An Interview prior to our last gig @ Baybeats Festival 2009, taken from: http://www.singaporekopitiam.sg/index.php?option=com_articles&cat=3&task=read&id=34

hellochris have some of the gig pictures in here

Having conquered Britain, Indonesian three-piece Homogenic are setting their collective sights on a former British colony: Singapore. The trio tells more about preparing for Baybeats 2009 plus what’s in for upcoming album number 3.

by Sharyl Lidzan, 13 Aug 2009

Homogenic was formed in 2002 while Risa Saraswati and Deena Dellyana were attending the same high school. Realizing they had similar musical aspirations and talent, Deena coaxed Risa to write tunes of their adolescence at that point in time. Authenticity appears to be the primary hallmark of the trio: Like true musical purists, the band has not performed any covers while playing live since its formation, preferring instead to stick with their own compositions.

Performer Information

Catch Homogenic Live at Baybeats, Arena Stage Friday, 28 August 2009 Between 9.00pm – 9.30pm.

http://www.baybeats.com.sg/

In the beginning, Homogenic took a minimalist approach to their song-writing. Equipped only with a keyboard, they were initially able to write several songs, with Risa delivering the vocals and Dina providing the melodies and song arrangement.

Over time, the band’s evolution in song-style and lyrical approach became manifested in their beautiful compositions with pop and electronic influences. In addition to the soft and smooth vocals, their grooves created new atmospheres for listeners to bask in.

Kopitiam Team (KT): What is the origin of your band name? Have you changed the band’s name before?

Homogenic: The word Homogenic was taken from one of (Icelandic singer) Bjork’s albums, because we are big fans of Bjork and her music. Right up till now, Homogenic has become some fort of a band philosophy for us, as it imples something singular, which reflects the homogeneity of our vision and the way we approach our music.

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KT: Please list the name, age, school, and respective instrument of each band member.
Name: Deena Dellyana
Age: 25
Instruments: Synths, keyboards, programming, vocals, guitars

Name: Risa Saraswati
Age: 24
Vocals

Name: Grahadea Kusuf
Age: 26
Instruments: Synths, sequencing, programming

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KT: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

Homogenic: The major components in our music are electronic and pop. It is essentially pop that is accompanied by electronic, or, electronic – pop. Our biggest influences are, Fariz RM, Pure Saturday, Mocca, Bjork, The Cure, Schneider TM, The Whitest Boy Alive, M83, Telefon Tel Aviv, Koop, Saint Etienne, Lady Tron, Massive Attack, and Club 8.

For Risa, as a vocalist, she has been largely influenced by local musicians and their singing techniques, while in terms of international artistes; she is into Beth Gibbons, Kate Bush and Heather Nova.

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KT: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

Homogenic: We’ve been together for more than 7 years. Dina and Risa has been friends since junior high, and Grahadea joined Homogenic in 2002 during the production of our debut album “Epic Symphony”.

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KT: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

Homogenic: The band was formed in 2002 by Dina and Risa. We had agreed to produce electronic music as it gives us the ability to produce it well with just three members. At that moment, we shared a similar vision to form a band that is unique and unconventional in Bandung. That said, boredom was the first cause as to why we formed the band because we never had the experience of forming and being in a “band” per se and we never shared similar visions when we were in other bands.

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KT: What made you choose the instruments you play?

Homogenic: It is a familiar story, of a guitarist falling in love with his first guitar. We have long nurtured our love for synthensizers and it is the music-tool we use to compose Homogenic’s music.

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KT: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues?

Homogenic: We have been opening acts for several international artistes like Telefon Tel Aviv, Club 8, and Sondre Lerche. We have also undertaken tours of several English cities to promote our albums.

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KT: Apart from Baybeats, do you have any upcoming shows?

Homogenic: After Baybeats, we will be focusing on launching of our third album which will hopefully be released at the end of this year. Other than that, just small showcases together with our album’s pre-launch.

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KT: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

Homogenic: Our song entitled Utopia, a song that has received a lot of radio play in Indonesia and which is still on the charts in Indonesia. And from the same album Echoes of the Universe,there is another song that we remixed and made it our own, that is the song “Trust” originally done by The Cure. This song has received positive response from our fans all around the world which we came to know through the hits garnered for out videos at Youtube.

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KT: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

Homogenic: Deena writes most of our songs, and the central themes for two of our albums are mainly emotional outpouring as well as fiction. It will be similar for our third album, however the mood will be a more bright and cheery one compared to the previous ones that were darker.

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KT: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

Homogenic: Mood is the most important factor for us, and it can be from doing anything; from drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, reading, watching movies, sitting in front of our computers. Most of the songwriting processes are done by Deena, then sent by e-mail to Grahadea for final arrangement and mixing. Risa then helps with revising the lyrics before recording, and usually followed by practice for our live gigs.

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KT: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

Homogenic: For jamming and rehearsal sessions it is usually more spontaneous, but the first thing that we are concerned with is concept and our schedules are tailored around that particular concept.

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KT: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Homogenic: We have evolved and undergone huge transformations over the years, but there is a silver lining in that cloud of change, in that it keeps our music alive and heard which adds to them being uniquely “homogenic”. Since the first time Homogenic came into existence till today, we have made progress in terms of reference and tools as well as the software we used to make our music.

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KT: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Homogenic: The usual internal band conflicts, nevertheless, we have been able to keep an open mind with things like these, and these are also the things that make Homogenic to be in existence till today.

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KT: What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

Homogenic: Market penetration. We wish for people to like our music and also to convey our emotions through our music. About fame and fortune will come naturally as long as we are consistant in playing and creating music to the best of our abilities.

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KT: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Homogenic: Be original, work with the right people, be consistent, and innovate.

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KT: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

Homogenic: For our music, videos and updates please click on the following links below.

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOMOGENIC/38612690983
• http://www.myspace.com/homogenic
• http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=homogenic+indonesia
• http://www.homogenicworld.com

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KT: Any last words?
Homogenic: Watch Homogenic on baybeats 2009. Support your local and regional artists :D

Discography – All albums by Homogenic

Epic Symphony (2002) Echoes Of The Universe (2006)