Our ears are still ringing from last Sunday, or is it just us not wanting to let last weekend go? Yes, we ‘re still having a hard time moving on from #DWP16 last weekend (Dec 9th & 10th). Just like last year, DWP came back with two days full great dance music and all round raving time!

So much happened in this year Djakarta Warehouse Project. From having some of the biggest DJ atm to bringing back the biggest paint party, Life in Color Kingdom adding more hype and interest for this dance music festival. In fact, because this year’s DWP promised so much, the hype and excitement for #DWP16 have been heightened months before the actually day of #DWP16. Here are the cycle of excitement we endure during the last few months en route to #DWP16

1. When the first lineup was announced

That moment you saw your favorite DJs name plastered in the official #DWP16 poster, your testosterone level went through the roof. You couldn’t shut up about how good the line up is this year to your mates and they kinda let you freak out until you calm yourself down.

2. When you scored your official ticket to rave

After the line up, came the time to buy your ticket to party. You regularly check up on #DWP16 official social media account to know when the first pre-sale is on. You’ve been saving up since #DWP15 and when you finally got your ticket to rave at #DWP16, you let a sigh of relieve because you finally did it! Permission to rave, granted!

3. -1 Day

A week before the actual day, you started to talk constantly about the upcoming festival. When the day before the big day arrived, your body has shown symptoms of early start of raving. The signs were clear, it’s hard for you to concentrate on your job, you had a hard time sleeping in because all you could think about was how hard you’re going to rave the next day, and your ear craved for some EDM tunes.

4. The Big Day: Day 1 of #DWP16

You’ve been waiting for this day for so long by now. Though it started later on the day, your level of excitement mounted hour after hour since the time you opened your eyes. But the level of your excitement peaked when you finally arrived at JIExpo and saw the iconic Garudha Stage, where most of the magic happened.

Day 1 started with a bang! The lineup at each stages were equally great, made it even more difficult for us to choose. We spent most of our day 1 hanging out at the Neon Jungle stage. Starting with the uber kawaii “TOKIMONSTA”, she may be petite but her stage presence was as grand as the size of the whole crowd. She handled the crowd like a pro!

Next up high on our list was “Snakehips”. The duo played us remixes of classics like “Ms. Jackson”, “Drop it Like It’s Hot”, “Soulja Boy” and even a remix of Rich Chigga’s “Dat $tick”. They wrap up their set with their hit “All My Friends” which got everyone in the crowd raved hard.

The time came for “Alan Walker”. The mysterious, half covered faced DJ had some pumped up energy that was contagious! Getting on and off the deck simultaneously with the confetti!  But the highlight got to be the last number “Faded”, which people were really in to!

“Rudimental” was the highlight of the Neon Jungle Stage for us. They usually travel in group, but even with just DJ Locksmith on deck and Mark Crown blowing the trumpet, they still managed to raise the roof! From playing “Not Giving In” to “Feel the Love” they never failed to deliver. The even played Flume’s “Holdin On” which was a treat.

“Zedd” and “Martin Garrix” equally wow the crowds and closing day 1 at the Garudha Stage. Both DJs were two of the most anticipated and most looked forward acts this year. The crowds definitely showed it!

5. Big Day 2.0: Day 2 of #DWP16

Day 2 rolled on and when you thought you could toned down your excitements just a little bit, but your level of excitement stayed the same, if not heightened. You’re still like a kid in a candy store. Thinking about all the raving you could still do that day made you all giddy inside.

You watch DJ after DJ taking that big stage. “Dipha Barus”, “Lost Frequencies”, “Blasterjaxx”, “DJ Snake”, and “Hardwell” were warming you up for the real party, the “Life in Color” party that is! Yes, #DWP16 brought back the largest paint party in THE WORLD to the “Life in Color Kingdom” stage. It was as wild, as colorful and as animalistic as you thought it would be. This is the time when your level of excitement has reached its max.

6.Post #DWP16 Depression

Good things have to end somehow and it finally hits you that #DWP16 is done and over. Your ears were still ringing, your head heavy with memories of the raving good times the last two days has brought you. Although your sadness and post #DWP16 depression was shortly changed into another excitement about #DWP17.

