Payung Teduh, An Authentic Musician Who 'Bridged' The Times

For the 90th generation, Keroncong may have reached dusk. However, his presence on some national television channels often entertains family rooms in Indonesia.

The flow of keroncong music, Moresco seeds that have been paired with gamelan and flute may be unforgettable memories for those who are old age. But for me, his identity seemed to sprinkle in a music called Payung Teduh.

Perhaps many will argue this point. But I personally feel stronger that Payung Teduh is the embodiment of keroncong in modern times. The changes they make are capable of bewitching young people in millenial generation. Payung Teduh able to bridge the two era.

But not long, this year, he decided to vacuum. After several years of humming the song for us, enliven the realm of indie music in Indonesia, stuck in a frenetic commercialization, and finally, as Mohamad Istiqamah Djamad, the vocalist of this band in some media, said that they were "exhausted".

I remember most of Istiqamah's powerful remarks, as he told me how solid concert schedules, moving from one city to another, and the urgency of the music market slowly, 'killing' their musical character.

And in the end, we have to sacrifice victims of the viciousness of the capitalistic, piracy-prone music industry and the fierce media popularity of attacking the media, to return home.

Payung Teduh is one portrait that appeared in a year in Indonesia. And inevitably, after the vacuum, we will remember their work, either at night on the bustling city streets, where the song Payung Teduh is slowly playing, or in the coffee shop where we mingle. Thank you, Payung Teduh.