Known for blending global rhythms with modern electronic music, Singaporean DJ and producer Gifted Fire has been garnering significant attention in his current home base in New York and beyond. His latest project finds him teaming up with Filipino world music band KAWANGIS AlternaTRIBU.
What began as an exploration of sounds turned into a collaborative effort to create music that would preserve the unique heritage of Philippine tribes while presenting it to a modern audience. The result was Kalibutan, a seven-track album that masterfully fuses indigenous Filipino instruments with electronic music, creating a sonic journey that bridges the ancient and the modern.
"Kalibutan is about connecting cultures through the power of music. I’m fascinated by the exploration of traditional Filipino sounds and instruments, and my goal is to bring these rich, indigenous elements to a global audience," shares Gifted Fire. "Music, to me, is about connecting with people, expressing creativity, celebrating the fusion of old and new, and sharing the unique beauty of these traditions through a modern lens.”
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Recorded in a makeshift studio at the Mabuti House in El Nido, with a mix of indigenous instruments like the gangsa (flat gongs), bebendil (gong), didgeridoo, kudyapi (2-string guitar), kulintang (Set of Gongs), kubing (jaw harp), tambur (drum and rhythms), sugaypo (pan flute), and modern electronic elements - the process itself was an exercise in cultural exchange, with FIlipino musicians contributing their knowledge of traditional rhythms and techniques to this innovative project.
Gifted Fire will also be performing at Wonderfruit Festival 2024 this Sunday, 15 December from 1-3 AM on the Moonlight Stage.
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