April 16th, 2008

YOSHA BARES ITS SOUL

• By : Aldus Santos

October 1st, 2007

GOING FOR A RIDE WITH TAKEN BY CARS

• By : paochec

Sometimes, a new band breaks out of the local music scene and hurtles forward in a Katamari Damacy fashion—picking up momentum and devotees and getting bigger and better, until they reach perhaps monstrous proportions. Suddenly, they’re everyone’s favorite band. And you watch them blow up and you ask yourself, "Where’d they come from?" This is how I feel about Taken By Cars. Well, maybe they’re not at monstrous proportions just yet, but they’re getting there. Suddenly, they’re being talked about by everyone—and I stress "suddenly," because they were quite unheard of last year—probably much to the chagrin of bands who’ve been around longer and are taking a bit more time to get noticed. What haters don’t know, however, is that as a band, the members of Taken By Cars have been together around ten years already, without getting noticed much either. The band was formed while sophomores in high school. The boys were all neighbors and schoolmates: guitarist Bryce Zialcita, bassist Benny Yap and drummer Bryan Kong all knew each other in the first grade, and they met guitarist Siopao in high school. Sarah Marco, their husky, dusky vocalist, was a friend of a friend; the brave girl met up with the boys, without any clue as to what they even looked like, to jam one afternoon. They hit it off right away, and spent the next ten years having fun as a cover band. "It was only June of last year that we said, let’s take this seriously," Sarah relates. "So we stopped playing covers and started writing songs." It’s easy to imagine that Taken By Cars always sounded the way they do now—some psychedelic dance, some shoegaze, some punk beats, lots of heart—but their current sound also only really began in June of last year. Stylistically, the band started out as an alternative band before they ventured into blues and classic rock. They covered bands like K’s Choice, Veruca Salt, Flickerstick and, later, Led Zeppelin and ACDC. "We all have different tastes in music," Bryce tells me, almost apologetically. "So our current sound is like a collective." "But freestyle," Sarah adds. "We just get all our ideas and put them together, we just get them from whereever. So our music starts out unstructured and then we make it structured." "It’s a democratic process," Kong further describes their songwriting process. "There’s a lot of give and take, because we’re all friends and we’ve been friends for a long time. We respect each other’s opinions, we meet halfway." "We ask each other, ‘How does this sound?’ " Siopao contributes. "Sometimes, when we write it’s a kind of multiple choice," Bryce grins. "What goes into what part, and so on. It’s very fun." The band meets up at Bryce’s house twice a week to jam. It was there that they wrote most of the songs from the album, though it felt more like hanging out than writing songs. Next thing they knew, here they are, only a little over a year of writing songs, with an album currently being mixed. "We’re all on the same wavelength," Bryce opines when I ask why writing together came so easy to them, especially when they never tried writing songs before. Always? They nod, yes always. Don’t you disagree at all? "When we do, we talk about it until we find a middle ground," Siopao concedes. The best thing about being friends in a band, he says, is you can tell each other anything. "We’re very straight with each other, because we’re all thinking about what’s best for the song." Bryce agrees. "We never really get into an argument. If there’s tension, it’s positive tension." I wonder by this time how we managed to skip ten years of band history. They all laugh, with Sarah admitting, "It wasn’t exactly ten years, it just started ten years ago. We were dormant, sometimes, for long periods of time." They each assure me I didn’t miss out much by only coming to know them this year. They played in school fairs, in parties. They had bad names. I pressed for those bad names and they laughed before enumerating. "Sedated," one said with a snicker. "Kung Fu Betty," another smirked. They took on the name Taken By Cars only, you guessed it, June of last year. "We listen to music in cars," Sarah explains where their current band name originated, with no snark in her voice. "And we’re taken by the music. We wanted our name to come from there. It’s also because our music has a lot of movement involved in it. We have songs that are fast, but also slow and ambient and really chill. If you listen to our album, you’ll hear that the music is pretty casual, you know, not papansin." Their current sound, as Bryce earlier mentioned, is a fusion of their influences. Bryce listens to jazz, Siopao listens to the blues, Benny is into funk and Kong into prog rock. You can actually hear elements of each in their current sound, and yet the whole scope of it is altogether something else. "It came to a point where we were all listening to the same thing," Sarah explains. As a collective unit, they found out they were individually listening to Bloc Party, Minus the Bear, Joy Division, New Order and the Cure. You’ll find elements from these in their new sound, too. "Our songwriting process is a conscious effort," Siopao offers. "We know our roles and our sound. For example, Bryce’s guitar sound is mid-range, somewhat spacy. Mine is high-treble, jagged, more aggressive." The rest of the band know their roles as well, with Kong and Benny keeping it all together and Sarah shining powerfully in front of them. Sarah has another role, as the lyric writer. She says her lyrics depend on the songs, she bases them on the vibe. "The dance songs aren’t emotional, they’re catchy. The slower songs, they’re the emotional ones. I worry that the sad songs sound too… cheesy?" She looks at her bandmates for reinforcement and they all subtly shake their heads. "As much as possible, I like the lyrics to be well thought out. They’re not brainless songs." Kong shares that they didn’t have it all figured out right away. "Our main goal was to play in SaGuijo," he says. I must have looked at him funny because he adds, "Seriously." That was the main goal? "That was the main goal," he nods. "Because we were there every week, and we got to thinking, hey, we’re in a band, why aren’t we playing here?" From the time they decided this in June of last year, also the time that they started writing songs, they didn’t surface until October, where they played their first gig as Taken By Cars in Kublai’s Katipunan. Why did it take so long? "Our attitude was we wanted to go out sure of ourselves," Kong explains. "Rather than force it." Plus, they all had day jobs and writing songs and gigging would have been too hectic for them. They got to play in SaGuijo in the same month, for the prod Peace Sign, with Lahi, Ursa Minor, Southern Grass and Day One Movement. The reason why they remember this is because Bryce has a photo of the lineup chalkboard in his phone. His bandmates giddily tell him to send them copies of the cam pic. "The scene right now is great," Benny enthuses. "It’s the perfect opportunity for bands to start playing, get their music out." Sarah agrees. "Everything really started falling into place." One of the pieces of Taken By Cars’ destiny that started to fall into place was having a chance to record their demos, which you can listen to on their MySpace page. A friend of theirs, Joey Santos of Boy Elroy and Halik ni Gringo, offered his Love One Another Studios, "If you guys want to record." Their demo of "Weeknight Memoirs in High Definition" was picked up by NU 107 and played on the radio, giving the band what they call their cheap thrill. "I mean, big deal right, but I don’t care, it’s another experience altogether to hear your song played on the radio," Siopao laughs. Ironically, they discovered only after it was played on the radio that "Weeknight Memoirs" was written in the wrong key. They were recording the song for the actual album in Mong Alcaraz’s Danger Danger Studio when their new producer informed them it was too low for Sarah’s voice. The band gamely welcomed the criticism, as they did having Mong as a producer. "What we never thought would happen was to have a collaborative producer as well," Kong shares. "[Mong] gives his own opinions and ideas when we record and mix and he’s been a really big help. It’s something unexpected, but it’s great. We’re all on the same wavelength in making this album." "And, again, recording feels like we’re also hanging out," Siopao adds. "That’s how good the vibe is." "We feel really lucky too," Benny says. "We’ve had Raimund [Marasigan] and Mike [Dizon] drop by while we’re recording and they give their input also. It’s nice that we have the support of other bands." "Yeah," Bryce says, "because there’s definitely lots of room for improvement." The album is currently being mixed, and is moving into mastering and post prod. They hope to be done by November, although Kong is pretty sure it’s coming out earlier. They asked Inksurge to do their album cover. "We think they mirror what we do in terms of art," Kong explains. "Like, we’re very particular with how we want the song to come out." "Yeah," Sarah agrees and elaborates on what Kong means by "particular." "If it’s not the right sound, we really insist a retake. The other day, we ended up mixing up to 2:30 in the morning." A friend of theirs comes over and says to them, "What band are you again?" They laugh good-naturedly, while thinking twice about telling her, as if they don’t want to let a secret out. While they all do seem like very good friends, you can tell that music is their bond. The boys all went to Hong Kong to watch The Cure together, for which Sarah hasn’t forgiven them yet. How are kids their age such big fans of The Cure? "Bryce and Sarah have older siblings," Siopao says. "Yeah, I have Tears for Fears cassette tapes!" Sarah grins. "But it’s also friends telling you, ‘Hey, listen to this…’ so you have music bouncing off each other. [Discovering] new stuff, that’s how we’re friends. We just get high on listening." Siopao nods. "Sometimes, we’d just be hanging out in the car, listening for hours." Benny smiles. "For days." Kong shakes his head. "Weeks," he says. "Like that time we just packed all the instruments in the car and drove to Subic. We just went and ate and jammed. And went home." "We didn’t get anything done," Benny adds. "Or write anything." "But that was the best weekend," Siopao finishes. Now that they’ve played at SaGuijo countless times within the past year, what’s the next main goal? "Well, just get the album out, have a good launch," Kong enumerates. Then, quickly adds, "And mix it properly." "We’re not signed," Sarah shares, "so we’re careful with what we’re doing. But not being signed gives a certain flexibility and freedom. Whatever happens, happens." "The goal is to just have fun," Bryce nods. "We’re learning more about each other, about the band, about the music. It adds to who we are." The Katamari Damacy ball is getting bigger as we speak, but they don’t really seem to notice. Bryce sums it up perfectly. "I’m still surprised that we have a gig. Whenever they tell me, you have a gig this week, I’m always, hey, that’s so cool." Main photograph (the sorta black-and-white one) courtesy of Suyen. The rest ripped off from the band’s MySpace page. Speaking of which, the band’s "Weeknight Memoirs in High Definition" is in the wrong key on that page, but it still rocks. Check check check it out.  

July 10th, 2007

NIMBUS NINE: WHATEVER THE WORLD BRINGS

• By : paochec

It’s a hot Friday night in Makati. A short-lived fall of rain has made the air heavy, and inside SaGuijo Café and Bar, the temperature has risen even further, due to a camera crew that has set up an array of bright, heat-generating lights. It’s the second leg of BURN magazine’s bar tour: an impressive array of performers is on the bill, and the event is being filmed. A lean young man in a loose T-shirt takes the stage, accompanied by his band and a DJ. They’re still waiting for one of the band members, but they start up a groove that makes the heads in SaGuijo start to bob, and the man on the mic starts to spit rhymes. He glances around the place, and starts rapping about himself, his crew, about the guy sipping beer at the bar, about the event, about anything, really—and the flow is fresh and the lines amusing and the audience gets into it. The young man’s name is Nimbus Nine, and if you’re any sort of hip-hop fan at all and you haven’t heard about him ‘til now, it’s way past time you did. The missing band member arrives, and Nimbus Nine and company launch into “Manila Boys”—a totally infectious number off his first album, Philippine Phenom. It’s party-ready without being stupid, and full of clever lines, vivid scenarios and Pinoy pride. It’s also far from his only good song, as anyone who’s listened to his CD or watched one of his shows can testify: there’s the laid-back “Island Lovin’,” the colorful and near-hypnotic “Jeep,” “Semento at Buhangin,” “Tell Me Why,” and on and on. Nimbus Nine’s music is immediately appealing without being too lowest common denominator, and his rhymes and sounds evoke beachscapes and city streets, and meld strong Pinoy and Stateside influences. Barely out of his twenties, Nimbus Nine, a.k.a. Gino Feraren, has racked up some notable credits in his career so far. According to urbanappeal.net, he was named Open Mic New Artist of the Year by RX 93.1’s 93 Flava in 2004, and in 2005, he had the honor of opening for Ja Rule’s show at the Araneta Coliseum, alongside established artists like 7 Shots. He’s also a member of the eclectic hip hop collective Turbulence Productions. PULSE.PH had a bunch of questions for the young hip-hop star on the rise. How did you first get into hip-hop, as a listener and fan? Back in my early adolescent years, around 12 or 13, I was already pretty much into poetry and was introduced to hip-hop music by my cousin from the States. I later fell in love with the music and lyrics of the artists I was listening to at the time—mostly East Coast-based rappers—and got hooked ever since. When and how did you decide to get into hip-hop as a performer? What first made you think that this is what you want to pursue? This phase in my life I remember vividly…The dream to seriously become a hip-hop artist was ignited around 1999. I was an incoming high school freshman at that time. Rapping was merely just a hobby for me, but it was something I loved. From then on, I knew I wanted to be involved in the music scene. What encouraged—or discouraged—you? Aside from the support of my family and friends, what personally encouraged me to pursue it was my passion for the music and culture. Among all the dreams that screamed in my head, hip-hop was the loudest. "What for is a person’s life if he/she doesn’t live it in pursuit of a dream…" How do you come up with subject matter for your songs? Do you make a special effort to emphasize Filipino terms and imagery, such as in "Jeep" and "Manila Boys," and if so, what’s behind that? Well, for me, song topics and concepts just pop out of sheer inspiration. It could be a word that has multiple meanings, or a personal experience I’d like to convey in the form of another story—part fact, part fiction. A joke, a quote, a person… Whatever the world brings. I’m sure you know how that goes, bro. He he. With regards to my songs that depict Filipino terms and imagery I do make a special effort in emphasizing them… the reason behind that is simple: I wanted to contribute in defining a style that was local and distinct. Just like if you were to hear, let’s say Jay-Z or Snoop, respectively… you’d know which one was from the East and which one was from the West just from their slang alone. So, in the same context, my aim for composing some of my songs a certain way was really just to give the world a glimpse of a Filipino style of hip-hop. You rap in both English and Filipino. Is one easier than the other for you? Is the writing process different? How do you choose which language to use for a particular song? To be honest, I’m more comfortable writing and rapping in English and am still in the process of developing my writing and rapping in Tagalog. In choosing which language to use, I guess I just go for what feels right. Describe further how you come up with your songs—the music and samples, collaborations, the production aspect. In the production aspect, I have various styles in approaching it. Most of my beats are done by the producer and I just end up with it fully made… then we just alter it during recording sessions. Some beats though, I have in my head… and I’m blessed to be surrounded by great artists all the time that I’m privileged enough to gather the ones I feel would best extract that sound I had in my brain and manifest it into actual music. What did it feel like being in your first freestyle battle? Are you more comfortable doing battle rhymes now? How do you prepare for that? Being in my first freestyle battle was an awesome experience! It’s definitely more of a mix of adrenaline and wit. And just like any battle, preparing for an MC battle comes with a lot of practice. I guess the best way to practice for it is to have a training regimen: read, freestyle and think up of witty punch lines… I have to admit though, I’m not in best shape for battling nowadays… but it’s always a good [lyrical] exercise. I finally saw you perform live—you had a full band, and the sound was great. What made you decide to switch to having a full band, and is this how all your performances will be from now on? Who is in your band and what are their roles? Thanks bro! I’m glad you enjoyed! Band members: Carlo Bernardino on Bass, Ipe Flores—who was part of the now defunct band Pinoy Stories—on guitars, and Chano Redil, also of Sinag, on drums. Having a full band set-up just feels so much better for live gigs since the energy draws the audience more into the performance. I still will be performing with just a CD or DJ though for some gigs. Depending on the situation I guess… You also had a female singer join you on some of the songs. Who is she, how and why did she come to join you guys, and is she also a regular part of your shows now? She’s Abby Asistio… a young, budding and rising talent from the R&B world. We met during The Community series of events last summer and decided to collaborate for our live set during our recent gigs. What are the advantages and troubles that go with being an independent hip-hop artist? Is signing up with a major label in your plans for the future? The advantage of it all is total creative control… from music, to cover design to collaborations to marketing, et cetera. On the flipside, the disadvantages are lack of funding, distribution and manpower to fully maximize on a certain project. Signing up with a major label is definitely part of our future plans. How would you describe the local hip-hop scene? The local hip-hop scene is gaining a lot of strength these days. There’s definitely more hip-hop heads popping out now than ever before. So hopefully it keeps getting bigger and better in the near future. What is Turbulence Productions? How do you feel about other hip-hop oriented groups, like Steak or AMPON or Dongalo or the others? Turbulence Productions is an independent hip-hop label that mainly deals with music, video and events productions to help uplift hip-hop culture in the Philippines. With regards to other camps and crews, my views are simple: the more the merrier. We all help each other out anyway… from supporting each other’s gigs to collaborating on different projects. It’s a beautiful thing. Which rappers and DJs—particularly local ones—do you admire? What music have you been listening to lately? The local rap scene is filled with a lot of talented rappers and DJ’s but right now, my current favorites are [MC’s/rappers] God’s Will, Jonan Aguilar and Marquiss and DJ’s Bliss, Jena, Xcalibur and Arbie1. Currently, I’ve been listening to a lot of local talent; Turbulence Production artists [PhD, Urban Outlawz, Sinag/God's Will, Marquiss], Mike Swift, PKSO, Los Indios Bravos, Nyko Maca, Kjwan, Julianne, SinoSiKat… As well as sounds from John Legend, Lloyd Banks, Rhianna and a whole lot more… The latest articles that I can find on your career are dated mid-2006. What have you been up to since then? Basically just been gigging here and there… Working with different artists and on various up and coming projects—W.O.W, GK, Pinoys Finest, Camino Rondalla to name a few. Just been keeping myself busy with the music, he he. Where can people buy your album/s, or watch you perform? People can get our albums and mixtapes either at Our Father’s Coffee (OFC) Taft, OFC Robinsons Galleria, by order via webpage [www.turbulenceproductions.net] or through hand to hand selling… Gig scheds are usually by invite so we just post up bulletins online or text folks to come and watch. What achievements as Nimbus Nine are you proudest of, so far? So far, one of my greatest achievements is being able to perform in Taiwan with the likes of international stars like Loon and Jin. And of course having people from various parts of the globe bump my music… That’s a major accomplishment for me already. What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future, hmm…well, I just wanna see me and my peoples successful in our fields of expertise. So I plan to keep staying busy and on the grind, he he. Nimbus Nine says: “Watch out for the HipHop AKO campaign, Three Kings Mixtape, Illustrado LP, Marquiss Album [G.R.A.E.], and W.O.W [Writings On The Wall] events.” Visit NimbusNine’s MySpace, drop by Turbulence Productions, and read more at Urban Appeal.

