Megan de Klerk of Nusantara Beat – One of those timeless voices you wish everyone sounded like.
Since I’ve been taking most of the day off (being a birthday and all; figured I earned it) – running a concert from this year’s Lowlands Festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, recorded on August 21st of this year by the venerable go-to Dutch radio outlet 3VOOR12.
Nusantara Beat have only been together a few years and they feature one of desert-island/top-10 vocalists of thee 21st century, Megan De Klerk.
I was a very big fan of her previous band EUT, but since I hadn’t heard anything from them in a few years until I did get a post from the band saying they had called it quits and were heading off to more greenish pastures. Needless to say, I was distraught over the news, Megan de Klerk has one of the most passionate lyrical and highly polished voices of the last 50 or so years.
It was 95% of the reason I was following their most recent posts when I learned they had called it quits and were on to other things. It was only the other day that I discovered Megan had landed with Nusantara Beat and, according to the other band members, it was more than a perfect fit – it was a life’s goal.
Needless to say, it IS a perfect fit. Megan de Klerk has one of the purest, most honest and lyrical voices I have heard in the past 20+ years. Her presence and enthusiasm absolutely compliment was is going on with the rest of the band.
Nusantra Beat is often described as a hybrid of Indonesian Folk/Psych, they’ve only been around since 2022. Despite some fits and starts with COVID and the worldwide shutdown of things side-tracking a few interesting live appearances, it hasn’t done anything to dampen the excitment and growing fan base for this extraordinary group.
Glitterbeat ran a big article and bio on the band – I’m going to post an excerpt, but I would urge you to go over there and check the full article out:
“The highly anticipated debut album from Amsterdam-based Indonesian psych-folk ensemble Nusantara Beat, has finally arrived. Having built a rapidly rising reputation through captivating live performances and a string of acclaimed 7″ singles (Bongo Joe Records), this self-titled album powerfully extends an already potent musical vision.
A mesmerizing collection of eleven original tracks, Nusantara Beat delves deep into the group’s Indonesian ancestral roots, and thrillingly weaves together hypnotic folk melodies, vintage Indo-pop, pulsating psychedelic grooves and contemporary sonic textures.
That word Nusantara is important. As the group’s vocalist, Megan de Klerk, explains:
“Nusantara means all the islands that make up Indonesia. It’s an old word from when the kings wanted to unite the whole archipelago. Today, it still means unity, many cultures coming together as one. So, when we say Nusantara Beat, we mean the rhythm and music from the Indonesian archipelago, mixed into one sound.”
The group is uniquely equipped to explore this fascinating idea.
Bassist Michael Joshua was born in the Indonesian province of West Java, settling permanently in the Netherlands at the age of 15. All of the group’s other members – Megan, guitarist Jordy Sanger, guitarist/keyboardist Rouzy Portier, drummer Sonny Groeneveld and percussionist Gino Groeneveld – were all born and raised in the Netherlands but hail from Indonesian heritage.
Nusantara Beat grew out of Amsterdam’s vibrant music scene, with several of its members previously playing in Dutch groups including EUT, Jungle by Night and the Turkish psych ensemble Altin Gün.
But it was the allure of exploring Indonesian sounds that cemented their alliance. “The band came together via our shared Indonesian roots and curiosity to discover these roots further through music,” says Gino.
“Sonny and Jordy had been playing with the idea for years about someday starting a [traditional Indonesian] krontjong band and for fun playing for elderly,” he continues. “Rouzy and Michael, who were studying together at the time, were also fantasizing about starting an Indonesian band for a while. Eventually, in 2021, these two worlds combined when Rouzy and Jordy were hanging out a lot and discussing these ideas.”
Sonny recruited his younger brother, Gino, who had just left Altin Gün, to add extra percussion. All that was needed was a singer. First choice was Megan, then working with EUT. Once she was persuaded to join – and to take the bold step of singing in Indonesian for the first time – the magic was undeniable.
“From the first rehearsal with Megan, we knew the band was complete,” Gino remembers.
Nusantara Beat played their first gig in Amsterdam in summer 2022, and a trio of acclaimed singles on Bongo Joe records followed soon after, each reinterpreting a well-known 20th century Indonesian tune.
Released in 2023, “Djanger” is a beloved song describing the movements of a Balinese dancer. “Kota Bandung,” also released in 2023, is a 1970s classic describing the capital city of West Java. And 2024’s “Mang Becak” is another 70s pop track based around a conversation between a woman and a becak [bicycle rickshaw] driver, delivered in Sundanese, the local language of West Java.
Across these three singles, Nusantara Beat paid heartfelt tribute to the tradition of Sunda Pop – the Indonesian pop sensation that, from the 1960s onwards, blended traditional Sundanese music with contemporary pop sounds such as psychedelia, surf music and funk.
“Bands and artists from that time were heavily influenced by the western pop music scene,” explains Rouzy. “They wanted to sound like their heroes and bought equipment similar to them like guitars and effects. These styles and blends still sound awesome to us as a band.”
Nusantara Beat have staked out a daring place in modern music, paying homage to the tradition of Sunda Pop, while reinvigorating it for the 21st century with pristine production techniques, modern synthesizers and deep grooves.
Now, with their self-titled debut album, Nusantara Beat have gone one step further, writing, recording and producing eleven scintillating original songs that have their roots deep in tradition while stretching out into bold new worlds.
In the meantime, head over to Glitterbeat’s Album page and grab their debut release: https://glitterbeat.com/product/preorder-nusantara-beat-nusantara-beat/
And while you’re doing that – press Play and dive into some amazing new music.
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