Biography
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Years Active
2002 – present (22 years)
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Founded In
Bandung, Jawa Barat, Jawa, Indonesia
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Members
- Amandia Syachridar (2010 – present)
- Dina Dellyana (2002 – present)
- Grahadea Kusuf (2003 – present)
- Juang Iqbal (2002 – 2003)
- Risa Saraswati (2002 – 2009)
Homogenic was formed in Bandung, Indonesia in 2002 by Dina Dellyana (synths, programming), Sarasvati (vocals) and Grahadea Kusuf (synths, programming). The name itself was inspired by their highschool hero; the world’s foremost Icelandic musician Björk, without trying to resemble her style or music.
Signing with FFWD Records in 2004, through debut album Epic Symphony they formulized a mixture of trip-hop and downbeat electronica with angelic vocals in the midst of Indonesia's rising electronic dance music scene and rave acts. In 2006, Homogenic continued their musical exploration on Echoes of The Universe, in which the dark ambience of their previous work became lighter, marking the beginning of an electronic pop influence in their music.
Along their musical journey, "Kekal", "Mindless", "Unfolding Sympathy" and other songs from Homogenic’s two albums were featured on the original soundtrack of the indie movie Cin(T)a. This movie marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between Homogenic and writer/director Sammaria Simanjuntak which would continue to other projects, and the movie’s promotional roadshow across the UK enabled Homogenic to perform live in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester.
After a long hiatus in which some internal issues were dealt with, in 2010 Homogenic finally reemerged with Amandia Syachridar replacing Risa Saraswati as lead vocalist, as well as shifting to a full-band format. These dramatic changes brought new color to their music, leading to the creation of sweet electronic tunes with mass appeal without losing its cutting edge. Released by FFWD Records in 2010, Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom was a transitional process for Homogenic, in which their eclecticism came to life in a hail of lush melodies, playful instruments and stuttering beats.
In 2012, Homogenic once again collaborated with Sammaria Simanjuntak on the film Demi Ucok, for which they contributed its music score, along with original songs and reimaginings of older material that would be released by UNKL347 as the album Let's Talk. “Get Up and Go”, the upbeat, disco-ish first single on this album was also featured along with new music from other prominent Indonesian indie acts on Organic Records’ compilation Radio Killed the TV Star. Second single “Takkan Berhenti Disini”, a liquid drum ‘n bass-inspired slow jam, gained rave responses from Indonesian junglist and drum ‘n bass scenes. Despite its Indonesian lyrics, the song managed to sweep three main awards at the Voice Independent Music Awards (VIMA) 2013, landing the Best Electronic Dance Song, Best Electro Dance Act dan Thank You for Existing Awards.
To date, they have shared stages alongside with the biggest names in Indonesian music as well as international acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Club 8, The Radio Dept., The Whitest Boy Alive, Jens Lekman, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Naughty by Nature, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and Telefon Tel Aviv at major festivals including Java Soulnation, Java Soundsfair and Ismaya's Love Garage in Indonesia, and Esplanade's Mosaic Music Festival and Baybeats Festival in Singapore.
And now Homogenic return with “Today and Forever”, the first fruit of an intensive creative process that saw many potential songs discarded in search of the very best. Besides marking the next phase in Homogenic’s ongoing evolution and maturity, it also begins a surprising and innovative release process that will gradually be unveiled over the coming months. After almost 13 years in existence, just like one of their previous songs suggests, Homogenic show no signs of stopping.
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