Autonomy (2012)
9th full-length studio album

Release Dates

Whirlwind Records, December 2012 (CD)
Kekal, December 2012 (digital)
Yes No Wave Music, June 2013 (digital)

Kekal, May 2024 (digital - remastered version)

Track Listing

1. Rare Earth Elements
2. Pandora's Empty Box
3. Go Ahead and Feel The Pain
4. Disposable Man
5. Swings of All Moods
6. Indonesanity
7. Futuride
8. Playground
9. iComa
10. Space Between Spaces
11. Learning to Love The Future
12. C/2010 X1 (2024 remastered bonus track)

Total Running Time
(original version): 58:04
(2024 remastered version): 63:46

Album Description

"Autonomy" is Kekal's 9th full-length album, and it also marks as the second Kekal album being recorded and released without official band members. The term 'autonomy' itself reflects the current state of the band; that it remains autonomous and is kept alive by getting significant contributions from its former members as a collective and/or collaborative work of art in the forms of music, artwork, and audio production.

Carefully crafted and anxiously delivered, the music on "Autonomy" can be best described as emotionally adventurous and introspective in nature. As dark as it is illuminating, this album will definitely challenge listeners to free themselves from seeing music as a mere entertainment commodity. The visual artwork and photography works depicted on CD booklet (also presented digitally upon download) complement the music, and together, they create one solid statement to evoke our subconscious minds - the wildest imaginations and visuals that oftentimes are being suppressed in a conscious level by conformity to the norms.

In 2024, after almost 12 years since the original release date of the album, "Autonomy" received the remastering treatment, using the most up-to-date M/S (mid/side) digital processing. Also, the entire music was re-tuned to 432 Hz pitch from the original 440 Hz when it was recorded. More info about the decision to re-tune to 432 Hz can be read here.

Release Notes

First pressing of CD (December 2012) is a Limited deluxe-edition double-CD with "Audible Minority" as bonus disc.

2024 Remastered Version is available only in digital formats (download and streaming), with added a bonus track "C/2010 X1" taken from the 2011 "Futuride EP" that has been deleted from discography.

Credits

Main contributors: Jeff Arwadi, Leo Setiawan and Levi Sianturi

All songs composed by Jeff Arwadi, except "Rare Earth Elements" and "Playground" by Jeff Arwadi & Leo Setiawan
Produced, mixed and mastered by Jeff Arwadi
Engineered by Jeff Arwadi & Leo Setiawan

Recording workstations:
Northern Isolation Station (Calgary, Canada) and Langit Sejuta Damai (Jakarta, Indonesia)

Photography and illustration by Levi Sianturi
Digital layout by Jeff Arwadi

As in 2012, Kekal has no official band members.

Physical Format [Sold-Out]

The first pressing of the CD format is a hand-numbered limited deluxe-edition double-CD with the 2008 album "Audible Minority" added as the bonus disc, and 16 pages full-color booklet covering both albums’ visual artwork. This version comes in a very limited copies, so once they’re sold-out, the "Autonomy" CD with then be sold only as the normal version without an extra bonus disc.

Digital Formats

(2024 Remastered Version)
Buy digital download directly from Kekal @ Bandcamp

Digital Streaming Services - coming in June 2024.

Free Download Autonomy

(2013 Original Version)
Available from Yes No Wave Music (320kbps mp3) via Archive.org

What does "Autonomy" album, as a whole, mean to you?

To me, the whole approach on "Autonomy" is an exercise in modesty.. Conceptually, the album itself celebrates and communicates simplicity in our day-to-day life, and there's nothing too symbolical about it.. It's not a theatrical form of art, it is basically the art itself; the so-called human expression..

Was there any 'challenge' or 'difficulty' in achieving some certain ideas in music you wanted to display on "Autonomy"?

With "Autonomy" I'd like to challenge myself that being simple doesn't equal to being lazy.. We need to redefine our perception and attitude to both simplicity and complexity.. I mean, in this era of digital communication and social media, it takes you much more effort in order to achieve simplicity rather than complexity.. I see more people right now can’t stand to watch DVD, or Youtube video with only 480p resolution.. They want HD.. More and more cars offer lots of fancy electronic and computerized stuff so you can be totally ‘connected’ while on the road, well, except with the road itself.. This age has gone crazier and crazier, that's why simplicity is important as a statement to balance life's complexity..

I feel that "Autonomy" has somewhat less technical approach in the structure of the songs, even though it is still rich and multi-layered, but for some listeners that think Kekal is a progressive metal/rock band may find the album a little bit simple to them. Would you agree?

Some of music enthusiasts see Kekal only from the technical side alone.. They see Kekal as 'progressive' based on the structure of the songs on albums like "1000 Thoughts of Violence" or "The Habit of Fire".. While it is fine with me, song structure doesn't represent what Kekal stands for.. If you want to describe Kekal to someone, it is important to get to know and become familiar to the basic philosophy of the band, the cultural background, and the daily life of the human contributors behind the presentation..

You recently posted on Twitter that "Autonomy" had just started being promoted, almost 1 year after it was first released on CD. We all wonder why took it so long to have it rolling?

Well, we'll have to realize that Kekal isn't considered as an important band in the music industry. It's basically just another small, non-touring, underground independent band releasing album after album. Kekal is among the least priorities in the industry. It doesn't matter with me personally, as I don't consider Kekal to be part of the music business at all. Kekal doesn't need music business in order to exist and to make statements. That's why I prefer to promote the album direct to listeners through free download. That way, it would help gaining momentum. I'd like the album to be spread under the radar, in the underground, just like an infectious disease. And eventually when the time the official promotion starts, which is yes, very very late, it wouldn't be considered as an unknown album at all.

Get the entire Kekal digital album discography (a bundle of 19 Kekal digital releases sold on Bandcamp including 13 full-length albums and 4 EPs) for only $29 USD. That's a 50% off a-la carte price.

A great way to check out the music of Kekal.

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