Written by Ivan Jonathan and photography by Prayudi Utomo.
“Feel the vibe, let’s sing it one more time, Hey!” Everyone waved their hands in the air. That was the scene when Soulvibe hits Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore on 15th March 2010.
My first encounter with Soulvibe was back in 2008 when I accidentally bought their album. What piqued my interest was the word ‘soul’ on the CD sleeve and Soulvibe certainly lives up to the word.
Soulvibe – or, Sound Of Universal Love contains Various Instrument Behaviour – was formed in 2003 and consists of Abenk and Bayu on vocals, Handy on bass, Caesar on drums, Seto & Filman on synth & keys, and Adhika on guitars. Their musical flavor ranges from Earth Wind & Fire to Michael Jackson.
Their set on 15th March was the first time I saw them live and overall, I was entertained.
I attended the second set where they played songs from their first and second albums. It didn’t leave a good impression on me. They sounded worse than I expected, weaker compared to the album. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it is a case of a bad sound mix from the Esplanade sound crew. The sound was not balanced and the vocals were drowned under all the instruments. This was odd. Just before their act Bonita & the HUS Band played beautifully. Perhaps, because Bonita & The HUS Band was an acoustic set, it was easier to handle compared to the 7-piece Soulvibe.
Sound quality aside, Soulvibe’s performance was highly energized and everyone was on fire. They engaged their audience, asking them to sing along. I give them brownie points for audience interaction.
One thing that amazed me was how tight they are. The added ensemble, hitting all the right notes on cue and playing the accented phrase together, blew me away. They arranged their intros and special interludes with such precision. It was a tight and well-executed performance.
The rhythm section was really groovy. This is something that a lot of Singapore band ought to learn. Groove. The bassist was so groovy, he stuck to the drums like they’ve been glued with love.
What is groove? Groove is not a technical skill. It’s not about how fast you can play a certain arrangement of notes. It’s not about how ‘in time’ you played the drums. It’s all about the feeling, the placement of rhythm and notes that makes everything feels ‘just right’.
The two vocalist, paling in comparison with Bonita’s massive vocal powerhouse, delivered a fair performance. They interacted with the audience, moving around the big stage and swaying to the beat. It is even better when they, together with the bassist and guitarist, form a line and dance to a typical soul act choreography. Nothing complex. It’s just a bit of swaying together. I love this part: they were genuinely having fun on stage. It was infectious.
Adhika the guitarist was frequently featured, playing several ‘jazz’ solos during a few tunes. It was great to see it, as I come from a jazz background. I really wish that they would have more solo pieces of everyone!
While the first night was Soulvibe night, the second night was a night of acoustic tributes where Soulvibe sang covers of various soul legends. They sang “Stand Up & Sing” by the Kool & The Gang, “Can We Talk For a Minute” by Tevin Campbell, and “ABC” by the Jackson 5, among others. Clearly, these bands were the very roots and influence shaping the Soulvibe sound.
I asked Seto on the second night about his pianica, his choice of instrument for the night. He said he opted for the shorter mouthpiece instead of the long tube so that it’ll look better, though it was harder to see the keys that way. The audience laughed.
Overall, it was a great night to listen to a fellow Indonesian musician, soulful in their intimate delivery.
