THREE LOCAL BANDS RECENTLY TACKLED THEIR BIGGEST FESTIVAL TO DATE. MANDALA WAS THERE FOR THE RIDE. MARCEL THEE REPORTS. PHOTOS BY MUHAMMAD ASRANUR

It is hours before Indonesia’s biggest soul music festival, and local star Anidyo Baskoro is demolishing a plate of raw fish and playing the fool. While band members and crew go through their sound-checks, Nino, the enthusiastic front man of Jakartan soul band, RAN, is having a late lunch. Despite being asked to act naturally in front of the camera, he is popping poses and teasing blushing waitresses.

Between bites, he says the young trio, which makes “creative pop music” with influences ranging from R&B, soul, hip hop, jazz and reggae, is currently trying to balance touring with the pressures of university – a likely source of inspiration for second album, Friday.

Having sold 25,000 copies of their first album RAN for your Life in five months, he says the band was aware of the need to come back strong. “The success of our first album gave us real motivation to make this as good and as successful.”

The band had typically humble beginnings, meeting at high school. “Rayi and Asta were in the same grade and made a band with their schoolmates. They won some band festivals, and once performed in Malaysia.” After graduating, the first band broke up, but the music continued. “Rayi and Asta began writing songs in Asta’s room using home recording tools.”

In just two hours, Rayi, Asta and Nino (RAN) will perform in front of some 10,000 people at Java Soulnation 2009. Run by the organizers of the Java Jazz Festival, the show’s lineup included US hip hop legends Arrested Development. I’m checking for signs of nerves, but finding none.

Once the bastion of rockers and balladeers, soul and hip hop music are infiltrating mainstream music in Indonesia like never before. Current hit makers include a crop of artists inspired by American soul and funk music, from legends like James Brown to pop stars like Justin Timberlake. Indonesia’s new breed of soul singers are giving their music a suitable twist of pop in order to appeal to a wider audience.

At 3.30pm, members of RAN are at the venue and sound-checking their newest single ‘Jadi Gila’ (Becomes Crazy). For Soulnation, the group has rearranged old and new songs, and will bring an extra drum set on stage for Rayi.

Next door, The Boogiemen, a hip hop soul trio, are also preparing to perform. The well-reviewed yet relatively new group does its own sound check on the club-sized upper-right stage. Arriving an hour before their show, the Boogiemen’s crew are visibly jumpy. The stage is located outdoors and the heat isn’t helping their mood.

Kyriz, one of three vocalists and the main rapper, says the band was only notified of the festival’s schedule change last night. “So we’re scrambling to get things done.” His two band mates, Theo (guitars and vocals) and Iyay (harmonica and vocals) tell me the group was originally a four-piece, covering songs by hip hop icons like The Roots and Guru.

“The minimal instrumentation and our English lyrics made the group harder to be accepted,” explains Kyriz. Asked whether the group plans to write songs in Indonesian for wider appeal, Kyriz says he respects local rappers who have attained mainstream success while still singing English lyrics: “Like Pandji.”

Charismatic and immensely popular, 30-year old Pandji Pragiwaksono is also a TV show host and radio personality. Along the way, he has made his name as a rapper too, releasing his first album Provocative Proactive independently in 2006.

Pandji is performing tonight, and ensures a stand-out show by bringing out the big guns. “Today, I’m going to have a few guests on stage,” he says with some understatement. Joining him will be name musicians including Endah N Rhesa, J Flow, Rayi from RAN, Kyriz from the Boogiemen, Ichsan Akbar, Barry Likumahuwa, Glenn Fredly and Abdee from the legendary rock band, Slank.

Vitali Ridho Imansyah, assistant program director for Trax FM, says soul-influenced Indonesian singles have strong chart potential. “Indie rock is big right now, but it is still mostly limited to a certain number of listeners. But if you’re talking about guaranteed mass appeal, Indonesian R&B and soul ballads mean a definite hit.”

The festival’s media officer, Nirmala Hapsari, says Java Soulnation marks a step forward for the local soul fraternity. “It was welcomed by the genre’s fans and communities. Usually the festivals for these genres are held on a much smaller scale.”

Down on stage, things are heating up. The crowd goes wild and screams along with Pandji, as he sings the rap-rock single ‘Kami Tidak Takut’ (We Are Not Afraid). The song is the official anthem of the online movement Indonesia Unite, co-founded by Pandji after the bombings in Jakarta in early 2009.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect live show,” he tells me. “But it’s essential that there is some value behind the performance – so it isn’t merely about the music. That value can come in many forms, such as special appearances, different arrangements, or your ability to communicate with the audience.”

Relative newcomers the Boogiemen have fewer onstage guests, but their performance has the intimate energy of a club show. Kyriz and Iyay command the stage, firing up the crowd to sing along, while the backing band jumps energetically behind them. They end their set with a cover of Blur’s ‘Song 2’, which gets everybody in the audience simultaneously yelling the distinctive “woo-hoo” chorus.

Next up, RAN becomes the focus of attention at the main stage. As they perform ‘Jadi Gila’, the festival is a sea of sing-along. Rayi tells me that prior to each performance, he chews candy to get rid of any butterflies. Seemingly it works – his jumping and running across the stage showcase why RAN is currently one of the country’s hottest groups.

Afterwards, Pandji explains the power of playing soul music. “When I’m up there, I think a lot about not forgetting the lyrics,” he says, laughing. “But most of the time, I’m just completely taken by the music, and I lose myself in it. Like I’m unconscious.”