I am pretty sure that for majority of our readers will scratch their heads now…who the hell is Bintang Dwinanda? Well, my friends, it’s time to discover yet another of the plethora of independent labels coming out from Indonesia. This time we will talk with the owner of Black Demon Record, whose name is…yep, that’s right, Bintang Dwinanda. Welcome aboard!
Hello, bro, thanks for your time talking about your activities! How are you doing these days?
Im very well.
To be honest, originally I’ve wanted to talk about your small label Black Demon Record, but I’d come upon so much interesting information about you, I can’t resist but just ask about your career in the music as a whole! So, if you don’t mind, can you tell us something about how did you discover and start in the underground music scene?
This is going to be a very long story, but I’ll keep it short and clear. I started my hobby in metal since 1998, at that time I was still in junior high school. I’ve been active on local stages where I live (Riau, West Sumatra). until finally having to move to West Java (Bekasi) in 2002 and start again with new people. I was active in music until 2011 and was absent for some reason. and started again in 2016 until now. During my trip there were several cities that I stopped by to fulfill invitations to metal events. and there are several bands I have released albums, both promos, EPs and full albums. Of course there were many challenges that I went through, experience brought me to the world of labels to help metal friends, some of whom find it difficult to produce something they want to achieve.
My information says you’ve started in the slamming brutal death metal band VIRAL DESECRATION. Now some info says you’are no longer with that band, the other list you still as a member. But besides the info about the “Promo 2022”, nothing much is available for the band…can you tell us more about it? Also, do you plan to continue with this band in the future?
Hahaha maybe you get news from people who don’t know me well. Viral desecration is a band that I still support until now. all need careful preparation of the concept, I’m not the type of person who writes joke songs. I really pay attention to the dynamics in the arrangement. there are some of my bands that have been released such as ANAPLASHMA (EP release), FEMINISM VIOLENCE (2 track promo release), SUSCUM (EP release), VIETNAM ROSE (12 track full album release). and several other metal bands that are still lining up on other labels (3 bands). it’s all just a matter of time, because now I’m married & have to think about other things that are more important. but my wheels keep running in the metal scene.
From playing guitar in Viral Desecration you’ve gone to bass duties in a great technical death metal band some of our readers might be familiar with, VIETNAM ROSE. First of all, why did you, as a band, choose such a name? Does it have any hidden meaning? Second…what’s the status of the band now? After the 2021 full-length album “Darkness Side”, it seems not to be very active… any plans for any new release?
Vietnam Rose (melodic deathmetal) was my first band in the metal scene in 2007 – 2011. I revived in 2016 with new members, & I was the founder of that band. actually I’m the guitar player in that band, in 2016 I wanted to focus on writing songs for V.R and I decided to become the bass player. 80% of my songs make it. I entrusted 2 guitarists to fill in beautiful and more complicated leads. but there are some leads that I fill in the music that I make in V.R. at the moment we are still looking for a manager who can take us to a better place. big stage, we already have preparation & mentally strong to go to that level. professional & certainly have more prices. Rarely are fans of this type of VR music in Indonesia, maybe because it doesn’t suit the ears of Indonesians. with us being active later, will determine the presence of the 2nd album and video clips of course.
If we want to give our readers the complete picture, we can’t skip your work also in slamming BDM bands Tebas and Feminism Violence… what’s the driving force behind starting new projects/bands and for those existing – to bring them closer to the readers – what’s the difference between them? Lyrical content? Drum work? Anything completely different?
Okay, let’s discuss Feminism Violence. this is a band that pure all the arrangements I made (midi drums, guitar, bass, leads and others). I hooked up the vocalist from the band Dissecting Flesh to start the band. There are future plans, it’s only a matter of time. for TEBAS (slamming BDM) I also make the music, and we have a contract with the label to release a full album. Drum work redrawn live in recording studio (Vietnam Rose drummer). and I am not the founder of the band. Difference? Of course [they are] different. FV slamming is complicated, while Tebas is like other bdm slamming bands. only the characters differ.
So far, your latest project seems to be a brutal death metal/goregrind band Anaplashma, with the 2022 EP “Pure Human Race Extinction” under its belt. I am pretty sure there are some fans of the genre among the readers…can you briefly introduce us to this project? How did you get together with Rifky Ardiansyah to form this project?
