Indonesian band Bottlesmoker on their melodic muse

Indonesian band Bottlesmoker talk about their music and how ancient practices inspire them

“Our first concert was during the pandemic and our audience were houseplants,” says Angkuy K. Even as you think he is joking, he continues, “In keeping with regulations, people left their potted plants at the venue and went home. We got positive feedback from many people after the event.”

Angkuy is one half of Bottlesmoker, an electronic music band from Indonesia, with Nobie Adzani. The duo met in 2006 when they were studying broadcasting, a course that familiarised them with music for television, radio and movies.

Today, they are known for their music created using biofeedback from Nature and were in India to participate at the Echoes of Earth music festival. Though they were a band for close to two decades, Angkuy and Nobie found their “earth sound” before the pandemic.

“We had collected many empty bottles when working on a project in 2008; one of them had smoke curling out of a cigarette inside. That is the story behind our name.”

Angkuy says the first phase of their musical journey began in 2008 and went on until 2015. “At the time we were using toys to make music — game boards, toy pianos, and glockenspiels.” After their first concert abroad in Malaysia in 2009, Bottlesmoker have been touring every year.

Indonesian band Bottlesmoker in an early concert using toys | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement