bosan menyesal: Wawancara dengan Sete Star Sept dan tertundanya Ear Alert Zine #2

Berikut ini suguhan pertama dari kami, deretan hasil transkrip wawancara kami dengan Sete Star Sept (Kae dan Kiyasu), dan akan segera disusul dengan suguhan-suguhan lainnya, lama dan baru, tapi segera. Sebetulnya wawancara ini akan kami ikut sertakan pada Ear Alert Zine jilid 2, yang rencananya akan diterbitkan pada perhelatan Indonesian Netaudio Festival ke-2 di Bandung. Namun adanya waktu tersapu oleh kejamnya prosedur akademis yang harus dijalani, dan kami menyesal. Oleh karena itu, karena kami bosan menyesal, kami akan tetaskan transkrip wawancara yang sudah lama kami erami ini, dengan tidak menutup kemungkinan nantinya Ear Alert Zine jilid 2 akan tetap dicetak dan disebarluaskan. Oh iya, wawancara ini sementara kami sajikan dalam bahasa Inggris, mungkin nanti ketika dicetak, akan ada versi bahasa Indonesianya. Dalam wawancara ini Kiyasu lebih banyak bicara dibandingkan Kae, karena Kae tidak mahir berbahasa Inggris. Dan kami juga tidak betul-betul mahir. Jadi, mohon maafkan segala kesalahan. Itulah adanya bahasa. Silahkan.

Kami (K) : Hey, SSS, wow when I abbreviated your name, it’s remind me to Yogyakarta’s noise-rock band named Seek Six Sick, have you ever heard about them ?

Kiyasu (K2) : Nope, never, sorry haha, it’s hard to get the information about Jogjakarta’s bands, we have the internet but there are no information in English you know, for Jogjakarta’s band.

K : You’re on tour right now, so can you tell us lil bit about your tour ?

K2 : About the Asia tour ? aaaaa, we start the tour since two weeks ago, started from Philipine, and then Thailand. And this week, we start the Indonesia tour, we’ve played in Bandung and Jakarta, and tomorrow we’re gonna do the Jogjakarta gig. And this is the first big Asia tour.

K : Is there any memorable experience from the tours ?

K2 : Hmmm, the memorable experience happened back in 2011 when we came to Jogjakarta, the bus wrecked. Then whene we arrived at Jogjakarta, we missed the show… so we want to do revenge, and it’s tomorrow. We’re on fire !!! hahaha.

K : Have you ever think to make SSS, as a political band, to put somne political ideas ?

K2 : Actually, we don’t have any political ideas, we just enjoy the noise. Yes we do make some lyrics about that, but it’s fake you know, because actually lyric have no meaning for us. It’s all about the noise.

K: So, when you write some lyrics, what kind of message that you put there ?

K2 : Many kind of message, like fuck the government, fuck the system, gore stuffs…. and…

K :Every single thing you hate maybe ?

K2 : Yes, that’s right.

K : But, can you tell me your opinion about political underground band ? You know some bands that put political messages on their lyrics. What do you think about them ?

K2 : I really don’t think about it. I don’t mind. I just enjoy the noise. As long it’s noise. Fuck off music. Fuck off everything. Fuck off everything… everything everything fuck off… just the noise… fuck off everything… destroy everything…

K : You say all about the “fuck off everything” stuffs, so I think it’s close with the idea of being free ? So what do you think about “the idea of being free” in a band, politically and musically ?

K2 : Hmm, so when we make a song, we have to make the riffs, the tempo, the parts, and compose everything. You know, for me it’s boring, so we just making noise, play and improvise it. So I want to try to make more weird music, weird noise. Unstructured. And fucking brutal, fucking noisy and just fuck everything !!! Hahaha

K : Hahaha great answer, thanks. And I’ve listened to your Visceral Tavern, your latest LP. It’s kinda remind me with the concept in “Gero Me” tapes. Kinda different concept with “Revision of Noise” for me. Because I think you made more structured condition in “Revision of Noise”. So, what I want to ask is, why do u choose this style of noisecore to play ? Because it is easier ?

K2 : Yes off course, it’s easier. I think it’s like the old-school type of hardcore music, grindcore music and metal music. But in Gero Me and Visceral Taverns, we improvise all the elements, noisecore must be more noisy, and more destructive. I wanna make more new stuffs, more new music. Extremely fast, very intense. Yeah.

K : Yeah yeah, I think the difference between Visceral Tavern and Gero Me is the production of the sound. I think Gero Me is more on bad production and Visceral Tavern is more on good/clean production. So, which do you prefer ?

K2 : Both of them. Some of the album we wanna make more bad quality. But Visceral tavern is more on clean sound, I try to balance all of them. Some of them very bad, some of them very bad. We need balance you know. Maybe, I don’t know, the next album we’re gonna make very bad sounds, very bad quality, we can use cheap tape recorder, more cheap sound, like “sksksksksksksksksksks”, yeah, we always plan it all the time. We need balance. That’s the reason.

