Senyawa
Visceral Javanese folk mutated into industrial-strength noise. Custom bamboo instruments and primal vocal gymnastics create a ritualistic, high-voltage experience.
Visceral Javanese folk mutated into industrial-strength noise. Custom bamboo instruments and primal vocal gymnastics create a ritualistic, high-voltage experience.
Listening to Senyawa feels like witnessing a prehistoric ritual performed with the electricity of a modern power grid. It is music that bypasses the intellect and strikes directly at the nervous system, using the resonance of bamboo and the grit of the earth to create something that sounds both ancient and futuristic. The air in the room thickens when their tracks play, vibrating with a physical intensity that demands your full presence.
What truly sets them apart is the total absence of Western rock tropes despite their 'punk' reputation. Instead of guitars, you hear the Bambuwukir, a self-built bamboo instrument that can scream like a distorted lead or drone like a cello. Rully Shabara’s vocals are equally alien, moving from rhythmic grunts and bird-like chirps to harrowing screams that utilize every possible corner of the human throat. It is a masterclass in how to be heavy without being metal.
Start with the album Alkisah. It represents their most ambitious conceptual work, blending apocalyptic themes with their signature percussive assault. It is the perfect entry point to understand how they bridge the gap between traditional Indonesian village music and the global avant-garde underground.
Senyawa is an experimental band from Java, Indonesia, consisting of Rully Shabara and Wukir Suryadi. The band was formed in 2010 in Yogyakarta. The band mixes influences from musical and folklore traditions from the Indonesian archipelago with experimental music. The band's neo-tribal sound has been described to mix "punk attitude" with "avant-garde aesthetics". According to critics, Senyawa has "managed to embody the aural flavours of Javanese music while exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions" to create a sound that is "thoroughly out of this world." Shabara provides his extended vocal techniques to Senyawa. The band's lyrics are in various languages of Indonesia, including Sulawesian, Javanese, and Indonesian. Senyawa's music is provided by Suryadi's self-built musical instruments made from bamboo and traditional agricultural tools from rural Indonesia. Senyawa has been performing extensively in Asia, Australia, and Europe. They have collaborated with notable musicians such as Stephen O'Malley, Lucas Abela, Yasuke Akai, Jon Sass, Damo Suzuki, Jerome Cooper, Keiji Haino, Melt Banana, Tatsuya Yoshida, Charles Cohen, David Shea, and Kazuhisa Uchihashi. In 2021, the band collaborated with 44 independent labels from across the globe to release their album Alkisah. The labels were provided with the digital tracks and were permitted to choose their own artwork as well as master and provide remixes to best appeal to local tastes. In 2022, Senyawa are set to embark on Return to Real Live concert tour, including a festival appearance at the Primavera Sound.
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