Amsterdam-based Indonesian psych-folk collective Nusantara Beat has reached the top of the Transglobal World Music Chart for January 2026 with its self-titled debut album, Nusantara Beat.
The name Nusantara refers to the Indonesian archipelago and its many cultures unified as one. That concept underpins the group’s approach, which mixes Sundanese traditions, vintage Indo-pop influences, psychedelia, funk, and contemporary electronic elements.
The lineup reflects that shared heritage. Bassist Michael Joshua was born in West Java before moving to the Netherlands as a teenager. Vocalist Megan de Klerk, guitarists Jordy Sanger and Rouzy Portier, drummer Sonny Groeneveld, and percussionist Gino Groeneveld were all raised in the Netherlands within Indonesian families. Several members previously played in Dutch acts such as EUT, Jungle by Night, and Altin Gün.
Compositions draw heavily on the pelog scale and gamelan traditions, with instruments such as kecapi, kendang, and Balinese gongs woven into arrangements alongside guitar, synthesizers, and driving rhythm sections.
January 2026 Chart
- Nusantara Beat – Nusantara Beat – Glitterbeat
- Noura Mint Seymali – Yenbett – Glitterbeat
- Antibalas – Hourglass – Daptone
- Syran Mbenza – Rumba Africa – Hysa Productions
- Radio Tarifa – La Noche – Buda Musique
- Amadou & Mariam – L’Amour à la Folie – Because Music
- Wesli – Makaya – WUP
- Sanam – Sametou Sawtan – Constellation
- Cheikh Lô – Maame – World Circuit
- Hamouna Isewlan – Talle Talyadt – Remote / Studio Mali
- Guitari Baro – Guitari Baro – Chrysalis Global
- Muluken Mèllèssè – Éthiopiques 31 – Buda Musique
- Silvana Estrada – Vendrán Suaves Lluvias – Glassnote
- Nancy Vieira & Fred Martins – Esperança – Galileo Music Communication
- Divanhana – Radio Sevdah – CPL-Music / CPL-Musicgroup
- Saha Gnawa – Saha Gnawa – Pique-Nique Recordings
- La Cumbia Chicharra – Quinto Mundo – Music Box Publishing
- Adir Jan – Al Mast – Trikont / Unsere Stimme / Verlags
- Omar Sosa – Sendas – Otá
- L’Antidote – L’Antidote – Ponderosa Music
- Didon – Bab El Mdina – Electrofone
- Jasdeep Singh Degun – Jogkauns – Real World
- Gangbé Brass Band – From Ouidah to Another World – Salt’n Ginger
- Meral Polat – Meydan – W.E.R.F
- Casapalma – Jotas – Raso Estudio
- Meklit – A Piece of Infinity – Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
- Veronika Varga – True Picture – CPL-Music / CPL-Musicgroup
- Either/Orchestra & Ethiopian Guests – Éthiopiques 32: Nalbandian l’Éthiopien / The Ethiopian – Buda Musique
- Wör x Kongero – Songbooks Live – Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup
- Mehrnam Rastegari – Dislocated Pulse – Merhnam Rastegari
- Le Vent du Nord – Voisinages – La Compagnie du Nord
- Xabi Aburruzaga – Bask – DND
- Sahad – African West Station – Stereo Africa 432
- Marco Grancelli – Camino Trunco – Marco Grancelli
- Roël Calister – The Work of Songs – AudioMaze / Jiga Musica
- Krama – Stanbrook – Modal Sound
- Mustafa Said & Asil Ensemble – Maqam Pilgrims – Mapamundi Música
- Mandé Sila – Live @ Levon Helm – Contre-Jour
- Sessa – Pequena Vertigem de Amor – Mexican Summer
- Qais Essar & Sonny Singh – Sangat – Qais Essar & Sonny Singh
More about the Transglobal World Music Chart: https://www.transglobalwmc.com
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
