There are so many reasons to love this city. Business. Pleasure. Opportunity. The thrill of living a day that will be different to any other. Like any perception it all depends on who you ask. Some will tell you that Jakarta is a city designed for those who like to push the limits and break the rules, with a reputation of attracting those who lean toward escapism. Others will tell you that the city is still the culture, restaurant, shopping, music and nightlife capital of the country – if not South East Asia. Some will claim it has an old pre-colonial charm of Batavia evident with an invigorating effect, while others will succinctly tell you Jakarta is ‘home'.

The reality of asking around, is that you will be inclined to hear a range of responses that hold one thing as truth – a broad spectrum of educated opinions believing the glass is half full rather than half empty. There is a positive outlook to our city held by us no matter how many knocks our darling city takes. Sure, we all like to take a jab at its ills from time to time, but truth be told, we're a pretty protective bunch of the opportunities it provides or else we would be looking to reside elsewhere.

To me, from the backstreets to main streets, Jakarta is known as one of the world's most cultured cities, with neighborhoods that go from the energy of the pre-independence era to the urban sprawl of a country continuing to cross the chasm of modern life, all in a matter of kilometers. It is mostly a tale of resilience. With some of the best music venues, restaurants, hawker stalls, and bustling energy, Jakarta is an iconic city that epitomizes taste, style, restlessness and grounded reality like no other. It welcomes and accommodates everyone from all walks of life, whether the result of ill-conceived governance or primer to a life worth living. Whatever your take, we can feel its growth through a single observation of its population bumping itself up a few notches on the unofficial census scales each year post Ramadan.

Jakarta inhales and exhales. It is a living, breathing organism if there ever was one. The pulse of its rhythm is the busker on main street, the radio banter on Prambors or Sonora, acoustic jams in front of the University of Indonesia in Depok, the anticipated world tour stopover's by renowned artists at Senayan's Plenary Hall, the classical beauty of Jakarta's Conservatory of Music or Nusantara Symphony Orchestra, the all-night visiting DJ's at Embassy, the music hustle of Kemang's hawker stalls, the beachside music festivals in Ancol, the unordained jazz at Nine Muses Bar, Keroncong or Dangdut concerts in a local Kampung, the weekly free podcasts of Indonesian Music by Equinox DMD, the evolution of new clubs like Cubica, or something as simple and ironic as the Top 40 ringtone downloads on the person next to you on the Busway. There are some cities that give us a good reason to settle in and Jakarta will always help you find a signature sound along the way. This city's true, nascent beauty is that there is always something new to discover, for "our" Jakarta has always welcomed community. On this note, here are some new releases worth sharing to get you moving through the big city.