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Bloodletting teaser video by... Blind teaser video Morning After by Drip Listening (Live@Saguijo...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DRIP launches three music videos

Drip is launching three music videos on January 29 at The Gallery Greenbelt 5

The long wait is over as Drip, the country’s premiere electronica band, once again electrifies the music scene with the launch of their new music videos from their second album Identity Theft.

The band is doing it like no other, making huge waves by releasing three music videos in one grand event. The videos were directed by three diverse artists, progressive in their various fields: Jelise Chung for “Turning Grey,” Juan Alcazaren for “Blind,” and Jason Tan for “Bloodletting.”  The videos were two years in the making with each one having an unexpected interpretation of what the songs are about. Chung made a film noir feel for “Turning Grey” while Alcazaren took a simple yet strangely amusing and engaging effect for “Blind.”  Fans are treated by a sneak peek of their music video “Bloodletting” in Drip’s Facebook account as Tan gave a seductively dark, eye candy video that will no doubt tickle your imagination.

Apart from the video launches, Drip will also perform songs from their upcoming Spanish Album. The album which was done in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes is a tribute to the venerable Spanish poet, Miguel Hernandez. So save the date! January 29, Friday, 6PM at The Gallery, 2^nd floor Greenbelt 5 (right across Cibo, beside Adora) as Drip takes you on an awesome electronica trip. Mark Zero warms up the evening as he opens for the band.

Unique and stylish, Drip was also a part of Puma’s Archive Uncovered concert party which paid homage to the past by playing sets of cover songs harking back to the music that they respect or simply have fun playing. The sports lifestyle brand is catching rave reviews amongst Manila’s subculture with musical initiatives in celebration of its heritage collection called Puma Archive.

This event is absolutely FREE presented by Puma with the participation of Jagermeister. Special thanks to Revolver and Everywhere We Shoot and Web Promotions Partner, soniclogo.tv. Identity Theft is available at all Fully Booked stores and Magnet bars. For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/dripmanila or www.dripmanila.multiply.com.

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PUMA is one of the world’s leading sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories.  It is committed to working in ways that contribute to the world by supporting Peace, Creativity, and SAFE Sustainability, and by staying true to the values of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative in decisions made and actions taken. PUMA starts in Sport and ends in Fashion. Its Sport Performance and Lifestyle labels include categories such as Football, Running, Motorsports, Golf and Sailing. The Black label features collaborations with renowned designers such as Alexander McQueen, Yasuhiro Mihara and Sergio Rossi. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Tretorn and Hussein Chalayan.  The company, which was founded in 1948, distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and has headquarters in Herzogenaurach/Germany, Boston, London and Hong Kong.

For more information, please visit www.puma.com

Here in the Philippines, Cougar Athletic Trends, Inc. is the sole licensee of Puma since 2006 with 9 Puma Stores with branches at Bonifacio High Street, Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 5, Festival Supermall Alabang,Trinoma, Ayala Center Cebu, Gaisano Mall of Davao, Limketkai Mall Cagayan de Oro, Robinsons Place Bacolod. Puma is also available at sports and lifestyle outlets nationwide.

This month Saigon has been treated to a smorgasbord of international musical talent. Wave after wave of fresh talent has been arriving on our doorstep, fingers crossed next month follows the same rhythmic footsteps, as we are now all addicted to this level of entertainment. DRIP was prime example of this aural pampering . They performed as the closing chapter of the “Month of Music” presented by the beats (casually wipe away tear, blame allergies).

Drip is one of the first female fronted electronic live music acts from in the Phillipines. The face of the group is lead vocalist Beng Calma-Alcazaren , backed by Arvin "Caliph8" Nogueras on turntables. Last but not least Ian "Morse" Magbanua, captain of beats and programming. 

Anyarena had a quick chat while they were in Saigon

Photo from dripmanila.multiply.com

How would you describe your sound?

Beng: The sound is predominantly electronic music with very strong drum n’ bass, rock and hip hop influences.
 

Ian: It is electronic music, where samples, loops, virtual instruments and beng's powerful vocals and lyricism come together to produce a unique sound born out of our influences.

Caliph8:  It's an amalgamation of electronic and organic sounds that manifests as a song based collaboration between artists coming from different backgrounds and tastes.

