Interview with Latif of Infitar
According to your interview
at Arte Mortifica Reviews you at first designed art as a hobby but then decided
to do so professionally. How did you and Frank
Garcia aka Arte Mortifica begin corresponding?
Because
my love is so in the arts, I was able to make my brain instantly think to
create something that works and can be enjoyed by everyone, and as a way to
vent my feelings. I met Frank and started conversing with him on Facebook.
What personal feelings are
you seeking to express through your art?
I
feel a very pleasant thing when my brain is filled with an imagination that
surrounds the brain and my mind. In the end I combine all that I think, and
it's the most fun when the results look good and meaningful.
Were there artists that
inspired you \when you were younger?
Not
yet. Until this moment what inspires me is just a mother, because I wish for my
mother to be happy if one day my future goals can be achieved to be a great
artist worldwide.
You are currently a graphic
design student at STDI. How long have you been attending? Before attending were
you designing with traditional tools or computers? How prominent is STDI and
how many students go there each year?
I
took S1 and I've just reached five semesters. I designed with both of them,
using a computer since I was fifteen years old. I started drawing in my
childhood and it's been my hobby ever since then. STDI is known well enough in
my country. The students are so creative and productive and their works are
known to many. The special design students reach 250 annually.
What kind of classes have
you taken at STDI since you enrolled? How much insight into the history of art
have you gotten from your classes? Has the education you have been receiving
there proven beneficial this far?
I
entered the Department of Visual Communication Design. I have gained a lot of
insight into the history of art. Often I fall asleep when the lecture starts,
haha. It is very influential and useful for me. I not only learned the process
of work but I got an insight into the history of art. Not only that, the whole
management and organization in the creative industries is critical to achieving
my career that I currently pursue, and all that I get on this campus.
Is Human Creative a business
you formed independently? How long has it existed and how well known is it
becoming?
I
am working with a team, and as a leader and an art instructor in this
organization. Not all the members have more experience in the creative
industry, and I have to give instructions and directions to them. That's why I
gave it the name Human Creative. It’s for the creative and productive human.
Human Creative is still relatively new since it was founded late in 2012. I
previously worked in the company Outcast which was established in 2010 when I
was still attending school. In my own country not many people know Human
Creative. Many of my clients come from outside the country. So in essence, I do
not just want to be famous in my own country but I have the ambition to be able
to go international.
What were the reasons you stopped
working with Outcast?
There
are some people who would like to join my company. At first I worked in Outcast
with some individuals, and finally I decided to work with a team and receive
people who want to join. From there I changed the name to "Human Creative"
which sounded more formal for the company.
How many people are members
of Human Creative? How can people join if interested? From what countries are
your clients from and how did they hear of Human Creative?
Of
the current members who are still active, there are only eight people. If
you’re interested in visiting our office, please contact me for more info.
People from Ecuador, Romania, Spain, America, etc. know Human Creative from its
Facebook page. I invited many friends to join, probably quite a lot. I don’t
know how many because I reject some bands or companies who would like to
request my services, due to work and college.
Has Human Creative been
featured in local magazines? Which publications have recently featured articles
on it?
There’s
not much publicity in my own country. Basically I don’t pursue fame in my
country. I am more eager to get contacts out there, because I want to be known
worldwide.
Name some of the bands that
approached you to have art designed for them, how they established contact with
you, and if they were satisfied with your work?
I
don’t remember a lot of bands who have approached me; there are too many. They
know my Facebook profile, or they can look at my work from a variety of bands
that have booked my artwork. If they are satisfied, they will return to me to
order.
Is your work for Human
Creative available for viewing on Facebook? How many of your pieces can be seen
there?
You
can check it here, please go to
facebook.com/pages/Human-Creative/159752360758759. There may be five to eight
pieces. I have not had time to post my latest works.
