
When I first listened to Soulvibe, I would have never guess that there were 7 people in the group.The harmony within the band immediately reaches the listener. For many bands, 7 means a lot of discords and arguments whereas for Soulvibe it means richness and eclectism. Their upcoming album is due on March 10th, and they're really looking forward to presenting it to their fans. Mendengarkan SOULVIBE pertama kali, enggak pernah terpikir bahwa ada 7 orang dalam grupnya. Permainannya sangat harmonis untuk didengar. Untuk banyak band-band yang ada, 7 adalah jumlah yang tidak sedikit untuk argumen dan bermain dengan baik, sedangkan untuk SOULVIBE malah memberikan kekayaan dan eklektik. Album yang akan datang akan muncul 10 Maret, mereka sudah tidak sabar untuk menyajikannya untuk para fans.
Who are Soulvibe? Can you introduce yourselves?
Soulvibe is an Indonesian Band from Jakarta. The name is the acronym of: Sound Of Universal Love/ Various Instrument Behaviour. The band members are Abenk (lead Voc), Bayu (Lead Voc), Handy (Bass), Caesar (Drums), Frans (Keyboard), Rio (Synth), Asa (Guitar).
Siapakah Soulvibe?
Soulvibe sebenarnya kepanjangan dari: Sound Of Universal Love / Various Instrument Behaviour, band asal Jakarta yang beranggotakan Abenk (Lead Voc), Bayu (Lead Voc), Handy (Bass), Caesar (Drum), Frans (Keyboard), Rio (Synth) dan Asa (Guitar).
LISTEN TO SOULVIBE WHILE READING THE INTERVIEW
How would you define your music?
Right from the beginning in 2005, we've been influenced by different kind of music. We prefer to be driven by creativity instead of being stuck in a specific style of music. Anyway, at the end, it is tour fans who decide what kind of music we are. Since we've signed with ORGANIC records, we like to say that our style of music is ORGANIC.
Begaimana kalian mendefinisikan musiknya?
Dari mulai terbentuk pada tahun 2005, banyak banget jenis musik yang akhirnya menjadi referensi buat musik SOULVIBE seperti sekarang ini. Dan kami pikir yang namanya kreatifitas itu tidak terpatok pada genre musik apa yang kita mainin. Akhirnya juga bakalan dibalikin ke penikmat musik, pembeli CD, fans dalam menghayati musik SOULVIBE. Tapi sejak kita bergabung dengan ORGANIC Records, untuk mempermudah...kita dan artis-artis ORGANIC Records yang lain menyebut musik kita bergenre ORGANIC.
Tell us a bit more about your upcoming album ?
We just recorded our 2nd album...yeahhhh! We are very excited about it! It has been produced by Widi Puradiredja (from MALIQ & d'essentials), under ORGANIC RECORDS label. We've been working with a lot of different people who are relatively new to us, it's been a great experience. For this second album, we had the chance to collaborate with Indra Lesmana for the mixing and the recording. The name of the album is "Antartika" and will be release in March 2010.
Cerita tentang album ke 2 kalian?
Album ke-2 kita baru aja selesai...yeahhh!!! Lagi semangat-semangatnya---dirpoduseri oleh Widi Puradiredjy (MALIQ & D'essentials) lewat Label ORGANIC Records. Banyak yang baru tentunya, pengalaman...suka dan duka bekerja dengan orang-orang yang relatif baru buat kita. Album SOULVIBE yang ke-2 ini lumayan banyak surprise-nya, salah satunya adalah kesempatan bekerjasama dengan Indra Lesmana dalam proses Mixing dan Mastering. Album ke-2 ini judulnya "Antartika", berisi 9 lagu dan bakalan release bulan Maret 2010 nanti.
What will be the role of internet in promoting thie 2nd album?
The role of internet is becoming very important as much as and sometimes more than traditional medias such as Radio, TV and Magazines. The main advantage of internet is how fast you can spread the word. By the way, we are really proud to be among the few Asian artists who have been nominated for the HipHop/TripHop/RnB and Funk/Soul/Blues at the "People Music Awards". http://www.thepeoplesmusicawards.com
Apa peran internet untuk mempromosikan album yang ke 2 ini?
Peran Internet sama pentingnya dengan media promosi tradisional seperti Radio, TV, Majalah. Malahan untuk beberapa hal, Internet bisa jadi lebih unggul terutama soal cakupan dan kecepatan. Kalo ngomong soal bukti nyata...dari Internet SOULVIBE bangga banget menjadi satu-satunya wakil dari Asia dan mendapatkan 2 nominasi untuk kategori Hiphop-Triphop-RnB dan Funk-Soul-Blues pada ajang penghargaan "The Peoples Music Awards ".http://www.thepeoplesmusicawards.com
What is your perception of the Music Industry in Indonesia?
As Indonesian Artists, we are very proud of being part of the national music industry which is huge. The last 2-3 years, there have been tremendous amount of new artists on the local music scene. The problem that indie artists are facing is basically lack of promotion tools, but internet is becoming more and more useful for them. We strongly believe in the future of music industry in Indonesia, we are on our way to become the leaders in Asia.
Begaimana kaliah melihat industri musik di Indonesia?
Sebagai musisi asli Indonesia kita bangga banget ikut ambil bagian dalam industri musik di negara kita sendiri, yang nyata-nyata sangat massive. Mungkin 2-3 tahun belakangan ini bisa dibilang secara kuantitas, banyak banget band/ musisi baru bermunculan. Geliat "Indie" juga sangat bagus meskipun akar masalahnya tetep sama, kurang promosi. Tapi at least kita percaya industri musik di Indonesia sedang menuju ke arah yang lebih baik dan harusnya bisa jadi leader Industri Musik di Asia.
Can you explain how do you compose music? Are there always seven of you working on a son, or is there any particular process?
The way we are composing is not determined by a particular process. However, when we are composing/writing songs, there is always one of us who's appointed to be the Music Director. When we are recording, the appointed music director represents the bridge between us the the music producer. Anyhow, at the end of each song, we make sure that everyone agrees on the final result.
Begaimana Soulvibe menulis musik? Apakah ada proses tertentuh?
Cara kami membuat musik tidak pernah terpaku pada satu sistem tertentu. Selama proses pembuatan lagu ada 1 orang dari kami yang berfungsi sebagai Music Director-nya. Pada saat recording, Music Director ini yang menjadi jembatan kita ke produser. Tapi pada tahap final sebuah lagu, biasanya kami selalu melakukannya bertujuh.
Which artists would you dream to collaborate with?
Local:Slank, Naif, Armand Maulana (GiGi)
International:Mint Condition, John Legend, Kanye West, Musiq Soulchild
2009 Indonesian Top Tracks?
- MALIQ & d'essentials "Luluh"
- Boogiemen "Havana"
- Endah & Rhesa "When You Love Someone"
- The SIGIT "Money Maker"
- Gita Gutawa "Malu Tapi Mau"
2009 International Top Tracks?
- John Legend "Green Light"
- Bob Sinclar "The La la Song"
- Alicia Keys "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart"
- Mayer Hawthorne "A Strange Arrangement"
- John Mayer "Heartbreak Warfare"
To our International Readers which Indonesian dish would you recommend?
Sop Kaki Kambing (=Lamb Feet Soup)