VAATA

Studying and exploring the indonesian native tradition and music language I found out there's a whole galaxy of genres spread around the countless islands of the archipelago. From the reeling mystical polyrhythms of Javanese gamelans to the heartfelt arpeggios of Borneo's tek guitar, the sapè, reminescent of the virgin pluvial forest. I casually met Gabriel while he was performing wearing a traditional outfit out of a mall about one year ago. Despite his young age he was already a sensitive musician, much of his effort goes to keep the bornean tradition alive. Today we started a steady collaboration that blends contemporary harmony with indonesian scales and native rhythms, modern and folk instruments, western and eastern elements. I am sure the music resulting from this partnership will breed fresh music, bringing out a mix of ancient flavors and surprising new tastes.

As a corollary of the new type of music therapy I am creating here at University of Malang, I am composing a set of tunes based on the structure of indian ragas and other early western musical forms. They are intended to be used as sound meditations to strenghten the healing process. Here I am practicing with Chozin around some traditional scales. I am confident this new music therapy could treat most common psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, which cases are increasing in numbers because of the pandemic. Hope to put something together soon to help people stand up this difficult moment with a quick and efficient remedy.