BugJet Inteview with Jeff Arwadi, Kekal Mastermind was done in Bahasa Indonesia and translated freely by BugJet Editor in English.

BACKGROUND

1. Band2 influence siapa aja. sejauh mana pengaruh mereka terhadap style Kekal.

[Who’s influencing Kekal and how far they’re going through?]

Style Kekal selalu berkembang sejalan dgn waktu, demikian juga musik yg meng-influence kami. Waktu Kekal terbentuk th. 1995, influence kami adalah band-band extreme metal 80-an, seperti Bathory, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Sodom, Death, dll. Lalu kami mulai terinfluence dengan bands spt Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Trouble, Judas Priest, Helloween. Sekarang saya bisa katakan bahwa 80% influence Kekal adalah band dan musisi di luar metal, seperti Rush, King Crimson, Camel, Massive Attack, Cocteau Twins, Gary Moore, Chick Corea, dll.

[Kekal's style always grows by the time, so does Kekal's inspired music. When we established in 1995, extreme 80ies bands such as Bathory, Celtic, Frost/Hellhammer, Sodom, and Death became our inspiration. Next we got in tune to Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Trouble, Judas Priest, Helloween. I can say now that 80% of Kekal influence comes from foreign bands and musicians like Rush, King Crimson, Camel, Massive Attack, Cocteau Twins, Gary Moore, Chick Corea, etc]

2. Gig yang paling berkesan dimana kapan dan mengapa. gig yg paling buruk dimana kapan dan mengapa.

[Tell us your best and worst gig, when, where and why]

Yang paling berkesan mungkin di klub Hedon di kota Zwolle, Belanda. Hari terakhir dari mini-tur Eropa kami bulan Maret 2004 lalu. Selain pengelola klubnya yang sangat professional, sound-nya juga sangat bagus, sangat cocok dengan sound-profile Kekal. Jadi Audience bisa menangkap energi musik yang kami bawakan. Untuk gig buruk, well.. Sejauh ini nggak ada gig yang buruk untuk Kekal.. Kami mungkin bermain tidak terlalu baik pada beberapa shows, tapi kami selalu memberikan 100% energi kami pada setiap gig.

[Most impressive gig we’ve done in Hedon Club, in Zwolle, Holland. That was the last day of our European Mini Tour held in March 2004. The club management was behaving professionally and the sound system quality was so great. It precisely boasted the most out of Kekal sound profile so the audiences have optimally captured our music energy we’re playing. Worst gig so far none. We might not playing at our best in a few shows but we always giving 100% of our energy in every gig]

3. Currently listening to (band/album)? All time favorite (band/album)?

My playlist saat ini: [My current playlist:]

N.E.R.D. "Fly or Die"

MASSIVE ATTACK "Mezzanine"

MASSIVE ATTACK "100th Window"

THE POLICE "Synchronicity"

ARMAGEDDON HOLOCAUST "Nekrofonik"

JUDAS PRIEST "Defenders of The Faith"

Saya nggak punya all-time favorite album..

[I don’t have all time favorite albums to vote]

SONGWRITING

1. Dibanding album 1000 Thoughts, adakah yg membedakan dengan album baru nanti?

[Any differences (Musical style, technique, skill, quality improvement etc) between the album you’re working on and the last album, "1000 Thoughts.."?]

Album baru kami memiliki cukup banyak perbedaan yang signifikan dibandingkan dengan "1000 Thoughts of Violence", jelas karena berbeda, agak sulit bagi kami untuk secara rinci membandingkan atau meng-compare materi album ini dengan "1000 Thoughts...".. Mungkin lebih baik mendengarkannya secara langung, jadi bisa lebih merasakan perbedaannya..

[Lots of differences. It’s a bit difficult to explain in details how does it differ with "1000 Thoughts..". You better check for yourself to feel them]

2. darimana ide2 untuk menuliskan lagu didapat?

[Where are the ideas coming from to write the song?]

Dari pengalaman kehidupan.. Apa yang kami pikirkan, rasakan, dan kami yakini dalam kehidupan ini..

[From life experiences. What we think, feel and believe in this life]

3. bagaimana proses terciptanya suatu lagu dari suatu ide/inspirasi?

[Can you tell us how’s a sparking idea processed to became a song?]

