Machine Messiah

Friday, January 26th was the last show of Pro Dua Rock (formerly known as Rock The Night). The last episode made KANSAS as the closing featured band. I was accompanied by Yanthi Yusfid, along with my long time friends Nengah Rikon & Fadhil Indra (Discus’ keyboardist). These two guys are the best resource when you need information on KANSAS.

Yanthi announced to listeners the saddest news. Yes, that night was our last night. The week before, the management decided to end the show. The reasons were lousy, in my opinion, which I couldn’t disclose to the listeners. Well, in short they said that rock music was too loud, they didn’t like rock music and they believe the radio have no intentions to include rock in its identity. In fact, I wasn’t surprised or shocked to hear it. I’ve been in this situation before, and history just repeat itself.

Since we announced it that night, incoming calls and sms kept flooding in. People kept saying that we should not end the show. We should continue. We should persuade the management. We should do many things…. I made a joke and told the audience the reason why we ended the show was…. we were going to extend our study at Hoa San Mountain, to reach higher education. Since there won’t be electronic devices, the radioshow must be ended temporarily without further notice.

That night was marvellous, as usual. We had fun and exciting conversations. I pretended nothing bad happened and kept the environment with joy. I was glad Rikon and Fadhil filled the show with enthusiasm.

Before we ended, on behalf of the production team, I apologize to the audience if we ever made mistakes by giving error information, not fulfilling somebody’s request, or accidently misspoken some words. Starting February 2007, I won’t decorate their room on Friday nights. I send my highest gratitude to all of my friends who supported my show: Joga, Wahyu, Luky, Sigit, Ella, Liza, Tom, AJ, Pohan, Gatot, Bowo, Rustam, Leo,
David, Yadi, Rikon, Ivan, Syam, Fadhil, Radit, Yani, Dina, Rieza, Uwi, Seno M. Hardjo, Budhy Sambazy, and everybody who I couldn’t say in details.

Last but not least, here’s the playlist of KANSAS that night:

1. Song For America
2. Carry On Wayward Son
3. The Wall
4. The Pinnacle
5. Magnum Opus
6. Journey From Mariabronn
7. The Rainmaker

I’ll see you on the dark side on the moon
Topographicly yours

Friday 19th 2007 was the third band to perform: GENESIS.

I chose this to be one of the four progressive rock classics for so many reasons. One of them was the fact that GENESIS influenced in revolutionary movement in Indonesia modern music history. Pre-1975, most artist played modern music like early Beatles or Paul Anka. In 1977 marked the release of Guruh Gipsy, a collaboration of modern rock music ala GENESIS and ELP with traditional Balinese and Javanese ethnic music. The album also blended progressive rock with gamelan instruments.

Not far behind another band, God Bless, released their initial album and their smash hit Huma Di Atas Bukit added the middle section of GENESIS’ Firth of Fifth. You can hear clearly that Steve Hackett’s trademark was ‘pirated’ in this song. Almost at the same time, Eros Djarot, Jockie Soerjoprajogo and Chrisye (the lead vox of Guruh Gipsy) released the album that will be the groundbreaking album that changed Indonesian pop music forever. The album was Badai Pasti Berlalu.

All those bands were heavily influenced by European progressive rock scene, especially GENESIS. So I believe that GENESIS deserved to be highlighted.

That night I was accompanied by some long time friends: Gatot Widayanto, Ivan Gunawan, Joga Wisaksono and Pohan Ristanto. It was a marvellous night and these guys were absolutely die-hard fans. They talked objectively about the band and respectively gave respect to the three GENESIS-era. As you may or may not know, the three era (Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Ray Wilson) gave different atmosphere to the music.

Just 15 minutes before the show ended I received bad news from the management. They’ll end the radio show starting on February. The main reason was they thought that rock music was too hard for the radio and the audience. I couldn’t understand, although not surprised. It happened so many times in the last …. 7 years. Coincidently, last December 2006, the producers played Metal Rock for the whole month. Perhaps that was the reason. In fact, the management was just waiting for the right time to kick our programme.

