Rama Parwata is a Melbourne based musician, composer, curator, and sound artist who has a distinguished reputation for his audacious and technical aural explorations in sound, texture and rhythm on the drum-kit, drawing influence from Jazz, Extreme Metal, and Gamelan music from his Balinese and Indonesian heritage.
Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne in 2016, Rama has become a considerably active figure in Melbourne’s underground Metal, Experimental, Punk and Jazz scenes and he has been at the very forefront of Melbourne’s underground music scene both as a performer and a curator.
In 2021, Rama released his sonically experimental debut solo album, Tekanan, on Cassauna / Important Records. Rama is currently working on his sophomore solo album.
In 2021, Rama co-founded the experimental Metal/Gamelan outfit Rinuwat with Karina Utomo and Mike Deslandes of High Tension fame. Their debut album, Dua Naga, was released in late 2021 on Heavy Machinery Records to critical acclaim, including a nomination for ‘Best Heavy Work’ at the 2022 Music Victoria Awards . Rinuwat performed for the first time to a sold-out audience at 2022’s Dark Mofo festival in Hobart, Tasmania. In addition to Dark Mofo, Rinuwat have made appearances at Soft Centre in Sydney and OHM in Brisbane.
Additionally to Rinuwat, in 2021 Rama co-founded the Black Metal trio Kilat, with Rinuwat band-mate Karina Utomo and Ben Andrews of MY DISCO and Agents of Abhorrence ilk, as a means to explore and celebrate their shared interest in raw Black Metal from the 90’s underground. Kilat released their debut album Rantai Penjinak in 2022 via AR53 Records. Kilat‘s short career has included major festival appearances including Mona Foma and Dark Mofo. Kilat will embark on their first international tour of Indonesia in August.
Since 2017, Rama has been a member of the seminal Melbourne-based Doom Metal outfit, Whitehorse, who have toured extensively internationally and in 2019 released a collaborative EP with the internationally-renowned American Metal duo, The Body. In 2021, Whitehorse released their latest full length album Death Weight on Heavy Machinery Records.
As of 2019, Rama has been a committee member and co-curator of the legendary Make It Up Club, one of the world’s longest-running experimental concert series (starting in 1998), which hosts weekly improvised music and sound performances.
Rama has worked on various projects with choreographers Stephanie Lake (Manifesto), Juliet Burnett and Melanie Lane.
As a performing and recording artist, Rama has performed, collaborated and recorded with some of Australia and the world’s leading experimental acts, including Senyawa [ID], The Body [US], Marco Fusinato, Robin Fox, Andrea Keller, Robbie Avenaim, Abah Andris [ID], Umlaut, Judith Hamann, Carolyn Connors, and Sean Baxter among others.
In 2022, Rama was nominated for a Music Victoria Award under the “Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Work” category for his solo and collaborative musical endeavors within the Victorian experimental music community.
Rama has performed at some of Australia’s biggest art festivals including Dark Mofo, Mona Foma, Rising, Asia TOPA, Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Festival, Sydney Festival, Perth Festival, Soft Centre, and Falls Festival.
Rama Parwata 