June 15th, 2007

BAGETSAFONIK IN THE HOUSE

• By : paochec

When you first hear the band name Bagetsafonik, you think right away that they’re a fun band playing irreverent, funny music. You also see color and psychedelia and wild, wild nights of pure hedonism. You may also see, though this doesn’t work for everybody, the faces of Aga Muhlach, William Martinez, JC Bonnin, Raymond Lauchengco… you know, the original Bagets, back when they were all barely famous and still had milk around their lips. Well, none of them are in this band, and thank God. Bagetsafonik’s music, contrary to expectations, does not consist of revivals of “Growing Up” and other music from the 1984 Bagets movie. The band members describe the music as a cross between dream pop and new wave, though there are also elements of hip-hop, as Marcushiro tends to rap every now and then. Officially part of the band as the guy in charge of synths and analog samplers, Marcus is joined by vocalist/ guitarist Ace Cada, guitarist/ effects guy Paolo Francisco, drummer/ percussionist Doi Lagos, and bassist/ all-around cute boy (by his own admission) Tom Barba. They got together in late 2003, from an idea that formed in Doi’s head while hanging out at his bar, Café 77. He and his friends had always been interested in the band scene and making music, and the other guys were just hanging around the bar all the time. Marcus had his own band and Doi would organize open mic nights, and he thought: how hard can having your own band be? “Actually, wala kaming concept kung ano yung magiging tunog namin, pero meron na, nauna na talaga yung pangalan,” Marcus offers. “Gusto kasi ni Doi, sabi niya, ‘Gawa tayo ng banda, pero gusto ko may something, may Bagets doon.’ Tapos dinagdagan lang namin ng Fonik para may suggestion siya na ‘sound,’ may sound, ‘sound of Bagets,’ parang ganoon.” He grins and adds, “So kami yung matatandang Bagets.” “Sabi ko nga na parang napaka-rare na ginagamit yung word these days,” Doi explains, “Tapos sabi ko, sige, gawa tayo ng banda pero gusto ko may word na ‘Bagets’.” “Tsaka iconic na rin,” Tom agrees. “Tsaka parang ano na rin, bow to… our generation. Because we’re old,” Doi chuckles. He shakes his head, “Hinde, bow sa 80s, kasi lahat kami lumaki sa 80s… except for Tom… pero lahat kami 80s boys.” “Pero yung sound niyo may pagka-80s din siya,” I point out. “Hindi namin sinadya,” Doi assures. “Nauna yung pangalan tapos nagkataon lang na the sound came out na medyo 80s yung feeling. Pero wala namang intention to do it.” “Originally, we wanted to do Tito Vic and Joey covers as a joke,” Ace continues. “Pero when we started writing, na-realize namin na parang hey, pwede palang mag-write ng original material na hindi Tito Vic and Joey, so sige, dire-deretso, mag-write tayo ng new songs. Ayun.” “There wasn’t really a definite sound that we agreed upon,” says Paolo, who was the last guy to join the band. “Parang we started jamming and from there, that’s where the sound came about. And at that time, Doi was playing cajon, instead of drums, he didn’t really know how to play the drums back then.” “Yeah,” Ace agrees, “We started out with percussions.” “So, yung sound namin, in a way, parang naging experimental na rin, kasi we really didn’t have an idea of paano yung set-up,” Paolo explains. “Kasi iba-iba yung influences namin in terms of music. But eventually it all gelled, came into place. Ayun, kaya may mga songs kami na medyo new wave yung dating, yung ibang songs, medyo hip-hop. Iba-iba eh. May parang Eraserheads influence, hindi naman, parang mga OPM-inspired. Mga ganoon.” He breaks into a grin, quite surprising on his usually serious face and shares, “I mean, yung first, I think, I remember, may didgeridoo pa kami dati.” I was envisioning a didgeridoo player, probably even a native Australian, who made didgeridoo sessioning his bread and butter and started feeling bad for him when they explained that he wasn’t a real didgeridoo player—well, he was, but he was also more a graphic artist and painter and couldn’t continue with the band when his schedules got too hectic. “Nandoon siya sa original na line-up talaga,” Marcus says, “Pero honorary member siya.” Ace agrees, “Honorary member. Hi, Jason Moss!” Even if their sound was experimental in the beginning, it was Marcushiro’s otherworldly soundscape contributions that eventually defined the band against the others starting up at that time, earning them a slot on Fete de la Musique’s electronica stage for two years. There was no drum set up on the electronica stage, which didn’t really pose a problem for Doi, who was playing cajon the first year and couldn’t make it to the second. The rest of the band instead utilized drum machines and sequencers. When you listen to their current sound, you can’t imagine how a cajon would be able to keep everyone together, but they assure me that they really sounded different back then. “Nung naka-cajon si Doi, medyo toned down yung sound,” Ace explains. “Nung nag-switch to drums, nagbago yung instrumentation to adjust to him.” Marcus adds, “Yun kasi yung isang restriction kasi dati nung nag-start kami. Hindi kami pwede mag-areglo ng mga mabibigat or yung mga malalakas yung levels ng mga instruments, so nagco-compensate kami doon sa tunog ng cajon para di siya masapawan.” “At that time, sobrang open kami sa kung anong klaseng sound ang pwede naming magawa and open-minded lang talaga kaming lahat, in terms of musical direction,” Paolo emphasizes. “May kanta nga kami na polka eh,” Ace adds. I cock an eye at him and ask, “Really?’ He then bursts into somewhat embarrassed laughter and admits he’s joking. Alright, no polka, but the result is definitely eclectic—80s-sounding new wave laced with ambient sounds, sometimes pouring into hip-hop. They play around with their sound a lot, they say. On writing the songs, Tom explains, “Usually, it begins with Ace or Doi or Marcus writing a song, and then they introduce it, di ba they give the chords, tapos patong-patong lang. Di ba? Kasi yun naman yung elements ng band, parang meron talagang center, tapos ngayon may mga laro-laro, ganyan-ganyan, di ba?” “The basic song structure, the skeleton of the songs, ipre-present sa band. If everybody likes it, kaniya kaniyang dagdag na. It’s always a group effort,” Ace elaborates. Marcus adds, “Actually lahat kami sa band nagsusulat ng songs namin.” Their sound has definitely grown over the years. “Nung nagca-cajon pa si Doi,” Marcus shares, “ang gamit ko samplers pa lang eh, so parang mga ambient sounds talaga. And then nag-try akong mag-synthesizers, so up to now, hindi naman ako talagang marunong mag-synths eh. Nagkukunwari lang ako… Pero yun, isa yun sa mga nagpakapal ng tunog namin. At ng mukha ko,” he laughs. “At saka nag-grow na rin yung chemistry as a band,” Ace offers, as Doi adds, “At saka siguro yung mga gadgets [that Marcus and the guitarists use], tapos si Tom nagpalit ng bass so mas maganda yung tunog.” “Makabagong teknolohiya talaga,” Paolo nods. “Yun yung Fonik.” I’m interviewing Bagetsafonik outside Route 196, while The Ronnies are playing inside. Compared to the fun-filled 80s covers that dominate The Ronnies’ setlist, Bagetsafonik sounds serious, almost melancholy. So, scratch that about envisioning them as a fun band playing irreverent, funny music. However, offstage, the individual band members are actually quite funny and they’re all very game. Tom is going on and on about his realization that face value doesn’t quite cut it in the current music scene. Paolo warns everyone not to heckle and interrupt him when it’s his turn to speak. Ace inserts how much he loves Pulse every now and then while explaining serious matters. And at one point, in between songs, Bagetsafonik are called into the bar. But of course, as we are in the middle of the interview, they decline and send their apologies as The Ronnies launch into Erasure’s “Always.” Later, I ask them, “Were you expected to jam?” “We were supposed to dance,” they reply with straight faces. But the point really is about having fun. “We set out with this band to have fun,” Ace clarifies. “And we’ve been having fun for three years, it’s been one hell of a ride.” “It’s satisfying,” Tom offers, “because we’ve been playing for three years and now we have a distinct thing, we have an album na and we can put our songs in it.” The band laugh and heckle him, “Anong ibig mo sabihing distinct thing?” “Hindi ko alam, tsong eh,” Tom says, “Parang meron na something tangible to show the people.” “Parang napaka-satisfying na finally we’re coming out with something na eto, eto na, eto yung ginawa namin for three years…” Ace nods. “Ito na yung culmination ng lahat,” Tom grins. “Like any other band, parang yung simula, hinahanap pa namin yung chemistry as a band,” Paolo adds. “Pero pagdating sa recording, doon na nagkaroon ng full creative maturity. Kasi iba talaga yung live performances sa studio eh, I mean, marami talaga kaming napagdaanan talagang mga live gigs, I mean from small gigs to big gigs, from gigs na talagang walang nanunood to gigs na sobrang laki na I don’t know, siguro nakaka-overwhelm din, in a way.” “Atsaka lumalim yung friendship namin,” Marcus points out. “Tsaka we got a lot of help din from other bands, like Morse,” Tom adds. Paolo agrees. “Marami kaming friends in the music scene na…” “Mga peers…” Marcus offers “Oo, mga peers,” Paolo continues, “na malaki ang tinulong sa confidence namin, shout-out kay Mr. Wolfmann.” “Tsaka, yun nga eh, minsan nakaka-overwhelm,” Marcus adds, “kasi minsan sobrang invite-in kami ng production na iba yung mga tugtugan tapos kami isasali nila doon tapos nakaka-adapt kami doon.” “Locked Down!” Ace interjects. “Locked Down reprezent!” “Tsaka na-realize namin na hindi pala kami pwede madala by face value alone,” Tom quips, which sends the band into laughter. “Kailangan pala may tugtog din! Hindi pala pwedeng gwaping lang.” “Wala naman sa aming trained musically,” Doi puts in once the laughter has died down. “I mean, nung simula naman hindi naman kami ganun ka-bihasa sa instrumento namin. So yun, masaya yung three years namin.” They’re actually appalled when I ask them if they’ve amassed leagues of fans yet. “We’ve amassed friends,” Ace emphasizes. They’re not the kind of band out for world domination, but they do appreciate when people they look up to give them compliments. “We’ve gained respect din doon sa mga bands na parang iniidolo namin. Iba rin ang pakiramdam din noon,” Marcus says. Doi shares, “Ako, pinakamasarap sa akin dati, kasi sobrang Eraserheads fan ako, tapos, di siyempre di ko pa kilala sila Raimund, si Raimund Marasigan. Tapos may narinig ako sa kaniya na ‘Huy, tsong, galing ng tugtog niyo,’ ganoon, parang ang sarap makarinig noon, coming from Raimund Marasigan.” “Tsaka for an early band, parang that’s what keeps you going,” Tom emphasizes. “Parang after ng gig mo, other bands will approach you and say na, ‘Uy, ang ganda ng music niyo ah,’ di ba?” Ace nods and adds, “Masarap marinig.” Their new album is going to be called Travelogue, because as Ace puts it, “the past three years have been such a ride, it’s been such a journey. Tapos, nung minsan, napag-usapan namin yung sound and what we really want to achieve with the album is to come out with something that you’ll put in your CD player and go on a road trip, it’s like a soundtrack for a road trip. So Travelogue, I think it’s fitting.” Although there were efforts to get the band signed to a major label, they’re looking more at the prospect of producing independently. “Ang goal pa rin namin is independent talaga,” says Marcus. “So ayun, kung swertehin, di okay. Kung hindi, push pa rin namin talaga yung album.” The songs include “Clarity,” a “love song” which former manager Bernie Sim describes as “a slow burn,” which Ace describes as, “not your straightforward ‘I love you, so love me too,’ love song, “It’s medyo frustrated, medyo… bittersweet. I don’t want to say jaded, so bittersweet.” Another track, “Song for the Sunlight,” has Marcushiro rapping on it. “Matagal ko nang sinulat, before pa nung band,” Marcus shares, “And then talagang nung ginawa ko yun, inisip ko rap talaga siya na song. Tapos nung pinresent ko sa band, nagustuhan nila, so inareglo namin na mag-aapply dun sa tunog na ginagawa namin.” Being a band that has amassed friends, they have had different directors and producers offering to make their music video, and are currently waiting for three completed videos: “Saccharine” by Team Manila, “Automatic,” by Mark Mendoza and “Halogen,” by DJ Arbie Won. “Ang nakakatuwa rin, there’s lots of people na napapanood kami so yung mga directors, ganyan, nag-o-offer silang gawan ko kayo ng video for free,” Doi smiles. Marcus adds, “Ang dali lang makakuha ng suporta, parang gagawa sila ng something for us, kami naman, in a way, tinutulungan din namin sila, so masaya.” The album was produced by Bagetsafonik and Dan Gil, another friend made through the years, who offered his Liquid Post as a recording studio. Marcus shares, “Actually, there’s a track na meron contribution si Dan, with saxophone, sobrang ganda ng kinalabasan, nagtunog talagang 80s siya.” The album was mixed by Liquid Post’s Noel Nunez. With two graphic artists in the band (Marcus and Ace), you’d expect stunning visuals for their album packaging, but the boys tell me that none of them are doing the artwork, though the concept for the album cover was theirs. Who will execute? “It’s a surprise,” they tease. They’re also inviting surprise guests for the launch, happening late June. Even if the album will be finished earlier, they’d like to wait for Paolo to come home from his business trip abroad, a sure indicator that they’re friends first before a band. Everything’s still up in the air for after the album gets launched, but Bagetsafonik is hoping for the best. “Siyempre gusto namin i-tour, gusto namin i-promote yung album, gusto naming magsulat ng new material, which is already happening, we have siguro 5 or 6 songs na wala sa album.” “Out of town gigs,” Doi beams. “Definitely Boracay.” “International gigs!” Tom grins. “Music videos din ilalabas na namin,” Marcus says, more seriously. “Gusto namin visual talaga,” Tom nods. “Going back to face value…” sending his bandmates into hilarity again. “Basta open kami sa lahat ng possibilities, kung saan makarating yung album, or kung saan kami makarating, okay lang. Wala kaming expectations na malaki pero. “Basta, ilabas na yan,” Ace declares. “Ako, ine-expect ko, makikilala ako ‘pag naglakad kami sa mall,” Doi says in the same tone. I look at him and ask, “Talaga?” Doi laughs and admits, “Hindi, joke lang.” Watch out for Travelogue, Bagetsafonik’s debut album, this June. In the meantime, check them out online here and here. And for kicks, memorize Doi’s face so you can recognize him if you ever see him in a mall. That would give a whole new meaning to “face value.”

