Filipino Bands

Asin (sometimes spelled ASIN, in all capital letters) is a Pinoy rock and folk rock band from the Philippines. They were formed during the 1970s and originally known as Salt of the Earth from the song of Joan Baez. They later changed their name to "ASIN", which means salt in theFilipino language.

Asin was the first group to incorporate Filipino indigenous instruments into pop/rock music. They also studied Filipino tribal music and did what they could to be true to the origins of the music. Instead of plagiarizing the indigenous music they set about educating people about respecting the origins of the music and representing it with agreement from the tribal sources.

Asin was also important in the political world and although they did not set out to be a political band they reflected the political message needed for the times. This should be seen against the backdrop of martial law during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos. Occasionally their recordings were confiscated as subversive, yet, on the other hand they were invited to play at the Presidential Palace.