Time To Dance With The Shadow Of The .Feast Vocalist

Baskara Putra (Doc. Sun Eater)

JAKARTA - Baskara Putra released his solo debut album titled Dancing with Shadows under the name Indies on November 29 yesterday. This is the culmination of a big year for the 25-year-old Jakarta-based vocalist, songwriter and producer.

In addition to boosting up with the .Feast group, Hindia also received an extraordinary reception thanks to a series of singles that had already come out regularly since the Evaluation was released last March.

Like Baskara's work with .Feast, Menari dengan Bayangan - released by Sun Eater - contains songs that easily stick to the ears as well as straightforward and meaningful lyrics. But if the music, Feast, tells the phenonema of the world around with a lens of disappointment and anger, Hindia contains various stories from Baskara's life.

The realization of Dancing with Shadows was triggered by an incident earlier this year when Baskara attended a concert by one of his favorite musicians, John Mayer. After watching the movie, Baskara had difficulty getting out of bed for two weeks.

“Suddenly coming home from the concert, I thought so much that I couldn't wake up. During those two weeks of contemplation, I began to think like, 'What have I experienced in life that might have made me the way I am now? What is wrong? What could be better? '"Baskara said in a press release received by VOI, Saturday, November 30.

"Until I was able to get through those two really bad weeks, I immediately said to Petra, 'Pet, this looks like an album.'" Petra is Petra Sihombing - the musician, songwriter and producer who has been entrusted with the creation of Indies works.

“I've always liked Petra's work because of its quality. I think Petra can always translate anything complex into something very light, ”said Baskara.

After making an outline of the album and determining its themes for the two weeks, Baskara then looked for musical references and producers who could make his vision a reality. So Kareem Soenharjo was chosen to hold the Evacuation and Lunch Time, Rizky Indriyadi for What / For What? and Whatever Happens, Adhe Arrio for Sufficient, Ibn Dian for Washing, and Rayhan Noor for House to House.

Not to forget also Wisnu Ikhsantama, who oversaw the recording process from the start to mixing and mastering, as well as names such as Sal Priadi, Rara Sekar, Matter Mos, Mohammed Kamga, Natasha Udu, Enrico Octaviano and Dicky Renanda who also contributed vocals and instruments.

Apart from the 12 songs included in this album, there are also three voice notes by women who have important meanings in Baskara's life, including his own mother. These three skits played a major role in strengthening the narrative contained in Dancing with Shadows, where previously released songs such as Dehydration and Lunch Time seemed to have different meanings in the context of the album's narrative.

"I want all the songs that have been released to have a different context when they enter the album," Baskara said.

As a result, Dancing with Shadows by Indies is the story of Baskara which starts from a low point and hates life, then flashes back to his childhood and dreams, then faces and admits mistakes and regrets about career and love, before finally being able to sincerely and accept everything. it is part of the life process.

This is a personal story with specific details about Baskara Putra alone, but anyone who hears it can find things that he also felt and experienced.

“I believe that personal stories have a much stronger power, which somehow can move people further than general discourse. Because sometimes new people open up, tell stories and feel healed if they have a close relationship with people who chat with them, ”said Baskara.

"So you have to open yourself first for other people to open up too, and in that conversation you end up healing each other. I feel that this is my function in society. Maybe I have to sacrifice my privacy, my personal dimension to be able to help other people like me recover too. "