For those you don’t know about the success story of DRIP can you say a bit about how it all came about?

Beng: Well I wouldn’t say “success” at this point. Still a work in progress but briefly, drip came together bit by bit. Me and Rann, former guitarist, got in touch with malek who was very much adept in the electronic music scene. We later got a 4th member ian magbanua aka morse to do beats and loops and finally got caliph8 to fill in as turntablist. Rann and malek have left the band to pursue their own things and we are now gigging as a 3-piece act: me, morse and caliph8 respectively. As I said, work in progress.  

Caliph8 I believe we're quite successful as artists that convey creative output without any compromise and we get to reach different individuals that have different musical tastes.

How did you guys get together in the beginning, when each member comes from different musical background?

Beng: The music scene in manila is very small so we pretty much all knew each other; it wasn’t difficult hooking up.

Ian: Actually between (ex-synthman) Malek, Caliph 8 and I, it was much easier as we all listened to a broad spectrum of music and varied forms of electronic music.  Beng surprisingly mixed well within that mix despite her classic rock background. Melodically and lyrically I think she knew it would be a cinch.

Caliph8: I guess Manila's alternative music scene is really small so different artists and enthusiasts pretty much know one another either by face or name.

You’ve changed members and instruments. Did they affect DRIP’s musical direction?

Beng:  No change in musical direction, still the same vision of writing music, creating new material, doing foreign gigs, and expanding to other fields that would require the type of sound we have. Perhaps the challenge we face as a band is tightening the sound, and constantly outdoing whatever accomplishments we have in the past.  

Ian: Direction wise, I wouldn't say that we've changed much despite the shuffle in the line-up.  We're actually still at that stage where we're about to make new music, so if anything, we're all looking forward to the positive possibilities the recent change will bring.
 

Caliph8:Drip's musical direction isn't just fixed to a certain output; it's ever changing being creative and being able to explore, i believe is the only thing that's there to stay.

Photo from dripmanila.multiply.com

When it comes to composing your music, is it a collective effort? Please tell us more about the processes involved?

Beng:  Songwriting in drip is a collaborative effort. Process is quite simple, we all lay down on the table what we can offer and if it works, we build on it, record, and put in the album.

Ian: Yes, it is very much a collective effort.  It usually starts with a basic foundation; a beat or a melody to set the tone. Then Beng just feels her way in and out of the music and starts to write and sing her stuff.  From there we make adjustments until we're all happy with the final arrangement

Caliph8: Yes, If someone thinks of a groove, melody or interesting riff/ sound, we build on that. Ian starts off to sequence, it thickens the idea, I put some overlays of different soundscapes, beat or scratches, then Beng lays over a vocal melody and starts to write her lyrics then we keep on building, arranging until we agree on the actual end result.

If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be?

Beng: I would personally want to collaborate with rikki lee jones or joni mitchell. 

Ian: Personally, I'd love to work with either of the following DJ Shadow, the Chemical Brothers, High Contrast, or Bernard Sumner from New Order.

Caliph8: There's lots: KRS-One, Dorothy Asby, Oskar Sala, Jose Gonzales, Jose Maceda

What are the best and worst things about your ‘job’?

Beng: the best would be performing, writing new material, and just hanging out with the boys in the band. Downside would be the waiting in gigs, for our turn to play. 

Ian: BEST THINGS:  Being surrounded by people who love the music that we love. 

WORST THINGS:  Getting caught with real life and not finding enough time to make more of the music we love. :

Caliph8: The best thing is that you get to play and express yourself musically. The worst thing is carrying my heavy equipment.

Photo from dripmanila.multiply.com

What has been your favorite place to play so far?

Beng: So far hogkong live last march. What energy that place had. Everyone was dancing up until the very last note of our last song.

Ian: So far the recent HK gig's been on my mind, but we're all really excited to be playing outside of Manila, and sharing our music with like minded heads.

Caliph8: Hong Kong was really dope!

What is on the cards for DRIP in the future?

Beng: More foreign gigs, collaborations with other artists, and a new album.

Caliph8: Exploring more musical excurssions, experimenting with our concepts and trying different methods in creating our sound. We hope to gig overseas more and maybe do collabs with other artists.

