Slank

Slank

clockwise below left: Ridho, Bimbim, Kaka, Abdee, Ivanka
Background information
Origin Jakarta, Indonesia
Genres Hard Rock, Blues
Years active 1983–present
Labels Slank, Virgo Ramayana, Megaforce, MRI Associated Labels
Associated acts BIP, Ahmad Band, Kidnap Katrina
Website www.slank.com
Members Bimo Setiawan Almachzumi (Bimbim)
Akhadi Wira Satriaji (Kaka)
Ivan Kurniawan Arifin (Ivanka)
Abdee Negara (Abdee)
Mohammad Ridwan Hafiedz (Ridho)
Past members Bongky Marcel (Bongky)
Indra Chandra Setiadi (Indra)
Parlin Burman (Pay)
Reynold

Slank is an Indonesian rock band. It was founded in 1983 by teenagers in an alley street in Jakarta called Gang Potlot.

Career

Early years

Bimo Setiawan Almachzumi (Bimbim) created Cikini Stone Complex in the early 1980s. The band only covered Rolling Stones songs. In 1983 the band broke up.[1]

Accompanied by his colleagues Denny and Erwan, Bimbim created the band Red Devil. For the guitarist Bimbim brought in Bongky. In December 1983 they changed their band name to Slank because they looked selengean (rebellious or unruly).[1]

The group's initial lineup consisted of Kaka (vocals), Pay (guitars), Bongky (bass), Indra Qadarsih (keyboards), and Bimbim (drums). Their first album, Suit suit...hehehe, was not released till 1990. From there, more albums, most of them commercially successful, followed, but Slank was plagued by a number of defections, some involving personal issues, others having to do with internal tensions based around creative decisions. The negativity was overcome, and over the next 20 years, Slank was able to increase their profile, tour the world and maintain commercial success. In 2007, Slank released their 20th album, Slow But Sure.[2]

Suit suit...hehehe (1991) was an enormous hit. Their subsequent success inspired the formation of other bands, such as Dewa.

Their first three albums, awarded by BASF Indonesia as The Best Selling Albums on BASF tapes and the fourth album Generasi Biru went multi-platinum, with several songs making in into Indonesia's top charts.

Slank became the first MTV Indonesia icon in 2005.[3]

Various changes

Since its inception, Slank's band members have changed frequently. Reasons have ranged from drug use and woman to money and differences in musical styles. The best line up of the band were Kaka (vocals), Bimbim (Drum), Pay (Guitar), Bongky (Bass) and Indra (Keyboard). In 2007, Slank released the new album, "Slow But Sure"; the album's first single "Slalu Begitu" was played heavily on Indonesian radio stations.

In 2008 Slank toured the U.S. and Europe. They have also played in various Asian countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Having more than fifteen albums sold and occasionally causing political controversy in Indonesia, Slank decided to travel to the USA to record their first English-speaking album, Anthem for the Broken-Hearted. Blues Saraceno was chosen to be the producer of the album. They recorded and mixed the album in only twenty-two days.[4]

“If you want the world to see what you want to say, you better go to the highest mountain. And for music, the highest mountain now is in the U.S.A.”, says Abdee Negara [5]


Java Jazz Festival 2009

In 2009, surprisingly, Slank was invited to take part in the well known Java Jazz Festival.

Their invitation to a jazz festival by Peter F.Gontha was meant as a challenge to see if they had what it took to perform in a jazz music setting.Their show that was attended by thousands successfully transformed their songs into jazz. In the spirit of reaching a greater jazz audience by combining genres, this show featured Michael Paulo, Ron King and Tony Monaco. It later was described as a "once in a lifetime experience".[6]

Slankers

For more than two decades, Slank has managed a healthy attitude towards their music career, which in turn has helped them throughout the years. Slank has also gained somewhat of a cult status in Indonesia, Slank fans are known as 'Slankers', and they have a reputation for devotion. They wave their Slank flags, which consist of the word 'Slank' shaped into a graffiti-style butterfly. They sing along with several punk-rock songs and perform a stadium-worthy call-and-response routine.[5] According to one of the guitarists Ridho, "Slankers" span all ages from children to adult.

Act in the film

In 2009 Slank took part in a movie called Generasi Biru that depicts their life and journey. The movie was directed by Indonesian director Garin Nugroho. For this film Slank made a single, "Slank Dance", which contains a unique dance style created by their fans, the Slankers.

Discography

Studio album

  1. Suit suit...hehehe 1990
  2. Kampungan 1991
  3. Piss 1993
  4. Generasi Biru 1994
  5. Minoritas 1996
  6. Lagi Sedih 1997
  7. Tujuh 1998
  8. Mata Hati Reformasi 1998
  9. 999 + 09, Vol. 1 1999 (double album)
    999 + 09, Vol. 2 1999
  10. Virus 2001
  11. Satu Satu 2003
  12. Road To Peace 2004
  13. P.L.U.R 2004
  14. Slankissme 2005
  15. Slow But Sure 2007
  16. The Big Hip 2008
  17. Anthem For The Broken Hearted 2009
  18. Jurus Tandur No.18 2010
  19. I Slank U The Album 2012
  20. Slank Nggak Ada Matinya 2013
  21. Restart Hati 2015

Live album

  1. Konser Piss 30 Kota 1998
  2. Virus Road Show 2002
  3. Slank Bajakan 2003

Movie soundtrack

  1. O.S.T. "Get Married" 2007
  2. Original Soundtrack "Generasi Biru" The Movie 2009
  3. O.S.T. "Get Married 2" 2009

International album

  1. Since 1983 - Malaysian Edition 2006
  2. Slank feat. Big Hip - Japan Edition 2008
  3. Anthem For The Broken Hearted - USA Edition 2008

Members

See also

References

  1. 1 2 PROFIL Slank (Bahasa Indonesia) at the Wayback Machine (archived May 5, 2012)
  2. ↑ All Music Slank - Artist Biography, by Chris True
  3. ↑ SLANK: MTV Icon Yang 'Haus' Penghargaan at the Wayback Machine (archived March 8, 2012)
  4. ↑ Blues Saraceno on Slank at the Wayback Machine (archived January 29, 2009)
  5. 1 2 The Future of Music, by Ray Huling, January 25, 2009 at the Wayback Machine (archived March 1, 2009)
  6. ↑ jazzuality.com Slank Performance at Java Jazz Festival 2009, March 8, 2009
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