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The second version of a new breed of music and art festival in Jakarta aims to celebrate local musicians under the radar with live shows and screenings of music videos and documentaries.

Earlier this year, the people at RuangRupa, a nonprofit fine art initiative based around the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ) scene, held their first music and art festival under the banner of RRREC FEST #2, short for RuangRupa Records Festival. In December, the second edition of the festival will be held on a much larger scale, branching out to encompass different forms of creative multimedia.

Most of the acts performing at RRREC FEST #2 are known for their uncompromising and noncommercial brand of music. The festival sees local music enthusiasts gather to celebrate the country’s less-appreciated artists. With RuangRupa’s contemporary prestige as a hub for many of the country’s hippest musicians, RRREC FEST#2 is sure to condense the feel of Indonesia’s underground art and music scene into its three-day festival.

According to event founders Indra Ameng and Keke Tumbuan — old-school Indonesian art scenesters who often hold exhibitions and underground concerts under the guise of The Secret Agents — the success of the debut event made for a convincing reason to hold another.

While the first festival was held at the Galeri Nasional Indonesia, and featured live performances by acts such as retro rockers That’s Rockefeller and psychedelic pop act Vague Under Tiger Lightning, the second festival will span several locations and focus on the art of music videos as well as related documentaries and films.

According to The Secret Agents, RRREC FEST was originally held as a sub-event within the Decompression festival, a larger event held to celebrate RuangRupa’s 10th anniversary.

“The purpose of this event is to document a generation in music culture; whether it is in audio, in video or even if it’s in the form of a ‘recording’ within the soul of all the music fans who witnesses the event,” Indra said. “RRREC FEST #2 also intends to showcase local independent musicians and bands, their special qualities, and introduce them to even more people.”

RRREC FEST #2 will be held over three days. On the festival’s opening day on Saturday, events will be held at the Kineforum in the Cikini area with the theme of RURU.MOV and will showcase an array of films and music videos from local bands and directors, as well as documentaries with a music theme.

The RUR.MOV event will continue through the festival’s second day at the Kineforum, along with a concert and “gathering” between musicians, music media and label representatives at Jaya Pub. According to The Super Agents, the concert will be held in conjunction with its monthly Superbad events, which showcases underground acts.

The closing day will simultaneously present something of a guerrilla-like musical showcase at various venues, all of which are located around the Cikini and Menteng area.

Six bands will perform an acoustic session at Cafe Tjikini, 10 bands will play at the Tan Ek Tjoan bakery, with another eight acts playing until midnight in Taman Ismail Marzuki, where the Jakarta Art Institute is located. Organizers say that the concerts will run between 5 p.m. and midnight.

RRREC FEST #2 has confirmed that international acts that will take part in the three-day event include several bands from Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Malaysia, as well as established acts such as American experimentalists Deerhoof and Finland’s harmonious pop band Zebra & Snake.

The focus on holding most of the concerts around the Cikini, Menteng, area is because the area is “an important site for our beloved Jakarta,” according to Indra, who says the area as has a “historical value.”

“Taman Ismail Marzuki — since it was built in the sixties — has been an important location for the development of our arts and culture; both traditional and modern. It also has lots of cool hangouts and moderately comfortable sidewalks to stroll on,” he said.

RRREC FEST #2 will also include a variety of creative activities including “a bazaar of unique objects and merchandise, posters and stickers’ exhibition, video, photography, performing arts, and others,” Indra said.

The festival’s end goal, according to Indra, is to “celebrate music as a form of art and a part of contemporary culture.”

RRREC FEST #2
Dec. 3 to 5
For more info, visit www.thesecretagents.multiply.com