The Wknd Sessions

#78 Pandai Besi

After making waves with their self titled debut in 2007, Efek Rumah Kaca (which means Greenhouse Effect in English) has been a steady heavyweight in the Indonesian music scene. Articulate musically, the band also pushes for social and political awareness, through the lyrics in their songs, making them more than just any other indie rock band, even as a 3 piece band. Their mainstream popularity soared, which led them to win multiple awards in Indonesia, from MTV’s Indonesian Music Awards in 2008 for “The Best Cutting Edge” to being nominated for Anugrah Musik Indonesia in 2008.

After releasing their sophomore album, ‘Kamar Gelap’, they went on an extensive tour which until recently, on the brink of their third album, the band decided to take some time off while searching and experimenting on a new sound. Thus, Pandai Besi was born. A project band primarily driven by 2 members from Efek Rumah Kaca, Cholil Mahmud (vocals) and Akbar Faisal (drums), they went on to invite their musical peers such as Andi Sabaruddin (guitar), Muhammad Asranur (keyboards), Poppie Airil (bass), Agustinus Panji Mahardika (trumpet), and Nastasha Abigail and Irma Hidayana (backing vocals), to join in an experiment to re-imagine songs by Efek Rumah Kaca.

It’s rare that bands ‘cover’ their own songs, but Pandai Besi, with it’s 8 creative minds on board, has definitely taken ERK’s songs a step further. After announcing the project, Pandai Besi headed to their fans to crowdfund the re-interpreted songs, which resulted in a release called ‘Daur, Baur’, recorded at the famous and legendary Lokananta Studio in Central Java.

To accompany the release, Pandai Besi documented their journey in rewriting and recording ‘Daur, Baur’, and recently released their documentary ‘Siar, Daur Baur’.

Although the band hasn’t stated (officially) that Pandai Besi is a permanent band or a one-off project, ‘Daur, Baur’ is a must have record for ERK fans, and even new listeners that have not heard their previous materials.