May 17th, 2007

DEKODING AMPON

• By : paochec

Absolute Messages Personified Over Noise, or AMPON, is a gathering of non-mainstream (perhaps even anti-mainstream) hip-hop artists who take pride in being more “art-core” than hardcore, in writing intelligent music instead of party music. The group was determined to produce their music fiercely independent of the mainstream, until they eventually started up their own label. Operating as a collective, they released their first album, Dekoding Rhythm—an anthology, if you will—in 2006. The collective is home to individual artists Caliph8, Anygma, MIC, Six The Northstar, Gabby, D-cal, Plazma, Marlowe, Chec, Azeem, Skarm, Jolo, Ago, Anton, and hip-hop groups Dialect, composed of Abnormalities and NothingElse, and the trio Epical, made up of Flexx, Chyrho and Beetlejuice. We were able to speak to: NothingElse (Eleazar delos Reyes): When I got out of engineering, I got into music… I was stunned when I saw the performance of my friends and I told myself, I can also do this… Started out with freestyling, battling then into music production… My lyrics are quite simple when deciphered, I just want to say what I wanna say in a more intricate manner. Beetlejuice (Martin Lazaro): My life is all about music and art. It’s been like that since I was born. Flexx (Miguel Pacheco): I started freestyling before writing, I was about 18 and as I was into music …I asked myself why my friends could produce but I couldn’t. So everyday since that thought bothered me I insisted on recording myself on a tape deck accompanied by some Pete Rock and DJ Krush beats and I’d just mess around with that until it reached the point that I was able to dispose vocab which had sense. It all went by so fast after that because I had neighbors that rhymed as well and not even more than a year passed and me and some friends were already able to form Epical [composed of Martin, Victor and Mic]. We had our first gig at this college and the experience made me fall for music producing (with regards to lyrics and the beats…). After that night as I remember a great force was formed, a bunch of emcees from everywhere who just wanted to be free but at the same time understood the standards of music… and that was AMPON. Anygma (Alaric Yuson): I’ve been myself for 18 years. sKarm (Philip Pacheco) – My name is Philip Pacheco a.k.a “sKarm”, producer/emcee for AMPON. Been emceeing ever since I started writing back with the grade school vocab. I move like a terrorist cell, I am one voice in this collective we call AMPON. Personally, my beats, lyrics and tone are to be described as just plain “real & raw”. I do not make your typical 15 track love song album, I do not cover songs, I turn my back on the songs plainly talking about the bling and women. Basically I morph everything I get from samples into me and just put it all together. As for the something special part, I would not call it special but I guess “different” would be the word. I just choose to put my beliefs and perceptions of this world through a 60-100bpm beat with either samples from the past and present or even playing instruments for my appreciation. Don’t get me wrong, if you dig what I am doing feel free to hop in the train of the minority because this music we make is not really a club jumper, sentimental mover, popular choice for music. Its something else and I really find it good for the soul. MIC (Mic Sanchez): I accidentally discovered that I could play the drums when I was about 9 years old. I kept trying to imitate drum patterns when I was a lot younger. Then luckily when I hit 9, my aunt gave me a Yamaha Digital Drumset complete with foot pedals. The first time I sat and tried to play that thing, a basic “kick-kick-snare” beat came out and I was like “damn!!” to myself.. I got myself a real drumset about two years later.. From then on I just kept evolving as a drummer; especially when I heard John Otto’s funky/rock/hip-hop style on Limp Bizkit’s “Significant Other” back in 1999… That’s when the beats really started to get some groove… As for the lyrical side, there’s not much to it; back in high school, I used to keep a notebook where I’d write sh*t down… So anything I felt or anything that would happen during the day, I would write down. Then the notes turned into short personal poems; then the poems turned to lyrics… and that’s it.. The electronic beats? I always wondered how all those hip-hop artists used to make sample-based beats when I was a lot younger. I used to do it really “crude-method” style; record my drums on tape then add guitar and bass on another tape… and so on and so forth… till I found out about Fruity Loops during the early high school days. It’s a pretty good sample-based music-creating software for those with a low budget. I still use FL till now cause I still don’t have money… I cut and import my own samples and drumkits though; usually from old movie soundtracks and songs. Much respect to DJ Premier for the heavy influence… Plazma (Paolo Callangan): I started rapping when I was twelve. But back then it was nothing serious, heck I don’t even know what I rapped about, some typical gangsta rap shit. It just takes time for an artist to grow. After going through different stages of life, there you will be able to express fully what you feel. I gained consciousness in my writing at the last year of my high school. I was exposed to the grim reality of life and was able to survive it. Hip-hop became like my journal. Now I’m in college, and I continue writing in that journal. Hmmm… I am a huge fan of Horror and Exploitation movies. Six the Northstar (Felix Gantioqui): I started writing rhymes when I was 14 and at the same time played around with musical production. I joined AMPON when I was still with my group Archonz Akeen and I was there during the collective’s inception. I’m currently a DJ at Killer Bee 106.3 in Bacolod. Marlowe (Marlowe Uy): As an introverted kid growing up in the outskirts of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, I spent most of my time listening to music, reading books, and writing anything of literary value. Without any available means to waste my time since I had no Sony Playstation, cable TV or a “barkada” since we really had few neighbors, my childhood days were spent on attempts to doing anything creative. In elementary school, I took up guitar, piano, and banjo lessons. But I didn’t have the discipline to provide ample time for practice so I was not really adept at playing those instruments. I also dabbled in poetry, which I still do until now. In high school, I started rapping. I performed at school events and did some collaborations with the bands of my friends. It was also during this time when I started writing my own lyrics. However, the music scene in the province wasn’t really conducive for hip-hop artists during those years. In fact, being a rapper was pariah, except if you were in some rap-rock band that emulated the likes of Slapshock and Limpbizkit. Ridiculous as it may seem, I recall some people there who would say “hip-hop bulok, punk is not dead” whenever they notice someone who is into hip-hop. As a hip-hop artist who lays emphasis on lyricism instead of the typical rap-rock rants and the gangsta-poser rhymes, I was really in an isolated position back then. I was fortunate enough that I was awarded a university merit scholarship to study in Metro Manila. This gave me an avenue to know people who were also into hip-hop, specifically individuals who also lay emphasis on the lyrical aspect of rap. During my freshman year, I joined Archonz Akeen, which is now a defunct hip-hop group that was once part of the AMPON collective. When the group disbanded, that was when I started creating beats. Most of my beats, I gave it to fellow AMPON emcee Plazma, who also used to be part of Archonz Akeen. As an emcee, I perform during AMPON gigs and other hip-hop events. Outside AMPON and hip-hop in general, I provided some beats for the score of a theatre production titled “If Death were a Playwright,” which was staged at the University of Asia and the Pacific. I am also into spoken word poetry. Although not really a veteran of the spoken word circuit in the country, I have already performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines for the Word of Mouth event, Art Centre at SM Megamall for Danny Sillada’s 10th one-man exhibit, and also at the UA&P Humanities Arts Festival. Abnormalities (Cole Benares): I have been trying to make musical tracks since I was 13 years old. Growing up in the Philippines, the local scene influenced me more than my foreign influences. Chec (Paolo Pacheco): Actually I really had my hands on music seriously when I got in AMPON, I’ve been messing around with a few PC programs and tape decks back in high school aspiring to be a so-called “DJ” someday. Ago (Miguel Agoncillo): Wow, musikero na din pala ako… [I’m a] Ph.D. student in philosophy. Regrettably, the rest of AMPON could not be reached at press time. What was it that drew you to hip-hop? How would you describe the kind of music you listen to and how it influences the kind of music that you create? What else do you listen to? NothingElse: A very basic answer—the headnoddin’ beats and the rhymes. I was lost when I first listened to hip-hop, I was listening to commercial rap. Then back in high school, Flexx introduced us to A Tribe Called Quest, the old Rawkus records, some neo-soul… then in college came the influx of backpack rap, leftfield hip-hop… I also listen to some drum and bass, electronica, free form jazz, list could go on and on quite a cliché answer but true… they influence me in such a way that my perception has been altered and [is now] weird to others. But they do not necessarily influence my lyrics ‘cos my lyrics are the reflections of the now which I am experiencing. Beetlejuice: Beats, rhymes and dirty loops. The culture itself is fun and inviting. Been a hip-hop junky for a very long time now. I listen to a lot of music. Jazz, hip-hop AND ALL SORTS. I collect records, tapes and other sound junkieness! Record digging and getting my fingers dirty is my idea of a good time. Searching for old and new music is my thing. As for the music I create, hip-hop is just a part of what I do. It’s a fragment of something bigger. Part of the creative process. What I do is more than hip-hop. It’s forward thinking. Flexx: I think it was Radio City [in Galleria in ‘96] and the first two tapes I purchased were Tommy Boy Records and Cypress Hill…..and I enjoyed those tapes, ha ha….. Early 90s grooves were great, but then when I started noticing music during the late 90s, a lot came to my attention with regards to spotting “the difference” on this force which was music. I needed guidance through this path of survival. Luckily my music would always come from Martin and Pg since they would always have the top notch good shit, like say some De La Soul, Wu, early Common, Blackstar, Tribe, Ninja Tune, Arrested Development, Pete Rock, and my favorite producer DJ Krush! Code 4109! Ha ha… And it wasn’t just hip-hop but a lot of soul, jazz and during the start of 2000 a lot of Def Jux, Ninja Tune, Rhymesayers, Abbey Lincoln, Helen Eriksen and all sorts of free-the-world type music that in my description is a soothing symphony for the shattered souls who appreciate the truth. That’s the kind of music I’m into, while the music I produce contains a lot on how I feel we get surrounded by robots who just want to infect the innocent but at the same time I feel I can’t blame anyone since resources for underground music down here is limited… Anygma: Lyrics, beats, the culture. It’s great music. I also listen to jazz, reggae, blues, other music. sKarm: What drew me into hip-hop was the use of the voice overpowering all other sounds in a song, because I believe that the voice is the most powerful instrument a person can use. I mean the sound can be nice but if what you are saying is just powered by what you think fans just want to hear then I find that crap. I like its clarity and head bop effect. When you hear that emcee drop some story or perception on the different things that affect us in life powered by a background in a rhythmic tune—it reaches some point in human spirituality where you just get dazed and confused. The music I listen to always has to have content, whether a person is talking or the instrument is setting the mood for his/her feeling at that moment. I listen to artists like Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Eyedea, Sage Francis, Sole, Dose One, Murs, Soul Position, RJD2, Blueprint, Grayskul, Immortal Technique, ILL BILL, Necro, EL-P, Alias, Nas, the old Mos Def and Common Sense, GANGSTARR. I had my days with Limpzkit’s Three Dollar Bill and Significant Other and turned my back to the rest. DJ Lethal is still sick though… John Coltrane’s Era, Benny Goodman, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln but the most influence came from the whole Rhymesayers – Defjux – Anticon camp. MIC: I’m not sure how I got into hip-hop but I think it’s when I heard “The Message” by Nas from a friend of mine way back in ‘96/’97; I was just stunned and impressed by the sample, the crunchy drums and the elegant yet gritty lyrics.. Hip-hop was on my list from then on… Off the top of my head I’d have to say those that have highly influenced the hip-hop side of my music are: DJ Premier, Nas’ Illmatic and It Was Written, Smif n’ Wessun’s Dah Shinin, AZ’s Doe or Die, DJ Muggs, the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty, The Roots’ Illadelph Halflife… I listen to a whole lotta other hip-hop stuff but these are the ones I respect the most. I like the early 90s hip-hop stuff. Hip-hop is just one side of me but I’m also a big fan of the rap-rock/nu-metal stuff… Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other and Three Dollar Bill Y’all—much respect to those two albums! Korn, Slipknot—Joey Jordison, that dude’s a phat-ass drummer too! Deftones’ White Pony, etc. All kinds of music come into my life, friends givin’ me CDs of artists I never heard before—I also download a lotta stuff, so it’s just endless… I mean, I don’t limit myself to any genre, if the song sounds good, and if it gives you that fix of whatever you’re lookin’ for, then its good. My music is just an expression of what I feel—and all these artists (and future artists) that I listen to help to give me ideas of how to express those ideas, feelings and things in my head waiting to get out. Plazma: Hip-hop is probably the most expressive genre ever. You can do anything with it; you can add a little rock, metal, jazz, reggae feel to it. You can rap about anything too. The music is flexible. I’m also a big fan of Heavy, Thrash, Death and Black Metal. Metal has played a very big role in my music too. Metal makes anger and damnation sound so beautiful. Six the Northstar: First it was the hard hitting beats of the 90’s where hip-hop was at its height, with snares snapping your neck while you bop your head to a person rhyming. Then it was the rhymes weaved with the beat. Now I guess, I evolved so much as a listener and a musician. I’ve been listening to free jazz stuff like Sun-Ra and some funk music from Sly and the Family Stone or other obscure stuff I can get a hold of. I guess that molded the production I have now although I try not to listen to something before I do my beats and lyrics. I’m into some Deftones and AC/DC right now. Marlowe: If you are referring to hip-hop music, then I’d have to say it was the imaginative manipulation of language. The intricate rhyme schemes, wordplay, punch lines, and the usage of literary devices like figurative speech attracted me to hip-hop music. That is probably the underlying rationale why the type of hip-hop music I listen to always accentuates the lyrical aspect. Just to name a few of the hip-hop artists I constantly listen to: Sage Francis, Aesop Rock, Eyedea, GZA, Common, Atmosphere, Canibus, Dose One, and Buck 65. These artists influence me in a way that I continually attempt to transcend the established boundaries in hip-hop music. Besides hip-hop, I also listen to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Portishead, Puccini, Philip Glass, Stylistics, John Cage, Frank Sinatra, Radioactive Sago Project, Up dharma Down, Buddy Wakefield, Billie Holiday, Norah Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Nirvana, Carpenters, and even some Peter, Bjorn, and John. Well, I really listen to a lot of musicians but these names came spontaneously like rushing water from a stream of consciousness. Abnormalities: I started going into hip-hop scenes in Manila at a young age with my older brother who was at that time an artist as well. Watching the people who made the movement possible for hip-hop music, as well as the environment I grew up in, influenced me to create the music I make. When things around me change, my work adapts with it. I don’t restrict myself to a certain genre. I could even listen to FM radio at times. Chec: Honestly, it was the beats that caught me…I was 8 years old then. Soon after, I learned to appreciate the lyrics and began to develop understanding the deeper meaning of each and every element of the genre. From hip-hop, I appreciated jazz, soul, breaks, and electronica music which I am into nowadays. I’m very open-minded when it comes to music, I try and learn to appreciate each and every genre and sub-genre that exists. Ago: The beats and the lyrics… I listen to electronica, hip-hop, rock, anything that I like. It allows me to experiment with other things and push the envelope. In your own words, describe what AMPON is. How does AMPON relate to the Philippine and global hip-hop scene? NothingElse: Absolute Messages Personified Over Noise, I guess that about describes AMPON. Personally, when it comes to Pinoy hip-hop, I don’t really relate with ‘em. We just do our own music on our own terms. But with hip-hop as a whole, we keep the traditions with what we do on a more progressive tip. Beetlejuice: “Ampon” is a different approach in local hip-hop. There’s not much to relate AMPON within the local scene except for a few. As for the global scene, there can be some traces drawn with other underground/progressive hip-hop cultures around the world. But styles remain different. We are from the Philippines. They got theirs. We got ours. Flexx: AMPON is a free association of musicians, we’re all different but our similarities with regards to music is what draws us together. Personally I think we don’t have the patience for compromised music and the relation to the world is that everything we release is real. I just can’t appreciate bullshit music, it gets me nauseous. Anygma: We’re not for club music. sKarm: AMPON is an independent label filled with emcees, DJs, turntablists, beatboxers, producers, poets and basically a bunch of people who were just sick and tired of the same old shit and wanted to create something that stood for what we believed in. AMPON relates to both scenes. Our stories are powered by our surroundings (the Philippines) and also the other things outside the boundaries of our country. There is no rule in making a song nor boundaries on what you can or can’t say. Personally, I just don’t give a fuck what others think. We just make our music and put it out for us and for this music to be exposed to the public. MIC: AMPON for me, is a “compilation” of musical artists that all got together to help each other in their music… from beatmakers, to lyricists, to producers, to people who play instruments… AMPON creates music and puts it out there in the hopes of being heard and listened to. Nevertheless, we don’t care whether people like the shit we put out or not; we just make music we like to hear and music that we feel—and that’s it. Plazma: We are different from the typical hip-hop heard on the radio and seen on television. Six the Northstar: AMPON is a box of puzzle pieces. The pieces are its members with different shapes and sizes. Simply put, each piece, regardless of shape, fits with one another to bring a bigger picture. But we’re not all serious all the time like what other people might think, one common thing about us is our sense of humor (laughs). We just try to do great music that we like and what other people may dig. Regardless of which seen, we just want to evolve and progress with the times. It’s always been like that since day one. Strictly artistry. Marlowe: For sure, AMPON is more than just a Hip-hop collective. We treat each other like brothers. This is a family comprised of individuals with similar interests and ideals in life. In relation