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Lloyd Ardinegara has always been into music. When he was in high school, he spent all of his spare time playing guitar, bass or drums with his band. In college he earned extra cash as a rapper and a DJ.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that he realized his true musical calling was playing a strange mouth instrument called a talk box.

“When I first saw the talk box, it was weird but amazing at the same time,” the 26-year-old musician said.

Though you may not be familiar with the talk box, musicians, especially rock and funk bands, have long used it to modify their voices and the sound of their instruments, most often an electric guitar. The device is controlled by the shape of the musician’s lips and can be used to alter the frequency of the instrument’s output or apply speech effects to their sound.

The result is a strange and hypnotic digital purr that makes the singer sound like a funkadelic robot. For good examples, think of some of the characteristic sounds of Peter Frampton, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith.

Lloyd, or Lloyd Popp as he’s known on stage, said he had been a huge fan of ground-breaking rappers from the 1990s such as Snoop Dog, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre. Lloyd later found out that their music was heavily influenced by funk musicians like Zapp and George Clinton. From there, his exploration of the genre eventually led him to the talk box.

Lloyd said he knew nothing about playing piano when he decided to use a keyboard with his talk box. He said he had to learn the two instruments basically from scratch.

While practicing the keyboard, Lloyd also learned how to talk or sing into a small hose running from his mouth into a small converter box. The box sends out a digital echo formed by the shape of his mouth into the keyboard, creating the distinctive robotic sounds that the talk box is known for.

“When I first played the talk box, people were kind of puzzled by my music,” he said, adding that the confusion happened because talk boxes were still not well known in Indonesia.

He said most people would categorize his songs as “electronic music,” since electro bands with a similar sound, such as Daft Punk, were already well-known to Indonesian music fans. But Lloyd is quick to point out that his music should not be labeled electro.

“I would say that my music is more like funk,” he said, adding that the African-inspired music genre is more rhythmic.

Lloyd said Stevie Wonder was among the first musicians to use the talk box.

In his struggle to be a better musician, Lloyd said he composed his own creations. He also performs funky cover versions of popular musicians’ songs.

Lloyd said his inspiration comes from the simple things he sees every day.

With his easy-to-follow lyrics, Lloyd said he liked to craft his songs in a way that allowed people to have fun. “People can play my songs in the car and just shake their bodies.” His favorite song is called “Funky Stuff,” which he thinks best reflects the cool attitude he’s trying to convey in his music.

“This song talks about my style of music, basically represented by my talk box,” he said

Lloyd said he gained a lot of his knowledge from the Internet, chatting with other talk box musicians from all over the world. One of the many he befriended is a hip-hop artist from Belize named Beatz.

The Internet also helped Lloyd get the confidence to continue pursuing the talk box. He said that, after he uploaded some of his songs on YouTube, he started receiving a lot of comments from other musicians and music fans that really encouraged him.

He said he has been conversing with several rappers in North Carolina who got interested in his music from the songs he posted on YouTube. These rappers are now planning to play some of Lloyd’s songs at their rave parties.

“YouTube has helped me a lot in promoting my music,” he said.

Lloyd’s YouTube channel, in which he has posted dozens of his videos, is his main promotion tool. With more than 1,300 subscribers, it is also where he gets most of his fans.

After more than three years promoting talk box music, Lloyd said he was beginning to get some attention from Indonesian music fans too.

Lloyd has been getting regular invitations to play at concerts in Jakarta, including an opportunity to perform with local bands such as Wali and J Rock.

“People have begun to notice me and my music,” said Lloyd, who often wears a derby hat and a formal jacket when performing.

On Sunday, Lloyd is scheduled to perform with female rapper Yacko at a concert in Plaza Barat Senayan. Lloyd said his main focus was to play at more concerts and work with more musicians.

He said he was thinking of releasing an album one day, though not too soon. “I will release my album when the time is right,” Lloyd said.

He says he’s in no hurry because he plans to play funky tunes for a long time. “I will always be playing this music because I just want to have fun.”

‘Flexi Dance Terror’
Feat. Lloyd Popp
Sunday, Feb. 27
from 11 a.m.
Plaza Barat Senayan