BAPIKEK BALAM

Listen to BAPIKEK BALAM by Samsimar.

I first heard Samsimar on an "I Love Music" project back in maybe 2005. That made me put a compilaton called "Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra" on my wish list, where it stuck around for a year or two. I think I eventually got it at Christmas from someone who must've thought it would be perversely funny to gift such an obscure-sounding title.

This isn't an Indian raga by any stretch, but there's a droniness about it that make you think about how repetitive most pop music is (by design, and to good purpose). If you can get away with it, play it really loud, and it starts to sound funky.