💡 03. Introducing Lintang Radittya
Lintang Radittya is an accomplished Indonesian synthesizer builder, instrument maker, and noise artist. He often incorporates traditional Javanese and Balinese art forms into his projects.
Lintang Radittya: About the Artist
Lintang Radittya was born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and is an accomplished synthesizer builder, instrument maker, and noise artist. He often incorporates traditional Javanese and Balinese art forms into his projects, such as wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) and gamelan (percussive ensemble music). Radittya also parallels the complexity and intricacy of gamelan and Javanese culture to frequencies and noise. He has collaborated with gamelan masters and geologists in exploring the history of Yogyakarta, which is both his hometown and “the Capital of Noise Music.” Radittya also hosts the Yogyakarta Synth Ensemble, which is an open project that encourages musical collaboration and experimentation amongst synthesizer artists in the area.
Associated Terms: Java-Futurism, Javanoise, Sonic Activism
Contacts: Find Radittya on his Instagram :)
Project Spotlight: Javanoise Bagong wayang puppet synthesizer
Around 2017, Radittya began experimenting with an optically controlled synthesizer inspired by the Javanese and Balinese art form of wayang kulit. Like a wayang puppet, the flexible “limbs” of the synthesizer can be moved using control rods, which seems to help generate changes in pitch. The material of the synthesizer is also translucent, mimicking the effects of water buffalo hide.
Lintang Radittya’s demonstration of his Javanoise Bagong wayang puppet synthesizer, as shot by David Novak and posted onto YouTube ⬇️
Thoughts: Personal Reflections and Connections
While researching about Radittya, I experience some friction with translation and access. All of Radittya’s Instagram posts were written in Indonesian, and at first, there did not seem to be a lot of official material on him available online, except for scant profiles. However, with further digging, I realized that there are actually a lot of lengthy, scholarly features on Radittya, especially in context of the D.I.Y. noise and synth culture in Central Java, technological access, and Javanese philosophy. Researching into this topic was certainly a whole rollercoaster of emotions.
I also knew next to nothing regarding synthesizers or electronic music, for that matter. In fact, what I did recognize in Radittya’s practice was wayang kulit and gamelan. I had taken a course on East Asian Puppetry and Performance, and I remember learning about Indonesian shadow theatre in class, specifically its representation of Javanese and Balinese cosmology. In his interview with Danny Martin, Radittya underscored this idea of Java not as a tribe, rather as a philosophy. For him, this way of thinking translates to the layered logic of noise, with synthesizer production creating a sonic parallel to traditional Javanese art forms. Radittya coins this framework of noise production as “Javanoise,” and he has also collaborated with academics/artists (such as Lunt University in Sweden) on refining the practice of “Java Futurism.”
Radittya’s philosophy is extremely intriguing and unique, challenging me to think outside of Western conventions. I really appreciate getting to read about his perspective through this project. All in all, similar to my experience with Kongkee and his use of Chinese ritual bronzes, it was illuminating to see these cultural crafts revived by contemporary Asian artists.
Resources and Further Readings 📖
This entry is just a simple introduction to Lintang Radittya and his body of work. If you are interested in exploring his process, practice, and philosophy in greater depth, I have gathered below a little index of resources that I found very informative. I have also starred sources that were exceptionally in-depth and enlightening.
- More about Radittya:
- ⭐ Danny Martin’s interview with Lintang Radittya for Insitu Recordings:
- Zacharias Szumer’s interview with Lintang Radittya for Cyclic Defrost
- ⭐ Seismograf’s in-depth feature on the growing D.I.Y. noise scene in Central Java:
- Lund University Project on Java-Futurism featuring Radittya:
- Orpheus Institut’s article on Global Electronic Soundmaking featuring Radittya:
- Check out Radittya’s project Derau on Youtube or Bandcamp:
Photographs of Radittya’s wayang inspired synthesizers, as posted on his Instagram ⬇️