:00-6:00 pm.
Pinkan Indonesia from North Sulawesi is another unique sound featured at this year’s Festival. This group’s repertoire blends Minahasan jazz, rock, and classical genres. Pinkan takes to the stage at Puri Lukisan on Sunday, 27 March, from 7:00 until 8:00 pm.
Traveling to Bali from West Nusa Tenggara for IMEX is the Cilokaq musical group who present a musical admixture of “Kroncong,” Chinese, Arabic nuances, with a heavy dashing of indigenous Lombok sounds. Cilokaq performs on Saturday, 26 March, from 7:00-8:00 pm.
Taking their inspiration from the Indonesian National Orchestra – the INO Ensemble performs music composed and arranged by Franki Raden and combines regional music from across the entire Indonesian archipelago. Much anticipated, INO Ensemble will appear at Taman Dedari from 9:00 pm until 10:00 pm on Thursday, 24 March.
Complete details on the Indonesian Music Festival (IMEX) are available at the Festival Website, including a full schedule of open stage and individual performance programs. IMEX also includes talks, panel discussions, film screenings, and workshops.
A food bazaar will also be in operation during the Festival, offering delicious and affordable cuisine to festival attendees.
The open stage will operate each day from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.
Evening performances from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm.
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