Di Kekal, nggak pernah ada suatu proses penciptaan lagu yang sifatnya baku atau mengikuti suatu 'jalan' tertentu.. Tiap lagu berbeda-beda prosesnya, juga lama waktu dari proses itu..

[There’s no such standard creation processing of a song in Kekal. There’s no one special way to write a song. Every song varies in term of process and period of creation]

METAL SCENES

1. Metal scenes di Jakarta menurut Kekal?

[Your opinion about metal scenes in Jakarta?]

Great..

2. Opini Kekal tentang major label death metal: Purgatory, Betrayer dan Burgerkill?

[Your opinion regarding major label death metal: Purgatory, Betrayer and Burgerkill?]

Saya belum sempat mendengarkan album2 mereka, jadi belum bisa kasih komentar.. Sorry..

[I don’t have a chance yet to listen to them so I couldn’t say anything. Sorry.]

DAILY LIFE

Interest band member diluar Kekal band?

[Any interests outside the band?]

Saya kerja, cari duit untuk makan.. Dan karena saya sudah berkeluarga, jadi saya harus kerja keras setiap hari-nya, karena nggak mungkin bisa mencukupi untuk hidup hanya dari band extreme metal yang idealis seperti Kekal, kecuali kami main di band pop komersil.. Jadi hampir nggak punya waktu luang untuk hal-hal seperti hobby dan interests lainnya.. Musik ini merupakan hobby sekaligus instrumen aktualisasi diri.. :)

[I work to earn cash and support the life. I'm raising a family so I have to work hard everyday since it is impossible for the idealist extreme metal band like Kekal pays the bills for the whole family needs sufficiently, except by playing pop commercial style band. Therefore I don’t have leisure time to pursue other hobby or other interest. Music itself is my hobby and a media to actualize/express myself. :)]

PRODUCTION

1. Instrument apa aja (brand/type) yg dipakai untuk abum baru ini? (gitar, bass, effect, cabinet, outboard racks, drums, percussion, dll)

[Production wise, what gear brand/type you used in the upcoming new album?]

Sorry nih, kami nggak bisa memberi tahu brand instrumen kami.. Karena kami nggak di-endorse atau disponsori oleh produsen instrumen musik tersebut.. Saya hanya bisa sebutkan bahwa kami memakai gitar 6 dan 7 strings, dan amp-simulator/amp-modeling..

Amp-simulator ini adalah solusi yang efektif untuk menekan efisiensi budget rekaman, soalnya kami menginginkan beberapa setting dari amplifiers yang berbeda, dan karena dana yang terbatas, kami nggak mungkin membeli atau menyewa beberapa amp gitar sekaligus..

[Sorry we couldn’t tell what the brands are. We’re not endorsed by any instrument manufacturer. What I could say is we’re using 6 and 7-string guitar with amp simulator/modeling. Amp Simulator is effective solution to suppress recording budget since we want few different amplifier setting and we couldn’t afford to buy or rent all the real amps we need]

2. Tuning gitar di album baru? (Standard E, drop D, C sharp, C, B, A etc).

[Guitar wise, what tuning employed in new album?]

E dan B.. Dalam satu lagu kami ada yang memakai gitar dengan tuning berbeda.. Untuk tuning B, ada yang dari 6-string yang di down-tuned, dan ada juga yang dari 7-string yang merupakan extension dari standar tuning 6-string.. Tuning gitar yang berbeda ini dibutuhkan untuk harmonisasi tertentu, dan juga untuk pemakaian chord-chord yang nggak lazim.. Bass memakai standar 5-string..

[E and B. For each song we could use different tunings (Standard B, we achieved from down-tuned 6-string and from 7-string Standard) to get particular harmonization and for unique/uncommon chordal passages. Bass is Standard 5-string]

3. ada kendala teknis/non-teknis selama proses produksi? (sesi studio, mood, kelengkapan alat, kesiapan member, dll)

[Do you face any technical/non-technical boundaries during production process?]

Untuk album terbaru kami, segalanya berjalan lancar, karena kami rekaman di home-studio saya sendiri Vision Studio.. Jadi rekaman bisa dilakukan kapan saja.. Kebanyakan sesi rekaman dilakukan pada malam hari atau pada hari libur..

