[Music] How Indonesia’s Horn-Honking Became a Hit Among EDM DJs

On the streets of many Southeast Asian countries, vehicle honking presents yet another opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

Whether on a motorbike or in a car, drivers can customize paint jobs, seat upholstery, headlights and add various other bells and whistles to the mix, including personalized horns. On larger vehicles – cars, buses, transport trucks – these warn motorists from afar. On motorbikes, they instill just the right level of terror into nearby drivers - we’ve all experienced the near-infarction that comes from being approached by a Honda Cub with the horn of an 18-wheeler.

In Indonesia, the young and social media-savvy have really encouraged these customized horns by way of a growing online trend known as “om telolet om”, reports Mashable. According to the website, this phrase roughly translates to “sir, honk your horn, sir”, which some young Indonesians enjoy shouting at passing vehicles in order to hear their personalized horns.

Since it began, the practice has generated a wealth of memes online and also attracted the attention of international DJs, several of whom have fashioned beats out of the blaring horns and cries of “om telolet om”.

The trend has gone so far that Billboard recently picked its top six favorite “om telolet om” beats. While there are some pretty cheesy telolet remixes on the list, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine a few of these playing in the club. Here are a few of the standouts:

Via Megabruce.

Via Jakarta-based DJ RXHN.

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