Bong-Ra

Bong-Ra

Bong-Ra is the breakcore project of Dutch musician Jason Köhnen, from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Born in 1972, Köhnen has been active under this name since 1997 and is associated with Dutch breakcore, raggacore, jungle, IDM, electronic music, breakbeat, breaks, cybergrind, drum and bass, and dubstep.

Style and development

Köhnen begins as a former death metal drummer and builds Bong-Ra around aggressive electronic production combined with extreme metal and raggacore. He is identified as a key figure in the development of “bongcore”, and he also pioneers “raggacore”, a fast mix of jungle, breakcore, and gabber. His work often brings together breakcore, industrial, doom metal, and heavy apocalyptic themes.

Releases and sound

His catalogue includes a number of experimental albums. Later work moves further into industrial metal territory, including Antediluvian and Black Noise, while retaining the dense and confrontational character associated with the project.

Other projects

Alongside Bong-Ra, Köhnen creates the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and the Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, both of which explore ambient and jazz-influenced metal.

Performance history

Bong-Ra tours internationally and appears at major festivals, including Glastonbury.