to the Philippine hip-hop scene, AMPON is not really that well-known to most hip-hop heads. Maybe because we don’t market ourselves like cheap commodities for sale. Our music is an acquired taste. It is not music you listen to while doing something else. This music demands focused attention on the part of the listener. In AMPON, we don’t really have a target market nor do we cater for a specific audience/crowd. If you are the right person, then this music is for you. Abnormalities: AMPON is a big family. Even the name AMPON (adopted) applies to the music we create and how we work as a group. We take in artists that have the same nature towards what we are doing. We help each other, share knowledge, and most importantly support each other’s work. Like any hip-hop scene, local or global, we also want to expand and spread our work. Chec: AMPON is just a bunch of people having the same interests with different flavors gathered into one corner, tripping on music not knowing that we are actually doing something else, that’s because we don’t care much about what people will think of our music when we make it. The hip-hop scene in the Philippines I believe is running on a highway… we just have our own lanes. Global is much different and is more complicated. Ago: AMPON is all about the music… Sure, we need money but we don’t center our work on it. AMPON can show both the whole country and the world that there is also another side of the Philippine hip-hop scene which the people can find as both refreshing and not all about the Benjamins. Why a collective? What were the origins, and more specifically, how did you get to join in? NothingElse: Power in numbers, I guess. And maybe ‘cos it’s musically healthier to cipher around heads with the same vision. AMPON started back in October 2003, we found other hip-hop cats and decided that we should do something and be heard. I was invited by Chyrho, Beetlejuice and Flexx (the founders) to be part of AMPON. Beetlejuice: The idea of AMPON was to put together artists who shared the same differences and similarities. We figured out that it would be a great idea to start a record label that pushed a different approach to the local hip-hop scene and to have an entire hip-hop crew share common interests and bring a variety of styles and skills to the table. AMPON was a vision and finding other members for the crew was even more exciting. Finding someone who can identify with the group’s style is really special. And that’s what happened, artists came to AMPON coming from different camps, cliques and simply gifted indivduals. AMPON is made up of mc’s, beat makers, poets and artists. So we built a clique. A strong and starving crew hungry to express themselves. An art-core hip-hop collective. Flexx: We formed AMPON days after that first gig at that college, AMPON consisted of emcees who wanted know why… of people who weren’t tired of digging. Anygma: It works better. I was just a fan and a friend. sKarm: We are a collective because you can make a greater effect with people who have the same perceptions as you. We take our music very seriously and it is nothing to fuck with. Taking the extreme point of view is present in any AMPON song you hear. Because if you don’t take that extreme point? People won’t even listen to you or, worse, they won’t take you seriously. I was not there when AMPON actually started but I was already rapping at the time and was intimidated by these individuals. I was a 13 year old hanging out with a bunch of 15-20 year olds spilling their theories on hip-hop. I was just fascinated by the fact that I could make words rhyme. I got in because they knew me and the music I was making was pointed in the same direction they were going, plus these are the people I grew up with. MIC: All I know is back in probably around late 2002—I got into “Epical” with Miguel (Flexx), Martin (Beetlejuice) and Vic (Chyrho)… I was about 15 or 16 back then and I was just taggin’ along meeting all these other older heads and doing gigs… I was stoned most of the time—and by around ‘03 or ‘04, I suddenly found myself in a music group called AMPON… the rest is history. Plazma: It’s because we support the unheard. We help each other, we’re not just a collective, we’re family. You see we are united up in here, unlike other artists who are contestants in popularity contests. Six the Northstar: Well, during Archonz Akeen I thought it was cool to kick it with other people rather than just 8 of us then (laughs). But I actually thought it was way better to have people to support you when you do your music. I actually had a call from Epical’s Chyrho and Turbulence’s B-Roc for that infamous meeting in a resto in Makati. Imagine more than 20 men in one long table, goofing around and talking music like they knew each other for a long time. Marlowe: AMPON initially started as an indie hip-hop label like Definitive Jux or Anticon. However, due to lack of financial resources and time, we became more of a collective comprised of different groups and solo acts. Given the current state of hip-hop in the Philippines and the type of music we create, it is more advantageous for the artists in AMPON to be a collective. Abnormalities: Most of the people in AMPON are the same people I grew up with. We shared the same ideas and decided to put them into work. Collective because we all are different, each artist in the group has different influences, knowledge, and beliefs. This provides us flexibility in creating our music. Chec: As I stated earlier, we are a bunch of people having the same interest with different flavors. Combine all the different talents (raw, experienced, developing, etc) and keeping focused on being just ourselves makes a collective great for me. I was asked by NothingElse to join AMPON as a business head back in 2003 (which didn’t quite work for me). Ago: It allows us to spread the movement of AMPON faster and to a wider range of audience. Had a fight with one of the members which I was able to resolve when I joined the group. What was your role in the production process of Dekoding Rhythm? Does this role extend to a bigger scale in other AMPON efforts? NothingElse: I did most of the legwork: copyrighting, finding out the place to press our CDs, collecting funds for the production of the CDs, managing the whole AMPON. Flexx: I only produced a track on that album which was “Holografiction,” and rhymed as well on beats produced by Mic and Vic (Chyrho the wrath). Anygma: I did my share. I hope so. sKarm: I produced track 11 of Dekoding Rhythm, Dcal’s “on beat.” Dekoding Rhythm was just a taste of our projects. From that time to now, we have gained a lot. It’s a learning process; even if you’re a senior citizen, [when it comes] to this music you still learn. Our beats are evolving, flows are getting more experienced, and our minds are like a black hole, sucking in all we can learn. MIC: I took care of mastering and mixing all the songs to optimize their sound and make the album sound consistent throughout. It was a hard one ‘cause it was my first time tryin’ to do somethin’ like that and the songs came from different studios and recorded at different times, not to mention the beats came from different producers; so it was really hard. But it’s cool ‘cause I learned a lot from it and the album came out and sounded pretty good. I also produced beats for some of the artists in the album; as well as the “intro” and “outro.” Plazma: My solo track “Demented State of Mind” and the track with Marlow and Chec, “Satanas.” Everyone’s roles extend to a bigger scale. Six the Northstar: I had to sit this one out for this compilation since I’m currently in Bacolod City. I did a song for Dekoding Rhythm but I may contribute more in the next project for AMPON. I was actually in charge of sales here in Bacolod City. Marlowe: I provided the beat for the track “Demented State of Mind” by Plazma. I am one of the beatsmiths in the AMPON collective. Chec: I made two of the beats in the album, recorded and mixed three tracks in my house. Ago: Wala akong nagawa sa album, nagbenta lang… Hehehe… What is it about the members of AMPON that makes it work well as a group? What are the qualities that the members have that helps make AMPON what it is? NothingElse: The weirdness, the uniqueness of each AMPON member. The different perceptions which sometimes collide but in a way we still make it work. Beetlejuice: Everyone is special in their own way. That’s the common ground we all share. It works. Flexx: We have a lot of similarities with regards to how music should sound and the standards aren’t even mentioned but already understood within the circle without having to ask, the beauty of this all is that our styles are so diverse that you could easily spot who’s rhyming because we all talk about everything and that “everything” is very much in detail. The good thing about everyone is that no one goes clubbing and the pop life does not exist, thus we are able to create our own environment. Anygma: We’re all open-minded. Being critically observant. sKarm: What makes us all connect is that we are all different individuals but at the same time our theories in music are alike. We all make music for ourselves but again if you like it then cool, if you don’t then it’s all okay. MIC: We all know how valuable rest, intoxication, and laugh time is. And I think that’s what keeps AMPON alive because we just have fun in what we do (not in a cheesy way, hahaha). And we don’t make music to try to impress anyone; we just do it ‘cause we feel it. Plazma: The artistic mind is what makes AMPON work well as a group. We might have different opinions and perspectives about things but it’s the creativity of it that keeps us together. Six the Northstar: Like I said, we are all a bunch of funny people—well, at least most of us (laughs). It’s a collective of learned men with no intellectual arrogance whatsoever, which actually helps with some of our experimentations in music. The group dynamic of a certain collective, in my opinion, is great when you get to hang around with them until you trust them. Marlowe: We are a tightly-knitted consortium. The bond established in AMPON goes beyond hip-hop. Abnormalities: You have to be optimistic and have a strong belief in what you are doing. We don’t really have requirements. We are open to anything. We don’t follow the corporate system. Chec: All the wild, weird, funny, unique ideas that come out our heads and making something out of it. We all pitch into something we believe might work best in our interest and do all we can to make it work well. Ago: We all share the same qualities and we live in a sub-culture of our own which makes it easier for us to bond together, but harder for others to understand us… Is there a designated leader? How do operations work? Beetlejuice: We all move at our own pace. We bring up matters together in meetings. We have an overlooking president who takes care of business. Flexx: We are a democracy and move as we please but if we have to make decisions for the group then everyone would have to meet and so we could share thoughts and tell what is best. Anygma: We have a president, but everyone just listens to each other and does what they are capable of doing. sKarm: We operate like a mob. Each individual in AMPON has a say. This label was founded so there could be no strings attached in song-making and financial decisions. Everyone’s comment is said then we talk about what is best for AMPON in the long term. MIC: We work with democracy. Everyone says what they think and whatever benefits the most of us, or whatever we all agree upon, is what we execute. Plazma: We have officers in AMPON: President, VP, and Business heads. But authority is not based solely on them. Like I said, AMPON is more of a family, everyone has to move and have their own responsibility. Marlowe: In AMPON, we act like a mini-democracy. Everything is decided by a majority vote. Six the Northstar: Well I tried to grab the power! (laughs) Nah, but I believe NothingElse is in charge over all on both the art and business side of AMPON. NothingElse: I’m the president. But I still take into consideration everyone’s opinions before arriving at a decision. We hold meetings, with as much members who could make it, before every gig, before any major decisions. It’s parliamentary in a way but there are times when I have to put my foot down. Why are the tracks recorded in different places? Is it like a DIY collective? Plazma: Because it’s straight underground brotha haha!!! NothingElse: Some live in Pasig, some in QC, one in Parañaque. It also depends on the time. Yes, do-it-yourself ‘cos no one else will. Flexx: Tracks nowadays are usually recorded at my place, Mic’s and Chec’s. It all actually depends on whose beat it is since as producers we all have different techniques when it comes to adding the effects and the equalizers and we also want this and that done our way. sKarm’s my brother but when it comes to the finishing touches of the tracks, that song is usually furnished by whoever produced it. Chec: It’s somewhat DIY but when it comes to recording, we all find our comfortable time and place as to where and when to record our materials. Anygma: Because we feel like it despite there being minor differences in recording styles and vibes. Abnormalities: We share the labor and also to vary our sound. sKarm: We are heavily advanced in our home studios because we believe that is all you really need. Everything is connected to one computer—the mixer, the mic, and the turntable. These studios of ours are stationed in different places because we all wanted to work in the place where you’re from. What place could be better than your home? MIC: The main idea was to just keep making and recording tracks wherever we could, and in the end get it all mastered in one studio before releasing the album. It’s easier that way ‘cause not all of us live close to each other. Six the Northstar: Since we are not with a major label, we don’t pressure anybody to create a song within a certain time line. We try to give artistic freedom to each and every member of AMPON. It’s easier to have some of them done in different places since some of them have different vibes too. Marlowe: It was really a matter of convenience. On my part, it was a matter of proximity of the pseudo-studio from my place. I recorded my solo track titled “Sanctuario” in Mic’s residence where his pseudo-studio is set up for the simple fact that it is walking distance from where I live. Ago: It’s convenient. Yes, magugulat na lang yung iba na may bagong kanta na nagawa. What are AMPON’s upcoming projects? NothingElse: I am workin on my solo EP: NothingElse – Is Out There; to be released on the net once our website is finished by Mic, hopefully by July. Beetlejuice: Another compilation. This time produced by Miguel (flexx) and Phillip Pacheco (sKarm). That should be fun and different. The group has a vast perspective of things. So projects may mean music, videos, graffiti, murals and art. Whatever we feel like doing. Anygma: Concept albums and several solo albums that are still in the works. Flexx: Me and sKarm are supposed to release an album composed of AMPON emcees and some other cats, basically the theme is that it’s our production. sKarm: We’ll have emcees from AMPON together with other artists such as Liquid from Audible and Kleph Note. MIC: Basically we haven’t stopped making songs even after Dekoding Rhythm came out and our plan is to keep creating songs and select the best from them to put in the new album, which I’m not sure when it will come out. Some of us are also planning on doing solo albums or albums that’ll feature only some of us, kinda like side projects. Plazma: There have been talks of doing a second Dekoding Rhythm. Mic, sKarm and Six are working on their solo albums. NothingElse is working on an online EP. sKarm and Flexx are doing an album too. Also in the works is the Exorcist Scrolls EP. As far as I’m concerned, I’m working on a solo album entitled Music 4 the Damned. But as of now, we just continue making tracks, collaborations, solos etc. Six the Northstar: I’m actually in the process of recording my album, Nullverse, which will hopefully be done this year. Marlowe: Some members are working on their solo EPs. The Pacheco brothers are also working on another compilation album that may feature artists outside AMPON. Former Archonz Akeen members (Six the Northstar, D-Cal, Chec, Plazma, Gabby, and yours truly) are on the conceptualization process for The Exorcist Scrolls EP, the subject matter of which is the seven deadly sins. What are your goals, individually and as a group? NothingElse: I just wanna make music my whole life. I have given up on tryin’ to change the façade of Pinoy rap. As far as AMPON goes, I want to bring our music to other countries like Japan, New york (underground), places where a hip-hop scene DOES exist. Beetlejuice: What I know is that we will keep pushing AMPON productions whether it be music or art. We are all aware of the group’s potential. So we capitalize on that special STRENGTH we have. Just keep making music. Flexx: Main goal is to get our music out to the world because sometimes I feel that a lot of homosapiens down here prefer the usual. Anygma: Continue working, working and thinking. sKarm: Personally my goal is to keep living this life. It is a plus for me to make my music reach other people’s ears. My music will continue to function from me, from what I think and what I believe needs to be done. As a group, just to continue dropping our beats, lyrics, until there is nothing left to say (which is far away from anytime soon). MIC: I’m planning to release a solo album that will contain my beats, lyrics, me doing live drums, probably some guests, and an overall mixture of hip-hop, rock, triphop and funk. I’m also currently looking for live bands I could play drums for. Plazma: Simple… to be heard, without really giving a damn what the public will say. We just would like to show everyone the other side of Pinoy hip-hop. Six the Northstar: We just try to do great music. I just want to push the envelope and try to have different approaches with my art and it wouldn’t hurt also for people to feel our music. I just want to do great music, no gimmicks, no stunts, just pure great music. AMPON is all about progress. Marlowe: To release an album that will definitely change the landscape of hip-hop in the Philippines. Chec: As of the present, I want to pursue my solo electronica project if I can pull it off by mid-June, and maybe have a band if luck comes my way. With AMPON, maybe continuous development and progress will be the best for now. Ago: As a member of AMPON, influence the scene. Individual goal, get my doctorate. Other non-AMPON projects that you wish to pursue, music-related or otherwise? Beetlejuice: Personally, I want to make more films and make videos for AMPON artists. Not many people know about this but the lifestyle of AMPON is narrated and shown in a short movie I directed three years ago and was an official entry to the Cinemalaya film festival in 2003. The film was called “Benny, The Life of a Street Poet.” It featured street ciphers, graffiti and beat making. Check it out. Flexx: I want to have a free band, I haven’t started on this and so for now it’s just a sandcastle dream. sKarm: Whatever’s whatever, come what fucking may. MIC: I’m planning to expand the “QuickSmack LowBudget Studio” and really make some money off of it so I could buy better equipment. I also want to focus more on my drumming and playing with live bands rather than writing lyrics. Plazma: It’s been a long time dream for me to do a track with a metal band, a punishing rap-metal track that will annihilate the gap between hip-hop and metal. Right now I’m writing a book called “The Demented Mind of Naldo Umalab” and I hope to finish it soon. Marlowe: Release a spoken word poetry album. Publish a book. Organize an open mic event at the university where I study. Six the Northstar: I’ve been playing around with musical scoring for some small films right now, trying to get more knowledge here and there. I have a group in Bacolod called Intstruementals which experiments with some stuff outside Hip-hop and I’ve been trying to do some music with the local bands here and promote the scene. I also want to hit the gym and excercise. I haven’t exercised for two years! (laughs) Artwork provided by AMPON. What, you were expecting your typical promo photos? “We opted for the non-portrait approach to represent our visuals for the article. Here you go,” said Caliph8 of AMPON.

