Island Records launches Philippine brand; signs some top local talent

Island Records launches Philippine brand; signs some top local talent

By Rick Olivares

 

One of the world’s most influential record companies has opened shop in the Philippines. 

 

Joining revered and legendary acts Bob Marley and the Wailers, U2, Roxy Music, Queen, the Cranberries, Amy Winehouse, Post Malone, Ariane Grande, and Drake to name but a few are Filipino artists Juan Karlos, Over October, Lala Vinzon, Zack Tabudlo, Fern, and One Click Straight.

 

Island Records Philippines was unveiled to the Filipino market last June 23 with a press conference to announce their establishment in the country as well as their roster of local talent.

 

Island Records, founded by visionary English businessman and record producer Chris Blackwell, was considered prior to their sale in 1989 to major label Polygram, as one of “Britain’s best independent labels” for their willingness to sign international acts and for bringing reggae music to the world at large.

 

Through Island Records, Jamaica’s reggae music was introduced to the world at large through Bob Marley and the Wailers and Toots and the Maytals. The sophisticated art rock of English band Roxy Music was a huge influence on New Wave and electronic music. 

 

“The launch marks the beginning of a new chapter in the illustrious history of Island Records,” pronounced Managing Director Enzo Valdez. “We are excited to launch Island Records here in the Philippines and to build our own family of local artists, that can further extend the huge legacy of Island within the region and beyond. In the coming years, we will look to establish Island as a home to some of the most impactful and important artists from the Philippines, whilst introducing them to new audiences around the world through UMG’s unrivalled global network of companies around the world.”

 

The initial roster of Filipino talent is just as diverse with their music. 

 

Lala Vinzon and Zach Tabudio are young pop sensations while four-piece band Juan Karlos’ style is an exciting amalgam of blues and soul. One Click Straight is an up and coming electronic pop outfit and Over October is an alternative rock band. Fern., is – in his terms – a cool indie pop artist.

 

As for signing any local reggae artist, Valdez didn’t close the door on the possibility. “Island has roots in supporting reggae. Would we be open to introducing Philippine reggae acts? If we find the right artist – definitely.” 

 

When asked about if Island Records Philippines plans to give its local crew the vinyl or cassette treatment as both mediums have mad e a strong comeback, Valdez, said that it was a “possibility down the line.”

 

“Personally, I am a fan of vinyl and cassette tapes. Panahon natin yan. It is something that we can reintroduce to the Gen Z market. The Island artists now are focused on creating that new trend for the Gen Z market. Hopefully, down the line. We are open to that. I would like to come out with a compilation of those artists on vinyl and tape.”

 

Valdez also bared that there are planned online live shows by their new artists to promote their music.  “We want to be creative We have a couple of digital concerts down the line. But we have to make it exciting for the fans.”

 

 

 

Jingle Magazine founder and EIC, Gilbert Guillermo, passes away

Jingle Magazine founder and EIC, Gilbert Guillermo, passes away

By Rick Olivares

 

Gilbert Guillermo, 74, founder and editor-in-chief of Jingle Chordbook Magazine, passed away last July 21.

 

I cannot say I knew Gilbert or his brother Eric very well. We spoke on several occasions back in the day, but it was just small talk. It usually was me saying “I love the magazine” and him replying, “thank you.” That sort. Although it did go a bit deeper at times such as when I disagreed with an album review.

 

However, the magazine, I knew well. And as I understand, it was an extension of him and his love for music. And through that medium, I guess, you can say I knew him, and the education of music. 

 

I remember the very first Jingle magazine that I bought. It had Rod Stewart on the cover with an orange design. The song “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” was popular then so you know this dates me. I hated the color orange and my balm?  That was what was inside – record reviews, chords and lyrics, feature articles, and those editorial cartoons. Plus, those ads.

 

I bought my first Jingle magazine even before I could afford to buy Rolling Stone or even Creem magazine; then the top two music magazines. I lived about three minutes away from the Jingle offices along P. Tuazon and when I got home from school (my grade school years at the Ateneo), I would head over to buy the latest copy of the magazine. 

 

Are you one of those who would smell a magazine, book, or comic book? I am. And I loved the smell of a magazine fresh off the press. That is how I bought my copies of Jingle. Fresh off the press. And despite its being published as a magazine, it had this indie feel to it. Subversive even. 

 

The magazine, along with DZRJ, and the aforementioned American counterparts, started a revolution from within me. And I must say, I am all the better for it. 

 

Eventually, as I frequented the Jingle offices, Gilbert and his brother Eric, ushered me upstairs to the editorial offices where I met Ces Rodriguez, Penny Azarcon, Butch Maniego, and others. Now, I had a place to hang out. Even pester them or even discuss music with them. 

 

When I had my first letter published in the letter column – it was like hitting the jackpot. I was on the pages of my favorite magazine! 

