Uniku: Past + present = making new waves

Since their childhood years, local boys Leif Pangelinan and Ian Romolor have found joy in music. Fast forward to the present, the 23-year-old Pangelinan and 27-year-old Romolor make up the group Uniku and are currently making new waves in the local music scene with a blend of local tunes influenced with a bit of British reggae and Hawaiian-style reggae.

The two recently recorded their first album, which caught the attention of not only listeners within the Commonwealth, but at the U.S. mainland as well.

“It’s very unexpected but I’m happy it turned out the way it did,” said Pangelinan of the album’s success. “What we did basically is change it a little. We’re not saying the old ways are bad, but we noticed that the generation is different and we’re trying to attract not only the old people, but also teenagers.”

Shortly after releasing their album, the group received an invitation to highlight a Pacific cultural show at Portland State University. Not only were they received warmly but they also sold over 200 copies off their performance.

“It was very exciting and a really good experience. It was the first time [people requested] to get autographs, and it was also for a very good cause because the show was a fundraiser for children’s charity,” Pangelinan said.

The two credited their passion for music as the reason for their continued desire for more in the music industry.

“Like Leif said, we’re trying to make things different,” Romolor said. “A lot of times, people hear that style of playing and think that it’s someone from Hawaii [playing], but we on this island are just as talented and can do the same.”

“What inspired us are the music from before, but because times change, people nowadays like this kind of music, so you want to make that kind, you can blend the two,” said Pangelinan.

The group will also assist the 3D committee, visiting schools and performing several numbers during the Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month this December.

The beginning

While in the 7th Grade, Pangelinan received his first guitar, given to him by his father and well-known local artist Frank Pangelinan.

“I didn’t know how to play… I would watch some of my friends play and learn different chords,” Pangelinan said. “Then I watched Eric Clapton play on MTV Unplugged, began to follow his fingers, and just started developing singing and writing songs.”

Pangelinan also credited his father’s work in the studio as a ticket for him to find success. “It did me a lot of good. I got to meet a lot of musicians, I’ve visited him in Guam and saw him doing projects with other artists, and from there I just observed and picked it up,” he said.

For his part, Romolor said that since his elementary school years, he had a passion for music. Often listening to music and “dreaming” that he was the one actually singing, Romolor finally found his ticket when he learned how to play the ukulele from childhood friend Bert Laniyo, who himself became a recognized local artist within the Commonwealth.

Romolor said he then found interest in poems, and enrolled in a class to further enhance his knowledge in composition.

“I started to compose my own lyrics with my own tunes and the first time I made my original songs was when I was a freshman in high school,” he said. “From there, I played with others and we made demos, but never got into recording at a studio.”

The two finally met four and a half years ago while enrolled in the Police Academy and quickly blended their interests and talents, recording their album in a span of just two weeks.

Future

The two disclosed that a second album is already being planned. They did not specify, though, as to when it would be released.

“We’re not done yet. That first album you heard ain’t nothing compared to what’s going to come out soon,” Pangelinan said. “We will do Chamolinian songs and that will be coming soon.”

The two also indicated that concerts are in the picture for the near future.

The two encouraged the youth to remain confident and determined in their pursuit of success in music.