From an Explosion One Afternoon

Acehnese music is music of yonder aloof like the pining vocal rendition in the saman and seudati traditional dance performances. The music almost died out especially at the time when Jakarta imposed a military operation theatre (DOM) status on the land that fondly revered as the Veranda of Mecca. DOM is over now ushering forth two shining stars in Acehnese music: Rafly, a former Koran teacher, now enjoying immense popularity among avid fans; and the Komunitas Nyawoung, a singing group with a large repertoire of musical innovations that continues to actively explore the rich local verbal traditions. The following articles look into recent developments in Acehnese music.