Sekan

📕 Soundwriters catalogue 46 — 54 Disco, boogie, jazz and funk. Day 6 holds a few very special records from the different diaspora . Including a very rare private press record by Papaya. They wrote on the back cover: “THIS ALBUM CAN BRING YOU TO INDONESIA, SURINAME AND EUROPE”. A message that perfectly describes what I want to transmit with this book. It also features another very special record by Papua, aka the Black Brothers. Read more on my findings on “Huembelo” in the chapter “Black Brothers” about the music of the Papua diaspora. Superb jazz by Luluk Purwanto & René van Helsingen with their crowdfunded record “Impressions Of Indonesia” Two of the diaspora diva’s Sandra Reemer (RIP) & Rosy Pereira who both recorded a lot of records with Andres Dries Holten, all born on Java. The oldest record in the catalog from 1969 by Respect, again including my distant relative Paul Guldenaar. And one of the the artists that really was a bridge between Indonesia, the Netherlands and the different diaspora. Daniël Sahuleka. Born in Semarang of Moluccan Ambonese and Sundanese-Peranakan descent. Not only do most people in Indonesia know his name when I speak of diaspora artists, he also is one of the few artists who actually released multiple records in Indonesia that weren’t available in the Netherlands. Huge thanks to @jordansurentu for the video recorded at @bd.museum together with @operator.radio these listening sessions will be online in the near future. #indonesian #diaspora #musichistory #vinyl #soundwriters

The first print version of the book just arrived 👀 Soundwriters: The Incomplete Guide to Indonesian Diaspora Music (1969-1989) 🔊 A long road to get to this point, the copies are making their way from Jakarta to Amsterdam. Pre-orders are already coming in. So make sure to secure your copy! 📚 Limited first edition📕 🔗 jiwajiwa.com or follow the linkinbio

The listening sessions from last week really rekindled a flame in me of the connection and power through word and sound. The streams will be uploaded soon but you need to really experience what it’s like in real life. The talks after were very eye-opening and people telling me they cried and had goosebumps just show the power of these sessions, and REALLY listening. Ready to take this to other places and stages. And if you wanna get started yourself: Invite a friend or friends for a session at your place, or take some time for yourself by getting lost in your headphones. How often if ever do you take time for deep listening?

Morgen host ik een luistersessie rondom Soundwriters bij @culinaryroots.nl Ter voorbereiding zit ik opnieuw in mijn boek te lezen, passages te markeren en verbanden te zoeken tussen muziek, herinnering en diaspora. Maar ook tussen muziek en eten. Beide functioneren als een archief. Als collectief geheugen. Allebei draaien ze om context en worden ze misschien wel het best beleefd in een community. Een hap van je lievelingsgerecht, Lontong Sayur Medan in mijn geval, of die ene Ambon Jazz track van Jopie Latul kan je in één keer terugbrengen naar de woonkamer van je Opa en Oma. Dat gevoel van herkenning, herinnering en thuiskomen probeer ik ook op te roepen tijdens deze sessies. Daarom is het researchproces voor mij misschien wel net zo belangrijk als de sessie zelf. Bij luister events en dj sets denk ik veel na over context. Welke verhalen dragen deze nummers met zich mee? En hoe creëer je een ruimte waarin mensen zich open genoeg voelen om die verhalen ook echt te delen? Een van de mooiste dingen aan projecten zoals Culinary Roots vind ik dat het verder gaat dan nostalgie. Het gaat over samenkomen, verhalen doorgeven en opnieuw betekenis geven aan wat we hebben meegekregen. Soms via eten. Soms via muziek. Soms gewoon door met aandacht samen in een ruimte te zitten. Voor mij is muziek vaak het startpunt geweest om dichter bij mijn eigen roots, familiegeschiedenis en gemeenschap te komen. Maar uiteindelijk zijn het juist die verjaardagen, kumpulans en lange diners die zijn blijven hangen, door het samen zijn rondom eten en muziek. Daarom voelt het bijzonder om dat morgen opnieuw te mogen delen met anderen aan tafel, in de keuken, op de grond of waar ook maar een plekje is.

🎬Met veel trots presenteren wij de poster van Batik, Beats en Bumbu van Claire Pijman. De film draait vanaf 18 juni in de Nederlandse filmtheaters! ✨ De film volgt jonge makers met Indonesische roots die hun culturele achtergrond op eigentijdse wijze omarmen. In samenwerking met kunstenaars uit Indonesië ontstaat een verhaal over identiteit, uitwisseling en het opnieuw betekenis geven aan wat je hebt meegekregen. 🎶👗🍛 Met o.a. Nusantara Beat, Michiel Sekan (Jiwa Jiwa), Vanja van der Leeden en Studio Guave-designers Myrthe Groot & Romée Mulder. Met dank aan producent Carolijn Borgdorff (Moondocs) en Triple P entertainment. #BatikBeatsBumbu #filmreleases

