DANGDUT : A CULTURAL PHENOMENON
For over 50 years, dangdut has existed and developed in Indonesia. For that long, dangdut has merged into society. Fifty years is not a short time for a music genre. Of course, no one would have thought that dangdut could survive this long. In that 50 years, dangdut has become a culture; some might say that dangdut is the icon of Indonesia.
Many genres have survived long enough, even more than dangdut, but nothing can be like dangdut. Dangdut culture has been expanded from traditional celebration to politics. There is even a television that makes a competition dedicated to dangdut. Dangdut is no longer seen as a genre but as a culture.
Dangdut first came from musical theatre in Sumatra. They tend to play Melayu-type music. Later this band would be called orkes Melayu or can be short for OM, but nowadays, many dangdut bands prefer not to use the term OM, such as NDX A.K.A, Guyon Waton, Ndarboy Genk, and many more. The term dangdut has many versions of how it got its name, but it sure came from the sound of kendang. The peak of dangdut’s heyday came when Rhoma Irama stepped in. In the early’s ’70s, Rhoma Irama made an OM called OM Sonata. From there, his carrier skyrocketed, and he began constructing his dangdut empire. He began to make PAMMI (Persatuan Artis Musik Melayu Dangdut Indonesia) to accommodate many dangdut artists in Indonesia. Rhoma also began to determine whats good and whats not in the dangdut scene; this made koplo, a sub-genre of dangdut despised by the dangdut scene that was popular at the time. The emergence of Inul triggered this event as the first singer to break the stigma of dangdut, which at that time was full of moral messages, social criticism, and religion created by Rhoma.
For this reason, I split the dangdut era into two primary timelines, pra-koplo and post-koplo. Koplo is a form of development from dangdut influenced by the Malay orchestra. Koplo is a form of a rebel from the stigma attached to dangdut. With vulgar moves and sexy clothes, koplo gives a new nuance to the world of Indonesian dangdut. The krismon in 1998 opened new opportunities for expression to help dangdut koplo, the assimilation of regional culture with dangdut music. Many sub-genre of dangdut started to pop up.
Dangdut was initially associated with Melayu and Indian film music in the 70s. In the 80s and 90s, dangdut started to gain popularity and get and evolve into something ethical and regional in the 2000s[1]. Dangdut is synonymous with lower-class society, although now this has been refuted. Dangdut had an impact on my social life. In political ways, dangdut became a tool for the campaign. For example, Rhoma, in 1977 and 1982, began to promote PPP (Partai Persatuan Pembangunan) via his songs[2]. Another impact on social life that dangdut brought is how dangdut voiced equality and freedom, which at that time, the Soeharto era, were hard to find. Especially Inul, through koplo, breaks the stigma and the status quo that prevents dangdut from evolving. She is pictured as an independent woman that symbolizes gender equality through her popularity and her choice not to obey the rules that Rhoma applied at that time.
Right now, dangdut is being industrialized by corporations through television. Television started to make programs and awards about dangdut, on the one hand, this, On the one hand, this is an excellent opportunity for the singers not to be looked down upon, while on the other hand, this movement seems to regard dangdut as low-class music that needs to be addressed in order to reach other market segments.
In conclusion, dangdut has evolved, not just as a genre but becoming a cultural activity. As dangdut survived for more than 50 years in Indonesia, dangdut became somewhat culture, even associated with Indonesia. In that 50 years, dangdut had gone through rivalry and even a change in society’s view of dangdut. In the end, dangdut is not just a unique genre from Indonesia. It means much more, a cultural phenomenon.
References:
Weintraub, A. N. (2013). The sound and spectacle of dangdut koplo: Genre and counter genre in East Java, Indonesia. Asian Music, 44(2), 160–194.
Raditya, Michael HB. “Dangdutan: Kumpulan Tulisan Dangdutan dan Praktiknya di Masyarakat. 2022. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Gading
Shofan, Moh. “Rhoma Irama politik dakwan dalam Nada”. 2014. Depok: Penerbit Imania
