Gabber Modus Operandi began on a punk event "Bergerak Bersama" (Moving Together) in Denpasar, Bali, the event was organised by Denpasar Collective in 2017. The performance happened because of a snag.
Gabber Modus Operandi by Gabber Modus OperandiYes No Wave Music
The psy-trance group that was once called Puximax initiated by Ican Harem and Kazuya almost did not make to perform because Kazuya couldn't make it to the event last minute, Ican Harem then asked Kasimyn (a DJ) to replace Kazuya.
Gabber Modus Operandi (2020) by Denny Novikar Nasution and Gabber Modus OperandiYes No Wave Music
All the files that were supposed to be performed weren't there. The impromptu duo then played whatever music files on the CDJ and decided to play them on an extreme speed above 200 bpm.
That performance experience brought Kasimyn and Ican Harem together and made them inspired to create their own music with the new found style. They imagined high speed electronic music with local cultural perspectives, a highly energized and transcendental performance like local traditional performance called Jathilan. Jathilan is a long duration local Javanese traditional performance which usually ends with state of trance. Experimental music from the band Senyawa from Yogyakarta also became their reference in creating music that isn't adhering to mere exoticism of tradition. They also have particular interest in local suburban pop culture like music convoys on large trucks that loads high powered sound system over streets of East Java, strange people behaviour that spreads on social media to critiques in appropriation of Western culture in indie music scene in Indonesia.
Kasimyn (left) and Ican Harem (right) at Soft Centre Festival, 2019
In 2018 the duo have created several songs that mixes hardcore techno, metal, punk, noise, dangdut, jathilan and various traditional music from Indonesia. They then use the name Gabber Modus Operandi, a pun from a group of multimedia and performance artists from Yogyakarta in the 90s Geber Modus Operandi.
Their old name was used in their debut album "Puxxximaxxx" released in September 2018 free to download under a label called Yes No Wave Music.
Two months after the album's released, the group is invited to perform at Nusasonic fstival in Yogyakarta on October 11 2018 which then leads them to perform abroad for the very first time at CTM Festival in Berlin on February 1 2019. The performance brought Gabber Modus Operandi to world's electronic music scene.
Together with experimental electronic music label from Shanghai SVBKVLT, Gabber Modus Operandi releases their second album HOXXXYA on 16 August 2019 with the cover designed by contemporary artist Tianzhuo Chen.
The album received a lot of praise from their fans and media both in Indonesia and internationally. They then pursue a tour to many countries including Inkonst Malmo, Sweden, Unsound in Poland and Switzerland, Pantropical, the Netherlands and Portugal, Neighbours Collective, Thailand, Nusasonic in Singapore and the Phillipines, Soft Center in Australia, Dark Mofo in Tasmania, China and Japan to Nyege-nyege Festival in Uganda. In 2020 throughout the pandemic they collaborated in many remixes and singles together with musicians and international music labels.
At the Re:Imagine festival they collaborated with animator Rimbawan Gerilya and choreographer Siko Setyanto to develop music video animation with 45 minute duration. In 2021, they will be performing at Primavera in Barcelona.
Written by Wok The Rock
