“Dance to Your Roots”: Genre Fusions in the Music of Indonesia’s Krakatau

This article, based on 15 years of interviews and interactions with the band, investigates the career and musical development of Krakatau, a unique jazz/ethnic fusion group from West Java, Indonesia. We highlight in particular statements about the band’s musical philosophy and approach by its leader Dwiki Dharmawan and bassist/cofounder Pra Budidharma. An analysis of two of Krakatau’s instrumental songs reveals a band rooted in electric jazz composition and improvisation with a commitment to traditional Sundanese instrumentation, timbres, and performance practice.