Javanese gamelan: music and dance

ishigaki(okinawa.japan)traditional music Rhoma Irama | Indonesian musician Rhoma Irama, byname of Raden Haji Oma Irama, original name Oma Irama, (born Dec. 11, 1947, Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indon.), Indonesian popular musician who was in large part responsible for the creation of dangdut dance music, a blend of Indonesian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Western styles that amassed a tremendous following in Indonesia in the late 20th century. Born to a lower-middle-class family in West Java just after Indonesian independence, Oma Irama seemed destined to become a musician. Indeed, his mother had chosen the name Irama, which means “rhythm,” because she had given birth to him shortly after returning from a concert. Oma and his family moved to the densely populated city of Jakarta when he was a young child, where he soon showed a penchant for Western rock and pop music. He began to play the guitar, and by the time he was a teenager he already was performing with a number of bands.