Norwegian Take Part In Jakarta Festival

“Beat Fest” will this weekend play host The Whitest Boy Alive, whose debut album Dreams contains 10 of the smoothest, up-tempo, minimal indie tunes around. The band kicked off in 2003 when lead singer, Erlend Oye — one half of Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience — paired up with bassist Marcin to make dance music. Jaded by the overwhelming opportunities music technology provided, but unable to make anything materialize, they recruited drummer Sebastian Maschat and synth player Daniel Nentwig and created an entirely live instrumental group.
   “The (electronic) music is already programmed. You are really just playing along to a computer, and it is not really going to change in any significant way. That is not really live,” Oye said in an online interview.
   The Whitest Boy Alive blend driving basslines with sharp drumming, giving every tune an unwavering backbeat pulse and dance-like electricity. The synth throws in mellow, open chords while the guitar raps out syncopated chords: picture 4 rhythms, none overpowering the other, working as one hip unit.
   Never fear, all you Kings of Convenience fans, Oye may be fronting a different group, but the enigmatic lyrics and warm, lucid tone synonymous with the duo is still very much alive.
   The last thing punters want after buying a festival ticket is to be bombarded with homogeneous, repetitive dance tracks when they could simply have gone to any one of Jakarta’s nightclubs.
   Those in search of something fresh and diverse, look no further: The promoters at “Beat Fest” have ensured this Saturday night will be anything but ordinary.

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