TOTO GENTICA

MUSIC DIRECTOR / COMPOSER/  ARRANGER /KEYBOARD PLAYER/ SYNTHESIZER PROGRAMMER AND SAMPLER/ OVER ALL MUSICIAN /MUSIC PRODUCER

Toto best describes his music as “progressive and artistic yet acceptable.” He admires great composers like  Beethoven,Bach, John Williams,John Barry,Vangelis  and contemporaray opera man Andrew Lloyd Weber.Amidst the many influences, he manages to end up with his own style—imaginative, progressive, fresh and exciting.
No one can imagine what a low-key musician can bare out of his many talents. One can only listen to his works and creations to note that he is indeed a real gem.

Born in  Born in Binalbagan,Negros Occidental ,Philippines.
Launched his professional career as music director/arranger for the group Music & Magic.

At five, he was pounding the piano, at eight, he was caressing the violin ----musical instruments he mastered through the rigorous supervision of his grandfather who was a music professor. In High School, swooning bobbysoxers shuffled to the songs of the band he led in Dumaguete. In College, swinging seventeeners slammed to the music of Banda Lastiko, the band he formed in Bacolod. In Manila in 1976, he with his friends Jet Montelibano, Jef Valdez and Kuh Ledesma puts together a showband called Ensalada which eventually evolved into Music & Magic. With him as musical director and composer/arranger, the band became the much acclaimed entertainment act of the 80’s.

In 1983, Toto formed manila’s first new wave, punk band called ZZYZX with Mags Bonnin. Around this time he also was the musical director/arranger of R & B and pop artist Gary Valenciano, Pop songstress  Kuh Ledesma and Pop-rock artists Lou Bonnevie for their concerts and record albums. He was largely instrumental instrumental in launching the careers of some of the finest Filipino performers and today’s biggest stars.

In 1982 Toto debuted as a film musical director with Peque Gallaga’s Oro Plata Mata, produced by the ECP. This film garnered him the Urian’s best film music score. Other works on films include Chito Rono’s “Itanong Mo Sa Buwan”, “Baleleng”, & “Abandonada” and Peque Gallaga’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” II & III.

In 1989 Toto  set up his own recording studio SONATA. This was the first partnership with singer Lou Bonnevie, who eventually became his wife. Sonata paved the way to numerous international recording projects. He scored many animated films and videos mostly released in Japan under Artmic Records, Polygram and Bandai Records (the outfit which produced the popular Power Rangers). A popular Japanese animated series TOTO scored was the A. D. POLICE wherein video fanatics not only in ASIA, Hongkong but also in L. A. and other parts of the U.S. -- savored his avant-garde soundtrack.

During the early 90’s, he  ventured into commercial jingle compositions and productions for which he won several awards for his creativity. His commercials never compromises quality with commercialism yet he injects he understands every target market.. As a versatile composer,  he has done jingles for high end products such as Colgate Palmolive, San Miguel, Ajax, Coney Island, Purefoods, Dole Philippines, Warner Lambert, Gard Shampoo, -Magnolia, Ajinomoto, PLDT, Pilipinas Bank, Dunkin’ Donuts, Concepcion Industries, Hope Cigarettes, Philip Morris, Tender Care Soap, Mazda, Philips, Piltel Camay, Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, FILA, Citibank, Nestea and many more. Toto to this date, continues with his innovative approach to music scores and jingle compositions.

In 1992, his production outfit DIMITRI PRODUCTIONS began producing music festivals, concerts and albums, Together with wife & partner Lou Bonnevie, Dimitri Productions pioneered the First Puerto Galera Musicfest in  April 1994 and The First Boracay Musicfest (World Music In the Islands) in May 1996.

In 1997 his lifelong dream of composing his first opera was fulfilled. “Lapu-Lapu”, the first ever neo-classic-ethno-rock opera  about the First Filipino Freedom fighter who defeated the Portugese explorer Fernando De Magallanes( Magellan ) was staged for ten (10) nights at the Main Theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It was the first ever Filipino multi-lingual original Opera (Visayan(native Dialect),English,Spanish,Portugese and Latin) staged. And it was the medium wherein Toto revealed his true genius in composing music as it contained a convergence of the classics, rock, broadway, world music and Asian ethno music in one musical epic. It has become the most exciting original local theater production to this day.

 In September of the same year, Toto composed his first oratorio for the respected College of Santa Isabel in celebration of its “Santo Cristo Del Tesoro” Anniversary.

1998 saw TOTO’s return to the movies. He did the  project “Gangland” with acclaimed director, Peque Gallaga, in which he also gained the Star Award for “Best Song”. He also produced and composed the songs for the CD & album recording of the film under Star Cinema entitled “Puso Ng Pasko” .  He was commissioned to compose and arrange the 1998 NCCA College Basketball Tournament opening musical salvo at the Araneta Coliseum. He also musically directed a series of Tourism Street Concert, first series of which was the highly successful ethnic-pop presentation : “Tugtog, Indak at Ritwal”.(Music,Dance and Rituals)

In 1999, TOTO was composer, arranger and co-producer of Lou Bonnevie’s come-back album, “TISAY”.(“Multi-Racial”). The same year, he was commissioned by a Filipino-Japanese company  to arrange and compose songs for a children’s original  musical “Magic Staff” –shown at the Meralco theater in August, 1999. He later expanded his wings and started directing the series of music festivals sponsored by the Philippine Tourism Authority (an affiliate of DOT) that spawned the birth of a nationwide musical caravan in support of the promotions of domestic tourism.This  PTA Music Festivals did a road tour visisting Luzon,Visayas and Minadanao.

In the new millennium, TOTO continued to hone his directorial capabilities through more music festivals here in Manila and around the Philippines –creating concept shows such as “Earthborne”,an environemntal concert in Celebration of Earthday 2000 held at the Subic Bay area and “Sari-Saring Himig”,a Department of Tourism anniversary presentation. And he continues to work on his commercial jingle scoring, and occasionally dabbles on television and movie scoring for top Filipino film companies Viva Films,Neo Films and Star Cinemas.
Through the years ,Toto continues his creative direction in all of DIMITRI productions’ annual events,daabling in the musical fluidity,stage production and over all concepts of significant events such as “EARTHDAY JAM” series,”KONSYERTO PARA SA KABATAAN” series and other music festival all over the country.