Maseta Wraps Up the Month With Brand New Single Agustus Lagi

Loetju Media    September 09, 2023   

Maseta Wraps Up the Month With Brand New Single Agustus Lagi

 

Loetju.id - East Jakarta based singer-songwriter, Maseta concludes August 2023 by releasing an upbeat single titled “Agustus Lagi”.  Inspired by his very own love life, “Agustus Lagi” becomes a celebratory tune about going full circle with his significant other; an anniversary. The single acts as his diary of conflicts, pleasures, and lessons gained from his romantic relationship. 

Following the rollout of “Odp” in July, Maseta will compile released singles into a debut album delivered fully in Bahasa Indonesia. Previously, Maseta has had 2 EP’s released, Maseta (2019) and Perfect Weather (2020), while also being involved in Sun Eater’s Sounds Cute, Might Delete Later with “Takjil” (2021). Aside from self-producing his music, Maseta took on the role as music director in a theater production “Mulang Ka Asal” by PPIA Victoria earlier this year. 

A personal touch in his writing facilitates Maseta to bring along his listeners into the dynamics of his relationship. The line “konflik dihadang berdua, gantian cari perkara, besok juga baik-baik saja” towards the end of the chorus, implies the occasionally tumultuous nature of his relationship. The stories that are adapted into his lyrics are simple, but very close to everyday occurrences, e.g., ‘accidentally’ leaving a belonging as an excuse to see each other the next day, being drained after walking  long distance under the scorching sun, and counting days to finally  see a darling. 

Unlike the laid back mood that are felt in the previous releases, “Agustus Lagi” is coloured by synthesizers sounds and powerful drum hits that accommodates the sanguine and anthemic song. ”I wanted to diversify the moods of my songs, to suit the phases that I’ve gone through in my life. I want to perfectly capture every ups and downs of my day  and like any other adolescent, I’m barely settling.” he stated. Aligned with the themed carried in “Agustus Lagi”, Maseta visualizes his thrilling  juvenile love journey through the uptempo number. “I imagined a couple running around happily, ignoring all burdens and just happy to have each other’s company,” he added.  “Agustus Lagi” is available on all digital streaming platform on 30 August 2023. 

G.A.T.E Welcome You To Their Universe with “Giants Among The Elders” Music Video

Loetju Media    Juli 26, 2023   

G.A.T.E Welcome You To Their Universe with “Giants Among The Elders” Music Video

 

Loetju.id - G.A.T.E, a rising virtual band that consists of Juno Chapel (vocal, guitar), Ben Waller (bass) and Hana Takahashi (drum) welcome you to the G.A.T.E-verse with their first ever music video for “Giants Among The Elders''. The unit which was first introduced through @suneatercoven on Instagram used the opportunity to introduce each member, their personal traits, go-to bite and favorite hangout place in this music video produced by Sun Eater Studio in collaboration with Monocá collective. 

“The main plot of this music video is an intro as a new band. Who we are, what we like, and where we’re from. Like a brief get-to-know us visual for those who have heard of us or those who barely knew G.A.T.E. So the concept is similar to an old band video that showed us jamming, hanging out, nothing too serious haha,” said Ben Waller, the eldest in this band. Ben added that besides an introduction, you can also see them on a quest to look for the best Betawinese Soto in town that turned out to be proudly cooked by himself. 

When asked whether there’s correlation between this dish and their philosophy as a band, they jokingly answered that there’s no specific reason. Juno comically uttered “Ben could find hundreds of philosophies on this topic. But for me as an analogy, I could be the meat, Uncle Ben could be the innards, and Hana could act as the veggies in this bowl of Soto Betawi…hahahahah! You should try Ben’s Soto Betawi which is UNMATCHED!”

Directed by Sahid Permana, the video for “Giants Among The Elders” provides a blend of Jakarta and G.A.T.E’s universe with the trio seamlessly showcased the best of both worlds. They unanimously choose Blok-M as their favorite go-to place in Jakarta for various reasons. “I love the new literacy park!” said Hana excitedly. She stated record stores and secondhand book stores at Blok M mall is one of the places that you could find her wandering alone. 

The interconnecting public transportation access also plays a big role on why this area becomes the favorite of this trio. Ben further added that Blok M’s vibrant and bustling atmosphere could represent Jakarta’s old and current eras. “There’s this retro feeling of Jakarta, but at the same time we could still feel the connection to a modern city that is moving forward. 

There’s an overlapping vibe of time periods that is manifested by many modern cafés, old establishments, and a terminal that sees people come and go. As a place that used to become the center of Japanese culture or ‘Japan District’ back in the days, it’s a no-brainer for Juno and Hana who’s known as fans of this culture, to fall in love with this place,” Ben said.

The trio who decided to form a band after a unique encounter of Ben and Juno in a convenience store, collaborated with a renowned band in Indonesia, which is Sasa. G.A.T.E. feel that the values and spirit of Sasa that always spread positivity for everyone, is suitable with their vision and music core. 

Vice versa, Sasa feels that the dream and spirit of G.A.T.E. in making music, adds refreshing value in spreading happiness. As a big fan of Ben’s culinary creation, Juno also said that cooking and eating have become an escape for the band when they hit a wall while trying to find melodies, lyrics, or arrangements for their songs. Hence, Sasa has always been an accompaniment for their journey as musicians. 

