Channeling Jakarta's eclectic pulse and "Making Jazz Dance Again"

Meet the experimental jazz trio capturing a city's chaotic frenzy into a fusion of jazz, funk, and electric soul.

Meet your latest obsession: Batavia Collective!

This experimental jazz trio has been impossible to turn off—they've been on repeat all week, and I'm still devouring their performances on YouTube like a giddy schoolgirl fangirl-ing over her latest crush.

Jamming straight out of Jakarta, the band released their 2023 debut EP Propulsion through R&S Records—the pioneering independent electronic label founded in 1983 in Ghent, Belgium, representing the likes of James Blake and Aphex Twin.

Writing and producing their self-titled album BTVC, the trio—Doni Joesran (keys), Elfa Zulhan (drums), and Kenny Gabriel (synth bass)—has mastered a sonic fusion that straddles jazz, funk, and electronic soul into something distinctly their own yet wonderfully familiar. Capturing the pulse and eclectic energy of Jakarta's bustling streets, they've bottled up urban chaos into pure musical bliss.

Since their international debut at Gang Gang Cafe in Downer, Australia (2022), Batavia Collective has been gracing stages at SXSW Sydney (October 2023), who’s become seasoned regulars at the inaugural Wonderfruit Festival in Pattaya, Thailand (2022, 2024, and upcoming 2025), establishing themselves as a voice to watch in the global electronic scene; while continuing to perform locally, at this month’s 20th Java Jazz Fest in their hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia.

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*The following interview has been translated from the original in Bahasa Indonesia.*

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Nama: Batavia Collective
Kota Saat Ini: Jakarta, Indonesia

Name: Batavia Collective
Current City: Jakarta, Indonesia

Eksperimen yang lahir dari jazz, dibesarkan di lantai dansa.

Dulu, di era prohibition, jazz lahir di ruang-ruang underground—musik untuk berdansa, saat itu Jazz bukan didengarkan di lounge sambil minum wine. Kami bawa semangat itu ke hari ini: bikin jazz yang hidup, liar, dan relevan buat ruang klub.

Biar tetap relateable dengan generasi muda, kami gabungkan elemen elektronik, beat culture, dan pendekatan yang lebih bebas—tidak kaku, tapi tetap musikal. Kadang serius, kadang absurd—asal groovenya dapet.

An experiment born from jazz, raised on the dancefloor.

Back in the Prohibition era (in the US), jazz was born in underground spaces — it was made for dancing. It wasn’t meant to be listened to quietly in a lounge with a glass of wine. We're channeling that same spirit today: making jazz that's alive, wild, and club-ready.

To keep things relevant for younger audiences, we blend in electronic elements, beat culture, and a looser approach — still musical, but not stiff. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes totally absurd — as long as the groove hits.

Soundtrack hidup kami (sebagai band) adalah…

Konten yang paling membekas di kami adalah Goldie talks Drum & Bass, Graffiti and Jungle, Red Bull Music Academy.

Outfit andalan kami saat ini adalah (baik sebagai band atau style personal masing-masing) sekarang yang pasti brand-brand yang sudah meng-endorse kita. Hehe. United Hart, Hi-Jack Sandal, Design by Omo, Unkl347, asal dan nyaman dipakai.

Versi self-care kami adalah (Gimana cara kalian masuk ke "creative flow" sebagai band?)

Jam session tanpa ekspektasi. Kadang mulainya cuma dari ngopi, ngulik sound synth, atau ngebahas kelakuan Doni. Tapi justru dari situ, ide biasanya mengalir.

Kami tidak maksa harus produktif tiap ketemu—yang penting nyambung dulu secara energi. Begitu klik, baru masuk ke creative flow. Kadang satu groove bisa jadi lagu, kadang cuma jadi bahan ketawa. Dan itu juga bagian dari proses.

Our life soundtrack (as a band):

Eh Wut - Addison Groove, Warrior - José James, At Les - Toshiro Matsuura Group, Final Eclipse - The Comet is Coming.

A piece of media that’s left an impression on us recently is the video on YouTube:

Goldie talks Drum & Bass, Graffiti, and Jungle by Red Bull Music Academy.

Our go-to outfits right now:

Definitely the brands that have supported us—hehe. United Hart, Hi-Jack Sandal, Design by Omo, Unkl347, as long as it’s comfortable.

