From Indonesia to the planet, Wukir Suryadi sends a distress call in insistent strikes against his hand-built kentongan instrument. If you want an answer to what music we should be making in this moment, perhaps what you need is Titir — a warning.
Wukir sent this to me yesterday, and the sound is gripping. If you don’t know Wukir, he’s a source of constant ingenuity and invention, able to construct deeply moving, resonant instruments out of found objects — and a force of nature as a player (solo and in the Senyawa project).
The album text really says everything:
Titir – Warning
Titir is the sound of a kentongan (a musical instrument) being struck repeatedly or continuously.
A kentongan is a traditional communication tool used to send messages over long distances within a community. Furthermore, the kentongan is a symbol of togetherness and mutual cooperation, used to warn of dangers such as fires, natural disasters, or to convey other important announcements.
The sound of the kentongan also reminds the community to gather.
The titir event in this album dominates every composition. It represents a response to disasters or global chaos. Here, the sound of the kentongan shifts from a local communication tool to a symbol of global crisis.
Titir can be read as a multi-layered warning. It refers not only to past disasters but also to political interests. In the contemporary global world, environmental issues are often used to legitimize geopolitical pressure, economic sanctions, and even interventions in the name of universal morality.
With the advancement of industrialization, modernization, and the acceleration of digital information, as well as environmental concerns, Titir serves as an early warning for the future. He warned that negligence would pave the way for external forces to influence the fate of future generations.
The album consists of five live recordings, with 25 already recorded. Please stay tuned for more events…
And please, please, go buy and support the music — the current world of visas and other challenges means we all need to give one another support.
If you’re curious about the instrument, here’s one article in English and one in Indonesian, but both from the Javanese perspective. Don’t be put off by the dry academic title of the paper; there’s plenty of meat there:
Sejarah Alat Komunikasi Tradisional Kentongan di Indonesia – Kumparan
Wukir also sent along his current instrument, and if someone were really interested in it (I can’t afford it at the moment), you might reach out. Check this expressive instrument — we’re in acoustic machine territory now:
Wukir’s release from December I think also carries the weight of the world. The image of power lines may be from Java, but that picture and title will resonate in Beirut, too.