Dangdut () is a genre of Indonesian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

that is partly derived and fused from Hindustani,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and to lesser extent, Malay and local folk music. Dangdut is a most popular musical genre in Indonesia and a very popular in other

Malay world The Malay world or Malay realm ( Indonesian/ Malay: or ; Jawi: ), is a concept or an expression that has been used by different authors and groups over time to denote several different notions, derived from varied interpretations of Malayne ...

countries as well because of its melodious instrumentation and vocals. Dangdut features a

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

and gendang beat. One of the most popular Dangdut musicians and singers such as

Rhoma Irama Raden Haji Oma Irama, better known as Rhoma Irama (born December 11, 1946), is an Indonesian dangdut singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sundanese descent. Starting from the late 1960s, he began his musical career as Rhoma Irama as a part o ...

, known as the "King of Dangdut";

Mansyur S. Mansyur S. (born Mansyur Subhawannur; November 30, 1948) is an Indonesian singer, songwriter and actor. He is a star of the ''dangdut'' style of Indonesian music.Colin BassIndonesia:Pop and Folk ''The Rough Guide to World Music'', 2nd edn. Rough ...

; Meggy Z; and Ellya Khadam include strong Indian-music influence in the basis of harmony, theme, and beat to their songs and also by other popular dangdut singers. A dangdut band typically consists of a lead singer, male or female, backed by four to eight musicians. Instruments usually include a

, gendang,

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

, drum machines, and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s. The term has been expanded from the desert-style music to embrace other musical styles. Modern dangdut incorporates influences from Middle Eastern pop music, Western rock,

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

, hip hop music,

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...

, and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

. The popularity of dangdut peaked in the 1990s. By 2012, it was still largely popular in the western parts of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

, but the genre was becoming less popular in the eastern parts, apart from Maluku. Meanwhile more regional and faster-paced forms of dangdut (as opposed to slower, Bollywood-influenced dangdut) have risen in popularity.

Development

The term ''dangdut'' is a

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

for the sound of the ''

'' (also known as '' gendang'') drum, which is written ''dang'' and ''ndut''.

Putu Wijaya I Gusti Ngurah Putu Wijaya (born April 11, 1944), better known simply as Putu Wijaya, was born in Tabanan, Bali. He is an Indonesian author, considered by many to be one of Indonesia's most prominent literary figures. His output is impressive; ...

initially mentioned in the 27 May 1972, edition of

Tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

magazine that the doll song from India was a mixture of Malay songs, desert rhythms, and Indian "dang-ding-dut". It was reportedly coined by music magazine '' Aktuil'', although

stated that it was coined as a term of derision by the rich to the music of the poor. Despite its derogatory intent, it was seized upon by those playing it, and the term appears in Rhoma's 1973 dangdut classic ''Terajana'': :''Sulingnya suling bambu'' - The flute, a bamboo flute :''Gendangnya kulit lembu'' - The drum, from cow hide :''Dangdut suara gendang rasa ingin berdendang'' - Dangdut's drum sound makes you want to sing Dangdut as a term distinguished the music of Javanese people from the '' Orkes Melayu'' (Malay orchestra) of North Sumatran Malays. Besides orkes Melayu, the primary musical influence on dangdut was Indian

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

music (

Filmi Filmi ("of films") music soundtracks are music produced for India's mainstream motion picture industry and written and performed for Indian cinema. In cinema, music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playba ...

). The song "Terajana" pays homage to the 1959 Bollywood hit "Tera Jana Ke," and though dangdut is primarily written in the Indonesian language, respect was paid to the Indian influence. The next verse of "Terajana" is as follows: :''Terajana... Terajana'' - Terajana, Terajana :''Ini lagunya... lagu India'' - This is the song, song of India Orkes Melayu singer Ellya Khadam switched to dangdut in the 1970s, and by 1972 she was the number one artist in Indonesia. Her success, with that of

, meant that by 1975, 75 percent of all recorded music in Indonesia was of the dangdut genre, with pop bands such as

Koes Plus Koes Plus, formerly Koes Bersaudara (Koes Brothers), is an Indonesian musical group that enjoyed success in the 1960s and 1970s. Known as one of Indonesia's classic musical acts, the band peaked in popularity in the days far before the advent of ...

adopting the style.

Culture

Most major cities, especially on

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

, have one or more venues that have a dangdut show several times a week. The concerts of major dangdut stars are also broadcast on television. Beginning in 2003, certain dangdut musicians became the focus of a national controversy in Indonesia regarding performances by

koplo Koplo or dangdut koplo is a subgenre of dangdut, Indonesian popular dance & folk music, that originated in East Java during the early 2000s. The genre gets its name from the slang term "''koplo''" which refers to a hallucinogenic drug that is ...

dangdut singer Inul Daratista, which religious conservatives described as pornography. Protests led by dangdut megastar and devout Muslim

called for Daratista to be banned from television, and legislation was passed in 2008 by the

People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of the People's Rep ...

that introduced a broad range of activities described as

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

. The flamboyant performances at some dangdut shows also attracted collateral attention in May 2012 when a row broke out in Indonesia over a planned performance by international star

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

due to be held in early June 2012. In the face of opposition from conservative Muslim groups in Indonesia, the planned show was canceled. This cancelation led numerous commentators to note that opposition to Lady Gaga's performances was surprising given the nature of some dangdut shows. Dangdut remains an integral part of Indonesian life and

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ...

despite conservative Muslim concerns over the supposed vulgarity of some performances (such as by Dewi Persik and Julia Perez). Because of the popularity of the genre, some movies and TV shows have dangdut-centered themes, such as Rhoma Irama's movies and

Rudy Soedjarwo Rudianto Soedjarwo (born 9 November 1971) is an Indonesian film director. He became popular after he directed a teens movie '' What's Up with Love?'' (2002). Filmography * ''Falling Star'' (''Bintang Jatuh'') * ''Tragedy'' (''Tragedi'') * ''Wha ...

's ''

Mendadak Dangdut ''Mendadak Dangdut'' (''Suddenly Dangdut'') is a 2006 Indonesian musical comedy-drama film directed by Rudy Soedjarwo and written by Monty Tiwa. Starring Titi Kamal, Kinaryosih, and Dwi Sasono, it details the rise and fall of an alternative ro ...

''.

Gallery

File:Rhoma Irama-cropped.jpg,

is known as ''"Raja Dangdut"'' (the King of Dangdut) File:Prop._Tabla.jpg, The

is one of the most important and main percussion instrument in Dangdut File:Dangdut singer Yogyakarta.jpg,

Koplo Koplo or dangdut koplo is a subgenre of dangdut, Indonesian popular dance & folk music, that originated in East Java during the early 2000s. The genre gets its name from the slang term "''koplo''" which refers to a hallucinogenic drug that is ...

singer in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

References

External links

Example of a dangdut song by Intan Ali
{{Folk music Dance music genres Folk music genres Indonesian folk music Music of Sumatra

Development

Culture

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links