KELAKAR is an Indonesian band. In Indonesian, ‘kelakar’ means joke. The band name clearly shows their musical direction; in which people may not take them seriously; concerning their musical direction – or people can be entertained just as they watch a stand-up comedy in a heavy music context. The sensation of hearing their music and watching their performance will suggest the-“are you serious ?!” response but yet at the same time feeling entertained in a bizarrely funny way. Kelakar was formed in the late 2014, with an idea to produce heavy music that is different; compared to the typical mainstream metal bands. It began when ‘r (the pseudo-name of Reynold Silalahi) the band’s pianist and main songwriter – received an offer from Tony Prabowo, the curator from Komunitas Salihara, a reputable art community in Jakarta to perform in their annual Jazz Buzz event at their own Salihara Black Box Theater. ‘r used this moment to respond with offering to perform with band line-up, instead of performing as a solo pianist. He recruited his comrades; Didi Priyadi on vocal and guitar, Wisnu Adrian on synthesizer and Bistok Simangunsong on drums. So, on February 2015, on that event they also launched their first album “Mari Kita Mulai !!” – released on their own DIY label apaLo Records. In early 2016, they added Mattheus Aditirtono on bass to enrich their sound spectrum in the low register. KELAKAR’s musical concept is avant-garde/experimental metal; combining various musical genres with the combination of various synthesizer’s sound, with heavy distorted guitar, walking bass and different kinds of drum patters, from swing, bossanova, straight 8th beat pop, and the metallic grinding, thrashing and blast beat drumming. The fusion of these forms of music is offered with absurd, multi-interpretations and spiritual themes. Even though Kelakar took some reference from the bands/artists that take that direction such as : Fantomas, Naked City, Mr Bungle, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, or from those who aren’t alike such as : AMQA, Frans Lizst, Napalm Death, and Indonesian music legends such as : Benyamin S, Rinto Harahap, Papa T Bob, etc… They confidently claim that there is nothing similar to what they are doing, in the other way around, they claim that KELAKAR cannot be judged as an imitator of anybody. After their 2015 first record, they have been actively perform at various Jakarta’s local music scene. In 2016, they finished recording their follow up materials, as the album entitled “The Colonel”. For some, Kelakar’s music maybe exhausting to be listened to; but the band always say that everyone should give it a try, since the compositions are short in duration. Each tracks is so condensed, with all the music and sounds mixed and stirred together, with heavy intensity but it is telling the ‘joke’ rapidly and quickly ended. Listening to their songs will give you that unique entertaining sensation that you cannot find from any other bands.