Tarawangsawelas perform a contemporary version of Tarawangsa, the sacred traditional music of Sundanese West Java, and will release a new album, entitled Wanci, next month via Rabih Beaini’s Morphine label.
Above you can stream lead track ‘Selalu’ which opens the record. All of the tracks on the record are performed by the Bandung-based duo of Teguh Permana & Wisnu Ridwana, while the traditional music contributions featured on the album’s closing track comes from Tarawangsa Sunda Lugina. It’s set for release on October 5.
"Last year, Europalia Festival commissioned me to work on a musical project with local musicians from Indonesia and develop a performance to tour during Europalia 2017," says Rabih Beaini. "I chose to work with Tarawangsa, the sacred music from Sundanese West Java. Tarawangsa is played on two string instruments: a rababa-like two-stringed bowed instrument itself called Tarawangsa, and the Jentreng, a seven-stringed kecapi-like instrument.
"Typically from Rancakalong village in Sumedang, West Java, Tarawangsa is played as part of a ritual consisting of almost eight hours of music and dance, complete with offerings and prayers. During a performance, a selection from the forty two known Tarawangsa pieces slowly build up from a cosmic slow groove to more repetitive and hypnotic rhythms, inevitably bringing the listener and dancer to a trance state."
The duo will play as part of an event series curated by Rabih Beaini called Raung Raya, which is being organised in collaboration with Belgium’s Europalia Festival. Across five nights at Berlin’s Berghain, Beaini and the acts involved in Raung Raya will show the diversity in Indonesia’s music scene. Also involved are Senyawa, Karinding Attack, Otto Sidharta, Ata Ratu, Iwan Gunawan and Al Suwardi’s Ensemble.
In total, the project will involve more than 30 people heading to Berlin to present their music. The full line-up for each event will be announced closer to the date with the series set to spread out across four months. The first event takes place on October 19. You can find more details and get tickets here.
