Biography
Applying distinctly contemporary sensibilities to longstanding customs, Pantayo comprise an all-female Canadian-Filipina collective recognized for their deployment of the kulintang, the gong-centered percussion instrument originating in the Southern Philippines. Merging the distinctive resonances of that instrument and allied metallophones with electronics plus audacious punk-derived synth pop, the Toronto quintet delivered a wholly singular aesthetic on their self-titled 2020 debut, a collection that channeled the lived realities of queer women within the Filipina diaspora. Three years afterward, in 2023, they issued their second full-length, Ang Pagdaloy.
The ensemble came together in 2015 when Eirene Cloma, Michelle Cruz, and Joanna Delos Reyes joined forces with sisters Kat and Katrina Estacio. Over the ensuing years the members honed their approach by performing at Toronto art centers and clubs while also leading cultural workshops that introduced participants to the fundamentals of kulintang performance and its companion instruments, among them the sarunay and the dabak drum. By intertwining the ancestral music of the Maguindanoan and T'boli peoples with the lo-fi punk, R&B, hip-hop, and electronica prevalent in the city’s music community, the group cultivated a dedicated following, issued several predominantly live singles, and ultimately aligned with the independent label Telephone Explosion. Their debut album, produced by the Canadian artist Alaska B, appeared in July 2020 and earned a shortlist nomination for the Polaris Prize. The follow-up, likewise helmed by Alaska B, further examined the interplay between kulintang lineages and broader references that encompass drone metal, R&B, and alt-country; Ang Pagdaloy reached listeners in June 2023.
The ensemble came together in 2015 when Eirene Cloma, Michelle Cruz, and Joanna Delos Reyes joined forces with sisters Kat and Katrina Estacio. Over the ensuing years the members honed their approach by performing at Toronto art centers and clubs while also leading cultural workshops that introduced participants to the fundamentals of kulintang performance and its companion instruments, among them the sarunay and the dabak drum. By intertwining the ancestral music of the Maguindanoan and T'boli peoples with the lo-fi punk, R&B, hip-hop, and electronica prevalent in the city’s music community, the group cultivated a dedicated following, issued several predominantly live singles, and ultimately aligned with the independent label Telephone Explosion. Their debut album, produced by the Canadian artist Alaska B, appeared in July 2020 and earned a shortlist nomination for the Polaris Prize. The follow-up, likewise helmed by Alaska B, further examined the interplay between kulintang lineages and broader references that encompass drone metal, R&B, and alt-country; Ang Pagdaloy reached listeners in June 2023.
Albums
Singles
