Etc :: INDO-A-GO-GO in Jakarta :: 'Dangdut Hanyut'

Like is says on the Facebook event page (here):

Etc's plans go south -literally- because we're bound for Jakarta where we hope to continue our happy tradition of playing our songs to people who have never heard of us; and where Harvey will also bash the skins for SONGS FOR THE DEAF (playing songs you may already know) at their farewell show. 

Where: EASTERN PROMISE Kemang Raya 5, Kemang, JK, Indonesia. 

What/when:       

6 Nov (Fri): SONGS FOR THE DEAF - Farewell Show

7 Nov (Sat):  Etc and  MR JASON BLAIR & THE DENIROS 

(Thanks to Lens of THE MISKINSfor making this happen)

A message: "ma'af untuk rosak-bahasa saya (tapi saya fikir saya mesti cuba): SAYA GEMBIRA BERMAIN DANGDUT HANYUT KAMI UNTUK SAUDARA DI NEGARA SAUDARA. SAMPAI JUMPA!"

And here's the logo. Some playful bahasa on an Indonesian flag background. Dangdut is a form of music that's popular in the region.Hanyut is a word that can be translated as 'adrift'. I got that from a Joseph Conrad. Probably Lord Jim. 



Am dreading the mental arithmetic challenges ahead. All I know so far is the taxi from the airport is $150,000. 

Keeping It Peel - John, But Not Forgotten in Singapore

It's October already. Etc hopes you had a Happy Hari Raya (the end of the fasting month on 1 Oct) and notes that the next movable feast is almost upon us: Thursday, 9th October is John Peel Day 2008. And the start of the month means that a free magazine called LIVE! is meant to be available in the parts of Singapore where it's meant to be available. And in it one can find this:

Keeping It Peel – John, But Not Forgotten

Ben Harrison from psychopop band, Etc. remembers John Peel – his all-time favourite DJ (and not just because he was the man who once described Harrison's guitar playing as 'noisy… but not too noisy').

For over twenty years of my life there was at least one constant I could count on, no matter where I went or what I did. I might have gone long periods without hearing the voices of my parents or brothers, but there weren't many weeks when I didn't manage to somehow hear the deadpan tones of John Peel, the pioneering British DJ who died suddenly in October 2004 – leaving an irreparable gap in the lives of his loyal listeners and fans across the world.

Peelie – as he's affectionately known – was already an institution when I discovered his show. At first I tuned in hungry to hear the reggae, dub and seemingly unintelligible rap of Jamaican "Toasters" he would feature, but before long almost everything he played suited me – especially since we shared an appreciation of twangy guitars, whether they were playing the blues, surf, rockabilly rumble, Zimbabwean jit-jive, Congolese soukous, or adding to the drama of The Smiths; overwhelming the songs of Sonic Youth and Jesus & Mary Chain, or calling the girls to get up and dance with Franz Ferdinand.

And then there was rap. And techno. And garage, gabba, grime, grunge and grindcore. Plus dancehall, speedcore and happy hardcore. Drum & bass, dubstep, ambient, country, folk and –oh– those heartbreakingly yearning 70s soul ballads. Not to forget the impassioned hollering of the riot grrl movement; or those cowgirls recorded yodeling all high & lonesome, long before your parents were born.

And what of artists like Ivor Cutler? To put this Scottish songwriter, poet and humourist in a category like "spoken word" doesn't do him justice… But whatever it was, it was all good to me.

Ask "What kind of music did John Peel play?" and you could reply: he played good music – or what he thought was good at least. And I still naively think that's the whole point. It sounds like a blazing simple concept to me. It's what I assume a DJ should do: play music they like. But I don't know how many working DJs actually do this. I certainly can't tell if any currently on Singapore radio even have any passion for music. Maybe they do. But they also seem to love the sound of their own voices even more.

And when evidence suggests that to be a DJ today requires a fake accent that no ordinary person in any country would ever normally speak with, we can assume that the likes of Peelie would now have difficulty getting a job on radio. Perhaps he did contrive his own radio persona for when he was on air; but if he did, it was a good one... good enough to make us feel like we'd lost a member of our family when John Peel died.

