As
a culturally rich and diversified country, Indonesia
treasures a vast variety of art and musical forms that
have had a global impact and inspired generations of
composers and musicians. Living in the Indonesian capital
of Jakarta, the high-powered and highly unique simakDialog
couldn't avoid fusing the traditional sound of the gamelan
ensemble, ancient temple music, jazz, Sunda rhythms
and even psychedelica. Formed in 1993 by keyboardist/composer
Riza Arshad and guitarist Tohpati, simakDialog have
released five albums, won two trophies from the Indonesian
Music Awards, and have enthusiastic reviews in over
25 countries worldwide. The band has performed extensively
in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Nepal with a North
American tour planned for November 2010 with the support
of the Indonesian government.
