Interviewing Ismet

(continued. Part One Vol 11)

Judy Shelley from Suara Indonesia Radio Show interviewed Ismet Ruchimat from Sambasunda in Bandung feb, 2002.

Judy: Kalau misalnya anda main musik dan campur musik Bali dan Sunda, inspirasinya mau bikin sesuatu yang baru atau mau supaya orang lebih mengerti tentang musik tradisional atau bagaimana?

When you play Balinese music mixed with Sundanese, is the inspiration to create something new or to help people understand about traditional music?

Ismet: Ya, saya mengharapkan bahwa musik tradisional tidak dilihat dengan kaca mata yang kecil gitu, karena yang saya alami di Europa atau di mana mana, mereka bisa lebih menghargai bahwa itu seni pertunjukan. Jadi ada dampak psikologi positif kalau dilihat secara global. Biasanya kalau tradisi itu mungkin hanya dilihat seperti marginal dan itu ingin saya seperti kurangi masalah itu. Itu waktu saya bikin gamelan musik Sunda sama Bali waktu saya tahun 98 di Bali di sana, banyak musik Bali yang sekarang cenderung ke musik Sunda. Maka banyak kaset di Bali ada 'Degung Bali' itu.

Yes, I hope that traditional music isn't seen with narrow vision. What I have seen in Europe and in other places is that performance is more appreciated. So, there is a psychological impact that is positive if its seen within a global perspective. Usually, tradition is marginalised, and that is a problem I would like to reduce. When I was making gamelan music in 1998 in Bali, there was lots of Balinese music that was leaning towards Sundanese music. So, lots of cassettes in Bali that were being sold as 'Balinese Degung.'

Judy: Kok bisa begitu ya?

Isn't that surprising?

Ismet: Aneh, terus saya dengarkan. Saya cuma berpikir kita tidak...saya sendiri juga tidak menilaikan kwalitas musiknya karena itu sangat relatif.

Yes, its strange. Then, I listened to it. I just thought we can't judge the quality of music because its all very relative.

Judy: Kalau itu semacam musik kontemporer misalnya orang Bali dapat misalnya pengaruh dari musik Sunda terus mereka bikin musik baru namanya 'Degung Bali,' jadi anda pernah lihat di sana ada perkembangan?

In contemporary music, Balinese people, for example, get influence from Sundanese music then they create a new music called 'Degung Bali,' so do you see that as a development?

Ismet: Saya hanya berpikir malah orang Bali seperti lebih buka begitu.

I just think that Balinese people are more open like that.

Judy: Untuk membuat kreasi dengan campur tradisi lain-lain gitu? Memang orang Bali suka ambil dari mana saja dan bikin sesuatu yang baru . . . selalu begitu ya?

To make a creation out of mixed traditions like that? Balinese people like to take things from anywhere and make something new . . .aren't they always like that?

Ismet: Ya, saya juga pikir kenapa orang Sunda tidak juga begitu? Makanya saya pikir ini, ada gamelan Bali sebetulnya di STSI, Bandung dan saya bikin lagu-lagu Sunda dengan gamelan Bali. Saya hanya semacam cross-cultural dari dasar yang berbeda tapi setelah jadi, bentuknya saya pikir itu sama-sama saja dan kebetulan juga sampai saat ini belum ada kritik yang serius.

Yes, I also wonder why Sundanese people aren't like that as well. So I thought, well there's actually Balinese gamelan at STSI in Bandung and I can make Sundanese songs with a Balinese gamelan. With cross-cultural music, the roots are different, but when it comes down to it, the format is the same in the end and actually, until now, there haven't been any serious critics.

Judy: Kalau gamelan Bali itu senang atau nggak?

Do you like Balinese gamelan or not?

Ismet: Ya, saya sangat senang. Kalau saya sendiri juga punya basik pengalaman musik seperti itu. Dulu waktu saya seminar di Dago. Padahal dulu saya tidak pakai gamelan Degung itu. Banyak orang yang mengatakan kenapa kalau Ismet membuat musik seperti musik Bali. Mungkin karena Degung Gamelan dan gamelan Bali. Itu lebih dekat 'tuning'nya jadi kalau kita main bersama-sama dengan kecepatan melodi itu kesan akan seperti itu. Jadi, orang pasti akan menganggap seperti itu. Apa lagi dengan teknik-teknik pukulan-pukulan seperti itu dan melodi dan kecepatan seperti itu, hasilnya akan seperti itu.