Mark: we as a team are working on spreading the word about Drip world wide through the spirit of collaboration and experimentation, with not just music but with different art forms as well, since we have made our songs open for collaboration through our Creative Commons license, we have given the signal to other artists to come up with ideas in their fields that will use Drip’s music for their Projects, like with Ballet Theater to choreograph into modern ballet pieces our songs for future staging in their scene, collaboration with animation artists… and ofcourse collaboration with other DJs and re-mixers alike…..

See more photos from this event

Up Close - Drip
Hailing from the Philippines, Drip is a trip-hop band that specializes in experimental electronic fusion. Cyril Leung chats with female vocalist Beng Calma-Alcazaren ahead of the band’s HK Live! show.

HK Magazine: What brings you guys to HK Live?
BC: We’ve always wanted to take our music out of the Philippines and bring it to a global audience; we were really encouraged by how well our performance in Kuala Lumpur was received last August. Then, our manager hooked us up with Claudio of Violent Jokes (also perfoming at HK Live!) through Myspace, who introduced us to the event.

HK: Are you ready for your Hong Kong debut?
BC: I’ve just come back from taking five months off to have a baby, so HK Live! is a perfect opportunity for us to start performing and making music again.

HK: As a singer, do you prefer working on studio albums or
performing live?
BC: Performing live is amazing because there is so much energy, and the enthusiasm of the crowd is everything to a singer. It heightens the pressure, the atmosphere, the adrenaline and the gratification. Everything is just louder!

HK: What are Drip’s plans for 2009?
BC: We’re releasing our third album, which will be our first album in Spanish. We received a grant from the Spanish Embassy and Instituto Cervantes, and we’ve used the works of the famous Spanish writer Miguel Hernandez as lyrics. I was taught a little Spanish at school, but my friend who is fluent in Spanish was kind enough to coach me and go through the lyrics with me line-by-line. A grueling effort!

HK: Does Drip have a message it wants to share with its audience?
BC: I guess I’m speaking on behalf of the other band members, but the message we want to share is that it’s important to work hard for your dreams. If you have a talent, put it to good use. We like creating and singing hope-filled songs, and we always look on the positive side.

Drip will be performing at HK Live on Mar 7. See listings, p.29.

HK Live!

Saturday, March 7th, 2009. Show Starts: 10pm, doors open at 9pm.

Fringe Gallery and Economist Gallery, The Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central. Tickets: $100 available in advance from The Fringe Club and $150 on the door. For more information on HK Live, please call 2850-5065.

HK Live! is a series of band showcase nights organized by Hong Kong's leading city living magazine, HK Magazine. The shows feature the best emerging and established bands of the Hong Kong music scene and a cast of music personalities from around the world. 

FIVE FABULOUS FEMALE VOCALISTS, SINGING SPARE VERSIONS OF THE SONGS THEY REALLY LOVE = A GREAT NIGHT OUT

Kultura Young Artists Series 2007

Kultura presents the

Kultura Young Artists Series 2007

all this September!

KYAS, now on its third run since 2005, aims to showcase the talents

of exceptional UA&P student and alumni artists.

This year’s KYAS kicks off with TRANSLATIONS, a solo exhibit by multimedia artist Valerie Chua. The exhibit features her unique works that are a combination of hand-created and digital art, as well as her photography. Of special note are six new works created specifically for this exhibit, which are the artist’s visual interpretations of six poems. Audio guides will allow viewers to hear the poetry that inspired the artworks. Valerie is a 3^rd year UA&P student.

Sept. 3 to 7 (Monday to Friday)

from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Telengtan Hall

5^th Floor, APEC Communications Bldg., UA&P

FREE ADMISSION!

Next, be sure to watch HANGING OUT w/ Athena Tibi, a solo concert that will showcase the different facets of this multi-talented performing artist. Athena will be performing songs from a wide variety of genres, including Broadway, pop, R&B, hiphop, ballads, rock, acoustic, and J-pop. Several special guests will be joining her in song and dance, so prepare to be entertained! Athena is a 3^rd year UA&P student.

Sept. 13 (Thursday)

7:45 p.m. *doors open at 7:30pm

Dizon Auditorium

Ground Floor, Development Communications Bldg., UA&P

FREE ADMISSION!

