Self-titled cassette (PUBLIC EYESORE EH?134) of percussion and vocal sounds by Saudara Tua is well outside of my sphere of knowledge; it’s a mix of Indian traditional music and Indonesian music, played by Rahul Jigyasu and Aldo Ahmad. I think I can see how it overlaps with curator Bryan Day’s interests, since Aldo Ahmad builds their own instruments, and he’s also a percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and sound artist, with an understanding of Sumatran traditional music as well as a grounding in Western classical music. Plus, he’s the main percussion man for the Bandung Philharmonic Orchestra.
The music here is 100% improvised, was recorded in Bandung, and came out of Rahul’s “exploration” into the worlds of Indonesian music. I’m quite prepared to believe the press blurb which describes this release as “cross-cultural music”, and I like the title which translates into “Elder Sibling”, reflecting on the musical lineage which these gifted players are honouring – both here and in the track called ‘Voices From Ancestors’. But the actual music seems a bit unfinished and uncertain to these ears, rarely sparking into life, failing to reach a satisfactory conclusion. I must be missing something. (25/11/2025)