April 3rd, 2007

CHICOSCI: BLOOD BROTHERS

• By : paochec

Vampires have invaded Manila. They appear after dark, dressed in black, arms raised, giving the world the Christ Fingers—ring and middle finger extended, three fingers curled in an imitation of the saints that watch over every Catholic Filipino’s home. They pledge their allegiance, not to any religion, but to Chicosci, a band whose rebirth can be traced back to the number of the beast: 06/06/06. “P****g ina, ang saya!” This is what guitarist Miguel “Mong” Alcaraz says when asked how the band has been doing this 2007. “We started the year playing a show in Singapore, January 1. [Back here] our video debuted at number 6 sa charts. Tinext pa kami ng lahat ng kapamilya namin.” “So we have a feeling that this will be a wonderful year ahead of us,” lead vocalist Miggy Chavez adds. I’m interviewing the band outside Café Lupe, along EDSA. Along with Mong and Miggy is bassist Carlos “Calde” Calderon and drummer Jose “Joel” Salvador. Sonny Baquisal, the band’s other guitarist, is absent. The band also used to include percussionist Eugene “Yug” Esquivas, who recently migrated to Canada. It’s the band’s first time to play in the resto, but they don’t seem nervous. They sit on the steps near the parking lot, smoking, relaxed, waiting for their set to start. Tonight they are primed, having come from a successful gig in Alabang, ready to take on the evening. Things have been on the rise for the band ever since June 6 last year, that Number-of-the-Beast date when they launched their self-titled fourth album. Not only did the band’s sound change drastically from their previous work, it was also the first time—after three albums produced by major labels—that they were doing things on their own. Needless to say, this was a very fulfilling thing for them. “Naging mas-close kami… kasi we were left with ourselves only, so we had to work together. Aside from the songwriting, everything, even the business side of things, kami na rin nag-handle,” Calde says. “That was the sensitive answer,” Mong laughs. “The non-sensitive answer would be experience-wise, it was character building.” Aside from having to start from scratch, the band had other difficulties to surmount. One big change was that they were used to holing up in a studio to record—this time, denied the luxury of continuous studio time, recording was done in bits and pieces. At that time, Joel had been stationed in Europe for work, so the band had to work around that as well. “At that time, wala pa kaming plans on how to mass-produce, how to whatever, kasi ang familiar side of things to us was recording, because of the major labels,” Mong explains. “We were able to find a manager, Soki Munar, who hooked us up with how to go about mass-producing the album.” After the album, their second biggest project was making the video for “A Promise.” “Miggy had already done a couple of videos. He did Plane Divides the Sky’s first video, and then I majored in Film and Sound Production. Budgeting the video came sort of naturally for us,” Mong says. “And then things started rolling from there because everybody noticed the video, everybody noticed the album—“ “And our haircuts!” Miggy jumps in. “Our haircuts,” Mong agrees. “Fashion sense, cuteness, cutie factor—“ Miggy continues, a big grin on his face. “Androgyny,” Mong adds, “Or let’s just say it straight up. Our gayness,” he deadpans. “Our gayness!” Miggy laughs. “What’s up, bitches?” Talking to the band feels as if you’re talking to your kabarkadas. They laugh, tell jokes, make fun of each other. This is exactly the vibe they give off on stage, the vibe that the Vampires that follow them around feed on. A few months after Chicosci’s successful reentry into the rock scene via their new album, the band signed a distribution deal with MCA Universal. “We shopped the album with other labels, walang kumukuha. Shinop namin sa Warner. At that time, paalis na si Boss Ricky, who is now with MCA, so paglipat niya sa MCA… sinabi niya… ‘Pag wala na talaga kayo malapitan, you can come to me,’” Mong narrates. The deal included some marketing, one of the products of which was the Vampire’s Ball, the album’s second launch, which was held last March 2 in Eastwood City. (It was also the day that Yug got on a plane to start a new life.) Another product of the MCA deal is the giant billboard along EDSA, on the way to Guadalupe. Having your face blown up to the size of a small building and placed along a major thoroughfare can be overwhelming, even if you’re in a band that sings about blood and ghosts and knives. “It’s f*****g great, ‘t**g ina!” Miggy exclaims. The billboard was the first thing Mong saw when he got back from the band’s trip to Singapore. “My mom and my sister picked me up from the airport, then yun, ‘O, yung billboard niyo.’ W00t!” Mong says, his last word an exclamation of surprise laced with wonder, and laughter. “I took my parents on a road trip, para lang daanan yung billboard,” Miggy explained. When I asked what their reactions were, he said, in a high pitched older woman voice, “O, anak ko yan! Laki-laki ng picture!” “Kapatid ko, tinext pa ako,” Calde shares. “We’re all family people,” Mong says. I turn to Joel and ask him what his reaction was. “Si Joel, nagtaka kung anong billboard!” Mong laughs. “Akala ko, ibang billboard, eh. Pero masamang storya ‘yun, kaya huwag na,” Joel says sheepishly. The talk turns to the redesigned cover of Chicosci’s recent album, which depicts a bouquet of blood-red roses that turn into shadows of bats that fly off into the whiteness. The previous one, prior to their signing on with MCA, had a silvery rosary. “It was done by him,” Mong says, pointing to Miggy. Miggy takes it as his cue to explain. “When we signed with MCA, they wanted something different, so they asked us to change the artwork. Tapos nagdagdag kami ng three extra hits—“ “Take note, hits,” Mong interjects. “Hits,” Miggy repeats, for emphasis. ”Nag-change ako ng theme ng konti pero pareho pa rin sa songs. It was really fun to make kahit wala akong tulog for a couple of weeks.” “Even the art is part of the indie part of the story. The billboard you see, ‘yung art na nandun, ‘yung raw elements from that is all from [Miggy],” Mong says. “Sa band, even though we’re kind of signed, we always want to do things ourselves,” Miggy adds. “Kahit yung merch, lahat, kami gumawa. If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.” “Ever since we started doing this album,” says Mong. “At least may input ka,” Calde agrees. “And then there’s that problem of choosing singles,” Miggy says, answering my next question before I can even ask it, “A lot of artists are concerned about, yung label ba, nakikialam sa kung ano ire-release… In our case, we didn’t really care about that clause because we designed the album in such a way that we love each and every song. You can release any one of them.” “Not to say it was hard,” Calde adds. “Natural lang sa amin magsulat ng hits,” he laughs. “We’re a fountain, you know,” Miggy exclaims, “We’re a geyser of hits. They just keep coming. Chicosci is a hit factory. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but—“ he trails off, laughing. The band may joke tongue-in-cheek about their success, but it seems that Chicosci really has become a hit factory. Their single “A Promise” has taken them to the top of the charts, with “7 Black Roses” and “Chicosci Vampire Social Club” also becoming fast favorites. Their sound now is a far cry from their first album, Revenge of the Giant Robot,a rap metal offering recorded under their previous name, Chico Science (“We were the least rapping rap metal band at that time,” Mong laughs), and Icarus, their tragically named (and equally tragically received) third album. In the band’s opinion, the songs in their latest album come closest to their hit “Paris” from their second album, Method of Breathing. “We were actually building on that [“Paris”]. When you play it now, it still sounds fresh. You can include that particular song in this new album. At least that’s how we feel about it,” Mong says. “Major glitch in the matrix yung third album namin, at least from our perspective.” He turns to Calde. “Sensitive guy, answer the question with a sensitive answer.” “We made this album because we were supposed to,” Calde explains. “Nag-sign kami for a year, and we had to release an album within that year, otherwise, walang mangyayari.” “The third album was really experimental,” Mong adds. “Since magkaaway kami—“ “Kanya-kanyang trip,” Calde finishes. “Hindi song yung iniisp… Tapos walang pakialamanan… Basta kung ano trip mo, dahil hindi tayo bati.” Which begs the question, if everyone was mad at everyone else, why did the band stick together? The answer can be summed up in one word: brotherhood. “I’ve been classmates with this guy since prep,” Mong says, pointing to Miggy. “Really, magkaklase kami,” he adds, as if I was disinclined to believe him. “Magkakabarkada kami since way, way back.” We shift topics again. This time, we’re talking about a lot of people’s penchant for filing the band under that slightly whiny-but-with-a-dark-edge label, emo. “Whatever people say we are, be it emo or punk or nu metal, whatever, we’re not going to make an effort to own it,” Miggy says. For the record however, the band would rather their music be described as “post-pop.” “We’re making a new movement,” Miggy laughs. However you want to describe their music, one thing’s for sure: it’s the kind of music that attracts Vampires. In this context, a Vampire isn’t the fanged, blood-sucking creature of Romanian lore. He, she, they—are Chicosci fans. “It started during a PULP Summer Slam two years ago,” Mong explains, referring to the annual concert staged by PULP magazine. “We got the 5:30 slot, sunset time. We got the idea because the sun was setting. In the middle of the set, nag-light ‘yung ilaw, nag-spotlight sa tao, tapos ‘Hey! We got a lot of vampires around the house!’ Nabuhayan lahat ng tao nung nawala yung lights. And since we’re into film, very theatrical yung dating sa amin ng experience na ‘yun. Nag-stick na rin.” Despite their theatrical name, the Vampires are ordinary people. “Regular school people, school kids, some call center people—“ Mong says. “When you watch vampire movies, no one dresses in a cape… It’s like a secret society. Sila-sila lang ‘yung may alam kung sino ‘yun. Even the Christ Fingers—“ Mong explains that the band got the idea for the Christ Fingers just before they were about to do a gig in a Catholic school. “School gig, eh. Bawal ‘yung devil horns… Tapos si Sonny biglang, ‘Kung mag-Sto. Niño na lang tayo?’ [makes Sto. Niño fingers with both hands] Tawa kami ng tawa pero nag-stick,” he relates. The Christ Fingers gesture has become synonymous with Chicosci, something which is a constant source of amusement for the band. “I got Ira of Yo La Tengo to do the Christ fingers, I got Jagga Jazzist, I got Kuya Germs to do the Christ fingers, I got Boyet de Leon, Rez Cortez, may whole collection kami of them doing the Christ fingers!” Mong exclaims. “So it was part fun, part serious marketing?” I ask. “We’re marketing geniuses, actually, if you haven’t noticed,” MIggy chuckles. “Take note. Chicosci: marketing geniuses, hit factory,” Mong says with a straight face. Miggy nods, grinning. “Good songs with a strong marketing plan.” But it isn’t all just marketing. The band has always been drawn to dark themes, taking inspiration from their daily lives and the images that influenced them growing up. “We were raised Catholic… Siyempre, we were exposed to like, the Bible. There are a lot of interesting stories that can be found in that book,” Miggy says. “Like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Mong offers. “So, we’re a religious band,” Miggy laughs, before answering the question seriously. “You can detach yourself and look at it like mythology, sobrang interesting talaga, especially the art. You’ve got angels… you’ve got the four horsemen of the apocalypse—“ “We’re using metaphors, which the art of has been lost,” Mong interjects. “The art of the metaphor has been lost in OPM.” The others nod in consent. “People can just say ‘Use you from behind,’” Mong begins. “Or ‘Sino ka ba?’” Miggy finishes. “A little trick we use, which I picked up from Miggy, a lot of love songs say, ‘My heart is breaking, I can’t breathe,’ so we’ll think of another body part that would explain it the same way, like ‘these tired lungs,’ parang ganun,” Mong confides. “Yun ‘yung mga trip namin lyrically. And then it translates, evolves, becomes incorporated into the Catholic thing.” “The topics that we deal with aren’t sociopolitical,” Miggy says. “We deal with things that we go though in our lives,” Mong says. “Relationships with other people. How do we say that? How do we write songs with those kinds of topics in a different way? In a cinematic way? Not just I love you, I need you.” “’I want to kiss your lips.’ Yuck!” Miggy says. “’Hey baby, what’s happening? Let’s exchange spit.’” I ask about their fans, and you can see the band’s faces light up just talking about them. “We get fan art now,” Miggy says. Mong holds up a smoking baby doll attacked to his phone and says, “This was a gift from a fan. They want me to quit smoking. It lights up every time a text comes in.” “Ang sweet talaga ng fans namin,” Miggy says. “We never really used to get gifts. But now we get stuffed toys.” “Nung 10th anniversary namin, nagbigay ‘yung listers namin ng plaque,” Calde shares. Mong continues, “Lahat kami doon, “World’s Best.” Awww…” It’s been ten years since a bunch of high school friends got together to form Chico Science, now Chicosci. With the years came changes, and with the changes came something that a lot of past interviews have described as “maturity.” I ask the band if they agree with this description of their current sound. Miggy answers first. “Grown up in the sense that we write for the song,” he says. “It’s not like, ‘Tara, lagyan natin ng maangas na part,’ ganyan.” “That’s the way we do it now,” Mong agrees, before explaining. “Doon kami lumabas, eh. ‘Yung scene na nandoon nung nag-start kami, pabigatan ng heaviest riff, pabigatan ng verse, ng palo, palupitan ng sigaw.” “In other words, palupitan,” Calde finishes. “Who can make the crowds jump higher, it was all about that before. Now, the songs are more classic,” Mong says. “We just want to make songs that will last. Such a cliché answer, but it’s true,” Miggy adds. Mong elaborates: “If you see a metal band na sobrang galing, sige, wow, ang lupit nila, but the next day, you won’t even remember the songs… we’re not the best players, we’re not the best singers, but the next day, the song’s going to be stuck in your head.” “Take note, that’s very punk rock,” Miggy interrupts. “Yung mga punks noon, they weren’t the greatest singers, they weren’t the greatest players, but like us, they weren’t thinking that these songs would get stuck in these f*****g listener’s heads. Pero, in the process, yeah, you’re writing for the—every single line means something. Imposible na walang makakarelate doon,” Mong says. I can see their manager walking up the path, which means that their set is going to start soon. I have time for one last question. So I ask, what does the future hold for Chicosci? Miggy doesn’t skip a beat. “World domination, of course,” he says. “Was there any doubt?” I laugh and shake my head. No, there wasn’t any doubt at all. Chicosci pic in front of the gate by Gil Perez. Chicosci on the stairwell in Singapore pic by Dewi Marie Vincoy. Gig pix by Luis Katigbak.

