Your VOICES.

Ian Quirante

On April 24th 2009, a rising industrial rock band called Switch had their first album launch at Saguijo, Makati City, Philippines. The 15-track LP is called Visceral. It has received acclaim from various local and international music magazines. Currently under Sonic Shape Records, the band performed at the event alongside acts like Cebu’s The Ambassadors and Faspitch and Manila’s Intolerant and Nyctinasty.

Formerly based in Cagayan de Oro City, Switch started out as a solo and experimental project by musician and professional artist Ian “IQ” Quirante in 1998. The band played a few local gigs here and there, inviting fellow musicians to play as sessionists. He then recorded his heavily electronic-influenced tracks at local and home studios. A song called “For You Only,” which was rerecorded and included in Visceral, is still being played over the radio.

When IQ decided to move to Manila to study Fine Arts at UP Diliman, he continued his music ventures there as well. By saving up money from paintings he sold, he was gradually raising a band of keyboard synthesizers and other electronic gadgets that proved to be very significant, as Switch became one of the most unique, and probably the loudest, electronic act in the Metro music scene.

Following some disagreements with the band’s guitarist, Sidney Acurantes, IQ replaced the latter with a fellow Kagay-anon, guitarist and lyricist Wilbert Tan, who is currently playing guitar for the Ram Chaves band. Due to a physical condition, Neil Pagulayan, who plays the synthesizers and adds samples to their live performances, was temporarily replaced by Yna Amparo.

Since then, Switch has reintroduced the Pinoy music scene with the industrial genre, equipped with an electronic setup (Macbooks and keyboard synths included) and openly political/religious/social issues-influenced lyrics.

At present, the band is aiming to have a full live setup, taking a shot at recruiting a drummer and bass player, as Quirante did a test drive of the effort in his hometown last January 2, 2010 at a small show at Mandex bar. Because of the absence of Tan, he invited emo-ambient group K9’s Bam Roa to play guitar, together with drummer Jedi Dela Cruz, and this writer as the bassist.

-by Rose Ann Quirante