kompare

kompare is the reminder that the modern day dance music is directly rooted from tradition. Thus a respect of the instrument and the art is always integrated into the music.To see a live performance is to hear the mixture of: West African djembe, Middle-east/Mediterranean doumbek, Japanese taiko drums, Australian didgeridoo, SF Daly City Hip-hop turntablism, and Roots drum kit instrumentation that incorporates various styles of playing.

Each member of the band has many years of experience unique to their instruments from being members of ensemble groups like Diop Percu Ibra Falls People from Senegal, San Francisco Taiko Dojo, eastern fusion Kardash, San Francisco Didgeridoo Orchestra, Daly City's Second to None DJ Crew, and metal band Blacktooth.
In addition to influences from these cultures and groups, kompare is a San Francisco band raised on early 90s Hip-hop, Funk, Heavy Metal, Blues, Classic Rock, Mowtown, Reggae, Soul, House, Breakbeat, and Downtempo to name a few.

The goal of kompare is to make people groove and dance. Similar to a DJ spinning dance records, kompare gives you a show of continuous, live, organic beats blended by breaks and solos, and caters to the energy of the room. No show is ever the same, as kompare establishes the beat, bringing to the stage guest dancers, various melodic guest instruments and vocalist from various genres of musical styles depending on the venue and audience.

kompare is tagalog derived from the Spanish word kompadre, meaning brother-like. The band was formed in 2001 by Dominic Santiago and Matt Abrahamsen as drummers who fused Japanese Taiko drumming with Rock and Hip-hop beats. The DJ/turntablist was soon added to the group to complete the sound. After a short run, the band took a hiatus for many years to explore and experiment with various percussion instruments and world beats, as well as the already growing sounds of electronic music.
Now re-lauched in late 2012, kompare is ready with a unique band of brothers to share the creation of beats from the past, the present, and the future.