November 4, 2025
Honk if you’re nostalgic
Singing bus horns in West Sumatra
West Sumatra’s singing bus horns spark love, eye-rolls, and ‘telolet’ nostalgia
TLDR: West Sumatra once tuned bus horns to play tender melodies, celebrated in a tribute to musician-driver Pak Budahar. Commenters split between nostalgia and annoyance, debating fun versus distraction while linking the modern “Om Telolet Om” bus-horn craze—proof that emotional honking still echoes today.
In West Sumatra, bus horns didn’t just honk—they sang. The Aural Archipelago deep-dive honors Pak Budahar, a local legend who turned goodbyes into melodies, with drivers playing a mini keyboard to send passengers off with tearful tunes. The comments immediately hit a high note of drama: one skeptic scowled that there was “no bus” on display and only “one really long” song, while others swooned at the idea of honking with heart instead of rage. Enter the jokers—imchillyb channeled full ballad mode with “Sing me a song, Mr. Kalason man,” then confessed they’re glad modern cars don’t have melody horns because, well, distraction. Cue the culture nerds: wejick linked the modern sequel, the viral “Om Telolet Om” craze where kids beg buses to play their catchy horn riffs, proving the tradition hasn’t stalled. Meanwhile, pierrec declared the site an ethnomusicology goldmine, shouting out a favorite Wisisi track. The vibe? A split-screen road movie: half the crowd wants a rolling concert, half wants peace and quiet. Pop-culture bonus points for the RV movie cameo with a “select-a-melody” horn—because apparently even Hollywood knows honk-jams slap. Love it or hate it, the community agrees: this is honking with feelings.
Key Points
- •Kalason oto are tuned, keyboard-controlled bus horn systems used in West Sumatra to play melodies during migrant journeys.
- •Post-1945 American buses in Sumatra had multi-trumpet, reed-based horns; a Bukittinggi mechanic reconfigured these into musical scales.
- •Drivers played with one hand on the wheel and one on the keyboard, often singing along, initially using 8-note setups that expanded to 14–24 notes.
- •The kalason playing style draws from Minangkabau musical idioms, notably saluang flute and rabab fiddle, with chordal embellishments akin to harmonium/accordion.
- •The practice is tied to Minangkabau marantau migration routes to ports such as Medan, Pekanbaru, and Bengkulu, offering emotional solace to passengers.