This Filipino Cover of the Game of Thrones Theme Will Give You Goosebumps

IMAGE Screencap from SKYcable

(SPOT.ph) When the new season of Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on July 17, fans all over the world tuned in. Here in the Philippines, it was a bloodbath as devoted viewers debated over the recent turn of events, cursed the people who gave away spoilers, and gasped through all the plot twists on Monday morning. For Kontra-GaPi, welcoming the seventh season meant giving a Filipino folk music rendition to the Game of Thrones opening theme.

Kontra-GaPi, short for Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino, is the resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines – Diliman. The group was founded by Art Studies Professor, Pedro R. Abraham Jr. in August 1989 and has since presented more than a thousand shows for audiences of all types and age groups in all kinds of venues. This ranges from lecture-demonstrations for a small group to scoring for stage performances in world-class theaters.

IMAGE Kontra-GaPi Facebook

Tracing its roots from the indigenous music of the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Kontra-GaPi uses  ideophones such as the kulintang, gangsa, tongatong, and kalutang; chordophones like the hegalong, kulibet, gitgit, and kuritang; aerophones such as the diwdiw-as, esmi, tonggali, and suling; and membranophones like the debakan, solibaw, and Cordilleran drums of varying sizes and shapes. The performance for the GoT opening theme cover was no different. To extend this unique Filipino version, the members of the group were even clad in native tribal costumes.

The video was uploaded on Facebook by SKYcable on July 14 and has earned more than 700,000 views.

To know more about Kontra-GaPi, visit their Facebook page and website.