Slank: Going strong by going it alone<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was hard not to laugh in a recent interview with drummer
\nBimbim from rock group Slank, on the sidelines of vocalist Kaka's
\n28th birthday party at Hard Rock Cafe.<\/p>\n
It was not because Bimbim cracked a joke. I suddenly
\nremembered a comic book written by a friend of mine a few years
\nback. As a Slank-hater, he turned Bimbim and vocalist Kaka into a
\ngay couple who then died in the throes of passion. OK, it was
\nrude, ludicrous but hilarious.<\/p>\n
It's telling, though, because Slank is one of those groups
\nthat you either love or hate. It has fans and detractors -- and
\nboth are unwavering in their opinions.<\/p>\n
From the looks of them, it's easy to despise the five-man
\nband, with that skin-and-bones post-junkie look, rotten teeth,
\nunclear babble and as a self-appointed rock and roll band
\nexpounding a political message in slang.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, there are plenty of reasons to respect
\nthem, too.<\/p>\n
With their latest formation -- Bimbim, Kaka, guitarists Ridho
\nand Abdee and bassist Ivan -- Slank is marking its 19th
\nanniversary this year.<\/p>\n
At the very least they are survivors, getting over their drug
\naddiction (they are clean now) and dealing with the personnel
\nmerry-go-round that affects all groups.<\/p>\n
Musically, the band is original, spanning rock 'n roll, blues,
\njazz and reggae.<\/p>\n
And their honest, straightforward lyrics, which go way beyond
\nthe standard fare of love and relationships, also accentuate
\ntheir charisma.<\/p>\n
Slank is the only top-notch band who is completely independent
\nas they produce and distribute their own records through Slank
\nrecords and control the rights to all 13 of their albums.<\/p>\n
Bimbim said joining a major label might be the fastest way to
\nmake money, but that is not the only thing they are after.<\/p>\n
\"There hasn't been any fairness and balance between arts and
\nbusiness,\" said the leader and the conceptor of the band.<\/p>\n
In their first years in the business, he added, they battled
\nwith music executives about piracy and royalties.<\/p>\n
\"We were paid in advance. Whether our albums sold or not, we
\ndidn't get anything (in royalties). So, we fought with them and
\nfinally got our rights,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bimbim said the situation has not improved as major labels are
\nnow dominated by foreign companies.<\/p>\n
\"First, the foreign investors only had half of the shares. But
\ngradually, they blamed the local management, saying the latter
\ndidn't do their job right, and then finally they had all the
\nshares. Having our own record company is like balancing the
\nmarket. Turns out, we got big money, too.\"<\/p>\n
There is also what Bimbim calls \"priority bands\" on which the
\nmajor labels focus their marketing, like rock band Padi in Sony
\nMusic, which has sold over two million records from two albums.<\/p>\n
\"There are so many other good bands in Sony but it's always
\nPadi and Padi. That goes for other companies as well. So, it's
\nbetter to be independent. Yes, it's overwhelming but we are freer
\nboth financially and creatively.\"<\/p>\n
Record companies do not reveal the real numbers of copies sold
\nto the artists, he added.<\/p>\n
\"And the royalty thing, it's our future. We learned from older
\nmusicians and bands who hardly get anything,\" Bimbim said, adding
\nthat their most recent album, 2001's Virus has sold one million
\ncopies.<\/p>\n
The party at Hard Rock Cafe was also for the launching of a
\nmonthly tabloid called Koran2an Slank (Slank's so-called
\nnewspaper).<\/p>\n
The tabloid is not merely filled with news and gossip about
\nthe band's members, but discusses youth culture in general.<\/p>\n
\"This paper is aimed at young people, those who are free-
\nminded, intellectual and critical. We're worried because they
\ndon't believe in their own parents. Through this paper, we want
\nto tell something to them, asking them to have some concern over
\nthis country. Although we still do it in our usual playful way,\"
\nBimbim said.<\/p>\n
Next in line for Slank is, like any other Indonesian musician,
\na move to go international. Before you chuckle over the cliche,
\nSlank has been contacted by the committee of the World of Music,
\nArts and Dance (Womad) festival -- which was established by Peter
\nGabriel in 1982 -- to perform in England in July.<\/p>\n
\"Funny thing is, the committee found out about us when they
\nvisited Bali. Every time they asked people about local musicians,
\npeople in Bali always recommended us,\" Bimbim said.<\/p>\n
The band is also working on making records by approaching
\nproducers in England, Europe, Japan and Australia.<\/p>\n
\"We're not really interested in going to the United States as
\nit is difficult because they don't really care about foreign
\nmusicians. They're very inward-looking,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We're quiet optimistic. Because many people from Germany and
\nSweden visited our website (www.slank.com) and gave positive
\ncomments. Our dream is that people don't just know Indonesia from
\nBali, but through us as well.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/slank-going-strong-by-going-it-alone-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}