ARCHIVE

apè aliermo from VenusFest in Toronto interviews sound artist Rani Jambak. Jambak’s music is influenced by the many traditions and musical cultures that can be found in Minangkabau and her birthplace in Medan, Indonesia.  In the last 5 years her main focus has been to re-interpret in musical form Minangkabau philosophy and ancestral knowledge which includes creating her instrument based on a traditional water wheel with a series of wooden pestles, the Kincia Aia.

The beginning and end of the episode includes excerpts from Jambak's 2022 performance Malenong (M)ASO. In the performance the sound samples are being manipulated and controlled by the Kincia Aia. In the conversation we will learn more about that instrument and the cultural roots and environmental concerns that drive Jembak’s work.

Jambak’s music is influenced by the many traditions and musical cultures that can be found in Minangkabau and her birthplace in Medan, Indonesia. Medan is a unique city as it has 8 original ethnic groups which makes it very rich in sound diversity. In the last 5 years her main focus has been to re-interpret in musical form Minangkabau philosophy and ancestral knowledge. Starting from learning the culture and history through its sounds, to creating instruments like the Kincia Aia, and from understanding history through Tambo Alam Minangkabau, a manuscript about the origin of Minangkabau from the early 19th century.

The interview was recorded prior to a tour to various Ontario and Québec venues taking place in the last two weeks of September, 2025. In the middle of this episode the track Joget Sumatera is heard from Rani Jambak's album Vibra Genetika on the Yes No Wave label.

Making Waves is a monthly one hour program about radio art and sound art is produced by New Adventures in Sound Art's Artistic Director Darren Copeland in South River, Ontario, Canada. The show features Canadian, US, and international artists creating sound-based media art. It focuses on the techniques, processes, and motivations of the artists it features as well as individuals supporting the field through dissemination and curatorial activities. The show is a snapshot of what is happening in sound-based media art in the here and now from a northern perspective.