Yes, again this has something to do with Vietnam rose. this band had a good vibe at its time, the impact of the pandemic made us unfocused and releasing in the middle of a pandemic was sad for us in terms of release sales and others. and Anaplashma is not a new band, the label takes too much time to release it, in the Instagram post you can see the first post, that’s when Anaplashma was formed. Rifky?, yes..he is a loyal listener of Vietnam rose, he covers our songs for his Youtube channel. I am proud, and I asked him to take care of the vocals. the entire content of Anaplashma is again the result of my hard work. Rifky has full responsibility for lyrics, vocals and takes care of the band as well. we are preparing an album with pure slamming genre, just wait.
Well, I am pretty sure all these bands of yours certainly deserve to be discussed in greater length, and I am pretty sure we will return to them some day in the near future…but our main focus today is your label, Black Demon Record…therefore, let’s talk about it…when did the idea about starting your own record label come to your mind? What was the reason for it?
I started learning mixing mastering in 2018 self-taught. and starting this small label in 2021. the idea to start this label is because there is also support from friends to work on releases in the form of compilations & it is possible that one day when I am mentally & financially enough I will recruit a band for me to release in the form of a promo, Ep or album . because as we all know, to be a record label, you have to know a lot of markets and good connections, and really understand where the bands we release are marketed.
This information might be wrong…but it seems that the first release of BDR we can talk about is the compilation BLACKMETAL INVATION. I admit, I only know about 2 bands from the compilation line-up…was it aimed mostly at the local Indonesian scene, or did you share it outside Indonesia also?
For now I don’t copy much for any of the compilations I’ve released. I don’t trade outside the band, what I confirm is only the band. print as many bands as participating, only my small label dared to print a few. which is where we know printing pieces in small quantities will definitely be more expensive (under 50 copies). I also service bands that are financially strapped and want to score at least 12 copies for their promotion and the band’s expenses. I can only be a bridge for those who are still militant.
Next compilation I need to discuss with you is LOCAL HEROES INVATION volume 1… I can’t see the complete line up (which is a shame, as I am always looking out for new bands to check). How would you describe this compilation? Multi-genre, or is it dedicated to a particular genre? Also, as it is “volume 1”, are there any more volumes in the works?
Yes, there is the latest update on the list of bands that have entered but I didn’t have time to upload it because at that time it collided with the hassle of moving me from one city to another. If you want more details, you can DM one of the participating bands and ask them to show the back of the CD cover to see a list of participating bands. for vol. 2, maybe later when I’m satisfied with compilations focused on 1 genre.
Your latest project is DEATHCORE INVATION COMPILATIONS, and the title says it all, I am sure. So far it’s all about Indonesian bands – do you plan to release also bands/projects outside Indonesia?
hahaha..I don’t have much connection to foreign bands, and I’m sure they want a lot of royalties, maybe in the form of money. I’m limited with that. let’s just say I haven’t tried it and my logic is wrong. and to send out of Indonesia, of course the band must be responsible for the shipping costs. are they ready?
Indonesian underground is full of record labels, from the big, established, ones to the one-man bedroom operation – how hard is it for new labels like yours to succeed in such a competition? And what is your dream you want to accomplish by running the label?
and I’m in the order of one person in the room haha. my dream is to recruit a band with mature material, not just metal, there must be an essence that makes the band special. what is certain is that I want my label to be their target for their bands to be produced by my label.
Obviously, there are so many things a label can do…what are other plans for Black Demon Record in the near future? Any other merchandise apart from CDs?
I have thought about it, we’ll see. I hope my label can move to the next level.
I think we will agree that for underground subjects – bands, labels, distros… – the mutual support is very important. So, what bands and labels/distros from Indonesia would you recommend for our readers to check to get acquainted with the Indonesian metal scene?
I think the readers are smarter than me, there are lots of Indonesian labels that have opened up space for them to distribute their bands under different label terms.
And coming to the end of this interview – any final message for our readers?
My message is, if you are metal music listener … appreciate their work, support them by buying any of their releases. if you don’t like it, just keep quiet, your oblique comments are motivation for those who work. For metal musicians, don’t be discouraged, there are many ways to achieve your dreams. appreciate your work, because what you have achieved so far has spent quite a lot of money and time. it’s time you got it back.
