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KunoKini: Trotting on after a decade
KunoKini performs at their 10th anniversary event in Jakarta
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KunoKini performs at their 10th anniversary event in Jakarta.
Ethnic experimental band KunoKini has just celebrated a decade in music, growing ever resolute with its choice of music ' a musical road traveled by its contemporaries.
The band's name is made up of two words: kuno (ancient, old) and kini (contemporary, nowadays), reflecting its strife in music. The band members have struggled to contextualize their music, and have just tasted the fruits of their labor in the past few years.
But the fruit, apparently, was not as sweet for some of KunoKini's members.
The band began with seven college dudes playing as a musical troupe accompanying traditional student dancers performing at the Folklore Festival 2003 in Wismar, Germany. Shortly before performing, one of their instructors asked them to fill a slot between acts ' as dancers changed costumes ' with an improvised performance.
They ended up winning the festival's second prize for best performance. Surprised by the accolades from the foreign land, the boys who were in their early 20s at the time, decided to pursue their experiment with traditional music instruments back home.
They began making music with rebana (traditional tambourin), Javanese kendang (drum) and saron (Javanese metallophone), taking every opportunity to play at campus gigs, cultural performances and event openings.
Of the seven members, only four were left when KunoKini finally caught a big break winning a grant to play at Sydney's Gang Festival and also performing during Australia Day in Canberra and at Brisbane's Power House in 2008.
Adhi Bhismo Wrhaspati, Astari 'Bebi' Achiel, Muhamad 'Firzy ' Nur Firdaus and Akbar Nugraha released KunoKini's first album Reinkarnasi (Reincarnation) in 2010.
In the album, the band used kerang Irian (sea shells from Papua), traditional Javanese drums, saluang (Minangkabau flute), rebana biang (jumbo-sized tambourine), waterstick, woodblock, egg shaker, shekere (West African maraca) , didgeridoo (Australian Aboriginal wind instrument), as well as a percussion instrument from Kalimantan the Klontang, conga (Cuban drum) and the African drum djembe.
They mixed the primal and rhythmical sounds with a reggae-style of half-singing half-speaking by Bhismo.
The band went back to perform at the Power House Music Festival in the same year. In 2011, they toured the Netherlands and Germany as part of another festival, the Folklore Festival.
Bebi considered KunoKini's four-piece as the best formation they ever had.
'When Firzy left in 2011 followed by Akbar in 2012, it was very devastating for me. It was like they were breaking up with me and Bhismo. It hurt,' Bebi told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of KunoKini's 10th anniversary event last week.
He said Firzy left to concentrate on his business and Akbar to pursue his studies.
'It was a natural choice I guess. Something normal that happens in a band,' Bebi.
He admitted that KunoKini was not a profit-seeking band, but rather an idealistic effort to give fresh air to traditional music and to campaign for it in the modern world.
'Bhismo and I sometimes have to dig deep in our pockets for KunoKini, but that's all right. I am poor because of KunoKini, but I also become rich because of KunoKini,' Bebi metaphorized.
KunoKini has touched a lot of like-minded people and have received support from numerous parties.
Ahead of the its 10th anniversary, Simple Projects Indonesia offered to make a documentary about the band. 'They really don't need to ask, we're excited about it,' Bebi said.
The anniversary event on May 29 was held at My Mate Cafe in Bintaro, South Jakarta, with numerous donations and also support from dance company Legong Bali, breakdancers Undercover Brothers, and musicians Ras Muhammad, Leonardo and Mata Jiwa.
KunoKini is planning to tour cities in Java, including Jakarta, Bandung, Salatiga, Yogyakarta, Malang and Surabaya, in the latter half of the year.
'We will go to schools and will screen the documentary, then discuss the movie, before performing for the students and holding workshops for them.
'It's part of our effort to introduce traditional music to the younger generation,' Bebi said.
Any plan for another album?
'Yes, we are planning another album release next year. The album will be lighter, compared to our first one, which was a bit heavy and very experimental.
'With our next album, we want to reach a wider audience. We want our blend of contemporary traditional music to be heard by a range of different people,' Bebi said.
' Photos courtesy of KunoKini
