Premiere: Ensemble Tikoro ‘Tortoise’ – New Album Lands 23rd October via Jangjang Records
Enter the hypnotic, boundary-pushing world of Ensemble Tikoro as The Shaman premieres their formidable new full-length work, Tortoise, ahead of its official arrival tomorrow, 23rd October, via Jangjang Records. Rooted in the rich cultural backdrop of Bandung, West Java, the collective merges the fury of extreme metal vocals with the sacred reverence of traditional throat singing and ritual instruments like singing bowls and shaman drums. The result is a striking fusion of avant-garde sonics, contemporary classical rigour, and deep-seated healing traditions.
Capturing two distinct chapters of a performance piece, Tortoise bridges the gap between chaos and tranquillity, transitioning raw vocals into a meditative journey for the listener. This release also introduces Jangjang Records, an exciting new Indonesian-based venture spearheaded by Public Guilt founder J. R. Fritsch, dedicated to uniting underground heavy culture across global borders.
About the recording, founding member Robi Rusdiana states, ‘I dedicate this album to anyone who cares about mental health. The album explores various extended vocal techniques, ranging from extreme metal vocals to traditional throat singing, blended with the sounds of singing bowls, shaman drums, and tingsha. Although the work consists of three parts, this album contains only the second and third, the first part is reserved exclusively for live performances.
Naturally, many sonic dimensions are lost when music is translated into a recorded format, yet I hope it still invites a multiplicity of interpretations without the need for a complete or definitive understanding. There is no expectation for you to grasp or even enjoy this work in any particular way. Please listen with slow and steady breaths, find your calm, and may you always be healthy and happy!’
Now click play below and surrender to the hypnotic world of Tortoise…
More On Ensemble Tikoro & ‘Tortoise’
Newly formed Indonesia-based label Jangjang Records presents Tortoise, the new album from Ensemble Tikoro, an acapella choir of metal vocalists who create avant-garde compositions.
Jangjang – Sundanese word for ‘wing’ – was forged and launched by J. R. Fritsch, who ran Baltimore-based cult 2000s avant label Public Guilt. They released nearly three dozen titles between 2004 and 2010, including material from Dälek, Destructo Swarmbots, Aluk Todolo, Trephine, Darsombra, Cream Abdul Babar, Korperschwache, Ala Muerte, and more.
Now based in Indonesia for several years, Jangjang is a new venture which brings international titles to Indonesia for the first time – the first titles including albums from B L A C K I E, Dälek, and Mare LaMacchia – while also delivering Indonesian artists to the rest of the planet, as represented by Ensemble Tikoro.
Ensemble Tikoro (‘Throat Ensemble’ in Sundanese) are a contemporary Indonesian group that works with extended vocals, fusing extreme metal vocals (techniques from death metal, black metal, thrash metal, hardcore, punk, etc.) with throat singing and traditional instruments. The members of Ensemble Tikoro are metalheads from the Bandung, West Java underground. They play contemporary music with classical notation but also mix in traditional elements from Sundanese culture. Their music sits at the intersection of heavy metal, traditional healing rituals, and avant-garde composition.
Founded in 2012 by Robi Rusdiana, Ensemble Tikoro has more than 50 works for dance, theatre, visual art, and experimental projects. In 2021, they collaborated with the Melbourne-based modern dance company Lucy Guerin Inc. The performance saw heavy metal and traditional throat singing collide with contemporary Australian dance in an encounter that ultimately transformed them both, as the ghosts of tradition merge with music and dance to invent new mythologies for a globalized world. The group then released the album Hell Chamber in 2024 with Italian label Artetetra Records.
In 2026, Ensemble Tikoro premiered Tortoise, a performance which also includes singing bowls, shaman drums, and tingsha (Tibetan ritual cymbals), alongside the group’s extreme metal vocals and throat singing. Tortoise Part 1 is only performed in live settings, while Tortoise Part 2 and Tortoise Part 3 are captured here for the Tortoise album. Part 2 contains seven short pieces interpreting the seven chakras, using various extended vocal techniques assisted by singing bowls and shaman drums, while Part 3 includes extended vocals, singing bowls, shaman drums, and tingsha.
Ensemble Tikoro has a motto, ‘And contemporary music for all,’ a nod to Metallica’s And Justice For All.
Tortoise Tracklist:
01. Tortoise Part 2 – Root
02. Tortoise Part 2 – Sacred
03. Tortoise Part 2 – Solar Plexus
04. Tortoise Part 2 – Heart
05. Tortoise Part 2 – Throat
06. Tortoise Part 2 – Third Eye
07. Tortoise Part 2 – Crown
08. Tortoise Part 3
Ensemble Tikoro is:
Arum Dwi Hanantoro – Vocals, Singing Bowl
Ardyansah – Vocals, Singing Bowl
Handriansyah Nugraha – Vocals, Singing Bowl
Mahatma Adi Hartoko – Vocals, Tingsha
Robi Rusdiana – Vocals, Shaman Drum
Tortoise, the new album from the hypnotic, boundary-pushing world of Ensemble Tikoro, releases tomorrow, 23rd October, via Jangjang Records. Grab your copy now over on Bandcamp.
Label: Jangjang Records
Band Links: Official | Spotify | Instagram
