photos by Kevinmattt
West Java, Indonesia-based avant metal acapella choir ENSEMBLE TIKORO presents a haunting new video for “Throat,” premiered today through New Noise Magazine. The song is found on the group’s incoming Tortoise album, nearing release on Jangjang Records, the label spawned in the ashes of former label Public Guilt.
ENSEMBLE TIKORO’s Tortoise is a performance which includes singing bowls, shaman drums, and tingsha (Tibetan ritual cymbals), alongside the group’s extreme metal vocal and throat singing. Tortoise Part 1 is only performed in live settings, while Tortoise Part 2 and Tortoise Part 3 are captured here for the Tortoise album. Part 2 contains seven short pieces interpreting the seven chakras, using various extended vocal techniques assisted by singing bowls and shaman drums, while Part 3 includes extended vocals, singing bowls, shaman drums, and tingsha.
Tortoise was recorded at Pilarin Corp by Ade Syaepudin, mixed and mastered at 7 Kerikil by Robi Rusdiana, and completed with artwork by Tandani Mutaqim.
With the tense and immersive new video/single, ENSEMBLE TIKORO founder Robi Rusdiana reveals, “‘Throat’ is a composition that interprets one of the seven major chakras: the Throat Chakra. The piece explores a range of sounds, including extreme metal vocal techniques, traditional throat singing, and the voices of ‘Denawa’ characters (demon) from Wayang Golek (Sundanese traditional puppetry). It also incorporates singing bowls and a shaman drum. The composition is performed in 5/8 time, featuring free meter alongside shifting expressions, tempos, and dynamics.
“In the ‘Throat’ video, ENSEMBLE TIKORO collaborates with Indonesian pantomime artist, Wanggi Hoed. The interplay of movement and sound deliberately avoids specific meanings, inviting listeners to interpret the work with complete freedom.”
Watch ENSEMBLE TIKORO’s captivating and unnerving “Throat” video first via New Noise Magazine HERE.
Jangjang Records will release Tortoise on cassette and digital formats on October 23rd. Preorders are live at Bandcamp HERE.
ENSEMBLE TIKORO (“Throat Ensemble” in Sundanese) is a group that works with extended vocals, fusing extreme metal vocals (techniques from death metal, black metal, thrash metal, hardcore, punk, etc.) with throat singing and traditional instruments. The members of ENSEMBLE TIKORO are metalheads from the Bandung, West Java underground. They play contemporary music with classical notation but also mix in traditional elements from Sundanese culture. Their music sits at the intersection of heavy metal, traditional healing rituals, and avant-garde composition.
Founded in 2012 by Robi Rusdiana, ENSEMBLE TIKORO has more than 50 works for dance, theater, visual art, and experimental projects. In 2021, they collaborated with the Melbourne-based modern dance company Lucy Guerin Inc. The performance saw heavy metal and traditional throat singing collide with contemporary Australian dance in an encounter that ultimately transformed them both, as the ghosts of tradition merge with music and dance to invent new mythologies for a globalized world. The group then released the album Hell Chamber in 2024 with Italian label Artetetra Records.
ENSEMBLE TIKORO has a motto, “And contemporary music for all,” a nod to Metallica’s And Justice For All.
ENSEMBLE TIKORO:
Arum Dwi Hanantoro – vocals, singing bowl
Ardyansah – vocals, singing bowl
Handriansyah Nugraha – vocals, singing bowl
Mahatma Adi Hartoko – vocals, tingsha
Robi Rusdiana – vocals, shaman drum
https://ensembletikoro.id
https://www.instagram.com/ensembletikoro.id
https://jangjangrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@JangjangRecords
https://www.instagram.com/jangjangrecords