February 8th, 2007

SING ALONG WITH NYKO MACA + PLAYGROUND

• By : paochec

Nyko Maca is gorgeous. She’s got her hair pinned loosely behind her head and no makeup on, and she’s stunning. So it boggles the mind that she was once mistaken for a man. It happened when she was riding a cab, hoarse from singing. The taxi driver asked her, “Ma’m, lalaki ho kayo?” Game, because that’s the kind of girl she is, she replied, “Oo, bakit?” Probably bewildered, the driver says, “Kasi ho, Ma’m, pang-babae ho yung ganda niyo…” Her bandmates watch her tell the story with amused looks on their faces, as if they’ve heard this story before but don’t mind hearing it again, given that most of the energy from the porch of Café Bec at the Fort is vibrating from her and successfully infecting everyone within a close radius. We were at Café Bec, a charming coffee shop just off to the side of MC Home Depot, to check out the recent release of Nyko Maca + Playground’s Manifesto. Let’s get this straight. Nyko Maca is Nicole Severino, though most people know her better nowadays as Nyko Maca—she started playing bossa before it became a plague in the metro and has risen above the fad to be indie Manila’s favorite entertainer. Still, some people recognize her as the first runner-up of Star in a Million, the girl who was not only able to pull off singing Alicia Keys but played the piano onstage as well. “Ma’m, di po ba kayo yung nagpi-piano doon sa ganun ganun…” is what people sometimes say to her when they recognize her from the TV contest. “Kala ko kayo yung mananalo, eh.” To which she gamely replies, “Okay lang ‘yan, panalo pa rin tayo.” She continues, “Tapos they texted daw, sobrang flattering. And I’m really glad that things turned out differently.” Was it a very competitive atmosphere? “It was,” she nods, and adds, “And it was also a very good learning experience. To see how things worked behind the scenes in show business. It gave me a lot of good ideas for shows. You know, set design, production, rehearsal, how to plan things, how to execute.” She offers theories on why she’s emphatic that she and her band give good performances, which she claims she also learned from TV. “We’re oriented more towards the audience’s experience, which makes a difference, instead of just taking it from an artistic level, na what you want to be. Nakikita ko siya sa other side of the fence. Kasi in TV, it’s that, di ba? You’re constructing something purely for [people watching TV]. However, yung musikero, gusto lang nila yung gusto nilang i-express. Pero siyempre, kailangan maghanap ng compromise.” The “we” she is talking about is herself and Playground, the collective that Nyko Maca plays with, composed of digital groove maker Abdel Aziz (the persona that Madz Abubakar uses when playing for Nyko Maca—electronica followers would know him as Neon8), guitarist Rick Sanchez and saxophone player Alvin Cornista. People used to be under the impression that Nyko Maca was the band, not Nicole herself, so they had to make the distinction. Nyko shares how they came up with Playground: “Somebody said, ‘Your band needs a name.’ ‘Playground.’ They said, ‘Okay’.” Rick adds, “Playground, it’s the kind of name that you have to think about it. Gives you something to think about, what does it mean, oh, that’s what it means. And, with all that thinking, it makes you remember the band.” Manifesto, meanwhile, is not their debut album; it’s a ‘prequel’ that represents the four musicians individually, with two tracks from each of them. “All of us are into angles that fit together,” Nyko shares. “We [always say], ‘Oh you know, why don’t you this or why don’t you do that?’ I think it’s a great synergy because everybody’s got different backgrounds and they bring that into the mix, which we wanted to honor on the album.” Alvin expounds, “It’s like you buy this box and there are four puzzle pieces, like they’re all separate, right? And that’s the first album, they’re separate puzzle pieces. We’re going to surprise you when the album comes out, when the box is all together.” Nyko nods and adds, “We wanted to introduce the backgrounds of everybody in the group, to give a recognition of their production skills, their individual sound. That way, when the album comes out, at that point people know where we’re coming from.” Together, they perform a whole range of Brazilian music, not just bossa, fused with electronic beats. It’s actually quite difficult to explain what their sound is like, besides the general, too-broad term “fusion.” Even the band members are trying to figure this out themselves. Alvin leans over to Nyko and says, “I’ve thought about our genrefication…” She loves the word “genrefication,” and almost doesn’t hear the genre Alvin came up with, which is “OPM Electronica.” It’s still quite general, but that only means the band will just have to keep thinking of their genrefication some more. Somehow, they’ll have to include Nyko’s Brazilian influence, which is just as strong as the electronic in their sound. “Interestingly enough, I got into the Brazilian thing because all the stuff, the culture, the language, the music, I do capoiera from Brazil, it’s been a few years now that I’m involved, and it’s something that demands a certain kind of authenticity,” Nyko explains. “You have to know where it’s coming from. So I ended up studying a lot, researching a lot, and I guess out of pure love for the culture, I got involved with it.” She even lived in Brazil for a number of years. But what about her own culture? “I don’t think it necessarily contradicts the Filipino identity,” she reasons. “More than anything, it fits. It’s a country from the other side of the world, and you still find a connection, then I think the plurality of the cultures becomes integrated, you know? There’s a big connection between our culture and theirs, we just have to be able to bridge that gap.” “Or is it because you had a crush who was Brazilian?” Alvin attempts to tease her. “Oh, no, not really,” she replies. “I went out with a Brazilian guy after.” She then gestures at Alvin and says to me, “But he had a girlfriend who was from Brazil.” “I got into it because I had a crush,” Alvin admits. “Ah, so nagpro-project ka pala diyan,” she laughs. Alvin laughs too, then offers, “But it was good because it was valuable in learning and studying that music.” “Ibang musicality na, no?” Nyko nods. Alvin agrees. “Ang bigat.” To which Nyko can’t help but respond with “Ang galing na mag-Tagalog ng Koreano namin!” referring to her sax player’s porcelain Asian looks. It seems they really do tease each other and joke constantly, contributing to the good vibes of the band’s music and live performances. Alvin offers that their rehearsals feel more like hanging out than serious sit-down sessions. “Yeah, we rehearse but I don’t know if you can really call it rehearsing,” he shrugs. “You know, we just kinda get together and we hang out, then at the very end we do something. I don’t know, but part of the music creating process and the synergy of the group, the things that happen come not from working out but from hanging out. You don’t have to get down there and do it, it just happens. Hang out, and one day, all of a sudden, you have a new song. Like that, right?” he asks Nyko. “Yes,” she tells him, but adds, “Don’t get us wrong, though, like individually, when we do our thing, it’s been honed by practice and by doing it over and over again in our own spheres, right? Rick used to play with Trip M, and still does from time to time, also with Tribu Manila. So yung edge noon, electronic din yung background, so sanay na siya. So alam na niya kung paano pumasok. Alvin also back in Canada had a group called Sekoya, and incidentally the lead singer is half-Filipina also. So meron na silang edge. Para bang meron na kaming background tapos madali na ipag-halo.” “Yeah, we have lots of hits on our belts,” Alvin nods, “So kids, don’t try that at home. Don’t just get together in a band, get drunk and smoke cigarettes…” Rick adds that, despite their different backgrounds, they’re all of similar minds. “We’re like riding the same wave, it’s just a matter of planning the schedules and getting things done.” Most of the time, Abdel Aziz jams with Rick to lay down the main rhythmic foundations of the songs while Nyko Maca and Alvin harmonize on the main melodies. But that doesn’t mean that these are strict rules that they follow; in fact they experiment and improvise a lot on the live sets. “Siguro ganoon din yung mga artiste na free spirited na you don’t want to be chained down to something specific,” she muses. “And if you’re already tagged for being chameleon-like or, you know, improvisational, then you’re not really chained down to anything other than to the fact that you’re always changing. That’s kind of cool.” The songs keep evolving at every gig because of their tendency to improv. “Actually, that’s the best part,” Nyko says. “I guess after a while of playing the same song again and again, it gets predictable, you know?” Alvin grins and sets it up so that you can smell the joke a mile away, saying “When you improv, all you have to do is add another letter, and you improve.” Despite it being meant as a joke, Nyko demurs, “Yeah, totoo yan, kasi jazz yung background niya,” referring to Alvin’s jazz bands back in Canada and his sessioning for local jazz artists here. “Nasa ano din yan, nasa mga pinakikinggan naming music, diba?” she continues. “May magic parang yung kung anong na-fee-feel mo nung time na yon eh, siyempre iba yung nafee-feel mo nung sinusulat mo yung music, iba rin yung nafee-feel mo sa gig. So may chance ka sa expression. And personal siya. And it defies piracy.” “Nicole says when we play live, we want to give people a different experience of the album,” Alvin adds. “You almost have to because what if the mood of the groove was a little bit different? You have to change to go with the flow with what’s happening in the room. If you’re gonna force what you did before on a certain situation, then there’s also the chance it ain’t gonna be the best. So, Nicole’s very good at gauging what the room needs. It’s like we’re all on the tricycle and she’s the tricycle driver…” We all laugh as Nyko retorts, “I’m the Manong. ‘Ma’m, lalaki ho kayo?’” With no two live performances ever exactly alike, it must have been difficult to get it all down in one album. At the moment, they’ve recorded “mostly everything,” as Nyko puts it, and the bulk of the album is in production. But don’t they ever feel that they want to change it up as time goes on? “We do. We think about that constantly. Parang, ‘Ah, baka dito mas bagay yung ganyang sound.’ Pag live namin iniiba, pero yung sa album, more or less alam na namin kung anong gusto namin. Genre and other things.” The equation works, especially when you consider the enthusiastic audiences who regularly catch their gigs, though Nyko disclaims that “It really depends what they’ve ingested and during. But most of the time, they like to dance, which is fun for us, we like to see them dance.” Alvin points out that there’s recall already, adding, “But most of the time, everybody sings along.” Nyko laughs, reminding him that they don’t have the album out yet, and won’t have it out till perhaps April, so they only sing along with nonsense syllables. Alvin retorts with “Nicole teaches it to them, like, right away, and everybody goes on. This is a live band…” “For the Karaoke nation!” Nyko exclaims in a Jamaican accent. “Karaokulation, mon!” Alvin raises his fist. Then, he chuckles and says, “Yeah, you can sing along if you want to sing along. Yeah, definitely.” Performance photos by Joelle Jacinto. Publicity photos c/o Nyko Maca’s MySpace page. Sing along to Nyko Maca + Playground live, check out their updated gig sked here. They’re still selling copies of Manifesto at the gigs, get one now and be ready to experience the blending of styles when the album comes out this April.

