ABODA is an instrumental band that dwells in the realm of light jazz but is heavily influenced by fusion, black music, and smooth jazz. It consists of Tiimotius Noya (piano & keyboards), Fanuel Noya (drums), Filemon Noya (guitars), and Clement Noya (bass).

The word “aboda” itself was taken from Hebrew and its meaning is “to serve”.

The four brothers, who each received formal musical training from a very young age, was actively involved in many church events since the band was formed around 1999. Their passion in rearranging old Christian songs, especially hymns, and the tendency for young generations to consider such songs as outdated or even prehistoric, were the main reasons that gave birth to this bands mission statement and vision. To them, the presentation of a song should be given huge attention and is of huge importance. This paid off with their success in winning the Psallö Christian Music Festival in Bogor 2004 (at the time the band was still named Worshippers). The event mainly focuses on the creativity of a song arrangement.

In 2006, Victorious Music offered ABODA to make a debut album with them even though the band’s repertoire is limited. In the end, an album which is titled “Today in Paradise” was released in June 2007. It comprises of four original songs and six well known Christian songs. The band’s musical style was justified by the release of this album. A few songs from the album such as “Vida Eterna” and “Today in Paradise” are presented in light jazz fashion while “One Way”, which is the only song with vocals, is presented with a touch of soul that is totally different from the original. A few hymns were also presented in a unique fashion with the hope that with such musical arrangement the hymns will be able to refresh listeners. All the songs were done without any digitally added sounds so that the live music impression is preserved. The stories behind each song and the messages that they bring are also noteworthy.

And now, ABODA is also known not only in gospel music, but also secular music for bringing their mission more widely to all segments of listener. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.