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Lahir di tengah situasi zaman yang telah melupakan nilai-nilai spiritual, DEBU berusaha mengisi kekurangan itu. Beda dengan kelompok lain, DEBU memiliki ciri khas yang mandiri. Lirik-liriknya sufistik, mistis, lahir dari kalbu yang mabuk cinta dan kerinduan pada Sang Khalik. Boleh dibilang lagu-lagu DEBU adalah syair asmara, kemesraan mendalam pada cinta Sang Pencipta.

Musik yang dimainkan DEBU kaya nuansa. Tak ada konsep tertentu yang mengikatnya, karena itu musik mereka amat bervariasi dan tidak membosankan. Di dalamnya ada dentam rebana yang kuat, yang lembut, ada lengkingan seruling yang menggugah?kadang-kadang irama mereka mengingatkan kita pada nuansa padang pasir, country, bahkan jazz dan world music. Satu yang sudah jelas: musik DEBU ini universal. Mereka bisa diterima di kalangan mana pun, kapan pun, di mana pun di seluruh dunia.

Bukan cuma suara indah dan merdu yang menjadi andalan mereka, tetapi juga kepiawaian memainkan alat musik. DEBU menggunakan beraneka alat musik dari belahan dunia yang berbeda. Santur dari Iran, misalnya, atau harpa, atau alat musik khas Irlandia, yaili tambur dari Turki, gendok-gendok dari Sulawesi Selatan digabungkan dengan harmonis bersama biola, bass dan berbagai jenis perkusi. Uniknya, bagi DEBU, kemampuan mereka bermain musik adalah wujud berkah dan rahmatullah…!

Yang terutama, bagi DEBU, musik adalah media dakwah dan syiar Islam, yang sanggup menggugah semangat dan kecintaan pada Ilahi, amat berbeda dengan jenis musik lain yang ada di dunia saat ini. Musik DEBU adalah zikir…cara yang indah dan artistik untuk mendekatkan diri kepada Sang Khalik.

Di tengah kegelisahan zaman, DEBU berharap musik yang mereka mainkan dapat menjadi setetes embun penyegar bagi semua golongan tanpa membedakan ras atau kelas. DEBU bukan kelompok eksklusif: ia hadir dalam keramahan semangat Islam. Musiknya memberi inspirasi yang lebih jauh daripada sekedar kenikmatan mendengar karena ia adalah zikir: berzikir bersama DEBU bisa dilakukan di mana pun, di mobil, di kantor, bahkan di dapur ketika memasak.

Ilham yang diterima oleh Syekh Fattaah yang menunjukkan Indonesia sebagai tempat yang harus dituju.

Memang sebagian besar dari DEBU berasal dari negeri Paman Sam, tetapi ada juga anggota yang berasal dari Swedia, Inggris dan, terakhir, bergabung juga anggota dari Indonesia. Keanekaragaman etnik yang menunjukkan keterbukaan pola pikir: itulah DEBU.

Dibimbing oleh Syekh Fattaah, seorang berasal dari Amerika Serikat, DEBU hijrah ke Indonesia sejak tahun 1999. Ini adalah perjalanan pencarian spiritual berdasar ilham yang diterima Sheyh Fattaah, suatu perjalanan dalam petunjuk Allah, Yang Maha Karim.

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Pepatah “Air cucuran atap jatuhnya ke pelimbahan juga” adalah ungkapan yang tepat untuk Opick. Setelah berkiprah selama beberapa tahun dalam dunia musik rock Indonesia dan menghasilkan dua buah album solo, akhirnya Opick mendapatkan jalur yang pas dalam bermusik dan menuangkan kreativitasnya, yaitu bermusik dalam koridor musik “Islami”.

Dunia relijius bukanlah dunia yang asing bagi Opick, karena Opick dibesarkan dari keluarga yang akrab dengan suasana pesantren di Jawa Timur. Bekal agama yang diperolehnya sejak kanak-kanak sangat berakar sehingga membawa pengaruh dalam karya komposisi,  lirik lagu dan aransemen musik yang diciptakannya.  Nuansa musik yang unik, sederhana, dan bernunsa relijius, tampak sekali dalam karya-karya Opick seperti pada melodi lagu Tombo Ati yang populer setelah menjadi lagu tema Ramadhan RCTI pada bulan Ramadhan yang lalu.

Setelah Tombo Ati menjadi fenomena yang meroketkan nama Opick di blantika musik Islami, baik sebagai penyanyi maupun sebagai produser, ia kemudian menyiapkan album solo, yang Alhamdulillah, telah rampung dikerjakannya. Album “Istighfar” yang telah dirilis pada awal Juni 2005 ini terdiri dari 9 lagu baru plus lagu Tombo Ati.

Dalam album “Istighfar” Opick bekerja sama dengan banyak musisi dan artis lain. Ia mengajak Gito Rollies berkolaborasi dalam lagu Cukup Bagiku. Kemudian ia juga berpadu suara dengan Ustz. Jefri AL Bukhori (seorang ustadz yang kini sedang digandrungi anak-anak muda) dalam lagu Ya Robbana. Dalam lagu Alhamdulillah Opick berduet dengan penyanyi dan pemain sinetron cilik Amanda.

