music

Senyawa | Pioneer Sessions

Jogjakarta’s Senyawa embodies the aural elements of traditional Indonesian music while exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions. Their music strikes a perfect balance between their avant-garde influences and cultural heritage to create truly contemporary Indonesian music. Suryadi’s inventions include the handcrafted ‘Bamboo Spear’, a thick stem of bamboo strung up with percussive strips of the animal skin alongside steel strings; when amplified, it fuses elements of traditional Indonesian instrumentation with garage guitar distortion. The sonically dynamic instrument can be at times rhythmically percussive and at other times melodically bowed and plucked.