Disko Afrika as a Transcultural Contact Between Indonesian and African Disco: Musicking and Questions of Decolonization

Paper Abstract: Amid the many musical connections embedded in the long-standing Indonesia-Africa relationship, a novel trans-cultural musical manifestation has emerged in Indonesian disco. Once dismissed as inauthentic and in decline since the 1990s, disco is now finding a resurgence in the contemporary Indonesian music scene. It has evolved into a standalone genre, no longer merely a counterpart to local forms such as dangdut, keroncong, and musik bambu to name a few. One example of the rise of disco scene in indonesia can be found in Disko Afrika, a routine musical event taking place in Bali. Their tagline, "From Mali to Joburg; Nigeria to Jamaica; Brooklyn to Bali," highlights their trans-cultural roots which influence Balinese music landscape in particular and Indonesia's disco scene in general. This paper aims to investigate the existence of Disko Afrika not only through their distinctive sonic qualities but also through their musicking practices, particularly (though not exclusively) from a chronotopic perspective. Disko Afrika’s remixing practices and international audiences engage with questions of cosmopolitanism, reflecting Bali's multicultural landscape and Indonesia’s decolonized musical practices. I argue that the latter is a critical aspect when contextualized within Indonesia-Africa relationship. The Western-infused identity of disco invites observers to explore the internal and socio-cultural markers that define the ontological African-ness that Disko Afrika brings to Indonesian disco. Moreover, Disko Afrika’s sonic exuberance also serves as a place-making act for African diasporas in Bali, thus creating a unique Balinese-African sphere laden with complex postcolonial affect.