G.A.T.E’s universe won’t stop on this music video, as the band slightly hinted that there will be an expanding visual form in which we could get to know more about their back story and future plans. “Of course there will be more visuals from us, just so you wait! Actually all of our journeys are presented through our Instagram page, so hit the follow button and you’ll find our stories there. Psst, the admin is a very mysterious being,” said Juno as Hana added that everyone could tell that Juno is the man behind their social media. 

The wisest of the bunch, Ben, playfully spilled that they desperately need content people to help them develop their stories as web series or short stories. While doing so, he said that G.A.T.E is currently preparing their second single so the listeners should be looking forward to it. In the meantime, the video for “Giants Among The Elders” is ready to be enjoyed on the band’s official Youtube account on July 17th, 2023. 

Taiwanese Soloist Mandark Releases Album "BADA88" in Indonesia Exclusively via Sun Eater

Loetju Media    Juli 07, 2023   

Taiwanese Soloist Mandark Releases Album "BADA88" in Indonesia Exclusively via Sun Eater

 

Loetju.id - Mandark, the indie musician and singer-songwriter from Taiwan, previously known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the indie bands Sweet John and I Mean Us, has made a name for herself in the mainstream Chinese music scene over the past few years. 

She has also been active in various renowned international indie scenes, performing at events such as SXSW, Busan Rock Festival, and Audiotree Live. With her rich creative energy, Mandark has not been content with the achievements of her bands. 

Over the past year, she has delved inward to explore her true self. Confronting her anxieties and desires head-on, this introspection has given birth to her first solo album, "BADA88." (read: Badass) that’s released on 30th June 2023.

The album embodies a firm belief – Mandark's journey to discovering her unique charm and finding infinite love and freedom along the way.

"BADA88" was produced by Fortune Coookie Records, a production team that has won multiple Golden Melody Awards (Mandarin Grammy Awards), and released in collaboration with Indonesian label Sun Eater. The album encompasses various genres such as indie pop, synth-pop, R&B, and alternative. 

While primarily featuring English lyrics, it also includes Japanese and Korean elements. The tracklist includes the catchy and upbeat "Sushi," the UK garage-style "8ODY," the dance-filled music video "DALIDA," and the introspective and emotional song "Dying to Hurt You,". These eight tracks showcase Mandark's ambition to expand her presence across Asia.

Within Mandark's music, you will discover a resonation within your own heart. As you rediscover yourself, you will emanate an irresistible charm that attracts the people you love.

Slowanderer Presents Tropical House Music on Debut Single “You Should” featuring Saladdays

Loetju Media    Maret 19, 2023   

Slowanderer Presents Tropical House Music on Debut Single “You Should” featuring Saladdays

 

Loetju.id -  The EDM scene of Indonesia has welcomed a newcomer whose moniker is Slowanderer. The musician behind this solo project is also known as Jul and he just debuted with a brand new single called “You Should”. In his first feature, he would love to introduce himself to casual music listeners as an EDM producer who collaborates with duo Saladdays. “You Should'' is sung in English and chronicles an unrequited love from someone who chooses to hide his/her feelings towards a loved one. 

Anxiety and lack of bravery have kept the feelings shut deep down inside this person’s heart which led to the inspiration behind the song’s lyrics. Saladdays, who are known as twin musicians composed of Aliya (vocal) and Amel (guitar) also helped to create this song as what Slowanderer envisioned it to be. “Aliya’s innocent yet subtle vocal matched my vision on how this song would sound like, and Amel could fill in the lead guitar part as I expected,” said Slowanderer about his decision to have Saladdays on board as collaborators.

Digging deeper about this song, the musician who resides in Malang, East Java said that he is greatly influenced by Tropical house, a sub genre of EDM. This genre combines a lot of fun and relaxing vibe and sounds, although its lyrics might be on the contrary. Musicians of this sub-genre like Kygo, Hogland, Syn Cole, Mike Perry, as well as Nora Van Elken have become the muses behind Slowanderer’s project. 

Among those musicians, Kygo became the prime inspiration for “You Should” which was mixed and mastered by The Undogmatic, a Portugal-based sound engineer. The song was recorded by Rama Studio, and it becomes more visually appealing with the help of Kevkaesque who created the artwork.

Jul as the man behind Slowanderer is no stranger in the music industry since he has already ventured the ups and down of Indonesia’s music scene with alternative rock band, Tirant. Despite his rock band endeavor, Jul’s love for EDM has led him to a previous project called Pinecone with fellow collaborator Erwin, together they release 3 singles. However, Pinecone didn’t last long and it didn’t dissipate Jul’s passion for EDM until Slowanderer was born in 2023. 

Through this project, he aims to do a lot of exploration in terms of music, sound, and live performances. “As an entertainer, my ultimate goal is to entertain. In the scope of music, I aim to please the listeners. So, in the meantime my goal as Slowanderer is to make many songs that can be enjoyed by the listeners. The next step after this debut is… making another song of course!” said Slowanderer. “You Should” is officially released on digital streaming platforms from March 17th, 2023. Enjoy the vibe!