The 1950-1960s era became an arena for President Soekarno to establish an independent national identity, including formulating a cultural identity. During a diplomatic visit around the world, Soekarno introduced lenso as a new style of social dance. Historically, lenso is a dance form adopted and localized by the Portuguese when they explored the Indonesian spice route.
Then, how did a dance from Maluku transform into a musical genre in Indonesia in that era, and it was popularized through the lyrics created at that time, until the music group The Lensoist was formed. The group consisted of leading musicians of that time, such as Bing Slamet (vocals), Titiek Puspa (vocals), Nien Lesmana (vocals), Munif Bahasuan (vocals), Bubi Chen (piano), Idris Sardi (violin/bass), Jack Lesmana ( guitar), Darmono (vibraphone), and Benny Mustafa (drums). They toured various countries such as the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Hungary, Algeria and Thailand.
On April 4, 1965, a vinyl record entitled Let’s Have Fun with Lenso Rhythm was released, featuring four songs on each side. The vinyl record was recorded to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference (KAA) which was held in Bandung. This album is a collaboration between several famous Indonesian musicians and the Irama Recording Company. This became a monumental effort to create Indonesian popular music with its own cultural characteristics, lenso, which was launched by Soekarno.
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Another Lenso translation process was in the form of regional songs from various islands in Indonesia which were transformed into typical styles at that time. At that time, Soekarno asked musicians to explore the rhythmic lenso. Experimenting with sounds that bridge the modern side with various cultures in Indonesia. Musicians, most of whom were formally trained in Western musical traditions, also had to rethink their methodology in articulating what were characterized as ‘Indonesian sounds’.
Fighting culture
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Pelita Harapan University (UPH) music study program lecturer, Jack Simanjuntak, analyzed that the 50-60s era was a period of fertile musical development for western music in Indonesia through rhythmic bossas and cha cha. Soekarno, who at that time wanted to identify national identity on all fronts, including culture, initiated lenso as a counterculture.
“Lenso music is form counter from Soekarno so that Indonesia would rise, pride and confidence would emerge to be able to return to expression, which was through music. That’s because music is the easiest art form to respond to, and the easiest is rhythmic through dance. For example, when you hear dangdut, it’s impossible not to shake. So rhythmic is one of the most ancient musical elements in human DNA. That’s why the relationship (lenso) as dance and music is there. “My interpretation is that Soekarno saw it as a captured spirit,” said Jack during a panel discussion entitled From Movement to Rentak in the series of Mari Berlenso exhibitions initiated by Irama Nusantara at the National Awakening Museum, Central Jakarta, Sunday (30/9).
Lenso teacher and dancer, Egi Pattinaya, provides his perspective on lenso dance. Lenso, which means handkerchief, is a dance that involves gently, gracefully moving a handkerchief. In the past, lenso was known as a dance of brotherhood or for finding a soul mate, it was also a dance specifically for women. Danced at official events or when welcoming guests.
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“The accompanying music usually includes tutumbua, tifa and guitar. There’s also rhythm bossas and cha cha“, and Tifa is also close to that,” said Egi on the same occasion.
Lenso musical hybridization
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In the Mari Berlenso exhibition curated by Zikri Rahman, there is actually a tendency for musical hybridization that is clearly visible in various genres in Indonesian popular music. This tendency is universally inherent in the music production process, both in the form of early Malay songs, Javanese and campursari styles, Sundanese pop, to Minang pop. Such compositional strategies can be said to be always present in lenso music production. Adaptation and innovation are carried out in particular by including melodies that are closely related to traditional music, using traditional instruments, and even using regional song lyrics in the regional language.
Jack found music that was categorized as a lenso genre. There are song lyrics with social nuances and a traditional spirit present. Folk songs are of interest. However, he also analyzed that there is no typical culmination point or common thread from one song to another or even an album to call a work categorized as a lenso ‘genre’.
“The rhythm is closer to bossas and cha cha which was popular at that time. “I saw how the work was expressed and responded to through one of the strongest popular packages so that it was more popular and quickly spread the word lenso to the public,” explained Jack.
Meanwhile, Zikri, citing his research, said there was never any certainty about how lenso, as a popular music genre, should sound. Among the albums displayed at the exhibition, each has a unique exploration of musical composition and only the term lenso in the lyrics is consistent.
However, that’s actually not the only way to identify lenso as a music genre. He holds views, for example in the album Tofu and tempe Oslan Husein, even though there is no direct pronunciation of lenso in it, the album clearly instills the ‘spirit’ of lenso through lyrics that summarize Indonesia’s historical context in celebrating food sovereignty.
“In its speculative dimension, the album confronts us with a question: how do we map such albums within various lenso constellations as an ongoing cultural project, focused on combining traditional elements, but with a modern sensibility to the production of the genre?” said Zikri.
Lenso, which Soekarno proclaimed as an art movement that was passed down to various popular products at that time, can indeed be interpreted as something that withered before it developed. It once bloomed, but quickly died, because after that entered the Soeharto era, which erased any traces of Sukarno. If there is no fixed identification of lenso as a musical genre, perhaps now it is more appropriate to interpret it as spirit, as Jack or Zikri refer to it. A music that contains Indonesian tradition and locality in every element, both textually, lyrics and the sound of the instruments. After all, at that time, the lens was intertwined with the rhythm boss, no noor even a reference to slowed down Hawaiian music.
Perhaps traces of Lenso’s spirit can now be found in the sounds or lyrics. For example, the group White Shoes and The Couples Company included the word lenso in their song Sun: Swingin ‘lenso a-go go’. South Coast rhythm through their song titles Irama Lens. Nonaria could also be a little tacked on with style bossas, and Oslan Husein’s ‘popular’ lyrics Tofu and tempe like Let’s queue up, pumpkin vegetables, or clothesline thieves. Regional pop songs which are now also popular, perhaps also have a lenso ‘spirit’ which has undergone a hybridization process with a variety of modern musical sounds. (M-3)
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