 

You know the saying that knowledge and information is power? Decades away from the internet and in between the occasional issue of Rolling Stone, Creem, and Hit Parader and later on, British mag Flexi-Pop, Jingle was my source for everything music.

 

My father, who was the president of Disc Corporation and the Philippine Association of the Record Industry would bring home Billboard magazine, but it was too technical and too advanced for a kid about to hit his teens and was going to high school. That isn’t to say that Jingle couldn’t be cerebral. Far from it. It’s distinct Filipino flavor whetted my growing palette of punk, New Wave, heavy metal, reggae, and ska. Sorry, I wasn’t crazy about pop music. 

 

When the Jingle Beatles Songbook came out, I fell in love with the Fab Four even more. I was a very young kid at the height of Beatlemania and I only understood them and how they shook the world several years after they broke up. 

 

Before all these books about the Beatles, this magazine, was a treasure and a Godsend. I must have purchased that at least four times in my lifetime as I wore it out and replaced it because – “may nag-arbor.”

 

Imagine how I felt when I was living in the United States and my mother threw out my collection of Jingle not to mention a lot of the vinyl records I accumulated during my youth. I strongly scolded my mother across the oceans. 

 

Now that I have hit mid-age, I long for the things of my youth. After shifting to compact discs in 1993, I returned to vinyl only in 2016. The connection to the old records I saved and the newer ones I acquired are like a time machine. And I find myself back in the mid-1970s, the 1980s when I was in high school and college when punk and New Wave were all the rage. Through Amazon and eBay, I have started purchasing books I read as kid. Even a copy of the occasional Jingle magazine that comes my way.

 

Imagine when I was able to acquire an old copy with Duran Duran on the cover. Imagine the rush of emotions and memories that come flooding back. 

 

If music is the perfect time machine because you remember where and when you heard a song, you can add Jingle to the mix.

 

So you can say that in a way, I knew Gilbert Guillermo. His blood, along with those people who lovingly toiled over each and every page, is in the ink spread across thousands and thousands of pages of stories, lyrics and chords, and subversive cartoons.

 

And as Abba sang, “Thank you for the music” and the magazine.

Nicole Asensio song finds its way into a Nepalese web drama soundtrack

Nicole Laurel Asensio is the second from the left while Nepalese actress Priyanki Karki is on the far right.

Nicole Asensio song finds its way into a Nepalese web drama soundtrack

By Rick Olivares

 

During Nicole Asensio’s recent Quarantuned show on Zoom – where she and a host of musicians performed live in a fundraiser for fellow musikeros who have been affected by the pandemic – she performed the song “I Might Love You.”

 

That original composition, written and recorded during the Enhanced Community Quarantine, was used in the Nepalese web drama series, Just Another Love Story.

 

Just Another Love Story is about a love triangle between two women, Amara and Maya played by Karki and Shristi Shrestha, and a man, Aashu played by Samyek Man Singh. The web series began airing on YouTube in September 2019 with four episodes uploaded and four in production.

 

Karki and Asensio randomly met in Singapore a few years ago and struck up a friendship. The Nepalese actress messaged Asensio through Instagram asking if she could contribute a song for Just Another Love Story.

 

“I think her series is based on all different kinds of love stories,” described Asensio. “Honestly, when I wrote the song, I didn’t know what the episode was going to be about. I had started writing it months before but never finished it. When Priyanka asked for a jazzy sounding love song, I thought it might be a good fit and it was a good reason to finish the song.”

 

The solitude of the lockdown afforded Asensio the time to sit down and reflect on the “I Might Love You” and was recorded during the lockdown. “What are the odds a YouTube web drama would use a song of mine?” marveled the songbird.

 

Quarantuned, the show, was shown last July 7, Asensio’s birthday. “Celebrating my birthday through song and a performance and by helping others is the best gift that I could receive,” enthused Asensio, who is the daughter of singer-actress Iwi Laurel, and was once the lead singer of the band General Luna. 

 

The show was a series of nearly 20 songs all shot remotely from the performers’ different homes. 

 

“I decided to do the Quarantuned benefit online for three reasons,” explained the singer. “One of the hard hit industries is the live event industry. Many musicians and production workers are in need of support. I first reached out to the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino to provide assistance to their members. The Artists Welfare Project Inc. (AWPI) was also a beneficiary of the show.”

 

“The second reason is --- I simply missed performing with my friends. The musicians I hang out with are like family to me. I also hadn’t seen my mom in months and I wanted to feel her nearby. I am grateful that she agreed to sing with me for one song.”

 

Lastly, as it was Nicole’s birthday, she didn’t want to break tradition and need to perform. 

 

“I suppose you can say, we did this to keep our minds away from negative thoughts (given the situation of the world in this pandemic),” she bared. “It’s very easy to go down the rabbit hole of fear when dealing with uncertainty and threats to our health and security. To stay mentally afloat is one of the many challenges we must face in this difficult time.”