Yes, I really enjoy it. I also have personal musical experience with it. When I was doing a seminar in Dago, I didn't use Degung gamelan yet. Lots of people asked why I made music that was like Balinese music. Maybe because degung gamelan and Balinese gamelan are closely tuned and are played with the same speed and melody, the impression left was the same. So, people definitely consider them like that. Also, with the same striking techniques, the result is similar.

Judy: Dan ternyata hasilnya hebat sekali dan semua orang yang dengar sering telpon sama radio bilang 'ya musik ini bagus sekali di mana bisa beli?' Dan kalau saya nonton, sangat menarik juga. Terus Pak Ismet ada rencana juga mau main dengan kelompok lain, katanya mau ke London tahun ini.

And it turns out the result is very exciting and everyone who hears it played on the radio calls up and asks 'yeah, this music is very good, where can I buy it?' And if I watch it played, its also very interesting. So, Pak Ismet -do you have a plan to play with other groups, and to go to London this year?

Ismet: Ya, karena ada undangan di Womad Festival di London bulan Juli nanti.

Yes, because there's an invitation from Womad Festival in London for the month of July.

Judy: Dengan grup apa itu?

Which group is that with?

Ismet: Jugala Allstars.

Judy: Biasanya tour dengan grup itu ya?

Do you usually tour with that group?

Ismet: Ya, kadang-kadang, saya juga sendiri dan saya juga kolaborasi dengan kawan-kawan yang lain.

Yes, sometimes, I'm also touring alone, and I also collaborate with other friends.

Judy: Kalau Jugala Allstars itu sebenarnya group apa?

What kind of group is Jagala Allstars?

Ismet: Jugala itu grup Jaipongan. Cuma sekarang juga lebih berkembang. Kalau dulu banyaknya antara musik dan tarian tapi sekarang sudah berkembang.

It's a Jaipongan group. Only now its more developed. Before, lots of it was between dance and music but now it has changed.

Judy: Jadi sekarang musiknya seperti apa?

So now, what kind of music is it?

Ismet: Musiknya sekarang campuran dari musik-musik Sunda. Kita jauh berbeda dengan konsep-konsep Sambasunda karena tidak mengunakan gamelan. Kami pakai kecapi, suling, paling juga bantuan alat-alat lainnya paikai bas guitar dan vokal. Sementara ini Sambasunda baru yang album Salsa dan Salse ada vokal baru satu lagu- kalau Jugala Allstar hampir semuanya ada vokal.

The music is now a mixture of Sundanese music styles. We are very different from the concept of Sambasunda because we don't use gamelan. We use kecapi, suling, and we also get help from other instruments like bass guitar and vocals. Now Sambasunda has just made a new album Salsa and Salse that has vocals on only one song, but Jugala Allstars almost always uses vocals.

Judy: Vokalnya style apa saja?

What style are the vocals?

Ismet: Campur . . .ada yang 'pure' seperti musik barat. Ada juga yang 'pure' musik Sunda. Kebetulan Colin Bass, dia salah satu orang akompanis yang pernah famous di Indonesia dengan lagunya 'Denpasar Moon.'

They are mixed. There are vocals that are like purely Western style and there are also those that are like purely Sundanese style. Actually, we had an accompaniment by Colin Bass, who is famous in Indonesia for the song 'Denpasar Moon.'

Judy: Oh ya, saya tahu lagu itu- pernah menyanyi lagu itu.

Yeah, I've heard that song, I've even sung that song before!

Ismet: Ya, jadi dia juga sangat senang sekali ikut musik Sunda. Tadinya ada pengalaman lucu sama dia waktu di studio untuk kolaborasi. Dia kurang percaya karena semua anggota yang akan membantu dengan kolaborasinya, itu semua anak kecil. Colin Bass seperti tidak percaya kalau musiknya bisa berhasil. Akhirnya dia mencoba dan kami ternyata sukses.

Yeah, he was also very happy to play Sundanese music. Before, there was a funny experience with him. When he was in the studio for a collaboration, there were kids everywhere. Colin Bass didn't believe that music could be made by kids. Finally, he tried and we were successful.

Judy: Dan selain London Bulan Juli, ada rencana apa?

Other than London, what plans do you have?

Ismet: Untuk Bulan Februari atau awal Maret, ada rencana untuk launching album Salsa and Salse. Kita Pertunjukan juga, ada workshop, ada seminar, itu di Bandung.

