Kulintang ensemble to perform Friday

Eight bossed gongs ring out in smooth traditional tones and melodies that are reminiscent of the Orient, accompanied by drums.

This instrument, hailing from places such as Cuba and the southern Philippines, is a kulintang.

To help celebrate the Asian Culture Center’s 10-year anniversary, the band Electric Kulintang will perform songs from its new record “Dialects.”

Percussionists play the drums or gongs along with a kulintang in an ensemble. These ensembles perform during weddings, feasts and social events in places such as Cuba and the southern Philippines, where Roberto Rodriguez and Susie Ibarra of Electric Kulintang are from, respectively.

The group Electric Kulintang is not a traditional kulintang ensemble, as it brings today’s elements of music such as electronic beats, field recordings, samples and original compositions into this cultural tradition.

Asian Culture Center Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather said she wanted Electric Kulintang to play for the 10th anniversary because “they’ve got drums, gongs, keyboards and other traditional instruments that we know will rock the house. ... We picked events such as the Electric Kulintang because it represents the rich cultural
diversity within the Asian cultures.”

Castillo-Cullather said she hopes that “students, faculty, staff and the Bloomington community won’t miss what promises to be a very good concert on Friday.”

No matter what music anyone listens to, John Tafoya, chairman of the IU percussion department, said listeners of all music types can enjoy the performance.

Ibarra showed interest in coming back to Bloomington after she performed here with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa a few years ago, Castillo-Cullather said. Now she gets to put on a full concert at the Asian Culture Center. 

Tafoya said he assures anyone who attends that the music being performed is different and unlike anything else.

Traditionally, kulintang is dance music, Ibarra said.

“Like many traditional musics, kulintang is wed with dance,” Ibarra said. “Roberto and I both come from dance cultures and like this element very much. Electric Kulintang is modern music. ... We would love for the audience to be involved and to enjoy it and dance and move.” 

Electric Kulintang mostly compose their own pieces, but some of their songs are contemporary arrangements of traditional folkloric Filipino pieces. Ibarra said her favorite part about performing is “the magical experience to create music, be a part of this and share it.”

According to its Web site, Electric Kulintang was started in 2002 by husband and wife Rodriguez and Ibarra. Ibarra plays the kulintang, drums and sings.

Outside of Electric Kulintang, she has done a solo drum set and percussion piece, a piano piece with Komunyakaa and is currently working on a trio piece with violin, piano and percussion. Rodriguez plays the drums and cajon la peru and also coordinates laptop electronics for Electric Kulintang. He uses his influences from world music, pop, rock, jazz, electronic, avant-garde and classical to write his music.