Entertainment

Indonesia’s Random Brothers confront modern slavery with single 'BUDAKKICK'

Music video offers a peek into Indonesia's underground dance music scene

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 17 Jan 2021 5:00PM

Indonesia’s Random Brothers confront modern slavery with single 'BUDAKKICK'
Brothers Randi Danishta and Nara Anindyaguna, a.k.a. the Random Brothers. - Pic courtesy of Pepeya Records, January 17, 2021

by A. Azim Idris

INDONESIAN duo, Random Brothers has recently released a music video for its track ‘BUDAKKICK’, offering a peek into the eclectic world of the republic's experimental and alternative dance music scene.

The video, which premiered on December 27 last year, features monochromatic imagery and visuals, representing the Random Brothers' political views.

"'BUDAKKICK' represents our view against modern slavery that keeps on spreading subtly because of the capitalism," the duo birefly told The Vibes recently.

"This situation is brutal, hence we want to kick it back."

The duo, which consists of brothers Randi Danishta and Nara Anindyaguna, commissioned Bandung-based visual artist Ario Wibhisono – a University of Indonesia communication studies graduate – to work on the project.

The intense track was also part of 'Moda Ekuator', a compilation album featuring Indonesian underground electronic music, a collaboration between two labels, Pepaya Records and Dead Records.

Ario's work practice focuses on the process of exploring wet collodion photography, where the visual processing process is highly dependent on chemical aspects.

"Removing colour from a picture helps the viewer to focus on a subject's emotional state," Ario said in a press release.

"Humans see the world in color, and a rendition of the world in monochrome makes us pause and look closely."

The Random Brothers work on their music. - Pic courtesy of Pepeya Records
The Random Brothers work on their music. - Pic courtesy of Pepeya Records

Pepaya said the photography technique used by Ario does not only record images of selected objects as they are, but rather a combination of "unexpected" visual elements.

"Various factors begin to interact and influence the final visual produced. This phenomenon also raises another aspect of photographic media which is often muted, reduced, or simplified, namely its sensibility which is not limited only to light, but also to time, surrounding conditions, movement, touch, and also other materials."

The 'Moda Ekuator' compilation features twelve up-and-coming experimental and electronic artists from Indonesia: ASAM, Mahesa Almedia, Interdimension Traveler, Individual Distortion, Random Brothers, False Neutral and Batavia Strut representing the capital Jakarta.

It also featured Fraktal and Jagajaga from Bali; Yogyakarta bound MXTXT; Malang native Hxxmo, and Surabaya’s TamaT hailing from East Java.

Since its release in August last year, the compilation project has churned out several music videos, with ‘BUDAKKICK’ being the fifth instalment. 

The compilation has also received airplay at home and abroad, including full-features on XLR8R, NTS Radio, and Seoul Community Radio in South Korea. – The Vibes, January 17, 2021

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