Home / Features / Featured / Post Punk Duo SUKATANI Forced To Apologize To Police For Song About Police Corruption

Post Punk Duo SUKATANI Forced To Apologize To Police For Song About Police Corruption

By on February 21, 2025

This is bananas…huge thank you to the following person who sent in a full breakdown of what has taken place in Indonesia yesterday.

Indonesia’s music scene is facing yet another dark point. SUKATANI, a synth punk/post punk band from Purbalingga, Central Java was held by the police and forced to clarify one of their protest songs.

A brief profile from their record label’s bandcamp DUGTRAX:

“Duo Sukatani comes from Purbalingga, Central Java. They are active in grassroots social and environmental movements. Their commitment can be seen in the lyrics of their songs from the album “Gelap Gempita”, written in a straightforward and sharp manner in the Banyumasan dialect. Amidst the prevalence of hip-hop, folk, hardcore punk and indie rock music in activism in Indonesia, Sukatani plays post-punk music with a strong New Wave sensibility. Gothic-Rock’s dark tones blend in with New Romantic melodies and joyful Synth-Pop. A unique mixture that reminds us of Le Tigre, Kathleen Hannah’s punk dance unit (Bikini Kills).

This is related to the phenomenon of cross-genre musical tastes within the youth political movement in Indonesia. The fierce masculine nature began to go hand in hand with the feminine popular culture, such as the emergence of K-pop dance in mass actions. The dance floor is no longer isolated within the hedonic space; it now also occupies the protest arena. Protest is the right of all people, irrespective of their various tastes, attitudes, and classes, as well as gender.

Besides voicing disgust over system failure and power imbalance, Sukatani also reminds us of how important these voices are when channeled through tendrils of popular art, which are amplified in the grassroots domain. Let’s rock and sing to celebrate the vote of no confidence in the political decisions of the capitalist rulers!”

Actually before the video of Sukatani’s clarification, they already have been under surveillance by the authorities since their show in Hellprint Fest.

They even got followed, one of the members even got forcibly dismissed from his place of work. The one who got dismissed was a teacher, fired from the school under the pressure of the authority through a written letter from the authorities.

They even got followed by undercover officers. As reported by Serayu News, Sukatani’s crew Dilan revealed that the band was stopped when they were about to cross from Bali to Banyuwangi, on their way home.

There they are forced to make clarification video, stripped of their anonymity and forced to apologize for their BAYAR, BAYAR, BAYAR song (translated Bribe, Bribe, Bribe relating to the police corruption).

Shortly after the news of the intimidation spread, Dilan provided an update that Sukatani personnel were safe and had not been arrested.

“The only update is that they are now safe, there was no arrest, and on their way home. I myself too scared to ask about the chronology,” Dilan added.

Sukatani also stated that the song has been removed from all digital platforms, and asked the public to delete any recordings or uploads that are still circulating on the internet.

Despite having apologized to the Chief of Police, many parties have voiced their support for Sukatani. The hashtag #WeStandForSukatani appeared on various social media, accompanied by messages of solidarity from all elements.

Go support the band: https://www.instagram.com/sukatani.band/

UniteAsia.org is an underground Asian music news website created for the sole purpose of supporting our own world. We support all bands and genres HOWEVER we do not support nor have any sympathy for homophobic, racist, sexist rhetoric in lyrical content or band material. UNITE ASIA!
Related Items