Whether you like it or not, Djakarta Warehouse Project is something everyone is looking forward to every year, it has become a routine and a part of everyone’s yearly plan. We raised our glass to you #DWP16, what a weekend that was.

On Friday, March 14, 2014, one of the finest drum and bass artist in the world right now, Rudimental, came for a one-off DJ set show in Jakarta alongside Canada’s newest electronic dance music duo, Adventure Club. This event was held in Blowfish/Puro and this was Blowfish’s last event before their renovation. So that is probably why a lot of people came, aside of the fact that they were going to watch one of the best act in electronic music right now, they came to enjoy the old blowfish before the renovation.

Local Drum and Bass producer and DJ, DTX, opened the night with a mesmerizing drum and bass set. Straight after that, Rudimental came on stage with a live trumpet and cool mixes. They played Disclosure’s “When the Fire Starts to Burn” along with other cool tracks and their originals such as “Waiting All Night” and “Feel the Love”. Despite the fact that the venue was packed with people, most of the crowd doesn’t seem to care. There were lots of people jumping around to solid, heart thumping drum and bass delicacy, which was served by Rudimental with a cool live trumpet as a cherry on top. They also played their hit, “Not Giving In” and a couple of cool house tracks to heat up the night. There was no time for the crowd to stop dancing because straight after Rudimental’s solid performance, Adventure Club came onstage and played some of their famous track such as “Gold” and “Crash”. Fun fact, this duo from Montreal used to play post-hardcore before and now they’re following Skrillex and Friendly Fires’ way that switched from post-hardcore genre to Electronic music. Probably that is the reason why their set was heavy and heart pumping, even there’s crowdsurf happened during their set.

Justeen and William Wijaya closed the night with their sets. Which was a perfect end for a perfect night to remember. We’re looking forward for another good times at newly-renovated Blowfish, which we hoped would be legit and awesome. (Photos : Ismaya Live)

Blowfish is up to strike the town! After having the club being renovated and re-polished, one of the hypest bars in Jakarta is going to strut its spine by delivering Rudimental and Adventure Club for the latest installment of Neon Jungle on March 14th 2014.

Rudimental, the electronci music quarter from England are set to pump the club with their hits, such as ‘Waiting All Night’ and ‘Feel the Love’. The quartet consists of songwriters and producersPiers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor (Amir Izadkhah) and DJ Locksmith (Leon Rolle). In 2012, Rudimental released their single ‘Feel the Love’ featuring John Newman, and the song constantly topped the UK’s music charts.They also got nominated for last year’s Mercury Prize 2013 for their debut album ‘Home’.

The quartet who recently won a Brit Award for ‘Best Single’ will also be accompanied by the Canada-based electronic music duo, Adventure Club. The duo first started as a hardcore pop-punk band, and decided to change their path into electronic dance music. Christian Srigley and Leighton James have released an EP that consists of four songs. One of the songs is having Yuna, the Malaysian singer, to feature in it.

Tickets can be purchased via off-line at Pizza E-Birra counters or online on Ismaya’s website.
Price : IDR 150.000

Rudimental are an electronic music group from England. The group consist of Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor, and DJ Locksmith. Piers, Leon, and Kesi (DJ Locksmith) grew up together in Hackney, East London. The three have known each other before since they lived on the same street, and they met Amir a year later when they did a studio session together. Before working as a group, Amir has worked as one of the producers for names like Plan B. After doing some remixes of Ed Sheeran’s together, the four seemed getting their clique and found out they would work out really well, the quartet came up for a formation as band, and Rudimental were born.

In 2011, the quartet released three singles, ‘Deep in the Valley’ and ‘Speeding’. Both of the singles didn’t really put Rudimental’s name on the map, but it seemed like just a matter of time for the band to strike the music chart. And then the band worked on their soon-to-be massive single, ‘Feel the Love’, the band also found John Newman would perfectly suit to song for their single. When the single was all set and released in the end of 2012, it was like dropping a chemical liquid, the single was such a hit and became the No.1 track in UK. The track also ranked at No.3 in US’ music charts, as the single spreaded out like a virus, Zane Lowe even featured it as the world’s hottest record at the moment. The success was followed by the band’s another single, ‘Not Giving in’, which once again peaked at No.1 for UK’s music dance chart. Rudimental’s electronic music that is wrapped by bass and drums loops with a nice horn riff has hypnotized the dance music lovers to get addicted on their phenomenal tracks. Having influenced by musicians like Dr.Dre, Marvin Gay, and Todd Edwards, Rudimental’s music has its own richness.