So guys and gals, those who’s been with me since April 2006, I have to apologize for the news. There will be no more radioshows next month. Next week’s KANSAS will be the last. I apologize for every word or every mistatement I made, including those requested songs I couldn’t fulfill.

Here’s the playlist for GENESIS:
1. Behind The Lines (live Three Sides Live)
2. Firth of Fifth (live Archives vol.
1)
3. Dancing with The Moonlit Knight/ Follow You Follow Me/ Lover’s
Leap (live
Calling All Stations)
4. Fountain of Salmacis
5. The Dividing Line
6.
One For The Vine
7. In The Cage/ Cinema Show/ Slipperman/ Afterglow (live
Three Sides Live)

See you all next week in our last episode with KANSAS!!!

Friday, Jan 12th 2007 was the second part of Progressive Rock Classics. This time it was the legendary YES

YES was chosen because of its remarkable innovation, numerous & higly skilled musicians, and consistency in art. Almost all members present and past are still active in and out of YES til today. Most of them crossed boundaries and explored other genres. Their album Close To The Edge (1972) was a masterpiece with the title track as on of the progrock standards of all time. Their 1974 album, Relayer, was one of the perfect benchmark of progrock and jazz fusion blend. Their rockest album, Drama (1980) proved to be one of the most fave album between bands, and the opening track Machine Messiah often became the standard track on many rock bands competition in Indonesia. Not to mention my blog was named after this song, heheheh… People will always remember their smash single hit, Owner Of A Lonely Heart, from their 90125 (1983) album. They are still active today.

Their last studio album was Magnification (2002), an all-new material album specially arranged with orchestra.

In the studio I was accompanied by Ivan Gunawan, Yadi Mulyadi & Pohan Ristanto. That night proved that YES was among the loved ones in Indonesia. So many incoming calls and smses!!!

Here’s the playlist:

1. Yours Is No Disgrace (live 1991)

2. Machine Messiah

3. I Am Waiting

4. Mind Drive

5. Dream Time

6. Owner Of A Lonely Heart

Radio RRI Programa 2 Jakarta, 105 FM have a special programme for this January 2007: Progressive Rock Classics. Every Friday, 9-11 pm, RRI chose four progressive rock legends to be featured, all under their routine program Pro 2 Rock (PDR/ formerly Rock The Night). I was asked by the management to helped them chose the four legends, chose representative playlists, and invited keynote speakers.

On the first week, Jan 5th 2007, we played PINK FLOYD. This was one of most popular progressive band from UK. Established circa 1967 and never oficially disbanded til today. True, they have some ugly history between the members. But the word ‘disbanded’ never came out from their mouths. PINK FLOYD was chose since they were one of the first to explore psychedelic and avant garde. Heavier than what BEATLES did in their Rubber Soul (1965) and Revolver (1966) album. One of the major achievements from PINK FLOYD was the successful The Dark Side of The Moon (1973) album. No artist or bands ever matched this album’s reputation. That particular album spent 741 weeks in Billboard Hot 200 Album!!! That means 14 years!!! PINK FLOYD still marched the scene with their phenomenal commercially album The Wall (1980).

In the studio I was accompanied by Joga Wisaksono, Wahyu Prabowo & Pohan Ristanto, and of course Iwan Fadillah and Yanthi Yusfid from RRI Pro 2 Jakarta. Here’s the playlist:

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (part 1-4)

2. Astronomy Domine (live)

3. Sheep

4. Us and Them (live)

5. Comfortably Numb (live)

6. The Great Gig In The Sky (live)

7. High Hopes

8. One Of These Days (live)

9. Wish You Were Here

see you on Jan 12th with YES, Jan 19th with GENESIS, and Jan 26th with KANSAS!