Strange Weather Dunia: The Experimental Collective Launches Record Label With Indonesia’s Wahono

Indonesian artist Wahono fronts the debut release of Strange Weather Dunia (Credit: Courtesy of Strange Weather)

You can’t predict the weather sometimes, and that’s a truth that fits within the unorthodox methodology of this left-field collective. Jolting the scene like a lightning strike, the Strange Weather crew has been galvanising to say the least with their mould-shattering momentum, redefining the norm of floor-friendly electronic music in an ever-evolving ecosystem.

Since their arrival, the Strange Weather collective have proven themselves to be forward-thinking trend-benders as event promoters, sonically uncompromising and multi-disciplinary in format. Despite being fiercely experimental in temperament, the Strange Weather sound has taken off both locally and regionally, amassing industry attention and community adoration that’ve been factors in their ascent to their latest frontier.

Strange Weather gigs have always been something out of the ordinary (Credit: Courtesy of Strange Weather)

(Credit: Courtesy of Strange Weather)

Strange Weather Dunia is the name of this advanced form, cementing the collective’s augmented influence in the Southeast Asian region. And aside from their forte in running events, Strange Weather Dunia’s role is now also that of a record label, providing a shelter and launchpad for regional artists aligned with their avant-garde nature. One such producer who’s surfacing as the debutant of Strange Weather Dunia is Indonesia’s Wahono with his new EP, Hawa Hina Dina.

Eccentrically described as a “visceral meditation on decay and renewal in play with impressions of the metaphysical”, Wahono’s EP toys with samples of daily activities like azan subuh dawn prayers and traditional folk instruments from the Eastern Sumba region, altered and reconfigured amidst electronic alchemy. “Daun Hitam” is an ominous yet beguiling crawl, heavy beneath its industrial anatomy. While “Tawa Tawa” is straight-up audial hypnotism with cavey percussions and glitchy chirps and cackles. And if you sought something with a semblance of a 4/4 rhythm, “Isi 10” provides this with its minimally constructed complexity, punctuated with haunting wails and sparse synthwork. Granted, it’s all a little strange. But surely you expected nothing less?

Listen to Hawa Hina Dina by Wahono on Bandcamp. Follow Strange Weather on socials for more information. Check out our interview feature with Strange Weather.