California born, Indonesian bred, Halim Ardie is a staple is the Bali house scene. Splitting his time between hosting events in Bali, being an editor for Pulse Radio, and DJing, Halim has cemented his name as one of the most sought after DJs in Indonesia; as well as coming up in the South East Asia circuit, by curating a stage at the famous Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand. It’s time to put on your bathing suit, squeeze out the sun screen, throw on your shades, and play this killer mix; it’ll make you feel like you’re basking in Bali!

Hometown Heroes: Halim Ardie from Bali

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TRACKLIST:
Rainforest Pavilion Soundscape – Alex Joy
Last of the Summer Malign – Hackman
Unity – Alex Joy
Circle Chants – Geodesic
Egyptian Lover – The Golden Boy (Latmun Remix)
Some People Say – Curtis Gabriel
Take It Away – Sako Isoyan
Animalistic – Beth Lydi
Get Lost – Gringos Cat (Ebar Remix)
Hoodlum – Traumer
Purple Hub – Dalfie
Wolf Country – Durante
Rainforest Pavilion Soundscape – Alex Joy

Interview with Halim

How did you get into electronic music and DJing? Is there a specific moment of inspiration that you can remember?
I was lucky to have a family that really appreciated music, so I grew listening to such a wide influence of Motown, punk, metal, reggae and of course electronic music. I got into electronic music from artists like Underworld, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Faithless. But what really got me into DJing was a mix by Nick Warren recorded live at my aunt’s club in Bali; the story telling through selection of songs, just blew my mind away. Then my friend Joey Stephan, who was a MC at the infamous nightclub Stadium at the time, hooked me up with DJ lessons from his label Sound Of Zues. They were the residents of Stadium’s groovier 2nd Floor, as compared to the mayhem of the main room techhouse on the 4th Floor.

Tell us about the music scene in Bali. What sets it apart and makes it special?
Bali is awesome because it has so many influences and a diversity that adds to the scene. From all the different tourists coming through, to all the people who stay and now call it home, have added to its diversity in some way. From the traditional Balinese music to the reggae bars on the beach, there is so much music to consume here. DJing is great because in one night you could spin a sunset session on the beach, to a club opening set, and finish with a 5 am after hours gig, all in different places!

You’re quite involved with environmental conservation initiatives, tell me a bit about that, and also Rainforest Pavilion.
The Rainforest Pavilion is the brainchild of Alex Joy, who I work with as part of the Joy Collective. Being an avid rainforest adventurer – the mix starts with his live recording from the Indonesian jungles – and DJ, Alex came to think about how could we raise awareness through the influential position of a DJ? When we were given the unique opportunity to have a stage at Wonderfruit Festival, we jumped on the chance to combine partying with raising awareness about environmental issues. This boils down to our main ethos of making saving the environment sexy. Environmentalism doesn’t have to be conference rooms and facts; it can be sensual club setting and awesome visuals. It’s music for a reason and dancing for a cause.

What does the future hold for you in 2017 and beyond?
2016 gave me two great opportunities, one was with the Joy collective and the Rainforest Pavilion, and the other is that I represent Pulse Radio for Indonesia. Here I get to write the content about the awesome music culture and scene of my home, Indonesia. This year I would like to expand Pulse’s reach in Indonesia, and be able to represent the scene here to the world more. As for the Rainforest Pavilion, we have been invited back to Wonderfruit, which takes place on their usual scheduled date on the 14 -17th of December. So we will be doing a lot of prep for the festival, but also a lot of pop up parties on the road to Wonderfruit. The Joy Collective will also be apart of some great projects with the company Cuipo, which will directly save hectares of Indonesian tropical rainforest.

Give me a quick run down on a night out with you (when you’re not playing) in Bali. Must go-to places to eat, drink and dance.
The food in Indonesia is amazing, and with all the restaurants in Bali it’s a foodie’s wet dream. My advice is be adventurous, try the local cuisine, you won’t regret it. However, for a hangover cure the burgers at Habitual Umalas work miracles. For luxurious sunset sessions you need to check out Alila Seminyak or the W hotel. And for all night dancing you can’t go wrong with a night at Jenja or Hacienda’s infamous rooftop parties.

Top 3 tracks in your playlist…
This mix combines all of the songs that have influenced me during my Wonderfruit experience with the Rainforest Pavilion. I really like the combination of ethnic music with tech beats, and they have been driving my sets recently. Our defacto theme of the Rainforest Pavilion is Alex Joy’s track Unity, the funky off kilter bass with really significant lyrics about how we are one, makes for the top track. The track Circle Chants is by a Bali based producer named Geodesic, who incorporated the chants from Bali’s traditional dance called the Kecak. The other track that has really inspired me is Sako Isoyan’s Take it Away, the mix of traditional xylophone with a dirty g-house beat, just makes for a great track.

What is your dream gig?
This year I was really lucky to DJ at the base of Indonesia’s most famous monument the Borobudur, which is a 1000-year-old temple. The energy that it provides is immense, the Joy Collective also had some parties around some temples here in Bali. So my dream gig is to continue doing parties like this, which are on the grounds of these high-energy monuments but that still respect culture and identity of the place. I would love to go around the world and DJ at events like this, in all the different cultures.

CHEERS!

– jbravo
Juany Bravo
Senior Editor