Courtesy of Grimloc Records

Only a few people realize this, but Homicide was one of Indonesia’s best musical products. Like a lot of underappreciated artists, Homicide had to break up before gaining the respect they deserved. A hip-hop group whose 13-year existence was primarily in the underground scene, the Bandung-bred group did everything right artistically and influence-wise. Completely eschewing the embarrassing elementary rhyming and beats of other local self-professed rap groups, Homicide — pardon the pun — “killed” with their complex and deep lyrics. Politically and socially-conscious when no others were, group leader and sole consistent member Herry “Ucok” Sutresna aka Morgue Vanguard didn’t as much rap his lyrics but bled them out.

Fittingly, The Nekrophone Traces, an exhibition celebrating the group’s career from 1994-2007, is taking place at Bandung’s S.14 Art Space & Library until June 30. The event will feature workshops, discussions and film screenings, all focusing on Homicide as well as hip-hop history.

Local hip-hop, then, rarely if ever, felt emotional. Meanwhile, politically-charged music always felt more cerebral than heart-rending. But Homicide was like a life or death proposition, it was a compelling burst of youthful rage that felt admirably focused and informed, especially considering the group members began in their early twenties. It probably didn’t hurt that the group looked up to underground US hip-hop as well as the grittier side of popular Western rap. Their samples also consisted of many sections of then-lesser-known Western independent bands such as Canada’s post-rocker Godspeed You! Black Emperor and English industrial-metal band Godflesh.

The band, in particular Ucok, spat rhymes about human rights abuses, popular resistance, state oppression, military domination and government corruption. But Ucok did not stop there. Unlike other artists in the country’s hip-hop scene who were more than happy to endorse certain brands, Ucok was active in joining the popular movement. To this day, Ucok actively organizes and takes part in socially-conscious discussions, movements, and protests against multinational corporations and/or infrastructure projects.

Formed in 1994, Homicide started off outside the mainstream hip-hop movement, which was experiencing a surge of popularity in the early 1990s through rappers such as Iwa K. and gimmicky others, wasting mindless ditties about pagers and girls. Homicide were instead kids who hung out with Bandung’s underground rock musicians, occasionally collaborating with some of them.

“The group was formed by me, Aszi, and Lepe,” starts off Ucok, recalling the band’s early days prior to its eventual many lineup changes. “We met at a rap competition circa 1994. Lepe had a group called Fear of Nothing with Arian, who is now with [popular rock band] Seringai. Not long after that, the group broke up and Arian gave me Lepe’s number, who I discovered had already started another group with Aszi, so automatically Homicide started off with the three of us and a little later, DJ Kiki.”

The goal was a simple one, says Ucok – to create a rap group different than what was popular at the time. There was no thought of becoming a particularly politically-charged one at that. That would come later, without planning, he says. For its early years, Ucok isn’t ashamed to admit that the band sang with the same “braggadocio” attitude of many mainstream Western rap acts, particularly “gangsta” rappers who sang proudly about violence, swagger, and money.

SALAD DAYS: Herry “Ucok” Sutresna tries to impress the crowd during an early Homicide gig. (Courtesy of Grimloc Records)
Though they are now respected, in its era Homicide wasn’t particularly adored. For one, there were no context for what the group was doing — performing original hip-hop tunes at underground rock shows. Even with the outward support of their scene-ruling rocker friends, Homicide struggled to find an audience, let alone an enthusiastic crowd. Ucok refers to mainstream rappers who were then being peddled by major label Musica Studios, singing about trite topics, as being the only possibility of gaining an audience.

“If I had to compare, the local rap scene nowadays has more variety and is more spread out, with musicians such as Apollo Brown and Preemo,” Ucok says, mentioning two relatively new rap artists from Cirebon, West Java, that he admires.

It probably didn’t help that the group was then only releasing limited singles on cassette tape, severely limiting their audience. It wasn’t until 2002 that Homicide finally released their debut record, Godzkilla Nekronometry. After that, the collective semi-disbanded, leaving only Ucok and Kiki, as original members, released two more EPs, Barisan Nisan (Rows of Headstones) and Illsurrekshun before formally breaking up. Unsurprisingly then the majority of their releases only came post-breakup, with six official releases which includes retrospective collections and unarchived singles. In 2014, Ucok released a solo record Fateh to universal critical acclaim. (In the past two years, Ucok’s label Grimloc, in collaboration with two Jakarta-based independent labels, reissued the three EPs on vinyl — and later cassette tape — to an ecstatic crowd. On these three occasions, fans stood in line for hours to get their hands on what soon were to be rare copies of Homicide)

“We didn’t feel like we were getting particularly more well-known then. I only realized [our influence] after we broke up in 2007. But we feel blessed to have come out Bandung’s melting-pot scene,” explains Ucok. “I grew up around different kinds of musicians, and within the hardcore and punk scene, which were the lifeline of Bandung’s independent scene.”

Ucok says that the influence of activists that hung around the same scene also played a major part in the group’s growing perspective.

For Ucok, the band’s legacy is more than what it means to him personally.

“For me, it is when Homicide becomes more than a medium of my self-expression, but turns into a vehicle and medium for me to play a part in community organization and social activities alongside people who already have similar desires. It becomes a way to conduct a cross-element dialogue, for instance with peasant unions, fishermen and others, to discuss issues important to us all.”

Rhyme and reason: Leader of Bandung-based hip hop collective Homicide Herry “Ucok” Sutresna performs, while guitarist Jojon Balcony and turntablist Eone Cronik play back-up in a gig organized by the Bandung-based independent bookstore Ultimus. (Courtesy of Grimloc Records)

Discography

• Godzkilla Necronometry EP 2004

• Barisan Nisan EP 2006

• Tha Nekrophone Dayz; Remnants And Traces From The Years Worth Living 2006

• Illsurrekshun EP 2007

• Homicide/MC Homeless 12” split

• The Necronomix Tape 2016