My Life Finds A New Life With The Touch Of Dewa Budjana And Benny Soebardja

Dewa Budjana and Benny Soebardja (Instagram @dewabudjana)

JAKARTA - For rock lovers, the name Benny Soebardja is certainly familiar. Taking part in the 70s, his name coincided with a series of other Indonesian rock music icons such as God Bless, The Rollies or AKA.

Benny is known as a musician who dares to fight the trend. He emerged as a pioneer of independent musicians who create and play songs of his own work, when other bands tend to cover up foreign famous songs.

Through Shark Move, the band she formed in Bandung, West Java in 1970, Benny and other personnel channeled their musical creativity by compiling a recording album containing songs by her own originals.

One of the compositions of Benny Soebardja's songs on the album released in 1973, entitled 'My Life', became one of the attractions. It lasted almost 9 minutes, and was full of psychedelic and progressive rock nuances. Or often called art rock' at that time.

Half a century has passed, My Life was revived by guitarist and music director Dewa Budjana. This version features the duo of Benny Soebardja and Andy /rif in the vocal line, and is presented through a concoction of the arrangement of the quotient acoustic strings. More fresh and contemporary.

The initial idea to create a new version of My Life began when Budjana, Dramer Budhy Haryono and Irvan Temons (The Temon's Berkesenian) attended the launch of Benny Soebardja's vinyl at the Record Store Day Indonesia, at Senayan Park (Spark), Jakarta last April.

Spontaneously, the three of them said; 'Yuk made a tribute album Benny Soebardja!'.

"Indeed, initially we will make an album with a new arrangement and (collaborate) with several arrangements. We chose Budhy Haryono as the coordinator to his (supporting) musicians," Budjana said in a written statement, October 30.

However, so far, for the time being this project has only started with the launch of the single My Life, because it is still hit by a number of obstacles.

For Dewa Budjana, one of the reasons for making this tribute project is because since he was in elementary school, he has been fond of Benny Sorbardja's works. Not only at Shark Move, but also at Giant Step, Benny's next band.

"I watched the first band in grade 5 elementary school, happened to be on vacation to Surabaya, this is Giant Step. And since then I became a fan of them. Coincidentally, my older brother studied in Bandung, and had a hobby of bringing back to Bali Giant Step, Shark Move, Harry Roesli.... So I really know and memorize about Giant Step. My Life is my favorite song," he recalled.