How active is the Indonesian
metal underground? I understand you are in a band at present? How early on did
you develop an interest in being a musician? Who are some of the bands that
inspired you to become a musician? What bands are inspiring you these days?
Indonesia
has become the largest underground community in Asia. Besides being an artist,
I became a musician with a band called Infitar. It was still fairly recent. I
started playing guitar at fifteen years. In 2010 I began to form my death metal
band. I am interested in playing death metal music because for me it’s quite
difficult and challenging. I have enough adrenaline to play it. The following
is a clip released in 2012 (Kebusukan Moral Sang). This is a new single (Merely Grow Then Die). I was inspired by Death, Suffocation, Deicide, Vader,
Unleashed, Decapitated, The Faceless, etc. To this day the bands that make my
day so bright and vibrant are The Faceless and Decapitated.
How long have you been
listening to death metal? What about Death, Suffocation, Deicide, Vader,
Unleashed, Decapitated and The Faceless inspired you and how did listening to
them help you develop your own style as a guitarist?
I’ve
listened to death metal since I was in high school. It felt different from all
others and so challenging to play. Those bands were inspiring to me. All of the
death metal scene certainly appreciates them, because their struggle brought
this music into style now. No doubt, without them death metal probably would
not exist today. They are the pioneers of it all. Death metal musicians are
already required to appreciate their struggles. I can listen to a death metal
composition and they become role models for my work. In the modern era we try
to combine our musical compositions. The Faceless’ music is so beautiful with
stunning harmonization, and I am captivated.
Name specific songs by your
favorite bands and explain why they speak to you so strongly?
I
really liked most of The Decapitated and Faceless. I can find in their music
harmony and swing that’s so melodious. This is intriguing, with the chords and
a variety of signatures the music and arrangements are so perfect. They have
been able to make me interested in choosing them as my role models. You can
listen to The Decapitated’s song "The Knife" and The Faceless’s song
"Autotheism" parts 2 and 3 and you definitely will be blown away.
Describe the death metal
scene in Indonesia. How many active bands and venues are around these days?
I
can’t explain it all at length because it would take a long time. Indonesia in
essence is one of Asia's largest underground communities. Events here are
dense, large and filled by local bands. The bands here I can’t mention one by
one; there are so many. The events we hold in many regions are easy to access
and happen in various cities. One is in the city where I live, Bogor City. Here
I can find bands able to visit my city such as Disgorge and Gorgasm from the
USA. They feel strongly delighted to be given an opportunity to play here.
Indonesia has a very high enthusiasm for the underground
How soon after you started
Infitar did you find musicians to work with you? List all the releases the band
currently has out and indicate when they were released?
To
get other musicians to work together with me was not so long. I have a friend
with the same taste in music, Death Metal. When I was hanging out with my
friends we talked about music and shared experiences, then decided to form a
Death Metal band. In 2011 we released our demo "Baptism From Fake
Culture" and in early 2012 I successfully released the EP
"Disappointment Of Paragraph" with four tracks. Then in mid-2012 I
issued a new demo "The Lord Of Moral Decay". The musical composition
was pretty good. We immediately released a clip of the demo. As time went by
our dissatisfaction continued to spur us to produce great work. We try to
combine it with a progressive style of music although we were in the learning
stage but our confidence was high. Finally we produced our latest single
"Merely Grow Then Die" in early 2013. The song was enough to give a
positive impact and we got a lot of support from a variety of scenes out there.
Comments that I have heard were that it was enough to captivate the audience.
We will release “Rotation Of The Sun” in 2015, This album is impressive to me;
we cannot explain it too much because we are still secretive, so that when the
time comes it will be an especially pleasant surprise.
Did Infitar produce the
videos for Kebusukan Moral Sang Penguasa and Merely Grow Then Die
independently? How many people in Indonesia and elsewhere viewed them since
their release? Do you work with professional producers to record demos and full
length albums, or is the recording and production process likewise independent?
