Julian Abraham, who also goes by ‘Togar’ is a cross-disciplinary artist, musician, programer, and self-proclaimed “pseudo-scientist” based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His practice interrogates his surrounding systems, which allow for his artistic, engineering, and activistic interests to manifest within his music, performances, and installations.For Sounds Like, Togar responded to Infrasonica’s second editorial line, Audible Matter with three sound pieces under the collective title Malapetaka. Malapetaka is a Malay word that translates to calamity, misfortune, or disaster. It can be human or planetary, personal or general but it always signifies destruction. Hearing that title and its definition, one would expect to find a series of grave, severe sounds culminating in a reflection of the word’s meaning. Instead, we’re left with an intensely evocative set of rhythms, chimes, and chants that coalesce into something otherworldly and entirely human. Is it an ominous prediction in itself or might it be charting a new course towards resilience? How does being aware of the potential for calamity alter our approach to the future?

In the last set of episodes of the audio show Sounds Like, Julian is joined by Infrasonica’s Editor in Chief, Pablo José Ramírez in diving into the experience of sound and community in Yogyakarta, leading to the understanding of the concept of Malapetaka.

→ Listen to Sounds Like | Julian Abraham ‘Togar’ | Episode 7