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“All Access Pass” is the first book to document Indonesia’s bands and musicians as they prowl stages and put on shows for their loyal fans. The concept is good, and the pictures are even better. At 95 pages, the handmade production from Bandung-based Else-Press provides a fair glimpse into the country’s variable and aesthetically exciting music scene.

Shot by Muhammad Asranur — a Jakarta-based photographer who developed his craft in the San Francisco music scene and has contributed to publications such as Spin and Rolling Stone Indonesia — the photographs in the book document a fine spread of memorable musical moments at venues around the country between 2008 and 2010.

As a music photographer, Asra (as he prefers to be known) has a knack for capturing emotion-laden moments from performers — even the less expressive ones — which makes the book a breeze to sift through.

While his shots of local acts may not reach the same visual intensity of his work at world-class concerts featuring Marilyn Manson or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it is the subjects themselves that make this collection interesting.

Asra also manages to highlight the nuance of the moment with some of the less expressive performers, by taking advantage of setting and lighting conditions. Renowned guitarist Donny Suhendra may not present the most assuming figure on stage, but Asra wraps him inside the glow of the stage lighting, giving the guitarist a gorgeously lonesome air that takes the moment to another level.

The photographer’s knack for enhancing the lighting on his subjects again comes into play with his portraits of Bandung electro-pop trio Homogenic. A shot of vocalist Amanda Syachridar with her hands mid-air, sermon-like, is enhanced by the glimpse of majestic yellow light behind her.

The book’s best moment, however, comes from its shots of the country’s more expressive artists and their crowd intimacy. The cover image of rock ’n’ roll band The Changcuters gives way to another image of the band inside the book which shows Mick Jagger-esque vocalist Tria screaming into his mic, just inches away from a crowd of fans screaming back with equal intensity.

Another shot, featuring Arian 13 from the rock group Seringai, also stands out with a more aggressive display of crowd participation. The singer is caught mid-jump, with every face in the crowd turned up toward him, shouting along to every word.

Some less spectacular shots have also been included in the book, simply for the stories behind them. While most are interesting, they also give the book a slightly unbalanced feel, as many of the text-accompanied shots are of lesser visual quality than the ones without.

“All Access Pass” is not a complete reflection of the Indonesian music scene, but it does encompass a sufficient variety of acts with a cutting-edge quality that is commendable. While the influence of various established live photographers can be seen in Asra’s work, he also displays an emotional connection with the performers and fans that adds a personal-yet-professional touch to his images. His is the work of a music fan, and this passion is apparent in every shot.

Best of all, only a few of the shots in the book are of major pop acts, with most being from the more visually striking independent scene — which also makes the book a great introduction to the country’s less-known musicians.

'All Access Pass' 
By Muhammad Asranur
Else-Press  
95 pages
Available at most book stores and at www.elsepress.com