I Wayan Balawan (b. 1973, Bali) grew up with the traditional gamelan music of Bali, but from an early age preferred rock music, gravitating to such bands as the Scorpions, Deep Purple, and the Beatles. He taught himself to play guitar at the age of 8, and after enjoying rock in his adolescence he decided to study jazz at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. After graduating from the Institute, he returned to Bali in 1997 and formed a band called Batuan Ethnic Fusion, which combined Balinese gamelan music with a jazz/fusion style. Balawan plays a special guitar with two necks made by Julius Salaka. There are six strings on the guitar's upper neck and seven strings on the lower neck, which utilizes MIDI pickups to trigger synths and samplers. He has made three recordings as a soloist and others with various ensembles.