Slank | |
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clockwise below left: Ridho, Bimbim, Kaka, Abdee, Ivanka
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Background information | |
Origin | Jakarta, Indonesia |
Genres | Hard Rock, Blues |
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | Slank, Virgo Ramayana, Megaforce, MRI Associated Labels |
Associated acts | BIP, Ahmad Band, Kidnap Katrina |
Website | www |
Members |
Bimo Setiawan Almachzumi (Bimbim) Akhadi Wira Satriaji (Kaka) Ivan Kurniawan Arifin (Ivanka) Abdee Negara (Abdee) Mohammad Ridwan Hafiedz (Ridho) |
Past members |
Bongky Marcel (Bongky) Indra Chandra Setiadi (Indra) Parlin Burman (Pay) Reynold |
Slank is the biggest Indonesian rock band. It was founded in 1983 by teenagers in an alley street in Jakarta called Gang Potlot.
Bimo Setiawan Almachzumi (Bimbim) created Cikini Stone Complex in the early 1980s. The band only covered Rolling Stones songs. In 1983 the band broke up.
Accompanied by his colleagues Denny and Erwan, Bimbim created the band Red Devil. For the guitarist Bimbim brought in Bongky. In December 1983 they changed their band name to Slank because they looked selengean (rebellious or unruly).
The group's initial lineup consisted of Kaka (vocals), Pay (guitars), Bongky (bass), Indra Qadarsih (keyboards), and Bimbim (drums). Their first album, Suit suit...hehehe, was not released till 1990. From there, more albums, most of them commercially successful, followed, but Slank was plagued by a number of defections, some involving personal issues, others having to do with internal tensions based around creative decisions. The negativity was overcome, and over the next 20 years, Slank was able to increase their profile, tour the world and maintain commercial success. In 2007, Slank released their 20th album, Slow But Sure.
Suit suit...hehehe (1991) was an enormous hit. Their subsequent success inspired the formation of other bands, such as Dewa.
Their first three albums, awarded by BASF Indonesia as The Best Selling Albums on BASF tapes and the fourth album Generasi Biru went multi-platinum, with several songs making in into Indonesia's top charts.
Slank became the first MTV Indonesia icon in 2005.
Since its inception, Slank's band members have changed frequently. Reasons have ranged from drug use and woman to money and differences in musical styles. The best line up of the band were Kaka (vocals), Bimbim (Drum), Pay (Guitar), Bongky (Bass) and Indra (Keyboard). In 2007, Slank released the new album, "Slow But Sure"; the album's first single "Slalu Begitu" was played heavily on Indonesian radio stations.