This article is the 2nd part of 3 series interviews from kultur with Wirastomo Hizbul Wathon aka Wiro, a guitar player from Indonesia instrumental Ska outfit, Sentimental Moods. Apart from being a guitar player and a producer for this band, Wiro is known as one of the active scenesters in ISC (Indonesian Ska Connection). A melting pot for Indonesian Ska scenester. Wiro told the story of ISC to us.
– Wiro is known as an active figure in the collective like JSF/Skartefak (Jakarta Ska Foundation). Recently, you are with ISC (Indonesian Ska Connection). What’s the difference between those collective?
The Jakarta Ska Foundation started in 2015 with its initial idea of the program, called ‘Skartefak’, an effort which was trying to archive SKA documentation in Indonesia, and educational workshops about the history of ska and the music itself. ‘Skartefak’ came in multi format. ‘Skartefak Workshop’ & ‘Skartefak Gigs’. That time, has been running 3 times. Collaborated with our own homegrown crew until teamed up with @america (the cultural center of the United States located on the floor 3 Pacific Place, SCBD, Jakarta), a really cool place. In the 3rd workshop we discussed the 3rd wave ska which started in America, so each workshop represented each SKA movement according to its historical status.
In the midst of these movement by JSF, Shaggy Dog (who was about to attend the 2016 SXSW (South By South Wales) in Texas, America) invited JSF and Sentimental Moods to
participated in their program which was held at the Rolling Stones Cafe (Jakarta). This then led to inviting another member of the community and forum all over the country. They joined and supported by sending short testimonial videos. Somehow, this act turned out to be the trigger of the birth of ISC (Indonesia SKA Connection)
Also in that time frame, The Mobsters (Solo) got an invitation to perform in Bogor. Aan (The Mobster’s singer and the pioneer of Rubebois SKA Foundation Solo) came to my home, at that time Ade Surya (a pioneer from Semarang Ska Foundation – Semarang) also came back to stay in Bekasi. Three of us gathered, that’s when the concept of the Indonesia SKA Connection was discussed deeper, which later gave birth to ISC in Tawangmangu Solo, May 2016.
Furthermore, the results of the meeting from many community forums from several cities in the country (even from Batam and Makassar were there) brings a discourse, yes, like the idea that someday ISC will be able to make a national scale event. Then it speeds up organically. White Cat Liars (Bandung) initiated by Sir Iyai has presented it at the Mari Berdanska event. MLG SKA (Malang) also regularly holds national events, as well as Semarang SKA Foundation, they organized the international events instead.
Meanwhile, the JSF is actually being asked by ISC to execute this idea, especially after JSF was able to hold a festival at Ancol 2017, called Jakarta Ska Fest even though this only covers Jabodetabek region.
And the assumption that JSF is able to accommodate the national event turns out to be a big ‘homework’, Jakarta with all the dynamics of its scene makes the scenesters and the supporters have difficulty with this idea, the distance and timing are the most crucial things. After the festival, JSF began to vacuum and almost did not carry out any activities, as a result through 2016-2019 Indonesia SKA Connection was present only in the form of hashtags on social media and whatsapp groups (WAG).
– How important is the role of this collective in Indonesian ska scene? Do we really need this kind of collective to go forward?
ISC was reactivated again after the discussion on that WAG in 2020. Previously, Aan “Haircut” (an Oi! Band from Bandung), Utay (from Warriors and The End) and me, collaborated with almost every Skinhead Punk and Rude Boy crew in the country.
We tried to make a social movement in the form of ‘Bundling Merchandise’ whose profits were donated refer to this pandemic effect. We did campaign it through the Skinandpunkid Instagram account, around 140 Skinhead Punk bands and Rude Boy almost all over the countries involved in this movement, although it was very tactical but it was impossible to represent all the bands in the Skinhead Punk and Rude Boy scene in this country.
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So, then I thought about splitting the concept of this donation, especially because there are already lots of and more community forums from the SKA scene. I started proposing to all JSF members to change our own social media account into ‘Indonesia Ska Connection’, luckily, all the boys approved my proposal.
And the initial movement of ISC (after reactivating the ISC WAG by inviting all representatives from the ska community forum in Indonesia) was to collaborate with Kitabisa.com, ISC dia a campaign to support our friend Hafis Cikal the trombonist of Jakarta’s ska unit; Everybody. He was hospitalized because of stage IV brain cancer.
The campaign which started on 11 August 2020 was considered successful (within 20 daily funds of around 30 million) but it turned out that God had another plan, Hafis died on August 31, 2020.
In this uncertainty because of this pandemic, most of us are indeed affected. But everyone from our scene can still reach out and help others, this donation movement may be one of the best forms of social collective acts that we can do together.
– Can you share the thought behind the ISC?
ISC just like the name, it’s about a connection, connectivity. Could also mean networking. Connect everyone, not just between our own scene, that’s possible to synergize with other music scenes. Furthermore, I believe that a domino effect will occur. Instead of building an intercity network, ISC got positive feedback and extended its international connection. In August 2020, Latin American based SKA community called Asian SKA Community invites lots of Indonesian talent to perform on their own online-streaming SKA Festival. Not just on one show, they bring more talents on the second series.
– How has the ISC moved so far? What kind of movement from ISC in the near future that we can look forward to?
ISC will release merchandise, ones that come with a design to portray each one of us from the scene. The bands and also lots of community platforms between us. This will be our source of funds for documenting our own history. Maybe a book, video or both of them.
Last December, ISC held a “warming up” session from the live stream series “Indonesia SKArnaval 2021”. A concept from ISC which will be fully held in May. This program is an alternative step of performance to accommodate all musical outfits in ISC, which will also be equipped with interactive features such as a coaching clinic with a music community outside the ska scene.
Furthermore, ISC will team up with Jump Up! Records (Chicago,US) to release a compilation and split album with members of ISC, which is curated by ISC itself. This will feature the band who made their work all through 2020. Whether it’s a singel, EP, LP, or just music videos.
– What are the highlights from Wiro about the ska scene in Indonesia from the 1990s to now?
We should agree and give lots of respect about the dynamic in the scene about being Idealist as part of the comprehension and the maturity. We should believe that. United we stand, move together and make what we believe become something meaningful for our next ones.
Indonesia Ska Connection Wants You to join the movement …
(Sam)
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