Ever heard of the British Invasion in the mid 90’s?

How about these bands: Oasis, Blur, PULP, The Cure, Stone Roses, RIALTO, Spice Girls, Radiohead, The Verve, Kula Shaker, Supergrass, The Smith, Lighthouse Family?

If you answer YES in the above questions, then either we were raised in the same generation or you have a fair knowledge of music. If you answer NO, then there’s no harm for you to continue reading and learn a bit of what the generation X has been listening to in the mid 90’s. Need to warn you as well, you may encounter a very not so exciting part of my life in this note. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

My adolescence years were spent throughout mid-end of 1990’s, according to the social and media experts I’m categorized as GENERATION X. It’s a generation who loves doing eXtreme activities, such as: eXtreme Sports, eXtreme Actions, eXtreme Fashion, eXtreme Music (we’re not relating this to a band known as EXTREME, which I’m sure you are all very familiar with).

Moving on, I fell in love with music during my junior and senior high school years. With a burning desire becoming the next BIG thing in music from Kalimalang [a place where I was raised], that’s when I decided to learn how to sing and play music instruments (guitar, guitar bass, and drum).

At that time the mass media were all talking about the 2nd wave of British Invasion. After the success of The Beatles in the 60’s; it’s time for the ”OASIS VS BLUR” era to take on the world. That’s when British music started to influence my music characteristic, not to mention my appearance at that time as well! (Tailor made baggy trousers,2nd hand adidas jacket shipped from China to Poncol, hairy and curly sideburns following the footsteps of Mr. Liam Gallagher, fishing cap from Bandung, smallish 70’s shirts that I found at my dad closet--> btw, if you’ve seen my dad, I wouldn’t say that it’s actually small:), a very low back TRUNKS from Dragon Ball Z style hair cut with long pony DORA style in front--> believe me, this type of hair cut was a HIT at that time)

But after I enter uni life at UI in year 2000, I decided to scrap all of that GENERATION X life style and start a new life as a medical student……3 YEARS AFTER……with no surprises what so ever, I resigned from the faculty! It turns out the life of a medical student wasn’t actually what I’ve always wanted for (you can spot it from the hair style that I had, see below). I realized that music was a big part of my life and I wanted to learn more about the industry and how music has shaped youth culture all over the world.

I understand that Indonesian pop music was much influenced by USA music. But I remembered during the 90’s I was so into British music and it has been in my back catalogue ever since! That’s when I started to search for a music business degree in London. After days of Yahoo!ing (google wasn’t that famous in the early 00’s)…VOILA, I’ve found a perfect match! A degree that suits my passion and certain it will be very useful for my future career, it’s: Mass Communications and Music and Media Management (Long, eh?!?) at London Metropolitan University.

September 2004 was the month that I will always remember. It was the time when I started my undergraduate degree in London. And this time I’m finally learning something that I am very passionate about. I studied: Film and Radio Production, International Communication, Music Industry Management, Music and Advertising in Television, Global Music Distribution, Global Media, my all time favorites POP MUSIC HISTORY, and many other subjects. After studying approximately 2.5 years and meeting with new friends in London, I graduated with a BA. (Hons) degree in Mass Communications and Music and Media Management with upper second class honors accreditation. I was one of the two “first” Indonesian students from UK that carries the degree.

In a riot in making poverty history @ Edinburgh

How do I implement the subjects I learned in class into real working experience you may ask? I implemented my studies by becoming a contributor for several music, life style, and travel magazines in Indonesia. Becoming a contributor, I was given a chance to interviewed music performers and reviewed their gigs. By doing so, I am able to analyze how the music industry works; I even sometimes managed to swap ideas with the musicians that I interviewed, to name a few: Josh Groban, Keane, JayZ, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Muse,Snow Patrol.

Furthermore, I also managed to participate in one of Mark Ronson's video clip called Valerie and for the first time in decades I organised a performance of a band from Indonesia in the UK for mass consumptions.

With Mark Ronson

Now that you have read my story; If you ask me why London? I will start by asking you… Ever heard of the British Invasion in the mid 90’s?