Contemporary Sounds of the Madura Coast with the Spirit of Independence in the Pandemic Era
Record company demajors is happy to present the debut album of the latest musical act from Madura Island, Lorjhu’ (read: lorcuk, meaning bamboo shell). The album, entitled Paseser, was released simultaneously in digital and compact disc format on March 18, 2022.
Paseser (coastal) contains nine tracks that pivot on the dynamics of diving into the identity of Badrus Zeman, the main figure behind the musical entity Lorjhu’.
Badrus was born and raised in Sumenep, a coastal area of Madura Island, then later worked as an animator who is also a teacher in the capital city. Life in Madura, especially the coastal areas, is also present as the main theme of Lorjhu’ songs.
The resulting music expresses the coastal taste of Madura with a contemporary sensibility, harmonizing traditional sounds with the indie-rock of young Jakartans.
Eight of the nine tracks that make up the album were present in the market as freelance releases in digital format. From the first single released just before the pandemic, “Nemor”, to the most-played on platforms like “Kembang Koning”. Interestingly all the lyrics are written in Madurese.
“Each song describes something that happened to me as a child. There is also a sense of longing and a call to come home. To express it all, I am more comfortable with the Madurese language, “Badrus explained.
Lorjhu’ gait coincided with the arrival of the pandemic, making almost all production processes carried out by Badrus himself at home using only a smart phone and a little help from a laptop.
All the instruments were played by himself, except for a few tracks which featured the percussion playing of a musician from Sumenep, Rifan Khoridi.
“Rifan recorded his percussion in Sumenep, we sent each other the recorded data. He filled in the song ‘Nemor’ and also the latest, ‘Can Macanan’, “explained Badrus.
“Can Macanan” as the latest song becomes the main single that will bring the release of the Paseser album to the market. The song, which has an anthemic quality, tells the story of a typical Madurese barongan art in the form of a tiger animal, which is also part of Badrus’ childhood experience.
The music video for “Can Macanan” was also produced directly in Sumenep by Badrus himself using only a smartphone camera.
