Bangkutaman Pay an Homage to Lokananta through New Single “Lukisan”
March 9th is celebrated as National Music Day in Indonesia every year, and the day might have passed but the legacy lives on. One of many musicians who decided to not let the moment slip by is Bangkutaman. The folk rock unit hailing from Yogyakarta revealed a new single right in time for National Music Day which also acts as an homage to the legendary record label based in Surakarta, Lokananta. The record label was established back in 1959 and have become the place to archive master files for some renown records from Waljinah, Gesang, Bing Slamet and Sam Saimun. They have also been producing and duplicating records in physical formats like vinyls, cassette tapes and CDs ever since. The original record of “Indonesia Raya” as well as our first president’s speeches are reported to be stored at Lokananta as well. As a governmental institute, the music institution plays a critical part of keeping the legacy alive and Bangkutaman wanted to collaborate with them on their newest single called “Lukisan”.
Upon being proposed with the idea of cooperation, Lokananta’s head, Miftah Zubir says, “We welcome this project very well, this kind of collaboration is the real embodiment of appreciation towards our values. And we hope that this kind of homage could be done by many others out there, not only to Lokananta, but also to the value of culture and the effort of archiving that is done by others.” Bangkutaman stated that it was the perfect timing to reveal the single and it was the right way to pay tribute to Lokananta since both of them have been in the music industry for pretty long time. “Lukisan” itself, is a song that was created by Wahyu Acum on a bus during their journey from Padang to Pekanbaru, Riau in October 2015. Recalling the bittersweet memories back then, Bangkutaman said that the song was written when the haze disaster hit Riau. Their plane had to land in Padang, before they continued their journey to Pekanbaru. The long land trip inspired them to write the song, and thankfully when they reached their destination, the haze had cleared up a little bit and the rain has fallen.
The song was first premiered through Rolling Stone Indonesia’s website, and now it can be accessed through several digital streaming services like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, JOOX and many more. The profit and stream for single “Lukisan” will be used for social cause in collaboration with Lokananta. Let’s preserve and appreciate Indonesian music!
