Thirteen musicians sat crosslegged, forming a half-circle around a cluster of candles that cast a flickering glow across the stage. The silence was broken as their fingertips began to stroke the leather surface of their tambourines, producing moments of gentle rhythm. The atmosphere changed as the ketimpring and genjring were introduced in a quickened tempo, followed by improvised shouts and selawatan (invocation of verses from the Qur'an)