DEBU

In the spring of 2001, after living in Indonesia for almost two years in southern Sulawesi, the members of DEBU moved to Jakarta. They began practicing music and experimenting with different instruments, drum rhythms and vocals.

The impetus for this development was the members’ experience while teaching at an Indonesian university in Makassar. They sang with the students as recreation and motivation, adding excitement and enthusiasm to the students’ daily routine. The response and receptiveness by students, fellow teachers and the surrounding community was overwhelming.

The group began in earnest studying and writing music, and learning and practicing instruments. Mustafa, at 20 years old, became one of the composers, main arranger and lead vocalist for the group. Thus, the 24 member group DEBU was born.
    
DEBU takes its name from the Indonesian and Malay for “dust.”

Man cannot escape the truth of his most humble origin that he was created from the dust of the earth.

We are not worthy of traveling this path. We are simply dust upon the road.

In April 2001, DEBU began performing by invitation around the greater Jakarta area. Two years later, in April 2003, after countless performances in a variety of settings (from intimate gatherings to corporate galas), and many television appearances (including two award winning special TV series dedicated to DEBU’s music), the group’s first album was released in Indonesia. Entitled Mabuk Cinta (Drunk with Love), it is a ten-song Indonesian and Arabic album.

Mabuk Cinta was subsequently released the US and Malaysia in November 2003. Television exposure of the video of DEBU’s first single “Cinta Saja” (Just Love), and radio play of this hit, helped the group and the album gain national attention in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The second album, Makin Mabuk (Even More Drunk), was released in September 2004 and quickly followed the success of the first album.

DEBU regularly performs in Indonesia. DEBU has songs in many languages and now seeks to broaden its audiences and spread its universal message. DEBU continues, in and out of the studio, to work on existing and new material for upcoming multilingual releases.

DEBU seems like a breath of fresh air wafting through the world music scene. Their long-awaited message of love and peace is not new; to them it’s the essence of Islam, the Sufi way. They have become increasingly well known over the last four years throughout Indonesia with many personal appearances on the islands of Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Lombok as well as countless T.V. appearances. During this period they have released two albums with songs mainly in Indonesian, but there are also songs in Arabic. DEBU’s style and sound are a rich and colorful tapestry of east and west, traditional and modern, with a hint of Latin and a touch of jazz.

In a single song you may hear an Iranian santur and an Irish harp accompanied by a simple Turkish beat on the tar and an electric stand-up bass, while in another you can hear hard-driving Arab drum rhythms accompanied by a traditional Arab tambourine. You might hear the soft lilting sound of the Javanese flute weeping its melodious song of love and longing. This is really world music in the truest sense.

Their poems are the words of the Sufi, both mystical and lyrical, born of a heart intoxicated with love and longing for the Beloved. These are love songs in the truest sense telling of a heart immersed in the Sea of Love. They sing in a number of languages besides the two mentioned above, they also sing in English, Persian, Turkish, Spanish, and Chinese. They have started the process of recording several albums; one in English should be available before the end of this year. Whatever the language, the message is the same.
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