Marvin Lalihatu

LGBTQ+ , installation , Sound , Diaspora , Decolonization , Audiovisual

Animistic Beliefs invents a new creole (musical) language to create rousing hybrids, with a fresh perspective that is both deeply personal and political. Animism is the idea of indigenous belief systems that all objects, beings and places possess a spiritual essence. Pre-colonial thoughts, traditions and music related to Linh's Vietnamese-Chinese descent are important sources of inspiration and tools through which she explores her experience as a queer POC in the Netherlands. Linh and Marvin Lalihatu are always looking beyond music and expanding their work into new media art. Their avant-garde audiovisual project CACHE/SPIRIT with multimedia and performance artist Jeisson Drenth is the latest product of their expansive artistic direction. Driven by tireless technical, historical and emotional research, Animistic Beliefs is an art project in constant evolution.

**ANIMISTIC BELIEFS – MERDEKA (NAAFI, 2022)** - With their profound take on electronic music, Animistic Beliefs have steadily solidified their spot in the global underground. Influenced by cultural concepts such as ancestry, animism and mythology, as well as the languages of political techno, punk, bubbling and IDM, Linh Luu and Marvin Lalihatu consistently translate their visions into sensitive productions as well as high-octane live performances. On their new record, MERDEKA, the artists explore and embrace their cultural heritage in all of its pride, pain and complexity. MERDEKA symbolizes Animistic Beliefs' breaking free, coming to terms with their changing selves and letting go of external expectations. The record rethinks childhood memories, confronts the generational trauma left by (post-)colonialism, and re-connects Linh and Marvin – respectively of Vietnamese-Chinese and Dutch-Moluccan descent – with their formative cultures. MERDEKA marks their first step in an overall departure from western club music. For its layered sound, Animistic Beliefs once again draw from the past, present and future of global club music, creating a sonic space where fast techno, warped breakbeats and ambient soundscapes make way for the augmented influence of (Southeast Asian) tribal music. The record incorporates Indonesian scales and recordings of the Tahuri (a wind instrument made out of a conch shell), Totobuang (Gamelan-like gongs) and Tifa drums, known as 'the Moluccan heartbeat'. There is no audible distinction between old and new, between organic and digital, between instrumentation and voice. It is through words that the artists further touch on their experience; To Dream About Water opens with a stirring spoken word fragment by Marvin, marking the first time his voice is recognizably featured, whereas Khi Minh Gap Lai ('Until We Meet Again') centers on a Vietnamese poem by Linh, in which she beseeches her ancestors and finds a safe haven for unanswered questions. In true Animistic Beliefs fashion, MERDEKA will set fire to sweltering clubs and (sleepless) dreams. Yet, for the artists, it is essential to amplify the stories that spark that flame and keep it burning. The release of MERDEKA follows CACHE/SPIRIT, their ongoing collaboration with visual artist Jeisson Drenth, which extensively explores the artists' intersectional identities. As such, the latest album is the next step within a bigger, introspective investigation. More unapologetic than ever, MERDEKA embodies a turning point on Animistic Beliefs' ongoing journey towards self-acceptance – fueled by the sound of urgency.

**Animistic Beliefs – PARASITI (??) [Official Video] – ?? Epilepsy Warning**

**Animistic Beliefs - An Eye for A.I. [Official Video] ?? Epilepsy Warning**

**Animistic Beliefs - Marianentrog Patrol [Official Video]**

**Animistic Beliefs - Mindset:Reset [Official Video]**

**Animistic Beliefs w/ Jeisson Drenth pres. CACHE/SPIRIT at Dekmantel Connects 2020**

Animistic Beliefs & Jeisson Drenth Present: CACHE/SPIRIT

Date: 09-10-2021 t/m 17-10-2021

Location: TENT

In association with: Linh Luu, Jeisson Drenth

CACHE/SPIRIT, a project by music duo Animistic Beliefs and multimedia artist Jeisson Drenth, addresses issues of bi-culturality, inherited family traumas and subjectivity in the digital age. The conversations between the artists that preceded the work are embedded in the local Rotterdam context. The installation is a sensory and spatial experience of images and forms of listening that simultaneously fascinate, challenge and invite reflection.

https://www.tentrotterdam.nl/tentoonstelling/who-wants-to-live-in-a-world-without-magic-2/?ref=event&r_id=19507

This artist has no awards yet.