Koplo

Koplo or dangdut koplo is a subgenre of dangdut, Indonesian popular dance & folk music, that originated in East Java during the early 2000s. The genre gets its name from the slang term "koplo", which

Characteristics#

The drum is the most important element of koplo. According to Cak Met, a popular koplo drummer, the regular dangdut is played in 3/4 bar while koplo is played in a faster 4/4 bar, thus requiring a more complex drumming technique. The standard drum pattern of dangdut is called chalte which consists of five types of sound, including three that are played by the large drum that is placed on the left side of the drummer and two that are produced by the small drum on the right. According to Andrew N. Weintraub of the University of Pittsburgh, the koplo drum pattern multiplies all of these sound elements and contains twice the sound of the large drum than the chalte of the standard dangdut. Weintraub traces the origin of these complex drum patterns to Sundanese drum players in West Java who played the traditional jaipongan music. The jaipongan drum pattern was reinterpreted by dangdut musicians in Surabaya and Banyuwangi, thus the making of koplo drum patterns went through a cross-cultural process between different ethnic groups. Because of the vital position of the drums in the koplo live performances, drum players often become icons. Among the well-known koplo drummers are Cak Met (also known as Ki Ageng), Waryo from OM Armega, and Cak Juri from OM Montana. Each region in East Java has its own style of koplo drums. Unique koplo drums can be seen in Sidoarjo, Gresik, Nganjuk, Madiun, Ponorogo, and Sragen. Dangdut, which employs these regional drums, is also called jaranan dangdut or jandhut. While drum patterns and rhythm are no different from the regular koplo, jandhut style uses additional drums called sabet and bem. Well known jandhut drummer includes Mas Malik from OM Lagista, hailed from Nganjuk.

History#

Several theories exist on the origin of dangdut koplo. This includes dangdut kotekan which was being played since 1993 in the Girilaya region of Surabaya. Dangdut kotekan was music played to wake up the community for sahur during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The drumming technique of dangdut kotekan was developed by drummers Mas Naryo and Mas Sugeng. Via Vallen’s hit song “Sayang” characteristically employs elements of reggaeton and rap, and gendang koplo beat is played only during the chorus and bridge, conforming to the generic pop sensibility of young generations. Via Vallen recorded “Meraih Bintang”, a pop song with dangdut elements, for the official theme song of the 2018 Asian Games.

Genre family: Dance music genres, Folk music genres, Indonesian folk music