PETALING JAYA, Nov 1 — MonoloQue and Najwa Mahiaddin are aiming to make the gamelan great again with their new song Chinta.
The traditional instrument is featured in the song which will feature on the upcoming album Lagu Perang, a work which aims to incorporate the gamelan into a soundscape fit for a more contemporary mainstream music setting.
A mutual love for traditional music meant that MonoloQue frontman, Khairil Ridzwan Anuar, or Loque, who has roots in the underground rock scene, and Najwa, a prolific R&B, soul and neo jazz singer, made it natural for the duo to merge their talents together seamlessly despite coming from different musical genres.
“Even though my music or my style of singing generally would be more R&B or soul, I’ve always had this side of me that was more traditional.
“I’ve actually experimented with that side as well. In that sense, the collaboration with Loque didn’t feel like it was ill-fitting at all.
“Even though Loque and I have different styles, I think the gamelan and the Nusantara sound brought us together since we both love them,” Najwa told Malay Mail.
The music video for Chinta showcases stop-motion animation and tells a reinterpreted version of the popular legend of Mahsuri, a young woman who fell victim to false accusations of adultery and was later stabbed to death.
A preview for the music video was held at Lubuk Bangku D Cabin Cafe in Bangsar where the musicians spoke about the creative motivations behind the song.
Loque said that the music video reflected his ambition to generate more interest in the gamelan using several art forms.
“Chinta’s music video is a manifestation of my desire to make the gamelan relevant again from aspects of storytelling, animation, and most importantly, music in the 21st century.
“Stop-motion is an animation technique that is troublesome to execute but the result is worth it, even more so when the video shows a folk tale that Malaysians are familiar with,” Khairil said.
