Mocca (band)

Mocca
Mocca Concert, 4 February 2005 in Esplanade, Singapore
Background information
Origin Bandung, Indonesia
Genres Indie pop, swing, jazz
Years active 1997 – present
Labels FFWD
Website www.mymocca.com
Members Arina Ephipania Simangunsong
Riko Prayitno
Achmad ("Toma") Pratama
Indra Massad

Mocca is an Indonesian four-member band formed in 1997 in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The band's musical style is inspired by the retro sounds of the 70s, with influences of swing, bossa nova, Swedish pop, and jazz. The core of the band is Arina Ephipania Simangunsong, Riko Prayitno, Achmad ("Toma") Pratama, and Indra Massad. When playing live, MOCCA is supported by six additional players on keyboards, guitar, percussion, trumpet, trombone, and sax.

History

Arina Ephipania Simangunsong

While in college, Arina and Riko decided to get together and form a band. For a year, they struggled with performing other people's music, finding themselves bored with the lack of innovation, at which point they decided to write their own songs. In 1997, they composed four songs that unfortunately were not well received by the rest of the band. After much squabbling and conflict the band split up, leaving only Arina and Riko with their songs.

In late 1999, they asked Indra and Toma to join and Mocca was born. They now had a group with the same vision and awareness of music.

Having signed a contract with FFWD Records, helped Mocca a lot to go international. FFWD is previously a distributor for international indie-pop labels from Japan and Singapore to Sweden. All Mocca's album are distributed by FFWD's partner labels : Fruit Records in Singapore, Small Room in Thailand, Apple Crumble in Japan, Beatball from Korea, and My Honey from Italy

Their debut album My Diary contains 13 songs written from a girl's point of view and her diary entries. The lyrics are in English, and the music mixes waltz, bossa nova, 70s disco, and rock. Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine placed My Diary on their "The 150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time list at No. 59.[1] The magazine also ranked Mocca's song, "Me and My Boyfriend" at No. 150 on "The 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time" list.[2]

The band gained popularity in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, where they have performed. In 2006 Mocca collaborated with Swedish singer Karolina Komstedt, lead singer of the Swedish pop group Club 8. In 2007 Mocca performed in Japan as one of the headliners, before that in 2004 and in Okinawa. In 2008 they performed in Malaysia and Singapore. They performed in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2009.

In 2010, their songs were used for several movie soundtracks in Korea, including Bandhobi, Personal Taste, and Flower Boy Ramen Shop, and in 2016 for TV Show Mari and I.

Band members

Arina Ephipania Simangunsong (vocals and flute) was born on 4 May 1978 in Bandung, West Java, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the National Institute of Technology (Bandung) with bandmate Riko Prayitno. A fan of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, she uses stage gestures and musical dynamics often found in jazz and folk-dixie tunes.[3]

Riko Prayitno (guitar) was born on 29 January 1977 in Bogor, West Java. Like Simangunsong, he graduated from the National Institute of Technology. He began playing guitar at an early age and began playing professionally with Simangunsong in college. He also had a side project, The Triangle Band.[4]

Ahmad Pratama (a.k.a. Toma) (bass) was born on 27 June 1976 in Bandung, West Java. A product designer by training, Toma has excelled in setting up the key components of their music. His punctual bass tone accentuates the tempo and rhythm set by Indra's drumming skill. His influences include Sting and Phil Collins.[5]

Indra Massad (drums) was born on 31 January 1976 in Medan, North Sumatra. He and Toma studied product design in Bandung together and joined Mocca at about the same time. Unlike other drummers that use many tom-toms and cymbals, Indra prefers the simplicity and versatility of a single snare drum. His brush technique during acoustic sessions acts just like seven different mallets making seven different tones.[6]

Discography

  • My Diary (2002)
  • Friends (2004)
  • OST Untuk Rena (2005)
  • Colours (2007)
  • Mini Album (2010)
  • Home (2014)

References

  1. ↑ Rolling Stone Special Edition: 150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time (in Indonesian) (32 ed.). Rolling Stone Indonesia. 2007.
  2. ↑ Rolling Stone Special Edition: 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time (in Indonesian) (56th ed.). Rolling Stone Indonesia. 2009.
  3. ↑ "Arina Epiphania". mymocca.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Riko Prayitno". mymocca.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Toma Pratama". mymocca.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Indra Massad". mymocca.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.