C

Let’s start on a general note, how did you become interested in vinyl records, cds, cassettes – did you start collecting them when you were a kid?

A

I suppose it began during the beginning of my college days. Back then my hobby was listening to music and collecting cassettes. That was from around 2001 until I graduated. When I began working, that was about 2007 or so, I was still collecting them [cassettes], but then I began looking for cassettes abroad because a lot of them you can’t find in Indonesia.

Buying from eBay or Amazon gets expensive. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, so it sort of came to me that I should try selling them so I can purchase more music. By this time I also began collecting vinyl records. My first attempt was to sell them on eBay, and when there weren’t many more people interested on eBay I tried selling on Facebook based on a friend’s recommendation. That was when the business really took off.

After a while I thought to myself that if I did not have a physical store it just wouldn’t be right. Having a shop particularly has to do with trust – with so many online scams about; I believe having a physical store would build more customer trust, that the online entity is actually real.

C

Before getting into Warung Musik, could you tell us how you became interested in vinyl records?

A

My interest began during the time I was selling on eBay. I really was into cassettes back then because it was much more affordable and people tend to collect them. Back then vinyl records weren’t a trend yet.

C

Alright, so getting back to Warung Musik, when was it established?

A

I established Warung Musik at around 2010. It wasn’t long after I started selling on Facebook.

C

And when you opened it, were there already a lot of people interested in buying music on cassette and vinyl?

A

Not at all. It was very slow back then, I made about 80 percent of my income through Facebook. People didn’t know that there were music shops in Blok M Square, but slowly people began coming in.

C

To speak about vinyl, there is this new interest in collecting vinyl records in Indonesia – whether in Blok M, Jalan Surabaya, and other places. What would you say caused this interest?

A

From my own point of view, I think there is a lot of influence from abroad. There has been a renewed interest in records, and it culminated with the release of “Those Shocking Shaking Days.” A lot of Indonesians were surprised that a label from America would release old Indonesian music. Since the songs on the compilation came mostly from vinyl records, so collectors started looking for the (original) records.

C

So Those Shocking Shaking Days had a huge impact here?

A

Yes, very much so. There were collectors that bought the records without even having record players.

C

Why do you think there is an interest from abroad to release Indonesian records? With records such as Those Shocking Shaking Days, releases by Strawberry Rain and Shadoks, etc.

A

Some record collectors from abroad are interested in Asian music – music from Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and so on. Indonesian music is unique because it is exotic – westerners aren’t aware that there are musicians in Asia that are as skillful and are as good, and as they find great music they look for more that are similar.

C

For Indonesians themselves, what sort of music do they look for?

A

At first people really looked for music that were similar to those found in Those Shocking Shaking days – psychedelic rock, happy rock, and such. Now though, people are much more open to different genres – pop, gambang kromong, sundanese. Those who collected Indonesian rock started developing interest in other music.

C

It’s pretty ironic that the interest in Indonesian music started with interest from outside.

A

I also believe that it started from abroad because there are risks involved with releasing old Indonesian music. There are issues with copyrights here, particularly with licensing for music from the 70s and 80s where we don’t know who actually owns the rights.

C

You also run a label, Majemuk Records. Could you tell us about when you founded it and what is the philosophy behind it?

A

In the beginning, I didn’t have an interest in making a record label. Strawberry Rain’s Jason Connoy rereleases old Indonesian music, and to get information regarding or contacting an artist he would correspond with me. Several of my friends gave me advice that if the music is re-released abroad, the import tax plus shipping makes the record expensive here, so I had to figure out how to make rereleases affordable here. I think it is in our interest to release albums in two versions, one in Canada [where Strawberry Rain is based] and one in Indonesia. CDs in particular should be produced here because we can make them locally.

C

As for vinyl?

A

We have to press vinyl abroad because there aren’t any places in Indonesia to press them. It is difficult for us to reduce the prices because of shipping and tax.

C

So the beginning of Majemuk Records began with re-releases?

A

Yes.

C

You have now started releasing current bands, beginning with Marcel Thee’s record. How did this start?

A

It was quite spontaneous. Beginning with the releases with Jason Connoy, I decided to create Majemuk because the physical release isn’t dead, and although it probably will not sell like it used to, there are ways to sell them so the medium will not die. The idea came during the 2013 Cassette Store Day. Warung Musik participated in the event, and even though the event wasn’t super-promoted there was an enthusiastic attendance and interest. This was because during the Cassette Store Day there were releases you can only get at the event, I believe The Sastro and Efek Rumah Kaca had (special) releases. So I saw at that day people were really enthusiastic, they lined up to get the releases.

Myself and other Blok M sellers wanted to make something similar to that, but we felt that we needed a physical release to create an incentive for people to come. So one of the reasons I made Majemuk Records was to promote Warung Musik as well.

C

Is there a particular sound you want to be associated with Majemuk Records?

A

The reason why I chose the name Majemuk (diversity) is because I do not want to focus on a certain genre. This is because my interest in music is diverse, and my store Warung Musik offers a diverse selection of music – there is music for everyone.

C

Your first release is with Marcel Thee. Could you tell us how this collaboration with Marcel came about?

A

That, again, began with a discussion with Jason Connoy. He was interested in releasing music from the 70s, and I told him that there are quite a number of problems regarding licensing involved with releasing them, so why not release the current bands – they are just as good as the old Indonesian groups. He was open to the idea and I started sending him various bands. He showed interest in a number of groups including Aditya Sofyan, Marcel Thee, the S.I.G.I.T.. I know Marcel Thee personally, so I told him that there is an interest in releasing his record locally and abroad. Marcel was interested, and that is how it all started.

C

What other releases do you have planned for Majemuk Records?

A

The next record we will release is by Oracle, a thrash metal band based in Jakarta.

C

When will this be?

A

We don’t have a concrete date just yet; we are going to make our plans after this Marcel Thee release [8 Feb 2014].

C

From your observation, what is the interest like in local independent musicians?

A

There is definitely a bigger interest in local bands. I believe the biggest contribution comes from the media, particularly Facebook. Facebook has become a place where one can show off. A person would show off their collection, and other people would follow suite, which creates this demand and pride in having them.

C

So we can say that the interest in the music scene in Jakarta is healthy.

A

Yes, and in other cities too.

C

That is about it, is there anything else that you would like to let us know?

A

Regarding Majemuk Records, the reason I created it is not only to support my business, but also to release the music people are interested in. The releases will mostly be in a limited amount because if I press a large number Majemuk can face the same fate as the older record labels. I do try to make the releases as unique as possible, giving the collectors something extra.

C

How about Warung Musik, are there any plans to expand it?

A

Yes, definitely. I just have to save some money (laughs).