It was 12 o’clock on a sunny afternoon, I was looking for an address in the Keputran area, Surabaya. After tracing on some alley and asking for direction, a bare-chested little boy guides me into a house with a unique front, painted white with a door-without any window. The door itself is quite uncommon, it has no handle, only a unique wiring that serves as a doorbell. Just a moment after I rang the bell, the host open the door himself and then greeted me with a bright and energetic smile. Entering the house, the air is clement, even though there are a lot of antique products on the corner of the rooms. One of the antique product is a Steinmeyer piano with a stack of a composition book that has the host’s name on the cover, it says, “Composition by Slamet Abdul Sjukur”.

Once dubbed as the founding father of contemporary Indonesian music, Slamet Abdul Sjukur already shared countless of transcendental music composition. His unconventional approach to composing music is an epiphany to music, not only to the local scene but also to the world. The abundant number of awards from around the world is the definite prove of his contribution.

That afternoon, we talked about how he perceive music, where he reveal a new insight on the definition of music, “Music is not the matter of just human creativity, and it’s how we perceive the sound of the universe, so that the sound of the universe has a deeper meaning than just a sound. To me, that’s what music is. Many people consider thunder and heavy rain as something that just passes by. For me, that kind of moment is also a music because of its pressure and accent. That’s music for people who really cares about music. No matter how people play a musical instrument, if it doesn’t connect with the listeners, then for me it’s not music at all.”

With all of his experience and wisdom, Slamet Abdul Sjukur continue to keep his dedication and love for music until his very last day. His brilliant mind, modest presence, and cheerful attitude will be sorely missed.

Rest in Peace, Slamet Abdul Sjukur.