Search Results

Dangdut, originally associated with Melayu and India in the 1970s, and then resignified as national in the 1980s and 1990s, had evolved into something “ethnic” and “regional” in the 2000s. Ethnic dangdut, framed in this chapter as forms of “nationalized regionality,” describes nationally mediated music with some regional markers (for example, sound, image, and text). Regional dangdut, as forms of “regionalized nationality,” are sung in regional languages and marketed to people of specific ethnic groups. Chapter 8 examines the creation, marketing, and distribution, and use of several ethnic and regional forms. Three regionalized examples of dangdut provide illustrations: saluang dangdut (Minang); koplo (east Java), and dangdut melayu (Riau). These examples problematize scholarly notions of “local” (also called “regional” or “ethnic”), “national,” and “global.” The chapter argues that these forms presented a challenge to the New Order discourse about dangdut as Indonesia's national popular music par excellence.

This chapter establishes the topic, justification, theoretical framework, and methodology for the book. Dangdut Stories situates the production and circulation of meanings about a popular music genre within particular social (political and economic) and cultural (ideological) conditions.In a series of brief examples drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan, the author shows how dangdut participates in social discourses, or “stories,” about social class relations, national belonging, and gendered power and difference in contemporary Indonesia.

Chapter 9 summarizes the central arguments of the book. The analysis of sound, images, and texts demonstrate the ways in which dangdut as an aesthetic practice and a social discourse narrates stories about social class, ethnicity, gender, and nation. Chapter 9 shows how contemporary examples of dangdut music, film, and popular discourse reflect the themes developed in the previous chapters. The articulation of dangdut, pornography, and Islam demonstrates the centrality of popular music and performance in public debates about Islam, social class relations, and the role of women in contemporary Indonesia.

This chapter investigates the most popular, and sometimes most controversial, musical style in Indonesia: dangdut. Although the precursors to this music prior to the 1960s are varied and include gambus and especially orkes Melayu (the Malay ensemble style of North Sumatra), dangdut really came to full fruition under its central pioneering star, Rhoma Irama. The chapter examines the many positions and subgenres of dangdut and the public debate about morality in popular music that centers on singers' clothing, body movement, and song lyrics. Ironically, dangdut resonates with many Islamic characteristics, in both musical technique and stylistic nuance. For example, while dangdut is largely an amalgam of orkes Melayu, Hindi film music, and Western rock, Arabic elements form an important component of the music and some of the best-known singers testify that training in Islamic chant (tilawa) is essential for mastering proper ornamentation and aesthetic. The influence of Rhoma Irama, who has used the music to communicate Islamic messages and as dakwa (bringing people to Islam), also lends a religious veneer to the music. While still a compelling figure, Irama's influence has waned substantially in 21st-century Indonesia, and the style has been dominated by female performers, including the well-known Inul Daratista, who use the form for dancing and pure entertainment. The chapter, based on ethnographic work in the dangdut industry and interviews with Irama himself, illustrates the evolving continuum of ideas about morality and music.