Indonesian quartet The SIGIT produce exhilarating garage-rock that has earned acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone Indonesia. The SIGIT was formed in the late ‘90s by four high school friends, who shared a mutual admiration for rock gods of the ‘70s. Discreetly in the classroom, the group would listen to their ‘70s influences, in addition to recent phenomenon like Brit-pop, shoegaze, and modern punk-rock. After class they would re-convene in the garage, where they emulated the variety of sounds and styles they heard that day. The SIGIT’s wide range of stylistic interests made it difficult initially to identify the music scene that would fit their inventive material. 

Formed in the late ‘90s, a time when artists like Limp Bizkit and Britney Spears were dominating airwaves, The SIGIT wondered how their rock-based tendencies and reverence for multiple styles would be received by audiences. To find out, they began to send out invitations to a weekly garage gig, which featured beer, barbeque, and The SIGIT’s engaging music. The audience’s reaction was extremely positive, and the four-piece realized they would not be forced to confine to radio conventions to gain listeners. Their authentic love for good old rock ‘n’ roll would be more than enough.

In response to the popular garage gigs, The SIGIT released their debut EP in late 2004. Esteemed publications and labels like FFWD Records came calling, providing The SIGIT opportunities to perform outside their garage. With high-energy and passionate performances, their profile began to rise rapidly through live shows, setting the stage for The SIGIT's 2007 full-length debut, Visible Idea of Perfection. The album received glowing reviews, especially from Australian publications like Faster Louder. This led to The SIGIT's first international gigs, when they toured Australia for Visible Idea of Perfection. By 2009, The SIGIT were performing at US festivals like SXSW. That June, they released a collection of ten diverse songs entitled Hertz Dyslexia, which included a DVD of live footage and music videos. To celebrate the release, The SIGIT held a solo concert in Bandung, which was attended by a sold-out audience of over 3500 fans. A national tour would follow, and The SIGIT’s international presence would increase significantly.

The SIGIT recently released their second full-length album, Detourn. The title is a pun on the word “detournement”, a variation on a previous media work where the newly created one has a meaning that is antagonist to the original. The band started writing Detourn in 2009, and finally took to the studio in late 2011. Recording and mixing ended in January, and Detourn was released on March 16th via FFWD Records. Detourn has already received significant acclaim. Rolling Stone Indonesia gave the album 4 out 5 stars, praising Detourn for its mixture of anthemic rockers and intricately precise orchestration. Seven years between full-lengths, it was clear that The SIGIT knew how to relieve the anticipation.


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Payung Teduh was created by two close friends that used most of their time in playing music at the canteen of FIB as well as providing background music for the Pagupon Theater of Indonesia University. These two close friends, Is and Comi, played their music anywhere from the canteen of FIB UI, hangout places inside the campus complex, to the lake side near UI’s Center Administration Building. Their togetherness in playing music has been supported by friends around them which then lead to the creation of a duo that eventually became the next big thing at UI.      

 

Payung Teduh was then born in late 2007 with their first formation, Is on vocal & guitar, and Comi on Double Bass. After playing duo for some time, it was necessary for them to improve their exploration in their music as well as improving their stage performance. In doing this, they recruited Cito as a drummer and Ivan as a guitalele player in 2010. Angin Pujaan Hujan was the first song that eventually known as the signature composition of Payung Teduh’s style of music. As time went by, they wrote new songs such as Kucari Kamu, Amy, Untuk Perempuan Yang Sedang Dalam Pelukan.  They also played songs written by a colleague/mentor Catur Ari Wibowo who is also a director of Pagupon Theater that wrote songs such as Resah, Cerita Tentang Gunung dan Laut. Amalia Putri, a good friend of them, also wrote songs like Malam and Tidurlah that were then added into their album. Payung Teduh then recorded these songs and released their first indie album in late 2010.  

 

In this first album, it can be said that the musical characteristic of Payung Teduh is like the music in the 60’s with a blend of keroncong and jazz music. Whenever they were asked what kind of musical genre that Payung Teduh played, it was up to the listeners to define what kind of genre that they played, in a sense that they won’t stop playing music in just one genre, but in many other genres while still maintaining the strong characteristic that they already have.

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