On April 29th 2013, Rudimental finally released their debut album, ‘Home’. The debut album also contains of their previous singles, one of them is ‘Waiting All Night’, the another series of successful track from the band. The song also received a gold certification in Australia and a platinum in UK. SPIN Magazine’s Philip Sherburne wrote “…Rudimental are clearly determined to look beyond those limits. Around its buoyant drum’n'bass core, this music ranges widely, taking in neo-soul, retro soul, deep house, hip-house, garage, R&B, and more, often hitting several genres in a single song.”. With Home’s great material, the debut album is surely giving you zero boring moment.

Rudimental have become one of the best group of dance music that will run to the highest peak, by brining up the underground music of London, the band will thrill you with edge music and the hottest tunes of Hip/Hop. Brit Awards nominee and being nominated for Mercury Prize 2013 , Touring from the hypest place like Ibiza to pump-up the sound at world’s best music festivals, and got their slot on Jools Holland under their belt, the quartet knows that it doesn’t happen over night and have known where their musical journey will be heading in the future.

On Wednesday (9/11), the Mercury Prize’s panel announced the full list for this year’s nominees. The list consists of 12 best albums of British artists which have been scoring the market and the chart with its notable songs. The award is led by David Bowie’s comeback album, ‘The Next Day’, and followed by London’s post-punk newcomer, Savages. By the time when the list was revealed, medias started dropping a comment that this year’s nominees is a bit mainstream unlike the previous year. People have also predicted that David Bowie will be winning this year’s trophy ever since this is his first album after a decade. Speaking of first album, Savages will also steal the spotlight as their debut album, ‘Silence Yourself’, has been identified as the freshest work for post-punk music. So how the competition will be? We are doing some short review of the nominees’ albums to give you a short look on how Mercury Prize 2013 sounds like :

1. Arctic Monkeys – AM

Arctic Monkeys’ latest album is definitely a safe bet for this year’s Mercury Prize. The Sheffield quartet’s fifth album receives the best review among their previous albums. As the band starts producing the music in Los Angeles (with James Ford and Ross Orton as the producers), it somehow affects the band’s sounds. Alex Turner also has turned the wheel of his songwriting skill to a more blue-black and once again, sleeker. Just like what Matt Helders said on this album “the album we’ve always been wanting to make”, this is probably the one that the band are totally pouring their skills and influences in.

2. David Bowie – The Next Day

How does a legendary musician sound like when he is breaking a decade of silence with a surprise comeback? It’s as good as how he has to be. David Bowie’s 24th albums was secretly produced (that’s why it’s very surprising) in New York with a long time producer, Toni Visconti. The materials in ‘The Next Day’ are very bold, bright, and the lyrics are also one of his best work as a lyricist. Eventhough some people say that this comeback’s album has a flaw in it, we really think David Bowie has re-emerged his music, career, and also perfectly moulded. The 80’s power pop and rock ambiance of 60’s have summed up how one of the finest rockstarts on earth to bring the hype in.

3. Foals – Holy Fire

Should we call it a “Bang!” for the Oxford dudes’ work? Holy Fire is the band’s third studio album, and sometimes the third is the charm. And it is for Foals. ‘Holy Fire’ is without a doubt a very thoughtful work which is packaged in a very epic way. A wonderful comment on the band’s latest album is also thrown by BBC “The angular, spiky guitars of old have been joined by a altogether fuller, warmer sound. The album’s lead single, Inhaler, has a driving epic quality worthy of a stadium rock band.”

4. Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle

Laura Marling keeps stealing the attention and good critics for her music. Laura Marling has always been putting some unique intensity and her soul for her music. The credibility of her musical and songwriting skill have remarkbly put her name as the never ending ones to watch. The perfection is elevated with the collaboration of her and Ethan Johns for producing ‘Once I Was an Eagle’. It also reminds us that this is her third time for being nominated in Mercury Prize. But will she win it? Her consistency with an ambitious and expansive work will reveal it all.

