Billy Taner

Jakarta, Indonesia

Segara

AmbientElectronic

Behind the Music

Ian’s reporting in The Outlaw Ocean is incredibly revealing, especially Chapter 12, “Fluid Borders.” The tense stand-off between the Indonesian and Vietnamese authorities sent shivers down my spine as I read it, and knowing it was partially covered up frightens me. More than that, this story is representative of the events and instances that happen at sea that many of us are unaware of and the extent to which they are influenced by international politics. 

Where journalism is the gateway to knowledge — providing the bigger picture of how we think and perceive certain issues, and how we might adjust ourselves to rectify them — art provides a universal language for anyone to freely interpret however they choose. When these two elements are combined, music with words, they can be a powerful tool to tell a story. Through the songs I’ve composed with my fellow producers, MSSVKNTRL and Tally Brine, we want to express that even though lawlessness does persist on the oceans, we believe there is hope for humanity to solve this problem. I hope others will also read Ian’s book and begin to fully comprehend the truth of what was and still is happening in international waters and how our own ego and greed plays a role in that. 



Billy Taner
About Billy Taner

“Purveyor of infectious, energetic dance grooves and feel-good atmosphere.”

That’s how Billy Taner describes himself as a DJ — always emitting his infinite positive energy to the crowd, never afraid to perform 100% every time he steps on the stage.

Billy Taner is a DJ/Producer based out of Jakarta, Indonesia. He mainly performs electronic dance music, including bass-heavy mashups of club and festival favorites, various styles of house music, trap music and amalgamations of other genres.

Starting his career as a young DJ at a well-known club in Jakarta at the beginning of 2013, he covers various styles and genres of music that can surely pump up and hype up the crowd every time he steps up onto the stage. Heavily influenced by an unlimited number of musical influences electronic & non-electronic, he successfully plays his music in his own style.

Each set he plays is a set worth remembering and, with his career peaking and demands getting higher, he keeps a low profile with high quality music.

Winner of the 2021 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Innovation in Journalism

The Journalism behind the Music

All music in this project is based on The Outlaw Ocean, a New York Times Best-Selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. This reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships and other topics.

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