This month, we continue to spotlight names working across experimental sound, cultural memory and hybrid performance, each expanding what music can hold. @sekan | Netherlands Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary creative Sekan moves between music and cultural heritage, shaping exhibitions, multilingual publications and listening sessions informed by his multicultural upbringing. @gumgo._ | South Korea Meaning “black cat” in Korean, Gumgo channels the late ’90s and early 2000s electronics she grew up with into a sound that is textural, groove-led and deeply informed by janggu rhythms. @heartheal3r & @allthatjasss | USA Named after the stinging cells of jellyfish, the NEMATOCYST duo create hybrid live performances that slip beneath the surface, summoning creature-like characters, lush sonic dreamscapes and deeply immersive worlds. @lucyliyou | USA Working with field recordings, text-to-speech, poetry and other unexpected materials, Lucy Liyou reshapes experimental music into something intimate, elastic and entirely her own. More on the artists via linkinbio.

Batik, Beats & Bumbu, vandaag te zien op de Pasar Malam. Vanaf 18 juni in de bioscoop.

This past year I had the honor to contribute to Generasi 3.0 – The Stories We Carry at @fotomuseumdenhaag The exhibition brought together nine artists with roots in the former Dutch East Indies. Each of us looked at the past through our own family history. For me, that search always starts with music. Sound is often where memory survives. Oral and Aural history through records, radio, songs people carried across oceans. Even when the stories themselves were not spoken openly. The work I created is a continuation of Soundwriters and Jiwa Jiwa. A need to understand how culture travels through generations, and how diaspora communities rebuild identity through sound. My own family left Indonesia in 1962. Like many Indo families, some parts of that history were shared openly. Other parts stayed quiet. Working on Generasi 3.0 reminded me how many people carry similar fragments. Photos in boxes. Stories half remembered. The exhibition created a space where those histories could exist next to each other. Different families. Different routes through migration. But many shared questions. What do we inherit? What do we carry forward? What gets lost between generations? Projects like this matter because they give space to stories that were rarely part of official history. For me it also confirmed something I have felt for a long time. Music is not only entertainment. It is archive. It is memory. It is a way of finding your place in a story that started long before you were born. Grateful to have been part of Generasi 3.0 and to everyone who shared their work and histories in the exhibition. And grateful to everyone who came to listen. The show closes this Sunday on the 22nd of March. Curation by @iris.sikking Guest Curation @nienkecoers Design of Exhibtion: Berit Smit Public Programme: Ghamte Schmidt Overview image of exhibition: Christian Van Der Kooy, Jan Zweerts

Last year in Amsterdam, @sekan of @jiwajiwarecords shared his vision of creating a book documenting Indonesian diaspora music together with @munireng . Now, that vision arrives as Soundwriters: The Incomplete Guide to Indonesian Diaspora Music (1969–1989). The book explores a hidden chapter of postwar music history, highlighting rare releases by Indonesian diaspora artists recorded in the Netherlands and Suriname. In this Q&A, Sekan shares the story behind the book, Jiwa Jiwa, and why documenting Indonesian diaspora music matters.

📕 Soundwriters catalogue 55 — 62 Funk, soul, disco, proto-house and jazz. The final 8 records. Why 62? 1962 is the year my family left Indonesia for the Netherlands. +62 is Indonesia’s country code. I even carry 62 on my chest. This last stretch includes “Icy Tandak” by Soundwriters. Inspired by Indonesian greats like Harry Roesli and Remy Sylado. The book opens with the lyrics of this track. For me, this one is about longing. Resilience. Searching for home across generations. This wraps the intro series. More deep stories coming soon. Get the book via jiwajiwa.com or Indonesian orders via @abadi_records more shops will be stocking the book through @rhd_rushhourdistribution

📕 Soundwriters catalogue 37 — 45 Gospel, soul, italo, jazz, synth-pop, punk and boogie Logos Band delivers a perfect slice of gospel soul produced by Eddy Lekranty from Cheyenne fame, the band he founded together with his sister Julya. Lizzy is another one of the Maessen siblings, her big sisters liked her song “Just Wanna Dance With You” so much that it later was also released on an album with Dream Express. You can’t mention the music of the diaspora without the infamous Moluccan Moods, both the original compilation and the live at Paradiso compilation hold amazing songs from jazz, to funk to punk. #indonesian #diaspora #musichistory #vinyl #soundwriters

Very happy to share the brandnew first book of RH store friend and former staff Michiel Sekan! Soundwriters: The Incomplete Guide to Indonesian Diaspora Music (1969–1989) Soundwriters maps a hidden chapter of postwar music history. Sixty two rare and overlooked releases by Indonesian diaspora artists recorded in the Netherlands and Suriname, from soul and funk to reggae and pop. Built from deep archive work and crate digging, this book traces how migration shaped sound, scenes, and record culture between 1969 and 1989. An homage to the unsung heroes of the underground and deserved recognition for the diaspora pioneers. Book is now in stock!