Island Vibes Becomes An Offer For Indonesian Pionir Reggae

Island Vibes Reggae Party (Ivan Two Men/VOI) press conference

JAKARTA - An album titled 'Island Vibes' comes as a form of offering to reggae music pioneers in Indonesia. This album contains eight songs and one bonus track of the collaboration of many musicians, such as Coconuttreez (CTTZ), S2B Family, and Richard D Gilis.

"The idea of this album is a collaboration album from Indonesian musicians which aims to reward reggae pioneers who have gone ahead of us," said EQ Puradiredja as producer at a press conference at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, Friday, June 28.

Rival Himran alias Pallo, bassist for Coconuttreez said that the late Steven Kaligis had an important role in this album. He believes the vocalist who passed away in 2021 wanted the band to continue running, which was realized in the future through the album "Island Vibes"

"It is undeniable that Coconuttreez is very sad, but the deceased's wife said 'You have to walk and don't stop here,'" said Pallo.

The 'Island Vibes' is also a new phase for Coconuttreez. In February 2023, the Coconuttreez group with EQ and the Riverbrick team left for Gili Trawangan and occupied a meeting room at one of the resorts that was transformed into a recording studio.

There, they developed song material that had been prepared from Jakarta and wrote new works from the start. They are also widely assisted by local musicians, such as S2B Family, Richard D Gilis and Lawa Amq.

Overall, Island Vibes is an expression of appreciation for Indonesian reggae music pioneers who have preceded such as Imanez, Aray Daulay and Steven.

As for Coconuttreez, Island Vibes proved that they are a band that is still alive and worth taking into account.

"On Island Vibes, we are really looking for an identity that has been instilled in us for a long time and is explored by our producer friends," said Pallo.

As an opening, the single titled Take away Abis sung by Kamga and Lawa Amq was launched on digital streaming services.

The 'Island Vibes' is also planned to be present in physical form, and the most anticipated is a tour with the title 'Island Vibes Reggae Party' which will accommodate ten cities in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara in the near future.