Mocca (band)
Encyclopedia
Mocca is an Indonesia
n 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.
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 "150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time" list at number 59. The magazine also ranked Mocca's song, "Me and My Boyfriend" at #150 on "150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time" list.
With simple and beautiful songs, all in English, the band gained popularity in neighbors countries especially in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Mocca has performed plenty of times in these countries. 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, long before that in 2004 they have performed in Okinawa as well. In 2008 they held in Malaysia and several gigs in Singapore too. Mocca’s latest international show was a solo concert held at Seoul, South Korea on May 2009
in 2010, their songs are used for several movie soundtracks in Korea, including Bandhobi and Personal Taste.
They have decided to take some vacuum time since 15th of July 2011. Their last show titled "Annabelle and the Music Box" held at Hall A Basket Senayan, Jakarta.
and Frank Sinatra
, Arina uses stage gestures and musical dynamics often found in jazz and folk-dixie tunes.
Riko Prayitno (guitar) was born on 29 January 1977 in Bogor
, West Java. Like Arina, he also graduated from the Institut Teknologi Nasional (Bandung). He began playing guitar at an early age, and began playing professionally with Arina while still in college.
Ahmad Pratama aka Toma (bass) was born on 27 June 1976 in Bandung, West Java and has lived there ever since. 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
.
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.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n four-member band formed in 1997 in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
, Indonesia. The band's musical style is inspired by the retro sounds of the 70s, with influences of swing, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, Swedish pop, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. 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
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
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine placed My Diary
My Diary
My Diary is a compilation album by American R&B singer R. Kelly.- Tracklist :# Sex in The Kitchen # How Many# Hypnotic # So Sexy Pt.II # Trapped in the Closet Chapter 1...
on their "150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time" list at number 59. The magazine also ranked Mocca's song, "Me and My Boyfriend" at #150 on "150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time" list.
With simple and beautiful songs, all in English, the band gained popularity in neighbors countries especially in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Mocca has performed plenty of times in these countries. 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, long before that in 2004 they have performed in Okinawa as well. In 2008 they held in Malaysia and several gigs in Singapore too. Mocca’s latest international show was a solo concert held at Seoul, South Korea on May 2009
in 2010, their songs are used for several movie soundtracks in Korea, including Bandhobi and Personal Taste.
They have decided to take some vacuum time since 15th of July 2011. Their last show titled "Annabelle and the Music Box" held at Hall A Basket Senayan, Jakarta.
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 Institut Teknologi Nasional (Bandung), together with bandmate Riko. A fan of Bing CrosbyBing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Arina uses stage gestures and musical dynamics often found in jazz and folk-dixie tunes.
Riko Prayitno (guitar) was born on 29 January 1977 in Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
, West Java. Like Arina, he also graduated from the Institut Teknologi Nasional (Bandung). He began playing guitar at an early age, and began playing professionally with Arina while still in college.
Ahmad Pratama aka Toma (bass) was born on 27 June 1976 in Bandung, West Java and has lived there ever since. 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
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
.
Indra Massad (drums) was born on 31 January 1976 in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
, 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.
Albums
- My Diary (2002)
- Friends (2004)
- Colours (2007)
EPs
- OST Untuk Rena (2005)
- Mini Album (2010)
Singles / compilation appearances
- "Secret Admirer" – Gadis magazine album compilation, 2002
- "Secret Admirer" (acoustic version) – Ripple Magazine, 13th edition, 2002
- "Me & Boyfriend" (acoustic version) – "Delicatessen" 2nd compilation, 2002
- "Me & Boyfriend" – MTV Gress compilation, 2004