How would you like EDM that features the Kulintang?

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Music and cultural identity came together for Filipino American musician Ron Quesada as he released his debut album that features electronic dance music with tunes from the ancient Filipino instrument, the kulintang.

Till the Break of Gong, the title of Quesada’s album, is a project over 20 years in the making.

“When I started playing music, my first task was to play guitar, piano and Western instruments. And then after that I had to find identity, to learn what it means to be a Filipino growing up in America,” said Quesada.

He added, “After that, I had to learn Filipino instruments including the kulintang and after that I had actually to put in together the kulintang with the Western instruments and the dance music into the album so it’s really been a long process and right now that it’s happening I couldn’t be more excited.”

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Quesada, who goes by the alias Kulintronica, said he made sure that the sound of the kulintang was highlighted and not overpowered by the other instruments.

“My purpose is to bring kulintang to young listeners and I want to bring it to listeners that aren’t necessarily looking for culture, specifically, young people are just looking for beats so by bringing kulintang with the beats together I feel like I’m really fulfilling the mission of bringing Filipino culture to the new ears, to the young people that really need to hear and experience it,” he said.

Quesada’s album release party was attended by friends and family who he said has supported him since the very beginning.

Among the many influences for this album Quesada credits master of music Danny Kalanduyan for his tutelage and passion in preserving kulintang music. Rommel Conclara / ABS-CBN North America News Bureau 

This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.

Till the Break of Gong is available on iTunes for USD$9.99. It is also available for streaming on Spotify, which is good, but come on, support musicians who try and bring our culture to the rest of the world! Buy his album!