For the month of February or early March, there's a plan for launching the 'Salsa and Salse' album. We have a performance, there's a workshop, there's a seminar, that's all in Bandung.

Judy: Untuk masa depan, harapannya untuk Sambasunda dan musik yang anda membuat di sini, harapannya sampai ke mana?

For the future, what do you hope for Sambasunda and the music that you make here?

Ismet: Harapan saya cuma bahwa kami tidak hanya diangkap bilangan saja tapi kita juga ingin diperhitungkan. Selama inikan ada banyak grup yang muncul orang-orang mudah seperti 'idea' ya, mereka hanya cuma tahu 'ya, ini . . . ini ada grup ini,' tapi tidak pernah muncul pemukaan, artinya kita tetap berharap bawha orang mudah yang saat ini sedang kreativ itu juga banyak diperhitungkan oleh seniman tapi juga oleh pemerintah. Masalahnya untuk masa-masa yang akan datang apakah sulit menunjukan tradisional sudah kuat untuk bisa bergaul dengan ini yang dari luar dan distro. Kita harus punya pikiran kreatif untuk musik tradisional. Makanya saya mencoba dua-duanya, mana yang cocok, ya saya mencoba melanjutkan yang tidak, saya membuang, gitu aja.

I hope only that we aren't just talked about, but we that we count for something. At the moment, there's lots of groups that appear, young people like 'Idea,' people just say 'yeah, there's this group, there's that group,' but don't ever see them. We always hope that young people who are being creative at the moment, are considered by artists, but also by the government. The problem for the times to come is whether it's difficult to show that tradition is already strong and can interact with the outside world and can be distributed. So, I'm trying both, what works I continue with, what doesn't work, I get rid of, its like that.

Judy: Pak Ismet sudah lama jadi musikus. Sejak kapan Pak Ismet main musik?

You have played music for a long time. When did you start?

Ismet: Sebetulnya karena orang tua saya dulu bukan pemain profesional, mereka hanya senang musik Sunda jadi saya hanya sering mendengar di rumah. Jadi musik Sunda sudah masuk ke dalam. Dan dulu, saya tidak aktiv di tradisi. Saya main di band rock, gaya Queen, Genesis gitu. Tahun 87 saya sudah mulai mengenal musik tradisional Sunda, terus belajar, kembali ke tradisi begitu. Saya sangat beruntung. Ternyata pilihan-pilihan kareer tidak jelek, Banyak menguntungkan saya. Saya bisa bergaul- artinya saya bebas.

Actually, my parents were not professional musicians, they just enjoyed Sundanese music so I often heard it at home. So, Sundanese music had already become part of me. And before, I wasn't active in tradition. I played in a rock band, like Queen, and Genesis. In 1987, I had already begun to know traditional Sundanese music, so I studied, and I came back to tradition like that. I was very lucky. It turns out, my career choice isn't so bad. I've been very fortunate. I've been able to interact, and that means I've been free.

Judy: Dan Pak Ismet sudah cukup beruntung bisa ke luar negeri, bisa bahwa musik ke mana-mana dan bisa jadi cukup pintar bikin band dan bikin CD, walaupun masih muda. Muda-mudahan selalu sukses di masa depan dan maju terus bandnya dan musiknya. Kalau bagi saya itu musik Sunda dan musik Indonesia popular sekali di Europa, di Inggris, di mana-mana.

And you have been lucky enough to go overseas, to take your music everywhere and you have been talented enough to make a band and make CDs, although you're still young. Hopefully, your success will continue into the future and progress will continue with your band and your music. I feel Sundanese music and Indonesian music is very popular in Europe, in England, and everywhere.

Ismet: Ada satu harapan lagi. Saya ingin Australie sama Indonesia hubungan kebudayaan pertunjukan seni lebih maju juga. Australie yang lebih dekat dengan Indonesia dan kurang sering ketemu.

There's something else I hope for. I want Australia and Indonesia to have a cultural relationship that's more advanced. Australia is so close to Indonesia and yet they don't often meet.

Judy:Ya, saya juga harap itu. Kita harus berusaha biar Australie memang maju sedikit.

Yes, I hope that too. We must try to make Australia make a bit of progress.

Ismet: Jangan sedikit. Maju yang banyak!

Not just a bit! A lot of progress!

Judy: Terima Kasih Pak Ismet.

Thankyou Pak Ismet.

Translation by Ali Crosby.