We Talk With Senyawa: Yogyarkata’s Explosive Tribal Music Duo
PUBLISHED June 28th, 2016 06:30 am | UPDATED May 30th, 2017 04:29 pm
Tribal-inspired music is hardly what comes to mind you hear the phrase ‘intense and explosive rock show’, but that’s how it is in the case of Senyawa, an incredibly talented duo from Yogyakarta known for their energetic live performances.
Comprised of Rully Shabara’s frenetic vocal techniques and the neo-tribalism of Wukir Suryadi’s homemade instruments, Senyawa’s sound embodies the fine elements of traditional Javanese music in combination with more modern, avant-garde influences in the Western world. Experimental is perhaps the most suitable word to describe their music.
The duo has been performing together for more than five years now, touring Indonesia several times over, and playing on the international stage for the first time at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. In no time, they soon received invitations to perform at festivals in Asia, Europe, and also in Australia, where they toured as guests of the band Regurgitator.
Hey guys! Could you tell our readers more about your style of music?
It’s kind of difficult…But imagine it as urban people from this generation making their own tribalistic ritual. It is faintly familiar yet distinctly different. Some have also described our music to be contemporary and avant-garde rock.
As kids growing up in the 90s, Western culture and music are rooted in us together with traditional and local music. But honestly we simply make the sounds and music that we feel would express the pulse of our lives.
How did you guys meet to form Senyawa?
We improvised on stage before we were properly introduced to each other. It was early 2010 when I was improvising on stage while Wukir, was playing, and that was the first time I saw him. Four days later we had our first EP.
The name ‘Senyawa’, meaning compound or fusion, was originally the name of our first EP; it then became the name of the band. It shows the fusion of nature and the human element perfectly.
Who are the artists that inspire and influence your work, individually and collectively?
Rully: Neither of us attended any music school. Wukir grew up with a theatre company though. I was inclined more to the literary world. Personally, I really admire Diamanda Galas and Enrico Caruso.
We hear several of the instruments you use are self-designed and created. What are they made from?
Wukir: Anything, I use any material around me. What is fascinating is that at first you don’t think you can make anything out of these things. But when you put them together and amp them up, they work together like magic. I have worked with bamboo, metal, different type of wood, certainly strings, and glass as well. Most of my instruments are based on day-to-day materials that have strong connection to issues the local people are facing.
The two of you are known for your formidable live acts. Tell us what’s the key to creating a memorable and energetic experience.
Rully: Most of it would depend on the energy of the audience and venue. But more importantly, we have to balance our own energy level as performers. So it’s all about managing energy. The best shows would be because of the best audiences. So Beirut, Belgrade, Napoli, and our first show in Berlin would be the best because of the overwhelming reactions and incredible energy from the audience.
There are also great shows due to unusual and amazing venues, such as in Goteborg where we played on a raft at sunrise, or in Austria where I sing sans mic from on top of a cathedral to an audience below. And of course in the Melbourne Jazz Festival, our very first performance in an international festival, that brought us to many places since then.
Rully, your style of singing is said to be unusual and even ‘exotic’, due to Indonesia and Javanese influences. How is that being received when you perform overseas?
I have been asked many times overseas about my vocal style – is it Javanese or is it from somewhere else? Well, I use many technical references from modern singing to different kinds of traditional singing and mix them. That’s the contemporary sound, isn’t it? The blend of the past and the present, the influences that you like, you hear, that you are affected by. You are the sum of everything because each of these influences make up who you are.
Locally, what’s the experimental music scene in Indonesia like?
The Noise scene is growing fast, especially in Java. More and more people seem to be appreciating experimental music, especially noise.
Have you guys been to Singapore? If so, what were your impressions of the people, the culture, and the music scene here?
We only played once in LASALLE, so we don’t really know much about life in Singapore. But it kind of reminded me of Jakarta in a sense that the urban environment makes access to knowledge and reference easier. I like how varied the cultures are in Singapore – Chinese, Malays, Indians, and many others live strongly side by side.
Lastly, could you recommend us some other Javanese acts that everyone should know about?
Misbach Bilok, a contemporary sound artist from Solo. He is also a good musician, very experimental and he understands sound very deeply. Take some time to listen to his Seruling Sakuhaci and Teman Bunyi.
Senyawa will be playing at Club Malam, at Old Kallang Airport from 7 to 9 July 2016, 6.30pm-11pm.
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Keep up with Senyawa online:
www.senyawa.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/senyawamusik
