Do you still remember Mocca? This band from Bandung has succeeded in stealing attention through its songs which were featured on the soundtracks of Indonesian films in the early 2000s, such as "I Remember" and On The Night Like This" in the film Notes Akhir Sekolah. Until now, Mocca is still active, and his song "Happy" has even become the soundtrack of a popular TV show in South Korea. Mocca itself is one of the indie bands in the country. Mocca's success opened the door to the emergence of other indie bands.
They are called indie because they are not under a big music label so they have more freedom to be creative in creating songs. However, because they are not under a major label, indie bands must be independent in the process of recording and marketing their work.
Over time, independent music labels have emerged that cover indie bands and musicians in Indonesia. Some of these independent or indie music labels initially started from small spaces and simple equipment. They generally do not pay large production or promotional costs to the musicians they support. However, since digitalization occurred in every area, including music, indie labels have been helped to market the work of their musicians via digital platforms.
Indie labels are now increasingly in demand. Many musicians are starting to switch to indie labels for a number of reasons. The following are five popular indie labels in Indonesia with their hit works.
Demajors
The demajors label was founded by three friends, David Karto, Sandy Maheswara, and Adhi Djimar, in 2000. Their love for music and closeness to the independent music community made the three of them found the demajors Independent Music Industry (DIMI).
demajors currently houses more than 100 local artists who have a diversity of musical styles. These artists include Endah N Rhesa, Pure Saturday, Parkdrive, White Shoes & The Couples Company, Adhitia Sofyan, LLW, and Efek Rumah Kaca, and many more.
Anoa Records
Anoa Records was formed in 2013 by Ritchie Ned Hansel, Peter Andrian Walandouw, and Andri Rahardi. The name Anoa Records was chosen to give a unique Indonesian impression. Anoa Records has the motto "If we believe in something we hear, it's better to record it" which later became their main basis for releasing albums from local independent pop and rock musicians.
Initially, Anoa Records focused on introducing fresh and quality indie music groups, such as Texpack, Barefood, Gascoigne, Seaside, Dive, and Collate. They then also re-released works from veteran indie bands, including Themilo and The Sastro.
LaMunai Records
LaMunai is an indie label based in Jakarta. This label, which was founded by Rendi Pratama, releases many rock genre songs. Names such as The Panturas The Paps, Hello Benji and the Cobra, and Rub on Rub are under LaMunai's auspices.
The Panturas is one of the bands under LaMunai who has succeeded in stealing attention. Most recently, they released an album entitled "Ombak Banyu Asmara." The album contains 10 songs that carry the theme of exploration.
Wonderland Records
Wonderland Records can be said to be new in the indie music industry. This Jakarta-based label has a vision to create a fair creative ecosystem and become a home for local artists. Several musicians who are under the auspices of Wonderland include Micah Angelo, Rendy Pandugo, Noui, livingroom, and so on. Micah Angelo is a popular name because he was previously an X Factor dropout and a member of The Overtunes.
Through Wonderland, Micah Angelo released his first solo album entitled "Amateur" in 2020. Amateur represents Micah's honesty, namely from the lyrics and themes summarized from what he experienced when he entered his 20s.
Space News
Berita Angkasa is an indie label based in Jakarta. This label was founded by Rizma Arizky in 2015. Berita Angkasa covers several musicians, including Morad, Jangar, Rocket Pilot Group, Sapphira Singgih, and many more.
At the beginning of the last pandemic, Berita Angkasa tried to bring hope by releasing a compilation entitled "Adaptation Addiction". Several musicians such as Arya Novanda, Rizkia Larasati, taRRkam, Batavia Collective, Morad, Kamga, Ether, Sapphira Singgih, and Rafi Muhammad participated in the compilation Adaptation Addiction .