Intentions 08 // DJ PATRICK PRESENTS ISAYAW MO SI LOLA VOL. 1
DJ Patrick is one of the finest products from the Bay Area’s dance music scene. His sets are never the same and his style behind the decks makes him one of the brightest local talent to thrill crowds week in and week out. As a founding member of the Brouhaha DJ collective, DJ Patrick has been instrumental in growing the underground scene in San Francisco and Oakland for more than five years. In addition, he is a new resident for SF mega party As You Like It and flexes his other creative muscles as the Creative Director for Fault Radio.
“For this installment of the Intentions series, I put together a mix of songs by Filipino musicians recorded between 1976 to 1983 (with the exception of the last track but more on that later). It’s a collection of Soul, Funk, Jazz, and Disco that I remember hearing as a child but never fully appreciated until later on in life. This mix is entitled “Isayaw Mo Si Lola” which, when translated into English from Tagalog, means “Have A Dance With Your Grandmother.”
The music in this mix was sourced from a variety of media: CDs purchased on ebay, vinyl rips, and music bought on iTunes (RIP). Once all the music was compiled, I recorded it on CDJs and finished after way too many attempts…
Special thanks to Ate Jing for the artist suggestions, and to Oliver Wang, Joel Quizon, Arbiwon, and pinoygrooves.com for providing inspiration via their blog posts and mixes. If you enjoyed this mix, please check out their work!
Here is the full tracklisting with some notes. If you’d like to share any tidbits of information, interesting stories related to the musicians, or offer any corrections, please reach out at jplotilla@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!”
- DJ Patrick
TRACKLI$T:
Bong Penera – Rhapsody
An incredible pianist whose three albums are must haves. Outside of OPM* collecting circles, his records are very sought after by Bossa Nova aficionados as well.
*Acronym for Original Pilipino Music, a catch-all term that is used widely in the Philippines.
Pilita Corrales – Hindi Kita Malimot
Prolific Filipina Soul singer who started releasing music in the early 60s. She has released over 30 albums with different styles ranging from Filipino Folk Songs, Spanish Ballads, Pop, and in the late 70s, dabbled a little bit in Disco too.
Leah Navarro – Totoo Bang Lahat Ito
Her two albums are my favorite discovery in the process of putting this mix together. Luckily, they have been reissued on CD. Peep the tune: “Let Me Fly”
Vernie Vargas – Soft Dancing
Admittedly one of my sillier picks. “Soft Dancing” was released in the 80s and has more of the production style from that era. Interestingly enough it also features a Spanish guitar and lyrics. This pick is definitely cheesy but it highlights the Spanish influence on OPM.
The Boyfriends – Oras-Oras
Fine Modern Soul from this Filipino Disco group. This one’s a little more obscure than their smash hit “Sumayaw Sumonod” which sounds like it could have been taken from a Bee Gees album.
Hajji Alejandro – Ikaw At Ang Gabi
Initially part of Circus Band, a Funk band from the 70s, Hajji’s solo output would see him moving towards more soulful compositions. Typically strong vocalists would go on to sing ballads, which Hajji did but it was his output during his transition that I liked the most. See the track “Inggit Lang Sila” for another example!
Boy Katindig – Love Til The End Of Time
The only artist in the mix to appear twice. Boy Katindig’s music can be described as Jazz-Funk or Fusion. His albums tend to include a lot of covers such as this one originally by Paulinho da Costa.
The Advisors – Yugyugan Na
Hugely popular when it came out, “Yugyugan Na” marked the mainstream break through of Filipino Funk in the 70s. Later on, the song would get covered by the Filipino rock band P.O.T. in the 90s, reintroducing the dated sound to a newer generation.
Please – Ego Trippin’
Released here in the US, Please’s Manila Thriller had all the bearings of Filipino Funk despite being released outside of the Philippines. Filipino musicians were known to travel and play in session bands around the world, so it’s not unusual to find OPM outside of the Philippines. I intentionally included this track in the mix as an example of OPM from the Filipino diaspora.
Blackbuster – Hala Bira (Reprise)
Despite the unserious tone of this disco cover band, those involved with Blackbuster would go on to start bigger projects. The album’s producer Orly Ilacad founded Canary Records, now OctoArts International. This label is responsible for kickstarting the careers of many OPM acts like Ella Del Rosario, The Boyfriends, and Pops Fernandez.
Boy Katindig – What I Feel
The second Boy Katindig track in the mix. Both are from the album After Midnight. Hot tip!
Marlene – ESP
Another OPM artist who released music outside of the Philippines. Marlene was born in the Philippines but immigrated to Japan and made her career as a successful singer there. If this upbeat number sounds a lot like City Pop, it’s because it was produced by Yasohachi Itoh who’s worked with Kimiko Kasai and Terumasa Hino.
VST & Co. – Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko
Possibly the most recognizable Filipino Disco song. The top comment on Awitin’s youtube clip reads: “I think every single Filipino kid born in the 1990s has watched their parents dance to this song at parties, or danced along with their parents to this song” –– definitely not an exaggeration.
Wadab – Rock Ka Bay!
Wadab stands for Wanna All Dance And Boogie. Their sound was typical of many Disco groups at the time, and this style came to be known as Manila Sound, a kind of riff on the Philadelphia Sound. Fast tempos, orchestral arrangements, and a euphoric trajectory are hallmarks of Disco sub-genres.
Ric Segreto – Hold On To My Love
Filipino-American who played in bands traveling the world. This song on his self-titled album stands out as the one upbeat composition in an album full of ballads.
The New Minstrels – Smile
A singular piece of work in this show band’s entire back catalog. The instrumental moment when the horns switch up in the bridge is my favorite part of this mix.
Tito Mina – Ikaw Pa Rin
One of Tito Mina’s biggest hits is a Bossa Nova rendition of Chris Montez’s “There Will Never Be Another you.” For those wanting to dig deep in sappy Filipino love songs, Tito Mina is a good place to start.
Sound – Waves
Unlike all the other songs in the mix, this one is relatively newer than the rest. Sound’s first album Bossa Manila was released independently on CD in 2003, and remains a rare find. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary Filipino Smooth Jazz and Fusion.