5. Disclosure – Settle

The band have been hailed for their dance music and given an outstanding call-out. ‘Settle’ is 100% a sugar land for a fan of Groove Armada or Artful Dodger. Knowing that ‘Settle’ is the duo’s debut album, we are blown with its content. What not to love! The album itself will give you the finest house music, 90’s electro and some modern dance music. Somehow, it also gives us a chill that their music is reflecting the era when Basement Jaxx were dominating the dance music industry.

6. James Blake – Overgrown

James Blake will never lose his class. That is the first thing that acrosses our mind when this album was released. James Blake’s deep vocal and soulful music are completing his incredible work in ‘Overgrown’. Did a little dubstep on his debut album (which gained him a name and also a nomination for the same award), the well-trained pianist doubled the class with a nice touch of hip hop and soul for the latest work. The obvious result is shown in ‘Retrograded’.

7. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg

The Nottingham singer has drawn the attention by the first time when he launched his appearance in the music industry. Producing more generous material for the self-titled album, Jake Bugg is receiving his latest work as the best-received to date. The album which consist of 14 track are showing the Dylan-esque music has acclaimed the 19-year-old singer the highest place in a music chart. It still amazes us with the music that he produced, considering he is still young, which is well-described as “The Old Person’s Young Singer”. The album also put the era of Britpop back to the map with its blues-inspired indie pop songs.

8. Rudimental – Home

Rudimental’s Home is like a spin-off of James Brown and Basement Jaxx. That is our best explanation of their music. Elevating the dance music euphoria, Rudimental drop their sickest drums and bass to a timeless sound of dance music. As the quartet once said that they need some anthemic songs, ‘Home’ is giving us all. Storming with a very rich mixing of garage rhythmic, 90’s dance music, and even a collaboration of Emeli Sandé. If this album was a music store, this would have the best collections of music. Hats off with their super elevated music.

9. Laura Mvula – Sing To The Moon

If Amy Winehouse was able to listen to Laura Mvula’s work, she would be dying to work with her. Laura Mvula is one of the most compelling new acts as her music has been labelled as the hybrid of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. Her work in ‘Sing to the Moon’ have rocketed her name as Elton John is praising her music (and later has become Laura Mvula’s biggest fan). With her singing sensastion, she put an extraordinary arrangement with a dip of sunny jazz and a clash of retro soul. She also blooms the album with a melancholy classy lyric.

10. Jon Hopkins – Immunity

If we look into his history and track record (co-produced Coldplay and worked with Brian Eno), we would set a high expectation of his music. ‘Immunity’ is the fourth solo album which got hailed by NME as an “expertly paced” album that “resemble the peaks and troughs of an epic night out, the first half… is a continuous build to the crunching nine-minute techno opus of Collider, before the second half winds down to the title track, which features the mollifying vocals of King Creosote, another frequent collaborator”. Jon Hopkins produced a very haunting and great electronic touch in it, this album also let us to enter the new personal space of him.

11. Savages – Silence Yourself

In the fashion world, there will always a newcomer who sparks out the industry and knocks out big labels by the time the model walks in. We can’t name the current fresh face in the modelling field, but if we are asked the same thing on music world, we are sending out Savages! As the four girls blasted their music in 2011, the world have expected their debut will be incredibly amazing. ‘Silence Yoursel’ will take you to a time machine and drop you in the era of gothic rock and post-punk music. The vocalist, Jehnny Beth, is giving an provoking vocal which has matched really well with the music. A very angular music and ear snapping guitar lines are making their debut album more intense.

12. Villagers – Awayland

Villagers are an Irish indie-folk band who give a new sound of folk. By bringing some modern folk music, Villagers’ ‘Awayland’has a masterful work. The credits also go to the band’s leader, O’Brien. O’Brien did a clever with the songs’s poetic lyrics and turned the album to a great treasure. This album also has put the Irish band to the second time for being nominated in Mercury Prize. Back to the pureness of the album, Villagers are setting the bar of how a folk music should be produced.

That’s all from us for Mercury Prize 2013. This year is just as exciting and interesting to be seen. The 12 talented british acts have shown their best to gain the name in the industry. Some are trying to draw a comeback, some are succesfully attracted the world with their debut, and some are the old names who have been nominated in the previous years. So, Who’ll be taking the bacon of this annual award? The answer will be revealed on October 30th 2013.