Our version of self-care (aka how we tap into our creative flow):

Jamming sessions with zero expectations. Sometimes it just starts with coffee, messing with synth sounds, or roasting Doni a bit. That’s usually when ideas begin to flow.

We don’t pressure ourselves to be productive every time we meet — we focus on syncing up our energy first. Once we click, the creative flow naturally follows. Sometimes one groove turns into a full song. Sometimes it’s just a laugh. Either way, it’s all part of the process.

Mantra hidup utama kami adalah:

Groove dulu, mikir belakangan. Kami percaya energi itu jujur..kalau badan gerak, berarti musiknya kena. Sisanya bisa dipikirin nanti.

Nasehat TERBURUK yang pernah kami terima adalah:

"Main yang rapi dulu, baru boleh nge-jam." Padahal justru dari nge-jam yang ‘berantakan’ itu, kami nemu suara kami sendiri. Rapi itu penting, tapi kalau terlalu rapi ya jadi SOP band kafe.

Kapan momen yang bikin kalian sadar: "Kita band, nih"?

Waktu 2019, manggung di acara Double Deer. Show-nya sempat mundur, dan penonton kira Sore yang bakal naik. Ternyata malah kita yang main…Batavia Collective. Tapi justru di situ klik-nya: setelah tampil, banyak yang DM dan nyamperin, bilang set-nya keren banget. Dari situ kami mikir, “Oke, kayaknya kita band, nih.”

Pengaruh masa lalu atau pengalaman hidup apa yang paling membentuk gaya, suara, dan filosofi musik kalian hari ini?

Club culture, khususnya era Jakarta awal 2000-an—Stadium, Embassy, Jakarta Movement. Saat itu belum ada pertemuan antara jazz dan rave, tapi kami tumbuh di tengah energi itu: keras, mentah, dan kadang agak liar (iya, masa muda, masa coba-coba).

Pengalaman itu nempel sampai sekarang—bukan soal nostalgia, tapi soal feeling. Musik yang nendang, tanpa banyak teori. Itu yang kami bawa ke Batavia Collective.

Kenapa pilih nama "Batavia Collective"?

Waktu itu teman kami, Percy La Rock, nyaranin cari nama yang gampang diucap sama orang bule. Kebetulan dia orang Belanda, dan “Batavia” menurut dia cocok—familiar, gampang diingat. Lalu Rizma dari Berita Angkasa usul tambahin “Collective” di belakangnya. Akhirnya kami pakai. Ternyata nyangkut juga.

Energi Jakarta banyak banget pengaruhnya ke musik kalian. Kalau harus mendeskripsikan energi Jakarta sebagai kota, kayak apa menurut kalian?

Jakarta itu seperti tabrakan antara deadline, klakson, dan mimpi-mimpi yang maksa hidup bareng. Kacau, bising, tapi somehow jalan terus.

Gimana kalian menerjemahkan kekacauan sekaligus pesona itu ke dalam musik?

Kami tidak nyoba bikin musik yang rapi dan steril. Justru groove-nya BTVC datang dari gesekan antara jazz dan elektronik, antara improvisasi dan struktur. Kayak Jakarta: semrawut, tapi hidupnya di situ.

Kalau harus mendefinisikan musik kalian, definisinya apa?

Atau justru gak mau didefinisiin? Kalau bisa sih nggak usah didefinisiin—karena tiap panggung, lagu yang sama dimainin bisa berubah-ubah. Tapi kalau harus, mungkin: Improvised chaos with a dancefloor agenda.

Apa yang bisa fans harapkan dari album kalian yang berikutnya?

Kami nggak cuma rilis satu, tapi tiga EP—semuanya beda warna.

Yang pertama bareng label dari Singapura, lebih cinematic dan atmosferik.
Yang kedua dirilis lewat label Jepang: jazzy, soulful, dan sedikit housey.
Dan yang ketiga bareng label Hong Kong, ini yang paling club-ready—buat yang suka di party sampai pagi.

Terakhir, boleh gak sebutin 8 musisi/lagu/album yang paling berpengaruh ke kalian sebagai band — terutama dalam hal suara, gaya, dan filosofi bermusik?

1. Yussef Kamaal – Black Focus
   Jadi blueprint buat ngegabungin jazz dengan groove dan electronic sensibility.

2. The Comet Is Coming – Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
   Cara mereka bikin jazz berasa apokaliptik tapi tetap danceable, gila banget.

3. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
   Tekstur dan chaos-nya ngajarin kami bahwa ketidakteraturan juga bisa indah.

4. Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon
   Struktur lagu yang bebas dan emosional — bikin kami berani lebih ekspresif.

5. IG Culture / Bugz in the Attic – broken beat era
   Filosofi “club music with chops” ini nempel banget ke kami.

6. Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85–92
   Sound design dan keanehannya ngasih influence ke sisi eksperimental kami.

7. J Dilla – Donuts
   Groove yang nggak lurus tapi tetap enak — itu sekolah wajib buat kami.

8. Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants
   Cara mereka bangun tension dan release, penting banget buat ngebentuk vibe live set kami.

Our main life mantra:

Groove first, think later. We believe energy doesn’t lie. If your body moves, the music’s working. The rest can be figured out later.

The WORST advice we’ve ever received was:

“You have to play clean before you're allowed to jam.” The thing is — we found our sound through messy jams. Sure, clean playing is important, but if everything's too polished it just sounds like a café band following a script.

When did you realize, “Okay, we’re a band now”?

Back in 2019, we played a Double Deer show. The schedule got delayed, and the crowd thought Sore was next. Then we hit the stage — surprise, it was Batavia Collective. That night was the moment it clicked. After the set, a bunch of people DMed us and came up to say how sick the show was. That’s when we knew, “Alright, I guess we’re a real band now.”

What parts of your past or life experiences shaped your sound and philosophy?

Club culture — especially early 2000s Jakarta. Stadium, Embassy, Jakarta Movement...

Back then, there wasn’t really a link between jazz and rave, but we grew up in the middle of that raw, heavy, sometimes chaotic energy (yep — those wild experimental years). It stuck with us — not as nostalgia, but as a feeling. Music that hits, without needing theory. That’s what we carry into Batavia Collective.

Why the name “Batavia Collective”?

It was actually suggested by our friend Percy La Rock. He’s Dutch and told us to find a name that’s easy for non-Indonesians to say. “Batavia” felt familiar and memorable to him. Then Rizma from Berita Angkasa suggested adding “Collective” to it. So we rolled with it. Turns out it really stuck.

Jakarta clearly fuels a lot of your music. If you had to describe the city’s energy, what would it be?

Jakarta feels like a collision of deadlines, honking horns, and wild dreams trying to coexist. It’s chaotic, noisy — but somehow, it just keeps moving.

How do you translate that chaos and charm into your music?

We’re not trying to make music that’s too clean or sterile. The groove behind BTVC comes from friction — jazz clashing with electronics, improvisation meeting structure. Just like Jakarta: messy, but alive right in the middle of it.

You’re known for jamming a lot. What’s your jamming process like, and how often do you do it?

It’s really organic. It can start from a random sound, a mood, or a casual hangout. We jam when the moment feels right. Sometimes one loop leads to a full track. Sometimes it's just a vibe we ride for a bit. Either way, it’s about following where the groove takes us.

How would you define your sound — or do you even want to?

If possible, we’d rather not define it. Every performance reshapes the same song in new ways. But if we had to? Improvised chaos with a dancefloor agenda.

What can fans expect from your upcoming release?

Not just one, but three EPs — each with its own flavor.

• The first one (with a Singapore label) is more cinematic and atmospheric.

• The second (via a Japanese label) leans jazzy, soulful, with a touch of house.

• The third (with a Hong Kong label) is pure club energy — for the ones who dance 'til sunrise.

Last one—can you name 8 artists/songs/albums that shaped your sound and philosophy the most?

1. Yussef Kamaal – Black Focus
   Our blueprint for fusing jazz with groove and electronic sensibilities.

2. The Comet Is Coming – Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
   The way they make jazz sound apocalyptic and danceable? Insane.

3. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
   The textures and chaos taught us that disorder can be beautiful.

4. Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon
   Their free-form, emotional songwriting pushed us to express more fearlessly

5. IG Culture / Bugz in the Attic – Broken Beat Era
   That “club music with chops” philosophy is embedded in us.

6. Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85–92
   His sound design and strangeness inspired our experimental side.

7. J Dilla – Donuts
   The off-grid grooves still hit — that record is required listening for us.

8. Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants
   Their use of tension and release taught us how to build a live set vibe.

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