Musik yang digarap tidak hanya berpatokan pada gaya nasyid yang pada umumnya kaya dengan bunyi-bunyian perkusi. Pada lagu-lagu seperti Shalawat Nabi dan Ya Robbana, suasana tradisional yang sarat bunyi perkusi terdengar bersemangat. Namun suasana berbeda juga  terbangun di lagu-lagu seperti lagu Bila Waktu Tlah Berakhir dan Alhamdulilliah, dimana alunan denting piano yang dimainkan oleh Debby Nasution terdengar begitu syahdu.

Kekuatan syair dan aransemen musik yang mampu mengajak pendengar untuk berkontemplasi maupun bergembira, menjadi ciri khas karya Opick dalam album “Istighfar” ini. Suatu hasil perenungan dan perjalanan panjang dari seorang Opick dapat kita simak dari deretan lagu-lagunya yang menyentuh jiwa pendengarnya. Tak heran apabila salah satu produser sinetron tertarik untuk menjadikan single pertama “Astaghfirullah (Istighfar)” menjadi lagu tema sinetron yang juga berjudul sama dan telah ditayangkan di SCTV.

Lagu-lagu lain yang menjadi lagu tema sinetron yang sedang tayang saat ini di layar kaca adalah “Alhamdulillah” menjadi lagu tema sinetron “Anakku Bukan Anakku” (RCTI),  “Kembali pada Allah” untuk sinetron “Kodrat” (SCTV), “Allah Maha Besar” untuk sinetron berjudul sama di TPI.

Saat ini, Opick sedang melakukan tour “Sambut Ramadhan” bersama dengan Ust Jefri Al Buchori ke 8 kota di Indonesia. Acara dilaksanakan satu minggu sekali dan disiarkan secara langsung oleh SCTV.

Tahun inipun kembali stasiun TV RCTI akan menggunakan kembali lagu “Tombo Ati” sebagai lagu tema promo Bulan Ramadhan. Dengan demikian di bulan yang suci ini kita akan kembali kerap mendengar alunan indah suara Opick di RCTI.  Semoga Allah meridhoi. Amin.

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Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and an accomplished musician. Endowed with a strong cultural affiliation to music; privileged with a musical background and having studied music with several renowned composers, including those from one of the world’s most prestigious music institutes – the Royal Academy of Music in London, music is his destiny was unsurprising a prediction acquaintances would so confidently make.

Sami learned to play several musical instruments including the piano, violin, tar, tombak, santour, daf, tabla and oud to count a few, at a very young age. He bore the passion to etch a mark in the field of music, which he so indelibly did with the release of his groundbreaking debut album, Al-Muallim – an album composed, produced and sung by him.

A young, British-Muslim instantly became the talk of the town in lands as far and diverse as Egypt and Turkey. The album not only sold well over 3 million copies but also earned him a massive following in the Middle East, North African nations and South-East Asia.

Charmed by his good looks and manners so heart warming, the young amongst his fans would emulate what they saw in Sami, a leader. His fans wouldn’t shy away from admitting Sami’s music had changed their lives – for the better. Unheard of before, such an artist-fan tandem flourished with subsequent release of My Ummah, Sami’s highly acclaimed second album selling well over 4 million copies.

Sami was soon headlining CNN, the BBC, ABC, Al Jazeerah, not to mention, every mainstream TV channel in the Middle East and Turkey. Hailed by Time magazine as Islam’s biggest Rock Star and The most famous British Muslim in the World, by The Guardian, it was only a matter of time before sheer dynamism of what the media dubbed apopular act became the subject matter of think-tank studies. Transnational Broadcasting Studies, in two separate papers lauded Sami’s state-of-the-art music videos a beacon of positivity and substance; his music an alternative and competitor to the mainstream Western music.

His success was soon acknowledged by the University of Roehampton in south-west London, as a result of which, Sami became the first and youngest Muslim recipient of the honorary Doctor of Letters award in recognition to his extraordinary contribution to music. His music not only filled the airwaves of London and LA but also penetrated effectively in the conservative Arabian Peninsula. A staggering 250,000 people packed Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey to see Sami perform. He’s one of us, the crowds would claim proudly and sing along with Sami in his near-perfect Turkish. Sami has played across four continents, packing prestigious venues such as Wembley Arena in London, Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and The Velodrome in Cape Town, South Africa – this by all measures being a humble recollection. His shows are grand and highly personalized. His performances are trim and tightly focused, complete with singing in English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Azeri and Malay and performance on a multitude of both classical and ethnic instruments. His penchant for multilingualism teamed with simplicity of conduct makes his style a statement, and his shows an experience of a lifetime.