January 9th, 2007

HAVING FUN WITH THE OUT OF BODY SPECIAL

• By : paochec

“Do you want our real names or our hip-hop names?” bassist Niño Avenido asks as I sit down for an interview with the Out of Body Special. Hip-hop names? “Yeah, I’m Nin-Yo, and this is T-Mac, and that’s our vocalist Charlemagne.” I first discovered the Out of Body Special at a Guijo Jazz Night, which happens monthly at Saguijo Bar and Café. GJN has featured some of the best jazz musicians in the metro, but also opens its arms to funk and soul, featuring R&B acts like the Chillitees, as well as Sun Valley Crew as well. People tend to put The Out of Body Special into the same general category as SVC and the Chillitees, though their sonic signatures are far from identical. Vocalist Carlos Magno says their sound is “a new opening to hip-hop,” while Niño says the basic elements are “funk, soul, hip-hop, R&B, tapos may taste na ng rock.” Rock wasn’t part of the plan as Carlos originally conceptualized it, but neither was what OBS eventually evolved into. Carlos, whom everyone calls Los, started out with a couple of songs he wanted to record, and got his friends to help out: guitarist Pat Co from Taggundios and percussionist Diego Beltran from Plane Divides the Sky. Joining them a little after that were Niño and Ted Mark Cruz—they both play for Happy Meals and Jazz Kidding, and of course most of you know that Niño is also the bassist of Greyhoundz. Given the wide range of styles and genres that the five original members hail from, it was probably inevitable that the sound of Out Of Body Special was going to veer away from the pure hip-hop project album that Los intended. “Kaya mahirap i-describe ang ginagawa namin kasi di talaga namin pinlano na magiging ganoon yung tugtog,” Los relates. The project album became more than that when Los’ brother offered them a gig, which gave them the idea that they should continue as an actual band that actually gigs. “Yung birthday namin is Hallow’s Eve,” Los remembers, “October 31, kasi nga Hallowe’en gig. By that time, nakapag-rehearse na kami, nakapag-record na kami, nakapag-gig na kami, so parang all the steps supposedly. So kung baga doon kami na-conceive talaga. And then we just took it from there. We had a couple of gigs after that and ‘O, masaya ‘to ah. Tuloy na lang natin.’ Buti na lang not everybody was too busy.” The sound evolved more when they added more members. Blues guitarist Martin Veerayah also came in, and keyboardist Quincy Gonzales. Much later, Niño invited Garon Honasan to jam with them. “Kinidnap ako ni Niño,” Garon corrects us. “Pinilit ‘no?” Niño grins. “Pero hindi ako masyadong nakakagalaw doon,” Garon says of his other band, metal group Cog, for whom he also plays sax. In a way, he seems to be pointing out that he doesn’t mind the kidnapping all that much. “Sa OBS nakakagalaw ako.” “Actually, nung pagkapasok ni Garon, meron na kasing songs yung OBS,” Los shares. “Pero we made sure na ‘yung mga bagong kanta talagang may space for the sax. Kasi talagang big aspect din ‘yung sax eh. ‘Yung ibang songs kasi, pinapasukan ni Garon ng sax licks.” He adds that having a saxophone in the songs was another one of those things not in the original plan. “In fact, the songs that we recorded weren’t exactly the songs that I had, not all of them were the ones that I had in mind,” he concedes. “Pero nagkataon lang na ‘yun na, so parang…” “I-develop na,” Niño finishes. He recounts their new sound as, “Funk-soul-R&B… Rock,” the last genre making his band mates laugh. “Tsaka walang jazz,” Diego offers, prompting disagreement from the other guys. “Oy, meron ah,” Niño insists. “Jazz Night nga ‘to, pare,” Ted Mark reminds him and we laugh again as Diego maintains, “Ako, wala akong nakikitang jazz.” Los does see it though and says, “Lumabas yung jazz, parang ganoon.” He points out, “Yung pinaka-idea namin, kasi dapat parang hip-hop generally yung project, (and) gustong tulungan lang nila ako. Tapos, magiging hip-hop band na may halo halo. Yung pagiging prospective na halo halo na hip-hop, ‘yun talaga. Pero mas naging halo halo after that. So, we’re stuck with what we have now,” he grins, not exactly looking like someone who minds being stuck with what he ended up with. Ted Mark nods and adds, “’Yung okay sa situation namin ngayon is parang we don’t really have to think kung ano ‘yung sound ng OBS. Kasi when we write songs nowadays, kung anong lumabas, OBS na yon eh. Kumbaga, ‘yun na ‘yung sub-genre.” Los believes that all this meeting and merging of genres is also a very good learning process for his bandmates. “Kasi, si Niño, ano, nagstart na yung malagkit na masarap.” This particular example draws chuckles from other guys. “Parang suman,” Garon agrees. “Hinde,” Los shakes his head, explaining further. “Si Niño kasi, nasanay sa playing a lot of notes. Pero sa OBS, ang laki ng na-improve sa lesser notes pero talagang ang sarap.” “’Yun ang akala mo,” Niño replies, pretend-begrudgingly. “Pag nag-shred na ako…” Having all these musicians from different perspectives has definitely affected the outcome of the sound of their music, affecting also the flow of their songwriting. While Los is considered the leader of the band (“Siya si Out of Bigote Special,” Garon quips), the songs are a result of all the factors of Out of Body Special’s coming together. “It’s a lot faster now kasi, ako, wala talaga akong guitar skills, wala akong instrument skills,” Los says of the songwriting process. “Kung baga, kung ano lang pumasok sa akin, tapos ‘yung lyrics, pero ang hirap nun i-translate eh. Pero pag nagsama kami, it’s a lot faster. There’s more creative juice, there’s more pressure. Ayun eh, tipong stuff that I wouldn’t even think of biglang lilitaw, dahil sa bassline na ‘to, sa drums na ‘to, sa guitars nila, sa sax na ‘to, sa keyboard line na ‘to, sa percs na ‘to.” Aside from the main vocal line, there are a lot of melodic elements in the line-up, with two guitarists, a keyboardist and a saxophonist. The other instrumentalists believed it might be difficult for their guitarists to find common ground, but Pat, who came from a 90s grunge era influence as opposed to Martin’s bluesy background, finds that, “It evolves, like after gigging and jamming.” Martin, on the other hand, tries his best to extend himself, saying, “Mahirap kasi, like kunyari blues ako, hindi nag-a-apply. So I have to think of new stuff to apply sa OBS.” Garon acknowledges that Martin’s efforts work well, as they have a sort of buddy system when they play. “Nagre-relate kami niyan,” he says. “Kami talaga yung nagre-relate, kasi meron kaming contest tuwing gig kung sinong mas malibog sa aming sumolo.” Currently, they have Inky de Dios, of Indio I fame, to session for them on keyboards. Inky also has two bands of his own, Brigada, an all-percussion group, and Ten. Playing for the Out of Body Special, he says, “keeps me on my toes.” He relates that he learned the songs from the demo that Niño gave him, but more often than not, they play those songs differently. “Almost every gig, there’s a surprise. It keeps me on my toes and kung masundan ko, it comes out nice.” Of course, OBS has written more songs since that EP and Inky has to improvise a lot during gigs, but doesn’t find it too difficult, given how fluid the music is. “It’s a big sound but there’s always space. No complaints here.” These live gigs, ironically, are mostly rock gigs; specifically, more ironically, metal gigs. “Karamihan ng gigs namin rock gigs,” Los says. “Katabi namin, especially since we’re under Tower of Doom right now, lahat ng kasama namin metal. Seryosong metal. Kung hindi metal, really really hard rock.” Isn’t that weird though? “Okay lang,” Ted Mark asserts. “Parang minsan, after may mga metal na bands tapos papasok kami sa gitna, parang icebreaker.” “Maiiba,” Garon agrees. “Mas umaangat kasi, di ba, sa mga metal bands.” Niño adds that the audience reaction is “Very appreciative. Parang gone were the days na ‘yung hip-hop versus metal na nagpapatayan.” “Old school!” Los chuckles. “Wala na eh, wala na yung black versus baggy,” he continues, “so ngayon mas may acceptance ‘yung mga tao. In fact, a lot of the other hip-hop bands before us, actually that one other hip-hop band before us, napapasayaw nila talaga ang rock crowd. Basta kung saan sila mapadpad. And they generally have this party-generating thing na wala naman, it’s not about genre anymore eh, it’s about music na masarap, na masaya. So, buti nalang masaya’t masarap naman yung music namin. And hindi kami nakaka-alienate.” It’s the hip-hop gigs that tend to be problematic. “Yung pinaka-problem namin,” Los recounts, “the hip-hop gigs kasi, ilan lang ‘yung may kailangan ng live equipment, kasi wala silang drums. Walang guitar amps, alam mo ‘yun? Hindi nila ine-expect na full band set-up.” “Yeah,” Garon says, “basically, a lot of mikes.” “Although yeah, we have more mikes than we need,” Los adds. “And we need a lot more mikes than some other bands din. Kailangan namin ng at least five: percs, sax, tapos second voice, keyboards.” The jazz gigs aren’t all that easy to play at either. “Kasi ‘yung mga jazz gigs,” Los shares, a bit sheepishly, “siyempre doon lumilitaw na parang hindi ‘yun yung ginagawa namin. Sometimes, it’s so up there. They [jazz musicians and fans] can appreciate our thing, pero na-iintimidate din kami.” He laughs at his self-depreciation and continues, “It always comes to a point na, a band like this, we’d end up in a place na na-O-OP talaga kami.” “’Yun ‘yung maganda sa sanay na crowd eh, I mean compared to underground,” Garon observes. “Mas sanay, mas open sila sa a variety of bands playing after each other, unlike, let’s say sa metal, underground scene, pag hindi ka ganoon kabigat, alam mo yon, medyo ma-o-ostracize ka eh, so medyo hassle. Very elitist, kung tawagin. Maganda ‘yung mga gigs na nakukuha namin, kahit rock-oriented siya, may appreciation pa rin.” “And the good thing din na parang, right now, we’re not alone na parang kami lang yung hindi rock na banda,” Los goes on. “There were people before us and there are new guys who came out, tapos marami na kami. Yung ki-noin namin na term was Unrock. Kung baga, kung merong nu rock, merong unrock. Bakit siya unrock, kasi hindi siya not rock eh. Kasi trip pa rin ng people who came there for rock, nagugustuhan pa rin nila, it still falls under their preference. Or at least na-to-tolerate nila, kung hindi man lang nila nagugustuhan.” Late 2006, the Out of Body Special decided to put off too much gigging in favor of finishing their album, which is already two years in the making. “We just need to cope with the demands of recording,” Niño explains, stressing the need to finish the album. “Tsaka pinipili na namin ‘yung mga togs,” Garon adds. “I mean, hindi naman sa sikat kami or what. Pero more of being pragmatic.” “Kasi di ba there are eight of us,” Los points out. “Tapos lahat kami, may kaniya kaniyang buhay. Parang kailangan talagang i-respect na some of us have work, some of us have school, some of us have other bands, so hindi talaga namin ma-concentrate, and we’re not really getting paid as much. Which is why we’re not really complaining kasi ganoon talaga eh. Kami ‘yung mutants eh.” They also stress that it wasn’t easy making the album on their own, back before they were signed under Tower of Doom. “When we put out the EP, we were under the impression na malapit na rin lalabas ‘yung album,” Los recounts. “The EP came November 2005, shortly after ‘yung anniv namin. Tapos maganda naman ‘yung response, a lot of people liked it, a lot of people wanted copies, tapos kami talaga, we burn everything. Diego, nasira ‘yung burner niya, nasira ni Niño yung printer niya, this is so indie. Sobrang indie. Kasi wala talagang datung eh. Kung baga meron lang namin ‘yung music and the demand, wala lang kaming kapital.” “And to think na nung before we released the EP, most of us were seniors, also graduating, extra ahas,” Ted Mark adds. “Hindi naman hassle, pero sa oras, kulang sa oras.” “Three, four of us, thesis,” Los agrees. “’Yung iba sa amin talaga, coping with a job. Si Niño, gumagawa ng secret plans. So hindi namin siya pwede ma-istorbo, umalis nga ng bansa para mag-plotting.” “World domination ba?” the other boys tease as Niño shrugs and tells them he has no idea what they’re talking about. The Out of Body Special plans to release their album by late February. They’re confident about meeting this timetable because they’re no longer recording the album out of their bedrooms. “We had a lot of help,” Los says. “We thank Eric [Perlas] a lot for that, because he was able to engineer our sound well enough and give it the great treatment that it does. Plus, he signed us up for Tower of Doom. Tapos, we’re really happy and proud to represent them, ‘yung non-rock, un-rock category amongst a lot of metal and heavy rock bands. Sana it will be something that people will be open to next year, kasi ang banda, hindi lang naman rock. Banda is basically music, could be anything talaga. And anything as diverse as hip-hop/ jazz/ funk/ rock/ blues… slash lahat…” “Slash na ‘yung genre namin eh,” Niño grins and says it again for emphasis. “Slash.” Los also promises surprises on this album. “We have some guests on the album, so that’s something to look forward to,” he says. “’Yung mga ibang guests namin, really talented people na nagdadagdag ng sound nila. That’s basically ‘yung ginagawa namin, dagdag, dagdag, dagdag. I mean to get the sound that we have right now, from five members nag dagdag pa ng tatlo.” Although Inky is only at present sessioning for OBS, the rest of the band seem to consider him a regular member already. “He already has a hip-hop name,” Niño says. “In Key.” I ask them if they’re serious about their hip-hop names and they all reply enthusiastically. Pat’s hip-hop name is MC Pale Pilsen, Martin’s is Mad Flavah, Garon’s is Nigga Cheese, and Diego’s is DJ Ego. They’re all laughing at each other as they run down their aliases so it’s hard to tell if they’re serious or not. In fact, they laugh and joke around throughout the interview, prompting Niño to finally scold his bandmates, saying, “Ang professional natin sumagot!” Los apologizes, but gives an explanation why it’s this mad. “Ang gugulo namin, ang gugulo schedule, kaniya-kaniyang buhay. The only way for us to function is if we’re actually having fun and really enjoying each other’s company. In fact, wala pa ‘tong separate bonding na lumabas kami para lang gumimik. It’s not like it’s unnecessary but we have to make it like this. Kung trabaho talaga siya, wala, it becomes a job, it doesn’t pay, so how pleasant are you gonna be after that? So kailangan talaga may element ng kulitan.” “Dahil pumapangit na ‘yung music pagka-trabaho na ‘yung turing mo sa kaniya,” Ted Mark agrees. “Kailangan fun lagi.” “We’re always like this,” Los nods. “Every now and then na-te-tension kami sa isa’t isa, may problema dito, schedule-wise, practice wise, nawawala. This is all incidental eh, kailangan talaga nandoon ‘yung enjoyment eh. ‘Yung isa sa mga goals namin maka-gimmick kami ng gimmick lang talaga. ‘Yung maka-labas kami, kunyari, ‘yung maka-overnight kami sa beach. Or wala, inuman lang. Hindi pa nangyayari eh. ‘Yun lang, eh, nag-eenjoy kami kahit rehearsal lang, recording lang, gig lang, the rare chance na ma-interview kami, so kailangan talaga masaya eh.” He smiles, as he says, “We can’t take ourselves too seriously.” Join the Out of Body Special’s mailing list for gig skeds and details on their upcoming album.

