R.I.P. Zbigniew Karkowski

So days ago i received this terrible news from a friend that Zbigniew Karkowski, died of pancratic cancer in Peru at the age of 55.

Zbigniew Karkowski, was an international experimental musician and composer. He's from Poland but lived in Tokyo, Japan for the last 15 years (!?).

Back in 2011, a friend from Yogyakarta, Andreas contacted me to arrange a show in Jakarta for Zbigniew Karkowski, this is the first time i've heard of him. So i googled Zbigniew Karkowski and found really interesting information about him. Zbigniew emailed me and asked "some nice and cheap hotel/hostal in jakarta where he can stay" and i recommend him to stay at Jalan Jaksa. lol (he later told me that the hotel room in jaksa is shit because there are lots of mosquito there, and i replied him with "really?" then he answered "but it's ok, i can stay there" probably because he doesn't want to upset me who recommend that place haha). I took him to some places in Jakarta, he likes Kedai Disto grilled fish.

MINDZAPP #1 was the first noise gig i've ever organized, the event was held in Bara Futsal Basement (usually used for art space). There were lot of echoes in that place but i don't care since it is a noise gig anyway lol.

        Zbigniew Karkowski at MINDZAPP #1 in 2011                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                      

Zbigniew seems to enjoy the show, he liked terror/incognita and Mati Gabah Jasus, since both of them are using analog instruments to make noises, Zbigniew himself used a Powerbook G4 and a Max MSP software to make sounds. The funny thing is, he doesn't want me (who introduced him before the performance) to promote his name by namedropping things like "Zbigniew Karkowski made some collaboration albums with Merzbow", he told me to stop. I interviewed him for my upcoming documentary (haven't release until now, and my producer accidently deleted his interview scene, crap). 

Days later he went to Yogyakarta to meet Andreas, he was having this skin disease after staying at Jaksa for a few days (I feel bad about it though, sorry). And he used a cheap economic train class to go there (when i said cheap, i mean a really cheap and 12-hour long ride from jakarta to yogyakarta because the train always stops in every station, sorry again zbig). Once he got there, Andreas took him to hospital because the disease is gettin' worse.

In 2012, i went to Japan several times and met him at Ikebukuro, he offered me to play some gigs there  but i can't (since i was there for business trip, but fuckkk, guilty connector were also playing!). He told me to bring some dji sam soe cigarette and chili sauce from Indonesia. He was a chili sauce enthusiast, collecting some chili sauce from around the world. I gave him sambal bu rudy and he told me that sambal bu rudy was good, but it's not spicy enough, the most spicy sauce he ever tried was from Thailand. The last time i met him was in August.

I went to Japan again in late 2012 but i didn't tell him that i came, because it was just for a short business trip and i was too lazy preparing 234 cigarettes and spicy sauce. I think Zbigniew has this some kind of sixth sense (haha!), he emailed me days later he said that 

"how are you doing? and when will you be back to tokyo?"
"i kind of had a feeling that you were somewhere near......"

and he told me that he's interested to come to Jakarta again in January, but i was busy back then so i decided to ignore his email (sorry).

Again, i went to Japan in April 2013 and didn't tell him. What a dick. A month later Zbigniew emailed me again, asking if i can organize shows for him in Indonesia this September. I replied his email but i he didn't reply my email. HE MIGHT HAVE REPLIED MY EMAIL BUT MY EMAIL PROVIDER (LAVABIT.COM!) GOT SUSPENDED BY US GOVERNMENT IN AUGUST.

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone" - Joni Mitchell

I'm sorry that i let you stay at Jalan Jaksa (you were right, jaksa cheap hotel sucks).
I'm sorry that i didn't reply your email last year.
I'm sorry that i didn't let you know about my visit to Japan (3 times!).
I'm sorry that i didn't arrange your subrosa compilation, but indra menus did it anyway.
I'm sorry that i fail to gave you 234 cigarette and the most spicy sauce ever for the last time.
Thank you for treating me breakfasts in Japan.
Rest In Peace Zbigniew Karkowski, it was an honour to meet you in person. 

thank you.

for flying me to japan 7 times.
also for flying me to malaysia, thailand, singapore, yogyakarta, banjarmasin, bali, and medan.
for making me see some famous no.1 idol group moments in japan.
for making the deadlines look easy.
for making me go to that stupid mall for almost 7 times a week.
for the female perspectives.
for making my life less-boring.
for 2 years of experience.
good luck with the new generation.
bye.

*above is my last video about these girls, uploaded on their official youtube, shot and edited by me. testing my new cinema camera lol.