K : And I’ve seen some of your releases artwork is being drawn by Shintaro Kago, do you guys often hang out together ? Why do you choose him to done the artworks ?

K2 : Yeah, but not often hanged out together with him, just one of my friend is a friend of Shintaro Kago, so I ask him to draw us for the “Gero Me” album, and he said Ok. And we discuss the concept on email, we didn’t meet each other actually. I told him the concept of the album, the title, and I then I tell him the concept of the artwork. And then he do the cover. And you know, Shintaro Kagos’ artwork is very ‘noise’, I feel very similar, nothing but very good, like noise, like our music. So i really fond of Shintaro Kago.

K : And also, I’ve seen Eddy from Argot ever contributed artworks for SSS. Have you guys checked his noise project ? What do you think about Indonesian noise/experimental scene ?

K2 : Yes, I’ve checked his noise project, one of my favourite noise project from Indonesia. And Indonesian noise/experimental scene I think it’s getting big. In Japan there are a lot of noise musician, I think Indonesian noise/experimental scene have the same passion like 90s era if noise/music in Japan, that’s why I like Indonesian noise projects. And I really need more information about Indonesian noise/experimental scene.

K : Okay, I’ll give you the information afther this. So, next question…. you know AKB48 and the 48 Family right ?

K2 : Yes. Yes we know them.

K : Do you enjoy or liking them (idols) ?

K2 : I don’t really know about idol actually, you know, i normally don’t listen to idols.

Kae (K3) : You know, but old japanesse idol, all of them is very special girls. All the idols.

K: So not only from the Kawaii side right ? But Kiyasu, don't you enjoy their Kawaiiness ? Even you’re not listening to their songs haha.

K2 : It’s not special in Japan, kawaii things is not special in Japan. So if you go to Japan you can find any kawaii girl on the street. It’s not only about idol. People put make ups, dress up, and then they become Kawaii. But off course, I like Kawaii girl. Why not ? hahahaha

K : Hahahaha, so I wanna tell you that the idol things from Japan, it have a great impact for the boys in the Indonesian underground-diy-indie scene. Is the same happen in Japan ?

K2 : Yes yes yessss, a lot of them. Many of them, still do the underground activities, while they liking the idols.

K : Thanks for the information! hahaha So next question, Since this is a netlabel zine interview, what do you think about freeing your stuffs on the internet ? It haves impate right, financially and socially.

K2 : I don’t really care about it, if you like the music, you can use it. We make noises you know. I don’t really care about finance or anything. We just focus to make the noises. I don’t care if my album not sold out or anything, I just want to keep playing. But, you know, I want so sell them CDs, because it’s more real, more physical, and I have to keep touring, so I need the money you know. I‘m making money for the tour, from the cds. But on the internet, I can’t really control it, very hard to control it. So I don’t really care about it, if people download it. That’s okay, because you know, we can’t control it.

K : So, which do you prefer let them get it free, or make them pay for the releases ?

K2 : Hmmm.. I prefer get paid, off course, because you know I have to get the money for funding the band, to keep the band alive. But that’s okay if they’re download it…. No… Not okay actually… you know what it means.

K : Do your band's income could give you life ? I mean do they helped you out to pay the bills ?

K2 : Yes, it can be. But I think, it’s very hard to do it. You know, if we go back to Japan, we make money from part-time jobs. But if I able to make money from music, I’ll do it.

K : Yes, it would be great if we can get income from our hobbies. Then, how you able to keep grinding while you have to pay the bills ?

K2 : Well, it’s depend on the destination of our tour, in US and Europe we got the money from the shows. And sometimes we loose the money for transportation and accommodation. But when I go back to Japan again, I make some money again by doing the part-time jobs. That’s why we releasae a lot of CDs, and also merchandises, because we really need it for the tour. Try to keep grinding. But because grindcore/noise music is small things, is hard to get money from it.

K : Yes yes, good answers man. So, last question, what’s your deepest desire from ur heart for your own country and the underground scene there ? Any message for our readers ?

K2 : Hmm, I hope, I able to keep making noises and playing drums. I want the scene stay alive. In Japan there are a lot of good noise project, also in the 90s, like Merzbow and other noise artist. But nowadays, it’s not a lot anymore. They give up to keep the music, they leave the music. I want the scene just keep growing up. And for the readers, just don’t give up for playing the music and for future. Because many people in Japan give up the music and choose to live normal, doing works and stuffs.

K3 : I want the underground music like grindcore or noisecore getting more big. And the message from me is… you know my Sete Star Sept vocals like “Kyaarghh” “Oghhh” “Egghhh”, I want all the audiences in the show, screaming together with me, from the bottom of their heart. Singing together “aaarrrghhhh”.

K : Yeah yeah yeah, heart of noise haha. Great answer from you guys, thanks a lot, and good luck for the tour. And.. sayonara~

K2 : Yes haha, sayonara.

K3 : Terima kasih!! :D