Selonding, Vol 3

Among the myriad styles of gamelan music found (mostly) in Bali and Java, selonding is an ancient, sacred form dating back to the tenth century. Primarily practiced today in villages in the Karangasem region in eastern Bali, it is usually performed by half a dozen or fewer musicians playing iron metallophones, eschewing the gongs, flutes, cymbals and stringed instruments commonly found in larger ensembles. The music, often performed at ceremonial gatherings, such as weddings, cremations and birthdays, is characterised by simple muted melodies, soft mellifluous harmonics and shimmering tonal colours.

The four tracks on Selonding, Vol 3 were recorded in 2022 during a performance by an ensemble operating out of Sanggar Gita Pingit, a studio founded in 2019 for the preservation of ancient gamelan forms and various types of Balinese dance requiring gamelan accompaniment. The longest track on the album, ‘Sekar Gadung’, is a mesmerising journey propelled by soothing, subtly interlocking gendèr and saron (types of metallophone) strikes. The shortest selection and opening track, ‘Rejang Renteng’, begins with a slowly accelerating processional section followed by passages of smoothly shifting rhythmic intensity and enchanting harmonic texture, which play on the ears with delightful reverberation.