[For this new album, everything went fine because we do the session in my own home studio, Vision Studio, so "takes" can be performed anytime we want. Most of them did in night or holidays]

3. ada teknik kusus untuk proses tracking, mixing dan mastering?

(misalnya bloking gitar berapa layer, teknik miking gitar dan bass, kombinasi pedal effect, penggunaan exciter/enhancer/maximizer, sampler/synth, drum replacer, dll)

[Any special techniques you’re using for tracking, mixing and mastering?]

Jelas ada teknik tertentu dalam proses rekaman sampai mixing (untuk mastering Kekal, tidak dikerjakan oleh saya).. Untuk album terbaru ini, kami menggunakan rata-rata antara 30 - 45 tracks dalam satu lagu, dan bebarapa diantaranya adalah kombinasi output dari beberapa sound yang dihasilkan dari satu source, misalnya satu gitar yang memakai gabungan dari 2 atau 3 jenis amps dan cabinet yang berbeda.. Dan karena kami menggunakan proses rekaman digital di komputer, banyaknya track dan penggunaan effect processor bukan merupakan masalah.. Thanks to digital amp-modelling technology..

[Sure we do have them for tracking until mixing process (for mastering we hire special mastering engineer). For new album, each song averaged 30-45 tracks; some of them obtained from single instrument captured into different sound tracks. For instance, one guitar feeds 2 or 3 amp and cabinet models to mix. Thanks to digital amp model technology and computer recording, using huge arrays of tracks and effect processors for aforementioned techniques raise no problem at all]

4. siapa yg akan jadi label album nantinya. Kapan kira2 release?

[What label going to press this on? When it due?]

Saya belum bisa memberi kepastian untuk yg ini.. Yang pastinya album baru kami akan dirilis antara awal sampai pertengahan tahun 2005..

[Not sure yet. But we plan to release it between first and medio 2005]

5. opini Kekal, kenapa kualitas produksi indie label kurang bagus, alatnya atau operatornya?

[Why indie label production quality usually below standard, the man or the tool's problem?]

Operatornya..

[The man behind the tool].

6. BugJet editors said, album 1000 thoughts bagus kualitas rekamannya. Cuman sayang, sound bass nya kurang terdefinisi dan

tipis. menurut Kekal?

[we think your"1000 Thoughts.." is great in term of production quality except for the bass sound, is a bit lack of definition and thin. Your comment?]

Memang itu merupakan profil sound Kekal secara keseluruhan.. Kalau anda dengar semua album Kekal dari yang pertama sampai "1000 Thoughts..." kami mengikuti profile seperti itu.. Saya kurang setuju kalau dikatakan sound bass-nya kurang terdefinisi, karena itulah definisi sound bass untuk Kekal.. Mungkin lebih pas dikatakan bahwa sound bass bukan merupakan sesuatu yang dominan di musik Kekal..

[That is our sound profile as a whole Kekal character. If you listen to all Kekal album from the beginning until "1000 Thoughts.." we constantly follow this profile. I don’t agree if the bass is said to be lack of definition because that is the bass definition that Kekal intended to be. That is Kekal’s bass sound profile. In other words, the bass sound here is not a dominant part in Kekal music as a whole]

LAST WORDS

ada yg ingin disampaikan untuk para metalhead tanah air?

[Last words you want to say to all metalheads around]

Hello..!! Please visit Kekal Website at: http://www.kekal.cjb.net

Untuk semuanya yang telah men-support Kekal.. Thanks a lot..!!

Mungkin di bulan September atau Oktober 2004, kami akan merilis free-dowloadable single dari album terbaru Kekal pada website kami..

[To all people who are supporting Kekal, Thanks a lot. We plan to release free downloadable single from new album around Septermber-October 2004 in our website.]

Thanks for interview..

[Your welcome Jeff and Azhar and good luck wish you the best in the future! BJ-Editors]

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KEKAL c/o: Jeff, P.O. Box 1496, JKB 11014,

Jakarta, INDONESIA

Web: http://www.kekal.cjb.net

E-mail: kekalmetal at yahoo dot com

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Comments

test comment using SEF Written by uzex on 2004-08-09 07:17:06 test comment using SEF

Hi Jeff Written by FroG on 2004-12-08 05:21:14 Tks ya Jeff dah anterin sendiri CD yg gw pesen he..3x.

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