Music at The Studio

One of the Studio owner’s, Mark, is a musician and songwriter. Recorded at the Studio by Jalan Harmoni, Mark’s first CD was released in 2013. You can listen to it here: Crazy little heaven . Copies of the CD are available for purchase at the Studio. 

Crazy Little Heaven is a collaboration between Mark and multi-talented musician and sound engineer, Qisie. The base tracks of Mark’s guitar and vocal were recorded in late 2012 and early 2013 at the Studio and other locations on the Hill. The project features a bunch of very talented Indonesian musicians based in Lombok and Bandung. Contributions include electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, cello, piano, tin whistle, string-pad, drums, percussion, cajun, backing vocals and miscellaneous sounds. Among others, the sounds of heavy rain falling during recording sessions, followed by a chorus of chirruping cicades created a challenge for Qisie.

• Just a feeling : The morning sky is blue in Ampenan, the Arab quarter in Lombok’s old town. A whimsical love song.
• At Teddy’s Bar in Kupang: West Timor’s capital city has a dusty frontier feel. The old port town is full of wild characters, some of whom gather for a beer at Teddy’s down by the sea.
• Islands: Back where it all began. In Tasmania, that lonely, distant island, and dreaming of Java. A song of love lost and found.
• Little boy: A quiet night and a lullaby in Ampenan. A love song for my son.
• Snake in the garden : It was the dark days after the fall of Suharto. Lombok was torn apart by politically engineered riots. There’s blood on the streets of this paradise.
• Crazy little heaven : Wild days in the jungles of Borneo, East Kalimantan, and warm nights in Lombok. We are all gods in this crazy little heaven.
• You’re the one: Senggigi, Lombok. A magical surf break, blue skies and a cloud burst: the kids are wet and they’re shining bright. This old world can be so kind.
• Before the breaking of the storm: The old town of Makassar in South Sulawesi is home to the Bugis and Makassarese, a seafaring nation: a harbour city with a strip of karaoke bars and a dangerous edge.
• On the road from Poso: In the hills of Sulawesi, Poso is a small but troubled town : a road trip and a dream of settling down, a bright new love and a place to call home.
• Just another Asian town: It could be anywhere: Jakarta, Balikpapan, Surabaya. Indonesia’s night-time cities all have that same edgy, brooding feel.  There’s a darkness behind the glitter.
• Where the rivers run down to the sea: Somewhere in Indonesia and dreaming of Tasmania. On a clear night you can see the Southern Cross hanging low out over the ocean.
• Easy rhymes and lazy rhythms :The tiny islands off Lombok are called ‘gilis’: a campfire on the beach at night, an old guitar and a peaceful mood.
• Time, sweet time: Could be anywhere, time knows no borders. We all make our deal with life.
• Burning season: Each year in Lombok the rice stalks are burned off after the harvest, filling the air with thick white smoke. The riots and madness of 2000 happened just once. It was a crazy time.