I believe it was a late February, early March type of afternoon. I’m going for another round of walks in my neighbourhood with my reviewing iPod touch in my pocket, listening to the wonders of Indonesian guitarist, Dewa Budjana. Dewa has always kept his eye on creating this lush of world music to its core. From Home, Dawai in Paradise, Joged Kahyangan, Surya Namaskar, Hasta Karma, Zentuary, Mahadini, and Naurora, you never quite tell what Dewa will come up with next.
Well, he has taken the next big step by collaborating with the Czech Symphony Orchestra on his new album Praguenayama from the MoonJune label. The music on here, has this meditated guidance in a way the melodies shift into its pastoral fanfare with harmonic sights, sounds, and wonders to fill the void with Budjana’s guitar arrangements from jazz, flamenco, classical, metal, and folk-like structures he puts his fingers to.
Recorded at the Czech Television Studio in Prague, Czech Republic and additional recordings at the Temple Island and Bosko Studio between Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia, the Symphonic Orchestra flows well with powering compositions Budjana has given them with its heart straight into the Congo followed by its hot and epic-like scenery, right in the heart of Dewa’s home country. Without using any amounts of shredding, Dewa gives the orchestra ideas to flow into certain aspects in the heart and soul into the compositions which he gives it a pure breathtaking outline.
With Shadu Rasjidi on Fretless Bass, Cucu Kurnia on Kendang (a two-headed drum used by the people from the Indonesian Archipelago), and Aji Sang Aji on Handpan (a melodic streel percussion instrument, known for their mediated sound), it gives it a heartfelt feel to be a part of the walk into the tropical rainforest of Sumatra and the Forest of Hope with its incredible scores and description the way Dewa has conducted his orchestra to create from his own point of view.
From gentle swarms of life that have played a big part in bringing this project to life, and Dewa giving it all of his might behind his new album, he’s bound and ready to show how much he’s come a long way for 46 years. There’s not a single bad track that is on Praguenayama, and the clarification with twists and turns is a total sublime thing of exquisite sense of order. Let’s hope he has more tricks up his sleeves in the years to come.