 

Asensio also bared that she is working on a collaboration with Parokya ni Edgar lead singer Chito Miranda and it planning Quarantuned Part 2.

Gen San hiphop artist Taz Maven releases debut album Sige Simula

Gen San hiphop artist Taz Maven releases debut album Sige Simula

By Rick Olivares

 

After making guest appearances on albums by KJah, last year’s explosive release Kolateral from Sandata, and the Balasa EP that was released earlier this 2020, General Santos-based hiphop artist Tatz Maven finally has released his debut album Sige Simula (on Uprising Records). 

 

Sige Simula is long labor of love by Maven; an effort that began back in 2017 and was completed during the recent lockdown. In between, Tatz Maven honed his MC craft by appearing on albums by fellow artists, and now in its release, it is in perfect synchronicity with what is going on in the world.

 

“Yung kuwento sa likod ng title na ‘Sige Simula’ is it is firstly, my debut album,” explained Tatz Maven in an online chat with this author. “Second is yung mentalidad ko na parang, ‘Bahala na. Nandito na ako.’”

 

He added perhaps with the pandemic in mind, “Wala nang ibang panahon kundi ngayon kaya dapat magsimula.”

 

And what a start. Sige Simula features 16 tracks (that can be accessed via Spotify, YouTube or Bandcamp) about coming to terms with one’s self. It’s facing one’s fears and doubt that are all the more relevant in this difficult time. “In spite of the self-hate and self-doubt, aware ka na kaya mong gawin whether pagiging kakampi, matapang, o kaibigan,” Tatz Maven explained. 

 

Through his music, Tatz Maven equates his personality – warts and all – in relation to this great human crisis that the world is facing. “So masasabi ko na relevant siya sa sitwasyon ngayon,” summed up the MC. “Hindi man social issues pero more on personal relationships na nung lockdown ay nagkaroon ng mas mahabang oras for personal reflection.”

 

Sige Simula is in contrast to the more recent pointed releases such as Kartel’s incendiary Kontrapunto or even Kolateral. Self-awareness aside, Tatz Maven does not spare on the venom and bite. Why not? All the songs are personal experiences and opinions, and he raps with an urgency – it’s time to make a stand. In the album’s fourth track, ‘Galit’, during a bridge on the song, it is asked, “Kaya mo bang burahin ang lahat ng negatibo sa isip mo?”

 

“Nakawala” is one of my favorites. Aside from the “Lebanese Blonde” of Thievery Corporation vibe that reels you in like some enchanting Middle Eastern dance, the verse of ‘meron pa ba tayong dapat pagusapan? Matagal na kitang kinalimutan” demands one move on from the shackles of negativity. 

 

It is easy to dismiss hiphop and rap as all the same. But the wisdom is in the verse as the beats infiltrate your mind. 

 

It’s powerful stuff.

 

It is said that we are living in the “new normal”. Well, I do not like it. And Tatz Maven’s Sige Simula should help you find your way in this frightening new world.

 

Sige Simula was the second online release by Uprising during this pandemic and featured remote live performances by Sak Maestro x BaseJunkies (Davao), Kregga (Cagayan de Oro), Illustrado (Paranaque, Makati, Pasig, and Quezon City), and Kartel (from Taguig and Quezon City). Uprising Records, run by Alaric Yuson, saw their first digital and lockdown release with Kartel’s Kontrapunto. 

Got the 40th Anniversary Edition of Rush's Permanent Waves

Don't laugh, but I got into K-Pop as well.

Okay, don't laugh. You will have noticed that the bulk of my music posts here are of artists and music belonging to rock and roll and its myriad sub-genres. Yet, as a kid, I was exposed to many different music style because my father was a record label executive and he brought me around to watch everyone from rock bands to pop and vocal groups to jazz artists. While it was uncool to like them at that age more so since punk and new wave were emerging, there was that room for appreciating that. And it was in the late 1990s when I began to open up to more styles including world music. 

For instance, while I was into Bob Marley and the Wailers and some other acts that had broken commercially, by then I got into more roots Jamaican music. And through the Buena Vista Social Club, got exposed to Cuban and Latin American music.

Was there anywhere else to go? I didn't think so until about two years ago when I got invited to interview some Korean pop star. I didn't know jack about him and totally felt out of place. Honestly, I looked down with disdain those into K-Pop and its cousins. However, I was in the midst of expanding my milieu. 

What I wrote then sounded pedestrian. And I was invited to a second one and I still felt like I was in unchartered land. After that I decided to immerse myself in this phenomenon. 

And I discovered that I began to enjoy some of it (not most of it). And developed an appreciation for it. And that led to watching their dramas, films, and so on.

Now, I have these....

The Descendants of the Sun soundtrack on picture disc vinyl in two snappy looking protective cans.

The soundtracks and DVDs of the popular Crash Landing On You, Where Stars Land, and Descendants of the Sun.

The EP of Girls' Generation -- Gee. Tiffany Young fan here.