When the news broke I knew I wasn't alone in feeling like I'd lost a slightly befuddled but incredibly wonderful uncle. And I knew immediately that I'd miss him. He was an incomparable and sincere enthusiast – a man who didn't have eclectic taste simply for the sake of it, but because great music isn't limited to specific genres or countries. He wasn't concerned with the tedious pursuit of "attaining hip" (as one Singapore DJ used to flog on their show ad nauseam), his shows really were about the music.

I'm never quite sure what people mean when they tell others to "keep it real" – especially if they're vulgar, gold-drenched showbiz sensations whose sense of reality appears to have long since split. But if you're going to tell me to "Keep it Peel", please know that I already did. And I don't intend to stop any time soon.

John Peel Day is commemorated on every 2nd Thursday of October. This is how we're doing it in Singapore: 

Sound words then :: Etc reviews etc

Etc's not sussed how kind words and letters about them translate in other places and greater beyonds, but it's sometimes interesting to know what some folk think - or choose to write about regarding what they see of the Etc adventure. It's also amusing/bemusing when Etc are highly praised in papers but find themselves with barely a penny to rub. 

Here are some things written about Etc over the last 8 1/2 years - with the eye-catching bold portions retained from back-when these words first appeared in an attempt to help curious people surveying the "Sounds Like" panel on the Etc myspace:

"Singapore's indie-rock stealth-weaponry, blessed with the sharp wordsmithery..." Joe Kid, Carburettor Dung

"Good old Ben Harrison parlays articulated (sic), witty songs... (But) don't put too much stock in that 'cerebral' moniker, Ben is a rocker and I'm hoping to see him cut loose in 2008!" S-ROCK Bands for 2008

"Ben Harrison is a virgo, born the day Elvis died. He was the John Peel-credited "spankingly good" and "noisy" guitarist in the Joe Ng-fronted band, Padres. For the last decade Ben has been the only constant member of Etc - a loose-knit band that instinctively adapts its volume, songs & line-up depending on the occasion. They're played numerous live shows and spent barely any time recording. Nobody's offered them money to do an album yet, but they do have enough material for several." Literati 07
 
"Little is known about Singapore's Etc, except that this band makes music that's catchy enough for dancing. At the same time, their songs are injected with smart lyrics with a dark streak." Junk Magazine

"I'm always at lost for words (sic) when it comes to Etc. Maybe it's because Ben is a great writer. Or maybe subconsciously I think the Ben-Lennat-Vinita combo is a perfect mix for a band. You need to see this band live to believe how good they are. 'Astrogal' is one of my favourite Etc songs, and I think they need to come up with some form of recording. Fast." Ili Aditi Chandra

"A transcendental moment in Singapore pop history has taken place as Etc unleashes onto the unsuspecting modern rock world. Be not fooled, as it is the kind of 21st century pop that deserves as much attention as it can get. Sixties-inclined... (with) Sonic Youth-wacked out guitar solo(s). From the insistent backbeat to Ben Harrison's ambivalent vocals... an infectious stab at the heart of mediocre, cookie-cutter 'indie-pop'. The revolution starts here." Power of Pop

"Etc extends the power-pop limit suggesting shades of Sonic Youth on a Britpop trip to the local underground." 8 Days

"I must be like your music! I like the way bad singing, also lazily and loudly sound a lot." Chako Japan

"Young and earnest, playful and yearning. Unpolished yet catchy pop hungry, energetic and promising." I.S.

"Fairly bratty guitar stuff that knows no boundaries as it hints at the Velvet Undergound and Leaving Trains in ways no one would care to imagine." 8 Days

"A garage pop treat, it recalls Big Star." Straits Times Top Singles of the Year

"Among the lot of alternative bands (Etc are) the most eclectic and interesting. With bizarre wah-wah effects added to Ben's cheeky lyrics great fun. Ben's varied taste for pop is found in his version of Zircon Lounge's Guide These Hands which segues into Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone and Iggy Pops (sic) I Wanna Be Your Dog." BigO

"I liked it till the guy started singing. Nice wall of sound guitar though." 'RIP' Magazine (USA)