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Chants ’n Chimes to Move You
Members of Gamelan X surround an assortment of “reyong”, Balinese nipple gongs, seen here from the dance floor at Nimby in Oakland, CA.
What happens when Bali meets Berkeley? The creation of Gamelan X, an out-of-this-world music ensemble of western instruments, exotic percussion, and dancers.
Gamelan X is one of those rare hybrids that is able to encompass disparate styles, incorporate a wide array of influences, and alchemize a purely original sound and body experience. They are nearly impossible to define, but they offer an immersive, collectivist audience experience that combines auditory, visual, and spiritual entertainment..
Their current lineup includes three percussionists—two who sit facing each other across a platform of Balinese gongs and bells, and one on a drum kit—keyboards, trombone, saxophone, and trumpet, accompanied by dancers. The band is so visually arresting, it almost makes you forget the amazing dance-ability of their unique sound. Almost. As important as the orchestra is to the Gamelan X experience, it is not the only place they inhabit in the world. They often appear as a beleganjur marching band, which in Bali performs at festivals and parades, as well as cremation ceremonies. The ensemble uses these roots to inform both their approach to the practice and to the venues where they perform, such as the Burning Man festival in Nevada and the Dia de Los Muertos parade in San Francisco. Finally, members of Gamelan X also leadgroups in the practice of kecak (pronounced ketchak, also known as monkey chanting), another traditional Balinese sound practice. In the words of E O, musical director of Gamelan X: “ We’ve taken some of the traditional kecak vocal chants and combined them with novel elements inspired by them. Over the years it’s evolved into a vehicle for a partially structured, semi-spontaneous community ritual that explores the experience of individuals woven into a rhythmic super-organism. It’s a ridiculous amount of fun.” Gamelan X is part of a larger community of artists and activists who are working to create a more unified world that incorporates the wisdom of indigenous cultures into the paradigms of modern societies. Their label and distributor, CreatioNation, walks step-in-step with Gamelan X to achieve the creation of “…a more harmonious world through music and the arts…using the music traditions of the world as a vehicle for cross-cultural understanding, appreciation, and connection.” The defining characteristic of both groups is what they have dubbed “CommUnity.” They work to initiate and organize a global gathering of artists, musicians, producers, writers, dancers, and anyone else who is dedicated to the idea of thinking globally and acting locally to generate a better world. CreatioNation, in turn, is part of the larger collective Earthville. This fast-spreading community includes, among many others, women’s leadership groups; efforts to assist the homeless; and support for the Tibetan Buddhist government in exile in Dharamsala, India. Earthville’s website includes an innovative web store that features sliding-scale prices and carbon offset transactions, and a large percentage of the money generated from sales in the store goes directly back into a community of artists and causes around the world. In the end, this is arguably the greatest part of the Gamelan X experience: by simply participating in the energy they generate through their various performances, you are also contributing directly to an ever-growing worldwide community of like-minded people and organizations. Think globally, dance locally.
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For more information, visit: gamelanx.com;
creationation.org; earthville.org
Reverberating gongs alternate with moments of silence in performances that blend modern and traditional sounds.
The element of dance is exalted in high-energy shows that demand audience participation