We have come to a point where it's safe to say that our local hip hop scene is on a constant rise. With this in mind, constant cultivation is a must to further elevate the art form. Hip hop collective Writers' Block does their part with the Clarion Call EP. This dozen-song collection features collaborative work from the group's established artists and young guns. Listen as heads like Skeematic, Ruby Ibarra and Rambling Man help you get introduced to dudes like Joseph Montecillo, Judge Mental, Keisuke, and Soupherb. Released in partnership with One Too Many and Raw. Click here to download this album for free.
When Brewed Homies was hyping up Seriously Bro, they definitely meant serious business. With all four featured riders having their heads shaved, local skaters knew that they're gonna see full parts of gnarly shreading. Then the intro rolls, and it goes the way it should be: fun. Dancing, horseplaying, and other antics captured the essential ingredient to the sense of camaraderie skateboarding manages to forge. First part belonged to Gieram Villasanta, and he made his mark with his barrage of tricks, closing it out with a kickflip to bank on a crusty ditch. Carl Mendoza brought his signature style of steady slides and grinds, with that fast yet relaxed appearance amidst the ledges and rails that he demolished. And of course, all the homies need to have an intermission part first. Then Armando Cariño brings his take on raw street skating, with different wallies and no complies to booth. His last trick is reminiscent of American pro Jack Johnson in Static IV, with that massive wallride guaranteeing a good dose of adrenaline. The one and only Commander Cobra, Jerwin "Spanky" Santos, comes through with a two-song last part. Good thing he has a really deep bag of tricks, leading to a stoke-inducing and entertaining closer. Produced in partnership with NorKal and Dasma Lokals Skate Films, and released online via Brewed Homies and THE Clothing.
Happening this coming weekend is the biggest graffiti gathering in the Philippines. Meeting of Styles Philippines is the local leg of the global graffiti event, International Meeting of Styles. The event was started in Wiesbaden, Germany in 2002 with a mission to gather and further cultivate the network of graffiti artists and aficionados around the world. And for this year's MOS, which is also the third year of the event here in the country, the graffiti company and collective CarrotBombing promises it to be bigger and brings it to the Anonas LRT City Center Parking Grounds. This coming Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24, 2016, open your eyes to another facet of art that literally came out of the streets. If you enjoy art festivals like Art in the Park and Art Fair, we recommend you to schedule a visit here as well. On the first day of the event, around 63 local artists with 11 foreign artists such as Alone7 from Taiwan, Emer from France, Facter from Australia and more, are going to paint live. It will be full day of unadulterated experience of creation of art and graffiti. While on Sunday, it will be a culminating event for all the artists and event-goers. Expect various activities such as skateboard competitions, performances by local musicians and an entire day of camaraderie among all graffiti and art enthusiasts. For more information, visit the Meeting of Styles Philippines page. You can also check out the other legs of International Meeting of Styles on the poster below, or visit their page here.
Escolta Street's rich history dates back to as early as the Spanish colonial days and flourished during the reign of the Americans when it was hailed as the city's business district. It was home to shops and boutiques, modern department stores, and even the Manila Stock Exchange - at least until the modern development and commercialization of other areas in the metro. Three years ago, a group of creatives, 98BCOLLABoratory in partnership with the First United Building, aimed to bring Escolta's reign back with the Saturday X Future Market @ESCOLTA, which is home to numerous independent brands. Through this collaboration, a new and more sustainable concept was born -- The HUB is an incubation space, a conceptual venue, for independent start-up companies trying to jumpstart their business whether it be arts & crafts, food, clothes and accessories, DIY goods, and others. The HUB will follow a pop-up format, where there will be open calls every quarter. Sellers will be chosen based on the following criteria: type of product and proposed booth design. Interested sellers can already apply through their website until April 24.
Calling all vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers, Satchmi is heading up north for Vinyl Day 2016. Satchmi is building a town in UP Town Center Ampitheater, where they will be joined by various food and retail brands. There will be thousands of vinyl records up for grabs, with special discounts and surprise promos; and the best part is, crate digging and record selling start earlier this time around -- You can already get a hold of your vinyl records by noon, when the sun is at its highest and record lovers' smiles are the brightest. Come afternoon, you can already chill to the music of The Ransom Collective, Taken by Cars, BP Valenzuela, Ciudad, Reese Lansangan, Tarsius, Jensen & the Flips, Curtismith, Moonwlk, She's Only Sixteen, Rusty Machines, Farewell Fair Weather, and Chocolate Grass. Or, since the town is filled with exciting activities, you can wander around to check out the booths from Satchmi's partner brands -- There will be food stands, a listening booth, a book store, a vinyl shop, and many more. Plus, admission is absolutely free! Now we know where you'll be on April 30.
In the middle of the scorching heat and the growing enthusiasm over traveling, it is surely in the plans of everyone to go somewhere. And what comes with traveling, is the promise of overflowing experiences, which you can only immortalize through documentation. It's no rocket science though, the only thing you have to do is take a mere photo. However, sometimes, remembering experiences depend on how well you tell the story. A reason why taking better photos is also a way to appreciate traveling and all the experienced that come with it more. Which the Cebu-based start-up exploring collective, Explore 360, believes in as well, that is why they are hosting their very first Travel Photography Workshop. The workshop will happen on April 30 to May 1, 2016 in Cebu City. As a promoter of local travel and culture, the Explore 360 team promises to do just that in their 2-day event. In addition to the workshop at Springpark Mountin Resort, there will also be a trip to the DENR's Experimental Forest for an actual adventure and practice of what you've just learned from Instagram mavens and workshop lecturers, Kimi Juan and Thomas Caja. And to cap off the day, expect a night of film showing and sharing of travel stories. Then on the following day, to wrap up the event, Kimi and Thomas will choose the best photo from the photos presented by the participants. All of these activities in one inspiring and enlightening event. To know more about Explore 360's Travel Photography Workshop, visit their Facebook or Instagram pages. But if you're already interested to join, accomplish the registration form here to reserve a slot.
The Manila-based fashion brand, Oxygen, has recently released their collection in collaboration with Billboard. The collection includes pieces for daily use, a good mix of edgy and simple aesthetics. Heavy on black and white colors, most of the pieces also adopt a bit of color to pop just enough away from being flat. Plus a few over the top pieces to give the collection a little more edge. So in its entirety, the collection is somehow a portrayal of the diversity of the music that passes through the charts of Billboard. While the lookbook seems like a light depiction of how music moves us, well, at least, those who really, really enjoy it. You can now grab the t-shirts, pullovers, snapback caps, bucket hats, and more from the collection in all Oxygen stores.
