In 1938, musician Daeng Soetigna, revered as the Father of Modern Angklung, redesigned the angklung from the pentatonic to the diatonic scale. Named angklung padaeng, this meant that western classical and pop music can now be played on the angklung. This led to a revival and increased popularity of the angklung amongst Indonesians as well as the Dutch, who were the colonial power at that time. The popularity of the angklung remained till this day, continuing to also play a part in community and diplomatic relations as the ensemble form of playing espouses values of teamwork, discipline, creativity, and harmony.

Photo credit: Daeng Soetigna in 1971 © Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures, CC BY-SA 3.0

The first time Dzul Rabull ever held an angklung was in 1980. His father had enrolled 10-year-old Dzul into an angklung class at Telok Blangah Community Centre. The class, which eventually turned into a club, was run by Cikgu Anis. Armed with angklung foundations and his classical piano training, Dzul Rabull continued learning the angklung on his own. In 1994, he produced his debut instrumental album, Rasuk, which was heavily influenced by the angklung and gamelan. This became his musical signature that marked the rest of his compositions.

Dzul started his career as a musician before eventually taking on roles as a composer and arranger. In 2005, he started teaching music in schools and privately. To him, although the angklung is easy to learn, it can be challenging when played by an ensemble. It goes beyond learning music but within it, lessons on discipline, teamwork and perseverance are embedded. To him, the sound of the bamboo instrument brings him back to nature and till today, he keeps going back to the angklung as his source of inspiration.

Over the span of his career, Dzul has produced four other albums Ghaib, Karma, Mahaguru, and Sakti. After the success of his five albums, he continued his work doing music for traditional and contemporary dance ensembles and theatre groups in Singapore. He has also contributed as a songwriter and arranger on albums with various artists in Singapore. He dreams of having an angklung ensemble in Singapore on par with Orkestra Muzik Singapura and Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Mohamed Khamis Selamat picked up his first musical instrument as early as 1974 when he was a member of his school display band where he was also their band major. He was a brass player and later, moved on to master the trumpet, cornet and trombone. At the same time, he joined the ethnic cultural troupe at Kallang Community Centre. As part of the ensemble, he played the kompang for various community events and continued to make an impact for the next 13 years as their Malay Cultural Activist. During those years, he participated in the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and a cultural exchange program in Shiga, Japan. He was a People's Association Mass display trainer for five years.

For most of his career, the late Mohamed Khamis Selamat was a music director. He composed and arranged music as well as taught and nurtured the next generation of musicians. He was always looking for ways to spark interest in the traditional arts amongst the young. Those who are close and dear to him shared how he was ahead of his time—innovating new styles and sound through new musical interpretations as well as with his own new compositions. He lived by the adage—if we as Malays don’t safeguard and promote our heritage, who will?

His love for ethnic music soon led him to establish the very first school gamelan ensemble in Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School in 1997 and a year later, his first angklung ensemble at Siglap Secondary School. In 1998, Khamis started an angklung ensemble and named it Siglap Nusantara Orchestra. The name was aspirational for the kind of music and ensemble he envisioned. Two years later, it grew to include the kulintang ensemble and later the gamelan ensemble. It was then the only orchestra that used traditional gamelan and angklung tuned to the international chromatic music scale of western instruments. This allowed the fusion of western instruments and percussion in the orchestra, making it a truly Singaporean orchestra with an international perspective.

It is believed that he picked up the angklung on his visits to Indonesia, although no one could really tell for sure as he was primarily a self-taught musician who could easily pick up new instruments. Between 2001 and 2004, he was a resident participant in the Yogyakarta International Gamelan Festival. He also participated in Surabaya Kulintang Festival in 2003 and in 2009 and has brought Siglap Nusantara Orchestra to Kaliurang, Yogyakarta to participate in the International Art Festival.

The late maestro envisioned the coming together of the larger angklung and gamelan fraternity in Singapore schools. In this endeavour, he partnered with the Ministry of Education and various schools such as Siglap Secondary School, Macpherson Primary School, Yishun Primary School, and Paya Lebar Methodists Girls’ School to organise master classes, concerts and other public activities for angklung and kulintang to showcase students’ talents. During one of these combined schools angklung performances on 5 June 2013 held at The Republic Cultural Centre, Khamis set the record for conducting the largest angklung ensemble in Singapore with 384 participants.

In his last two decades, Khamis remained the only instructor in the angklung and gamelan fraternity who has earned the greatest number of awards at the Singapore Youth Festival—12 Gold with Honours, 31 Gold, 15 Silver, two Bronze, 15 Distinction, and 21 Accomplishment Awards. Despite these accolades, what people remember most about him are his strength of character and his spirit of charity.

In 2000, Khamis suffered a stroke which caused one-sided paralysis. Despite this Khamis never let his physical disability hamper his dream. In fact, he became even more fervent in achieving his dreams. He continued his work in music education and performance under Alunan Enterprise, which he founded in 1998. Then, in 2009, he established Djoko Mangkrengg Performing Arts Ensemble to provide a space for his students to continue learning the angklung and the gamelan. This self-funded interest group is equipped with the full array of instruments, and he taught ex-students and anyone who wanted to learn for free.

He was independent, uncomplaining and constantly reminded everyone around him that nothing was impossible, and the best is yet to be. He conducted from a wheelchair with only his left arm even through his recovery and rehabilitation period and stood steadfast even in most trying times.

He passed on in 2016, leaving many students and musicians who continue to cherish him till today.