“The sound of the gamelan, its echoes … is very majestic and classic. There is nothing quite like it,” enthused Teuku Umar Ilany, a masters in music graduate from University Malaya.
“The way the gamelan instruments interact or communicate with each other … the sense of conversation, musically, between the persons who play the instruments … I like that,” the KL-born added.
This profound enthusiasm for gamelan fuelled the creation of the Gangsapura Gamelan Group in 2016 by Umar and his friend Nur Diyana Nadirah.
“When I finished my studies in University Technology Petronas, I was looking for a space to continue my passion. But I couldn’t find any. There was no public space where people could just come and jam together,” Diyana, 31, recalled.
“So we discussed it and felt this was a gap, and that’s why we founded Gangsapura,” Umar, 35, added.
Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese peoples. In the early 19th century, it found its way to the sultanates of Pahang and Terengganu, where it developed into what is now known as the Malay gamelan.
Traditionally, there are eight instruments in a gamelan set – keromong (kettle-shaped gongs), gambang (xylophone), saron baron, saron demung and saron peking (metallophones), kenong (suspended gongs), gong and gendang (drums).
Recognising the importance of these instruments and the music they create, Gangsapura has strived to preserve this ancient tradition and make it relevant to the younger generation through holding classes and workshops, as well as staging gamelan performances.
“We teach traditional songs and techniques, but we also encourage experimentation and creativity. It’s about making the music relevant for the next generation,” explained Umar.
Just this year Gangsapura got a space of its own at GMBB, thanks to Think City’s Creative KL Grants Program. The group also possesses its own gamelan set now.
“We have students from back in 2019 who are so excited that we finally have a space. They can now get together and play together … share this passion and love for gamelan and that’s what this space is all about. It’s about the community,” Diyana shared.
This sense of community has been at the core of Gangsapura since the time it began without instruments or a dedicated space. To establish their presence, they collaborate with various organisations.
Their partnership with the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre and Malaysian Tourism Centre, which had the instruments but lacked expertise, enabled Gangsapura to run classes and workshops.
These collaborations were pivotal in promoting gamelan to a wider audience. To that end, Gangsapura also staged several sold-out performances – “Kampung Ronggeng” (2023), “Pengembaraan Satu Malam” (2023) and “Buka Langkah: Inner Resonance” (2019), for which the group snagged the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards under the Best of 2019 category.
“Tradition is very important because it reveals the identity of the practitioners. We can show what Malaysia is through gamelan. Gamelan is easy to learn and I think when you learn it, it’s easy to preserve it,” said Umar.
Indeed, preserving the tradition is a key focus for this contemporary Malay gamelan group. “Even though more than half of the songs and dances are lost in time, we can preserve what we have now,” Umar reflected.
Balancing traditional elements with contemporary innovations is key to Gangsapura’s philosophy. They teach traditional songs and techniques while encouraging experimentation and creativity.
“We need to make the tradition relevant through time, through regeneration. So we preserve what we have, but we need to be open to exploration so that the tradition continues,” Umar stated.
Today, Gangsapura’s future looks promising. They aim to expand their offerings, incorporating more traditional instruments and classes.
Both Umar and Diyana envision a future where Malaysian children casually discuss learning instruments like the serunai (flute) or celempung (string instrument) alongside the violin and keyboard.
“We will have Malaysian music planted in the youngsters early. The conversation promoting traditional art can start early,” Umar concluded.
Learn more about Gangsapura Gamelan Group here or follow them on Instagram.