Slank: Going strong by going it alone

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was hard not to laugh in a recent interview with drummer Bimbim from rock group Slank, on the sidelines of vocalist Kaka's 28th birthday party at Hard Rock Cafe.

It was not because Bimbim cracked a joke. I suddenly remembered a comic book written by a friend of mine a few years back. As a Slank-hater, he turned Bimbim and vocalist Kaka into a gay couple who then died in the throes of passion. OK, it was rude, ludicrous but hilarious.

It's telling, though, because Slank is one of those groups that you either love or hate. It has fans and detractors -- and both are unwavering in their opinions.

From the looks of them, it's easy to despise the five-man band, with that skin-and-bones post-junkie look, rotten teeth, unclear babble and as a self-appointed rock and roll band expounding a political message in slang.

On the other hand, there are plenty of reasons to respect them, too.

With their latest formation -- Bimbim, Kaka, guitarists Ridho and Abdee and bassist Ivan -- Slank is marking its 19th anniversary this year.

At the very least they are survivors, getting over their drug addiction (they are clean now) and dealing with the personnel merry-go-round that affects all groups.

Musically, the band is original, spanning rock 'n roll, blues, jazz and reggae.

And their honest, straightforward lyrics, which go way beyond the standard fare of love and relationships, also accentuate their charisma.

Slank is the only top-notch band who is completely independent as they produce and distribute their own records through Slank records and control the rights to all 13 of their albums.

Bimbim said joining a major label might be the fastest way to make money, but that is not the only thing they are after.

"There hasn't been any fairness and balance between arts and business," said the leader and the conceptor of the band.

In their first years in the business, he added, they battled with music executives about piracy and royalties.

"We were paid in advance. Whether our albums sold or not, we didn't get anything (in royalties). So, we fought with them and finally got our rights," he said.

Bimbim said the situation has not improved as major labels are now dominated by foreign companies.

"First, the foreign investors only had half of the shares. But gradually, they blamed the local management, saying the latter didn't do their job right, and then finally they had all the shares. Having our own record company is like balancing the market. Turns out, we got big money, too."

There is also what Bimbim calls "priority bands" on which the major labels focus their marketing, like rock band Padi in Sony Music, which has sold over two million records from two albums.

"There are so many other good bands in Sony but it's always Padi and Padi. That goes for other companies as well. So, it's better to be independent. Yes, it's overwhelming but we are freer both financially and creatively."

Record companies do not reveal the real numbers of copies sold to the artists, he added.

"And the royalty thing, it's our future. We learned from older musicians and bands who hardly get anything," Bimbim said, adding that their most recent album, 2001's Virus has sold one million copies.

The party at Hard Rock Cafe was also for the launching of a monthly tabloid called Koran2an Slank (Slank's so-called newspaper).

The tabloid is not merely filled with news and gossip about the band's members, but discusses youth culture in general.

"This paper is aimed at young people, those who are free- minded, intellectual and critical. We're worried because they don't believe in their own parents. Through this paper, we want to tell something to them, asking them to have some concern over this country. Although we still do it in our usual playful way," Bimbim said.

Next in line for Slank is, like any other Indonesian musician, a move to go international. Before you chuckle over the cliche, Slank has been contacted by the committee of the World of Music, Arts and Dance (Womad) festival -- which was established by Peter Gabriel in 1982 -- to perform in England in July.

"Funny thing is, the committee found out about us when they visited Bali. Every time they asked people about local musicians, people in Bali always recommended us," Bimbim said.

The band is also working on making records by approaching producers in England, Europe, Japan and Australia.

"We're not really interested in going to the United States as it is difficult because they don't really care about foreign musicians. They're very inward-looking," he said.

"We're quiet optimistic. Because many people from Germany and Sweden visited our website (www.slank.com) and gave positive comments. Our dream is that people don't just know Indonesia from Bali, but through us as well."