December 5th, 2006

FEEL THE LOVE WITH SALINDIWA

• By : paochec

“Salindiwa? Are you a world/ ethnic/ reggae band?” They say they get that a lot, especially since their name evokes that kind of music—very earthy Filipino. Say the name Salindiwa out loud and you can hear the drums already. They only have one drummer, though, and five members in the band, all of whom have been around various music scenes and circles already, sessioning for countless musicians and events. You can say jazz is the common denominator among them, although guitarist Kakoy Legaspi, bassist Franz Magat and drummer Paolo Manuel first met while playing the blues. Kakoy and Paolo were in a band called Mr. Crayon, which played in the same gigs and places as blues band Huka, which Franz played bass for. Franz knew vocalist Maik Arce and keyboardist Nikko Rivera through other connections, and the three first found themselves in a band together for church. (“That’s where we got the soul,” Maik quips.) Soon, initiated by Franz, the idea of a fusion band burgeoned, initially among Franz, Kakoy, Maik and Paolo. When the band had figured out what kind of band it wanted to be, they asked Nikko to join them. Salindiwa is as diverse as the members who make up the band. As I’ve said, blues and jazz are what they have in common, but their own personal histories show that these guys have definitely been around. People may know that Kakoy was once in the revamped line-up of Rivermaya and in one of the incarnations of Barbie’s Cradle. Before then, he was considered a whiz kid burning blues on his guitar in Mr. Crayon; since then, he has done a lot of session work, most recently with Julianne and American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis (“Pwedeng huwag mo na isali ‘yan?” Kakoy asks as the rest of the band yell, “Sige, isali mo ‘yan!”). He’s also in a couple of side projects, one called House with Nikko playing Motown music, and another with Janoy of Bridge. Paolo, who developed a reputation for consistently playing “out” during drum solos, has tried and excelled at several genres, including death metal, blues, funk and jazz. He is also a regular sessionist, at several jazz gigs and for bands like The Jerks and Datu’s Tribe. Most recently, he played with Queso in Hong Kong for the World Battle of the Bands. Aside from Huka, Franz has been in several blues bands, including Gypsy Suns with Cowboy Santos. He also invited Nikko to put together a jazz group they called Subconcept, which toured Europe and Hong Kong. Nikko is actually a child prodigy, and touted by his bandmates as by far the most talented among them. He began piano lessons at 5 years old, joined competitions in high school, and dreamed of becoming a classical pianist… until he joined his first band with Franz. By then, his mentor was also teaching him to play jazz and other styles as well. While Nikko was a piano major at the UP, he was also a member of the UP Jazz Ensemble, and soon didn’t want to be a classical pianist after all. He also does session work, perhaps the most high profile session work of all, playing keyboards for artists such as Regine Velasquez and Sarah Geronimo. Maik has had a similar pop history but not quite. He cut his teeth singing in various R&B and hip-hop bands, half-joking, “Siguro kasi maitim ako. You know, you’re a certain color, you should sing R&B, but if you’re white, you should play rock.” He went through both the garage band phase and the show band phase, conceding that he’s happiest with Salindiwa. “Can you feel the love, man?” he quips to Kakoy, who retorts by blinking mock-beautiful eyes at him. Given the breadth of experience these boys have amassed individually, Salindiwa is their effort to use all that they know and mix it up, which is probably why their upcoming album is named One and why they are called Salindiwa, which is loosely translated as “capturing/ catching the spirit/ essence.” They knew they wanted to fuse jazz with rock, blues, hip-hop and all kinds of music in between. When asked what genre they belong to, they pause, long enough for Maik to reply, “Pop metal.” “It may be a cliché to say this,” Franz shrugs reluctantly, “but we can’t be categorized into a genre. It’s a cookie cutter answer, I know.” Kakoy adds, “Cookie cutter kung cookie cutter, pero hindi talaga eh. I guess you can only tell what our music is after listening; the analysis is after the fact na lang.” They also knew they wanted an album. As Kakoy offers, it’s easy to get a band together, but not to keep it together, and an album will do that. “Nagdidisintegrate kasi di-nagkakaanak,” he analogizes. “Actually, ‘yung makabuo ng album dati, mahirap talaga. Mahirap to write, to record. But now, in the digital age, almost anyone with a computer could do it.” They didn’t go that route, however. They chose to enlist Angee Rozul, whose Tracks Studio “still records to tape,” Kakoy grins. The band recorded as live, meaning, all together instead of by instrument, and then played around with the mixing with Rozul after. Asked how the recording process was, Franz replies, “Madugo.” Maik adds, “Madugong masaya.” And Kakoy says, “Madugong masaya na smooth.” Everyone brings their own ideas when they write the songs, “and then we mesh them all together,” Nikko relates. They prepare the songs a couple of days before actually recording, making sure to consider everyone’s inputs. “Lahat naman, napagbibigyan,” Paolo says, while his bandmates kid around that the arguing over the songs can become violent. Maik even has a running joke that Kakoy runs the band and makes all the decisions (“Kung ayaw talaga ulitin ni Kakoy, hindi talaga mapapa-ulit,” Maik insists), to the point that when I ask whose idea it was to record live, Maik says, without batting an eyelash, “Sabi ni Kakoy.” The band then agrees that it was a unanimous decision. “Like in the old days, in an analog studio,” Kakoy points out. “Maiiba naman talaga kasi yung spirit ng kanta if we don’t record it live.” “Meron nga nagsabi, ‘Ang haba siguro ng songs ninyo sa album’,” Franz says, referring to their neverending improvs during the live gigs. In fact, they strictly followed a not-more-than-5-minutes rule for the recorded songs, even if they recorded live. “Basta, naka-set yung framework of the song,” Nikko says, “and then we balance the issues. We try to sound different [from everything that’s out there], pero masarap pa rin. We make it so that people will still want to listen to it.” “Yeah, when we play live, naiiba ‘yung how we do the songs,” Maik agrees. “Swerte lang, ang gagaling ng mga ka-banda ko.” “I can feel the love, man,” Kakoy tells him. The album title, One, can mean anything. “Pwedeng literal, parang first album, pwedeng iba pa yung meaning,” Kakoy says. “Pwedeng may meaning, pwedeng wala. Pwedeng generic to specific.” They started recording on October 1, 2005, the exact date provided by Nikko, but it took a year to mix and finalize the album, which they all worked on together. The album cover took a while also; they wanted the kind of packaging that had never been done before, something to play with and to give the album an added personality. The sleeve turns into a box with reflecting images at some angles. “The effort that went into making the album cover, parang gumawa ka ng isa pang album,” Kakoy says. One is due at the stores any second now, as of this writing, after finishing touches to the album packaging. The band is individually writing songs for the next album—“Naghahanda,” as Franz puts it—but they’re concentrating more on putting out the first album. And they’re happy that they’re putting out the kind of music they aimed for when they started this band two years ago. “We know that our music, hindi naman panglahat,” Nikko sums up. “Pero, madami kaming blessings, and in the end, what’s important is the music. Hindi ‘yung fame, hindi yung money… Well, maybe some money… but it’s really, this is who we are and what we have to give. Masaya.” “Happily dysfunctional,” Kakoy agrees. “Can you feel the love?” Maik grins. Feel the love at their MySpace page, and join their mailing list. Photos by Jesus Pernas.

October 27th, 2006

KEEPING IT DURRTY WITH THE MILAGROS DANCEHALL COLLECTIVE

• By : paochec

You don’t have to know what dancehall is to party to the sound of Milagros Dancehall Collective. Suffice it to say that this group of local reggae scene regulars is capable of creating a groove so infectious that you won’t even care if they never play a single Bob Marley favorite — or, for that matter, any of the pop hits that have come to pass for reggae in the minds of the general public — during an entire set. While they’re perfectly capable of jaw-dropping covers, the real highlights of their sets are the originals. The members of the Collective currently in the performing lineup are: Caio Cadiz (Caioman) on keyboards and backup vocals; Macky Macaventa (Burnie Mac) on bass; Rob Martinez (Robbie Ranks) on vocals; Sappy Saplala (General Sappy) on lead guitar and backup vocals; Al Sese (Emperor Alphonse) on the drum kit; and Carlos Tirona (Caloy) on rhythm guitar. (Members on performing hiatus are: Mike Cruz, who did keyboards and musical direction and is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Vince Chacon, currently a grade school teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia, who did percussions.) Though MDC boasts a lineup of experienced musicians, the group also manages to sound totally fresh. We talked to lead vocalist Robbie Ranks about MDC: where they came from, where they’re at, and where they’re headed. Why were you guys drawn to reggae, and, specifically, to dancehall reggae? Vince, Mike, Sappy, Caloy and I were all part of the original Brownman Revival lineup. Al and Caio were formerly of Hemp Republic. So that explains the affinity for anything reggae. Close friend Macky was with The Jett Pangan Group and 7 Foot Jr. after that, but was always a reliable stand-in bassist for Brownman Revival back in the day. Hence, he caught on to the reggae vibe pretty easily upon recruitment into the MDC fold. Dancehall reggae was simply the catalyst that brought the guys together as a band. Al, Sappy, Mike and I were living together in an apartment on Milagros Street, Makati back in 2003, but they were all still playing with their former bands. The reason for the common residence was that all four were Makati corporate slicks by day, and the college dorm set-up helped ensure that the boys got to work the next day after a long night of gigs. Dancehall was the music that reigned on their PC at home, and artists like Yellowman, Lt. Stitchie, Mad Cobra, Bounty Killer, Beenieman, Elephant Man, Sean Paul, Lady Saw, Red Rat and Damien Marley constantly reverberated throughout the whole apartment building. As such, dancehall figured prominently when the idea of coming together and forming a band came up. When and how did MDC first come together? First performance of the band was last Oct. 31, 2003 for Xaymaca’s Halloween Party. As I mentioned, the band started back in 2003 at the boys’ first Makati residence on Milagros Street. Original line-up included Al, Sappy, Caloy, Macky, and me, plus Mike and Vince. Caio joined the following year to take over Mike’s keyboard duties. Could you discuss briefly the association/ split with Brownman Revival? Vince [percussion], Caloy [trumpet], Sappy [guitars] and I [bass] all played for BMR from 1995 to 2002. Mike joined later when he met Sappy at work back in 2000. It was Vince who first left the group back in 2002, when the load of BMR gigs became too heavy to balance out with his duties as an English teacher at the Ateneo grade school. Caloy and I, on the other hand, were simultaneously relieved of our roles in the band March of 2003, with our sobriety during gigs as the reason cited for the ouster. Unfortunately, neither of us were consulted, asked for our opinions, or warned before the decision was handed down by Dennis Concepcion [BMR drummer]. And apparently, the rest of the band also did not get a say in the matter, with only Dennis, his brother Dino [BMR vocalist] and Brownmanager Jojo “Jotay” Taylo making the call. None of them were even informed that Caloy and I were getting axed. This obviously did not sit well with the other members, and as a result, Mike and Sappy quit the band shortly after. Since MDC started up, what particularly good and bad experiences have you had as a band? MDC is all about hanging out together at the apartment and just enjoying ourselves. That’s why it’s a “collective” as opposed to a “band”. We were formed while living together in Makati and we still have a home base there. And with regard to good and bad experiences, we can say that we’ve all seen a healthy mix of both from our times at Milagros, to Enriquez, and now in Guadalupe. We’ve had house break-ins, car side mirror thefts, late night run-ins with the law, shouting matches with security personnel, bad episodes with girlfriends, bad episodes with non-girlfriends — he he — great jamming sessions, lots of drunken, stoned nights, moments of brilliant inspiration, and just good old camaraderie all around. What does MDC offer that other acts on the scene, whether or not reggae-oriented, don’t? What makes MDC unique? First off, it has to be made clear that we are not a dancehall band in the sense that we play strictly dancehall. The name Milagros Dancehall Collective represents: 1) where we’re from 2) the music we were all into when we decided to play together 3) how we see our merry troop — a loose collection of friends who just happen to kick ass onstage, he he. Jamaican dancehall artists don’t even use live musicians on their CDs. If we were hard pressed to give a category to our music, it would still fall under reggae. It’s still very much rooted in the Jamaican sound, but what makes it different is probably our whole mindset when it comes to being a band and making music. We have a very strong “original-material-takes-precedence” work ethic. In fact, we have never actually rehearsed a Bob Marley piece as cover song material. We want to be known for our original stuff as opposed to being “that band which does a mean version of Santeria by Sublime.” Know what I mean? When it comes to our sound, we incorporate a lot more hip-hop and guitar-driven rock into our live sets than most reggae groups do. We also don’t use a horn section simply because we’re not going for the festive, island mood. We’ve also started using music samples to bulk up the sound. We’re just continually experimenting, searching for ways to push the envelope and sail farther away from everybody else out there. What do you guys want to accomplish — in the long term and the short term — with MDC? Short term is to release our 11 song album ASAP. We’ve just finished mastering the tracks at Tower of Doom Studios and are now in the process of looking for a label to sign or distribute us. On the other hand, we may also opt to do an indie release depending on the time frames involved with the labels. All tracks are in English and you can hear full-length sound samples of two songs (“Sunscreen” and “Milagros Dance”) on our blogsite. Long term goal is to bring the message of Makati Ghetto Stylee to all parts of the metropolis, and eventually, throughout the Philippines. This music is inspired by the places we move around in, by the lives we lead. We liken ourselves to the MMDA by calling ourselves the Metro Manila Dancehall Authority because, like those men and women in blue, we are very much part of the everyday urban landscape that forms what we all know as city life. To let other people get a glimpse of that through our music would be kick ass… How has the writing/recording process been? All lyrics were written by myself except one track by Al Sese, and all music is by MDC. Recording started with drums at Tower of Doom, moved to the apartment for the other instruments, then went back to ToD for the vocals. Tell us more about some of the original songs slated for the album. “Watch Me Now” was the first MDC song. “Baby Gal” was inspired by Yellowman. “Rasta Love” has lyrics by Al Sese, “Me Name Is” tells the story of MDC, and “Tolus” is the only legitimate love song in the album — spell the title backwards. “What You Want” is a homage to Chaka Demus and Pliers. What is the ideal audience for MDC? Ideal audience is anyone who doesn’t think all local reggae should sound like “Kapayapaan” or “Maling Akala” to qualify as reggae. Anyone who has an open mind about any kind of music and appreciates new sounds. Anyone who just wants to have a good time. Photos by Arvin Viola and Jed Escueta. Check out the MDC blog. Be their Friendster. Sign up for their mailing list.