MANILA, Philippines - At the rate they’re uploading, ?there’s no derailing these 20-?somethings from whatever ?they’re up to. The Internet has become a construction site of sorts, supplying them with a toolbox of platforms to share their music through. YouTube, SoundCloud, Tumblr — you name it, they’ve made a name for themselves on it.
And while having a manager is definitely the customary step up, the “do it yourself” (DIY) approach is the way to go when starting out. These music acts have gone the DIY route at one point or another — some on a whim, others more seriously. The point here, though, is that nobody will flesh out routes for you but yourself. Implied are all the trite but true virtues our elders have tried to instill in us: patience, passion and perseverance.
Nica del Rosario, 21, San Juan
What she does: Vocals, guitar, piano, and bass. She also writes and arranges songs as well as dabbles in home recording and scoring.
What she sounds like: There’s more than just a whiff of pop here but mellow indie folk tones of Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson are also thrown in the blender “with hints of Damien Rice’s angst and bands like Iron and Wine and The Weepies.”
What you should know: Nica embodies the end result of going DIY for the longest time and seeing the fruits of her strumming ripen by being signed aboard Hi:Fan Records. “I started singing when I was six but hated it,” recalls Nica. “Then I learned the guitar when I was a high school sophomore. I had about six sessions with a guy my mom found in an old Buy & Sell.” In college she got serious, recording material “with a cheap mic and audacity” before posting them online. Better equipment eventually came her way, as did a Tumblr account filled with recordings and scoring attempts. “I was overjoyed when I first found out that people were actually listening to the songs I upload, especially on iMeem, because (almost) everybody who listened and commented were total strangers. I feel like it somehow justifies all the hours I spent making them.”
What the future holds: She’s written songs for Christian Bautista’s album which will come out this September. “Lately I’ve been going out of my comfort zone more and more and I’m fine with that, because it keeps me on my toes,” says Nica.
What’s online: http://facebook.com/nicaofficialmusic and http://youtube.com/user/nicadelrosario
Vince Pante, 23, Pasig
What he does: For software, Vince uses Renoise and Ableton Live. He controls them using a Korg nanoKontrol, Korg nanoPad, M-Audio Oxygen v2, and Novation Launchpad.
What he sounds like: It’s dubstep in its gentler, slower form (think 70-100 BPM), spiked with doses of hip-hop and IDM, especially the synths. You’ll hear traces of Bibio, jazz pianist Kan Sano, and psychedelic Flying Lotus protégé Thundercat in Vince’s tracks, among other blissed-out, futuristic nuances.
What you should know: “I studied the piano, guitar and drums when I was younger, but that never amounted to anything but wasted money on my parents’ part,” admits Vince. High school saw him enjoying music with his friends but he never participated until college, where he “found his place.” “I started learning the software Renoise,” remembers the DJ. “I’d hard-code my beats, positioning them as intricately as I could, and play the synths using my laptop keyboard — Z is for C, S is for D#.” Soon, he made the leap to the elaborate layers of Abelton Live. “I originally used this software for mixing tracks, creating short mixtapes for my friends to enjoy. Now, instead of playing other people’s music, I use Live together with my Launchpad to make my own beats.” As to having his material on SoundCloud, Vince thinks musicians can benefit from this shared type of appreciation. “Having different online platforms gives people the opportunity to widen their horizons, meet like-minded individuals, and really assess what kind of musicians or producers they want to be.”
What the future holds: “Just going to keep making beats and try to get ‘em out there,” says Vince. In the meantime, you can catch him play his full setup at Borough on some Thursdays.
What’s online: http://www.soundcloud.com/binspants
What she does: Vocals. Her sister Rizza plays the guitar, keyboards and violin.
What she sounds like: Their covers vary wildly, from Regina Spektor to Lauryn Hill and and even the Spice Girls. Immense references, yes, but they manage to somehow distill all three through their signature funnel of pop.
What you should know: It’s been a family affair ever since Raleene started singing at age four. “My sister learned to play the guitar and write songs in high school,” recalls Raleene. “She started her YouTube channel when I moved to Manila and I would join her for some videos whenever I’d visit Cebu.” In college, Raleene honed her voice in the school’s chorale and it was only a matter of sisterly camaraderie before they started doing gigs. “We still can’t believe that people think our noise is music,” says Raleene. “Our blogs and YouTube page have been of great help, too. It’s been a lot easier getting gigs because of what we post. Now we’re just really thankful that our little pastime has grown into something that people get excited about.”
What the future holds: More gigs and more online content. “We’re focusing on school for now, though. We’d like to finish before we go full-force on music.”
What’s online: http://Facebook.com/WalkieTalkies
Karen Ramos, 22, Manila
What she does: Vocals, guitar, and ukulele). “I record songs using GarageBand and my laptop’s internal mic. Nothing fancy.”
What she sounds like: Her cover of Lykke Li’s Dance, Dance, Dance is a coy but bright display of her vocal strengths, made even more beach-ready by the ukulele. Genre formalities aren’t much of a concern on her end, though, since she smoothly scuttles from Nicki Minaj all the way to Feist. “If I were to record anything remotely professional, I’d want it to sound a bit raw. I have a soft spot for demos and records that sound like demos.”
What you should know: She had a mini tape recorder growing up and would spend most of her time recording skits, fake interviews, and made-up songs — until she zeroed in on singing and writing. “When my cousin taught me guitar at 15, the most logical step for me then was to become Barbie Almalbis,” jokes Karen. “That didn’t quite work out.” As for the attention she’s been getting on blogs, she says she didn’t think anyone would ever get to hear them. “The response has been pretty positive and it’s definitely encouraging,” says the singer. “I love getting messages from strangers online. It reminds me that the Internet isn’t such a cruel place.”
What the future holds: Travel, mostly. “I thought it would be a great idea to busk in the streets and maybe sing with the locals despite my limited musicality,” envisions Karen. “I’ll be posting them on my relatively new YouTube account. We’ll see how that goes when I visit Singapore and Korea next month.”
What’s online: http://kdramos.tumblr.com/tagged/covers and http://youtube.com/user/safetyschools