Agapito Pascual (born 24 June 1962), also known as A lo Moderno, is a Dominican merengue típico accordionist, singer and composer. He played tambora before learning the accordion and founding his own conjunto in 1987.

Early years and formation

He was born in La Balsa de La Isabela, Puerto Plata. He began working in agriculture and shining shoes at seven, the age at which he also started to play tambora. Six of his siblings became musicians.

On tambora

In 1978 and 1979 he played tambora with the típico groups of Francisco Ulloa, Rafaelito Román and Bartolo Alvarado, known as El Cieguito de Nagua.

From drum to accordion

He later learned accordion and formed his own merengue típico conjunto in 1987. His sister Fidelina Pascual, who also leads a conjunto, learned accordion from him.

«Mangú Records»

He signed with «Mangú Records» in November 1997 and made three albums for the label: «El Café en Pilón» that same year, «Muchachita Linda» in November 1998, and «El Mamón» in 2000, cut at the «Audio Enfi» studios in Santiago. «La Mujer Moderna», «El Paquetazo de Mujeres» and «La Hija de La Vecina» belong to the same body of work.

«La Vieja y Su Pipa», «El Café en Pilón», «La Mujer Moderna», «La Pobre Adela», «La Moderna Agarradera», «Lejos de Mí» and «El Joven Moderno» are the ones that stayed in circulation. The titles draw on comic and everyday themes.

A shared recording

«Frente a Frente: Dos Estrellas en Uno» pairs him against El Cieguito de Nagua across a single record — the head-to-head format típico has long used to put two accordionists in the same room. The man he had drummed behind two decades earlier was now on the other side of the billing.

A lo Moderno

The tag is his own and he uses it everywhere: on the records, in the song titles, as the name of his page. He works out of Miami now, and he has not stopped — «El Palo Prendío» came out in 2026, close to forty years after he first stood in front of his own conjunto. He and Fidelina Pascual still play together.

Legacy

His path from tambora to the accordion led to a conjunto of his own in 1987. He settled in Miami in 2009 and has continued performing merengue típico there with his family.