Dewa Budjana
Would earn fame throughout the region with Gigi, founding the iconic band in 1994. More than twenty years later, they are still going strong Having released 26 albums to date, and solidifying their status as one of the biggest, most successful pop rock bands in Indonesia. Dewa’s ambitions on his instrument extend beyond his commercial success, as he has released eleven solo albums, exploring his more adventurous jazz / fusion / progressive side. He saw his audience grow from regional to worldwide, when he joined onto the MoonJune Records label in 2011, releasing seventh albums to date:
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- 2011 “Dawai In Paradise” with Peter Erskine, Howard Levy,and the late Dave Carpenter.
- 2013 “Joged Kahyangan” with Peter Erskine, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Goldings, Bob Mintzer; and Janis Siegel
- 2014 “Surya Namaskar” a power trio colaboration with greats Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Johnson, feat: Gary Husband and Mike landau
- 2015 “Hasta Karma” supported by Pat Metheny Unity Band’s Ben Williams, Antonio Sanchez, and Joe Locke, feat: Indra Lesmana.
- 2016 “Zentuary” with Jack DeJohnette, Tony Levin, Gary Husband, feat: Guthrie Govan, Tim Garland, Danny Markovich,Czech Symphony Orchestra.
- 2018 “Mahandini” with Jordan Rudesss, Marco Minneman, Mohini Dey,feat: Mike Stern, John Frusciante, Soimah Pancawati.
Throughout the pandemic, Dewa Budjana has continued to work on his album with the use of remote recording and in 2021 releasing NAURORA, which featured Joey Alexander, Simmon Philips, Dave Weckl, Carlitos Del Puerto, Mateus Asato, Paul McCandless, Jimmy Johnson, Ben Williams.
Dewa has worked with a melange of modern-day icons, including: Grammy Award winner Peter Erskine;Bob Mintzer;Jimmy Johnson; Vinnie Colaiuta;Antonio Sanchez;Larry Goldings;Janis Siegel;Jimmy Haslip;Ben Williams;Antonio Sanchez;Joe Locke;Jack DeJohnette;Tony Levin;Guthrie Govan;Tim Garland;Jordan Rudesss; Marco Minneman;Mohini Dey;Mike Stern;John Frusciante;Joey Alexander ; Simmon Philips ; Dave Weckl ; Carlitos Del Puerto ; Mateus Asato;Paul McCandless;Virgil Donati.
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- In 2022, the single Instrumental “Matahati” was released as an NFT through Netra live.
Alongside this, single and album collaborations with various artists including: Jimsaku (Legendary Japanese Duo), Tribute To Peter Gabriel, and several genres of music in Indonesia, including Ndarboy Genk, Raissa Anggiani and many more names that will be released in the near future.
Harmony represents an important principle in Dewa Budjana’s music career. This is apparent from his practice of balancing his pop rock career in Gigi with his interests in esoteric jazz, and even aligning his beliefs as a Hindu by creating a religious album:
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- Several Ramadhan albums with GIGI
- Numerous Hindu albums named Nyanyian Dharma
- Solo Album “Christmas Collection”
- Album “In Metta” in collaboration with Buddhist Composer “Imee Oi”
Dewa made 2015 a year to remember: realizing a dream, with the “Duaji & Guruji” performance in Bali, together with his life-long guitar idol, the great John McLaughlin
The show concluded in soaring fashion, with Dewa joining John and his band on stage for a rousing climax to an incredible show!