Sami however, dismisses fame and glory. For him, his position as an artist is a sacred trust, a trust best honoured in serving humanity. He was relentless in assuming his responsibilities as the first, global ambassador of Silatech, a Qatar-based initiative promoting entrepreneurial skills and open access to capital and markets for large-scale job creation. His Live8 concert in Wembley Arena raised millions of pounds for the victims of the conflict-laden region of Darfur, praised by the British government in appreciation and recognition of the efforts. Sami took the initiative to work in close tandem with the UN sponsored charity, Save the Children, to help uplift morale of the victims of 2010 Pakistan floods by sending a message of hope and undying support through his charity single, Hear Your Call. The single became the mouthpiece of awareness campaigns led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, BBC and the CNN.

Sami is one of the UK’s biggest exports in the last decade. In the course of 7 years, he has masterfully navigated through unchartered waters – he has won over the hearts and minds of millions from across the Middle East, Europe, North America and North Africa. His compass, in principle, has been his self-coined genre – Spiritique. Manifested both musically and philosophically in his third album, Wherever You Are, Spiritique is a product of Sami’s identity. A proud British-Muslim, Sami is a passionate advocate of unity and is boldly committed to cross-cultural appreciation through promotion of universal values and celebration of the human spirit. The aim is to bridge the gap between perceptions and sense of incompatibility, and to foster spiritual autonomy so we may usher into a new era of cooperation and coexistence. When different races stand side by side, when young and old, pious or agnostic, male or female sing in one voice; that’s when Spiritique shines. An ambitious undertaking it may be to some. To many, it has already begun.

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Leaving behind a lucrative career in the mainstream music industry in New York wherein he worked with internationally renowned producer RedOne who has worked with chart-topping artists Akon, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and the late Michael Jackson to mention just a few, Maher chose instead to make music which reflects his roots of being both European, Arab and Muslim and he is working with Awakening Records (who launched the career of British artist Sami Yusuf) to inspire the youth across the world. In early March 2010, Maher’s debut album Thank You Allah (released by Awakening Records) was the No.1 highest selling album on Amazon (in the world music section). Maher has already had concerts in Sweden, Canada, Australia, US, UK, France, Egypt, Algeria, and Bahrain to mention just a few. With his passion, incredible talent and unique style, the sky is the limit for Maher.

Maher’s first musical inspiration came from his father, who was a singer himself, performing locally in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Tripoli – Lebanon. Fascinated by the music and instruments, Maher got his first keyboard when he was only ten and ever since music officially became an integral part of Maher’s world. His family moved to Sweden when Maher was only 8, where he continued his schooling, and later entered university and got a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering. With things changing around him, one thing remained the same – his strong passion for music. He would spend late nights at school with his friends where they would sing, rap, compose and experiment with music in every way. It didn’t take him long to realize that music became an integral part of who he is.

After being involved for a while in the music scene as a music producer, Maher was introduced to RedOne, a gifted music producer who was fast rising in the music scene in Sweden. Maher started working with RedOne and later moved to New York. For a few years he was in the middle of the hot rush of the NY music industry, working with chart topping artists such as Kat Deluna on her debut album including smash hits ‘Whine up’ and ‘Run the Show’. Maher had what many would describe as a dream job for someone so young in such a glamorous business, but for Maher it felt like this was far from what he would call ‘the dream’, “I loved the music but I hated everything that surrounded it, it always felt like something wasn’t right”.

In January 2009, Maher Zain decided to work on an album that reflects his identity – Arab, Western and Muslim – and signed with Awakening Records. Maher’s debut album Thank You Allah reached the number 1 spot on Amazon’s World Music charts and number 9 on the R&B charts.

In January 2010, in a music competition organized by Nujoom FM (Egypt’s biggest music radio station) Maher’s track ‘Ya Nabi Salam Alayka’ was voted as the Best Song for 2009. Runners up included big names like Hussein Aljismi, Mohammed Mounir and Sami Yusuf. Maher has already performed at sold out concerts in Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, France, Holland, Sweden, and the US amongst others and is fast becoming the ‘next superstar of Islamic music’.

Maher Zain’s album mixes the sounds of R&B with traditional spiritual, soul and contemporary pop music, not just updating spiritual music and inshad but fearlessly reviving it with contemporary flair. Maher’s debut album Thank You Allah is an instant classic of great power and timeless, unassailably intense spirituality.

Maher is fast becoming recognized as one of modern Islamic Music’s seminal voices after his ground-breaking single and animated music video “Palestine Will Be Free,” his music video “Insha Allah” shot on location in London and directed by famous British director Mike Harris who has worked with Coldplay and Madonna among others, and his latest video “The Chosen One” – about the life and the peaceful teachings of Prophet Muhammad – shot in Los Angeles. Maher Zain is clearly poised to take up modern Islamic Music to a new level. As a supremely gifted artist and producer, Maher brings his music to a wider audience not by watering down his message, but by making songs of supreme power, conviction, and glorious beauty, fusing elements of R&B, traditional spiritual music, pop, Arabic and Turkish music into daring arrangements.

After his experience in the Music Industry, Maher feels blessed to able to finally find the right way, put his talent to its best use, and produce music that is closer to his roots, and he feels like it’s his turn now to help others through his music to do the same: “If I had one thing I’d like to tell people out there it would be that it’s so easy to see the right way if we just open our eyes and look properly; that’s what happened to me.”

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