Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
Trust the kids to come up with something far-fetched, ambitious, and interesting.
With the intent of promoting indigenous music and contemporary OPM, the students of the Arts Management program of De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde are putting together a show called Balik Tugtog.
Happening on Friday, March 20 at the Black Box SDA Theater of CBS, Balik Tugtog will feature Daluyong, a six-piece band whose members hail from the Musicology Department and the Center for Ethnomusicology of UP, as well as the Music Production Program of College of Saint Benilde. They will be weaving ethnic and indigenous flavors to familiar pop and rock songs. Another band, Spaceman, will be the opening act.
“We’re still a ‘normal’ band with electric guitars, bass, keyboards an drums,” clarifies Nicky Juanite, who is one of the musical arrangers of the concert. “We’ll be playing popular music from the ‘90s and then incorporating indigenous sounds into the music.”
They will do that by way of ethnic instruments like the gong ensemble, kulintang, from Maguindanao; tongali, which is a nose flute from the Kalinga provinces; gandingan, which is a set of hanging gongs from Bukidnon; the single-headed drum dabakan, and kubing, which is a jaw harp from Mindanao.
“We needed to find a balance between adding the ethnic flavor and leaving the songs recognizable to the listeners,” Nicky adds.
According to her, “Rainsong” by Imago and “Awit ng Kabataan” by Rivermaya are quite easy because “they already have their own ethnic flavors to begin with. The one we had the most fun with was Mojofly’s ‘Mata’ because the original song is kind of preppy and upbeat, so it’s quite easy to get wild and jive to that one.”
7pm, March 20. 6/F Black Box Theater, SDA, College of St. Benilde, 2544 Taft Ave, Malate, Manila. PHP150
