About: RIWIN - Tropical Transit
KETUT RIWIYANA, as known as " Riwin ", was born on December 6, 1956, in Denpasar, Bali. As he was growing up, he was introduced to Latin music via cassettes his father brought home from study sojourns in the United States. Riwin learnt to play guitar from a London hippy he met on the beach. This Londoner was on his was to Spain to study Flamenco, and taught Riwin all he knew.
As a teenager, Riwin played in various bands with his two brothers. Then, in 1976, while studying Biology at the university, Riwin joined one of Indonesia’s most famous groups at that time, the Bandung-based Pahama.
He never finished the biology studies, instead, from the late 1970s on, Riwin played guitar - performing a diverse range of musical styles, including Jazz and Blue Grass with national and international musicians at one of Bali’s early live music venues, Kayu Api.
He formed Tropical Transit on August 5, 1990, and named the group for its tropical environs and the transitory people who made up its audience.
Today, when he is not creating music with the band, Riwin mixes electronic music at his home studio. He is also a spiritual healer and for the past two years with Tropical Transit, he presides as a "Pemangku" ("priest") for the "Tirta" ("Holy Water") sprinkling ceremony which is part of "Kidung Wirama Totaka". Riwin is a truly enigmatic character - on one hand, he provides spiritual support to the group members and on the other, he can bewitch his audience.... especially women.
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