Photo via Bottlesmoker (Facebook)
Bandung, West Java, is a wonderfully eclectic city—one where cooler air and a relaxed, college-town vibe mix to create a place that fells a lot further than three hours from Jakarta. It's the perfect place for Bottlesmoker, an electronic-pop duo that make catchy, cheerful sounding songs that feel like the soundtrack of a fun, and sort of innocent, night out.Bottlesmoker performs on homemade instruments and in costumes like spacemen and cute animal hats. They take these costumes on the road… a lot. The duo has performed in places like the Philippines, Hong Kong, Brunei, and mainland China. You can see these cities in their video travel pieces posted to Facebook.But what's going on in Bandung?"We usually hang out at Omnispace, this small gallery that's populated with artists—many of them not very young anymore!" said Anggung "Angkuy" Suherman. "We spend time there chatting about a lot things, just discussing various ideas, or we might just sit and read books. Sometimes we have a cook-out or a party. Other times we escape to the north edges of Bandung, just to get away from the hectic city."VICE Indonesia: What are some of the best places to go record shopping or to check out musical equipment?
Angkuy: Omuniuum is the biggest record store. There are a lot of cool books there. For musical equipment, come over to Tiga Negeri or to Nada if you're looking for classical instruments. You should also check out Sumber Makmur.What if someone wants to checkout some cool local bands? Where are the best places?
Angkuy: IFI Bandung has got a couple of music gigs going on. You can go there to check out newish bands or older ones. Or you can go to Lou Belle, where they hold Mulyono, a regular gig that showcases a couple of pretty cool newer bands.Any culinary recommendations?
Angkuy: There's so much… too much. But we'll say, go to the Cibadak area, and specifically to a restaurant called Kobe, which serves affordable Japanese food with big portions. As for Sundanese food, try Punclut.What 3 tips would you give someone visiting Bandung for the first time?
Angkuy: Cibadak Culinary Night, antique shopping at Cikapundung and Braga, and check out the view at night from Lembang.
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Angkuy: Omuniuum is the biggest record store. There are a lot of cool books there. For musical equipment, come over to Tiga Negeri or to Nada if you're looking for classical instruments. You should also check out Sumber Makmur.What if someone wants to checkout some cool local bands? Where are the best places?
Angkuy: IFI Bandung has got a couple of music gigs going on. You can go there to check out newish bands or older ones. Or you can go to Lou Belle, where they hold Mulyono, a regular gig that showcases a couple of pretty cool newer bands.Any culinary recommendations?
Angkuy: There's so much… too much. But we'll say, go to the Cibadak area, and specifically to a restaurant called Kobe, which serves affordable Japanese food with big portions. As for Sundanese food, try Punclut.What 3 tips would you give someone visiting Bandung for the first time?
Angkuy: Cibadak Culinary Night, antique shopping at Cikapundung and Braga, and check out the view at night from Lembang.