I
did that independently. That’s all that I do with our members and a little help
from our association of friends. For the moment we just reached 461 people who
have seen the video on our Youtube account. For now I have not been working
with manufacturers recording, but I don’t rule out the possibility for the
future.
What are Infitar’s most
significant lyrical influences? Who in the band writes your song lyrics?
For
our lyrics we were inspired by human life. They are written about reality and
we tell the bad side of human beings; cruelty and destruction in accordance
within the rigors of Death Metal music. The playable bits are fast and we are
creating harmonies in our compositions. The author of the lyrics is our drummer
Cenk. He is the perpetrator of the concepts and insights and is able to package
a lyric perfectly. We discuss the concept of the lyrics together.
Does Infitar record at a
rented studio or do you have a studio of your own?
For
the demo promo we did it in our own studio. Our guitarist Ridho has a
minimalist record company as a side income, Gubuckgore Records. We do the same
with recording and compiling it.
How long has Ridho headed
Gubuckgore Records and how renowned is the label in Indonesia? Are any other
bands currently signed to this label? Where can Gubuckgore Records be found on
the internet?
It
was not so long. He started it all in 2012, since we have been trying to move
the demo with the results of the recording quality. It happened when we were
learning to master a characteristic of our music, and it all happened so fast.
With this knowledge it is easier for us to develop a concept that is so good,
because it can all be done with the maximum possibility to become well-known.
It's not so much known by many people; only bands around our city. But it is
possible because the results are good for beginners as our scale. Gubuckgore as
a record company just handles the band to record demos or albums. You can go to
the Facebook page here facebook.com/StandardHighRecords.
Did you get to meet Disgorge
and Gorgasm when they visited your city?
I
met with them all. Every time there was a band from out of town visiting me I
would meet them and provide the facilities I have. Although they’re not so
complete they’re pretty good. Diego Soria the bass player of Disgorge was very
supportive of Infitar.
Can you name some of the
metal festivals where Infitar has performed? And some of the bands you
performed with?
I only did limited
performances in my country. I have not had a chance to be able to fly out of
the country to do a show. Maybe in the future if I had the chance
I would do it immediately. Here I just performed with several local bands. I
have never experienced a show with a foreign band.
Name some of the local bands
Infitar has performed with? How well do you get along with them?
I
once did a show together with my friends, the death metal band Cytotec, the
brutal death metal band Fold, the black metal band Voldemort, the goregrind
band Stretting Blood and the brutal death metal band Expendiency. I always get
together with them and we support each other.
What foreign bands would you
most like to perform with, either in Indonesia or abroad?
Of
course, I was dreaming to be able to play the stage with Suffocation, Vader and
Deicide.
Are you currently seeking a
bigger underground label to release your material? How many labels have you
contacted so far?
I'm
looking for a label to release our first album "Rotation Of The Sun".
To date there may be five to seven labels that have contacted me and want to
make a covenant with Infitar.
Of the labels that have
contacted you to release your debut album, which of them seem most promising to
the band?
Until
now I have not gotten serious offers from the labels. I have not responded
seriously because I'm focused on the material on this album. Maybe I will
respond when all my work with the band has been resolved properly
When your upcoming album is
released, how much do you intend to promote it on the internet?
I
really hope it can be done as much as possible, because the internet is
currently the most developed media, so I have to maximize it very well in order
to present a good impact for the album.
Are you planning to film
promotional videos for any of the songs appearing on your new full length?
I
will make a video for one of our songs from "Rotation Of The Sun" but
I have not chosen which song. Wait until the time comes, and it will be a
surprise for you all.
If Rotation Of The Sun is
well received, what does the band plan as far as future releases and live
performances go? In what countries outside Indonesia would you most like to
play in the next year or so?
I
will launch in my town and make a promo tour in various cities in Indonesia.
After that I will try to tour in many different countries; my ambition is to be
able to tour in a wide variety of continents. One country where I want to do a
show is America.
-Dave Wolff