Finally, KYAS ends with a bang as we bring you INDIE TRIP, a concert featuring Up dharma Down and Drip, two rising bands that have UA&P alumni among their members. Paul Yap (bassist of Up dharma Down), Beng Calma (vocalist of Drip), and Ian Magbanua (beats, samples and programming of Drip) are UA&P graduates, while Armi Millare (vocalist and keyboardist of Up dharma Down) also studied at UA&P for three years. Both bands are making waves in the music scene. Drip’s sound has been described as “pure electronica bliss” and they have gained an avid following for the mesmerizing soundscape that they create. Drip was recently chosen as a finalist for Channel V’s AMP Big Break. Up dharma Down’s fusion of rock, neo-soul, acid jazz and electronic music has won over both critics and fans (you’ll recognize their radio hit “Oo”), and the band was recently featured in Time magazine.

Sept. 21 (Friday)

7:45 p.m. *doors open at 7:30pm

Li Seng Giap Auditorium

2^nd Floor, APEC Communications Bldg., UA&P

FREE ADMISSION!

For inquiries, contact 637-0912 loc. 380, 0917-8334564 or kultura(at)uap(dot)edu(dot)ph, or drop by the Office of Student Affairs at the 1st Landing, APEC Communications Building, UA&P.

Please forward this information to anyone who might want to watch! See you at KYAS!

(Did we mention… FREE ADMISSION for all events? :-))

Beyond the verge Drip succeeds
on its own trippy term

THERE is a palengke of bands in the Pinas today. There are so many, it’s hard to keep track of them. Aside from the sheer number, what’s more surprising is the diversity and combination of styles they offer – pop, hip-hop, bossa, jazz, reggae, and rock in all its permutations – indie, metal, classic, etc. Name the style you want, and there’s a Pinoy band that plays it. With varying degrees of acceptability.

One band sticks out like a naked albino in a crowd of swarthy Pinoys. Unlike the emo-laden look of many of the young alt bands around, they’re as cool as they come. No thrashing for the crowd or playing desperate for audience approval. Even their name – Drip – connotes a kind of holding back…unless you’re Pinoy and you think “health issues.”

What’s with the music?

“In terms of genre, it’s difficult to say we’re just chill out, or we’re trip hop, or drum and bass,” vocalist Beng Calma explains, “because …sometimes we’re downbeat, sometimes we’re hardcore rock and you can hear it. So to make it simple, Malek described our music as song-based electronica.” Malek Lopez is Drip’s keyboardist. He and Beng are the remaining original members of the band.

“Ang kaibahan lang namin sa ibang banda wala kaming gitarista, drummer,” adds Malek, “Ano lang, tatlong kalbo sa likod ni Beng. Pero siguro ganun din yung tunog na habol namin.”

Their first full-length release is a 12-song all original album called Far Side of the World. The songs are all in English even if Malek and Beng are conscious of the need to have songs in Tagalog in order to connect with the Pinoy audience. But they are unsure if they have the competency to pull it off.

“Pina-project naman namin yan, eh,” Beng says with mild apology. Even their second album, now in the making, features their trademark all-original, all-English songs, but with recording only halfway through, the unexpected may still happen.

What’s with the name?

Apparently nothing, they say. “May topak yung gumawa ng pangalan,” Malek adds, referring to their former guitarist who left for the U.S. in the middle of recording their first album.

“To be honest we don’t really give it much thought,” Beng confesses. So Drip is just an easy word, like ball.

What’s with the band?

With their guitarist gone, Beng and Malek brought in Ian Magbanua, a DJ who snagged the grand prize in an international contest. On stage Ian mans the PC (personal computer) and provides the beats, basslines, guitars, and other things that Malek doesn’t want to play anymore. So with Ian on board, Drip completed its first album in 2005.

Like a proud mommy Beng enumerates the accomplishments of her baby. To date, Drip has done four music videos, one of which won the Best Indie Music Video Award for “Song # 9” at the 2005 MTV Music Awards. It was directed by R. A. Rivera. Another music video for the song “Sweetcheeks” was nominated in the Best Animated Video category at last year’s MTV Awards. It was made by the visual artist Juan Alcazaren. The video didn’t win, but he and Beng are getting married this May so all is well in the world.

Aside from the videos, the band also appeared in compilation albums, notably the one for the World Wildlife Fund and the multi-platinum tribute album for Apo Hiking Society Kami na Po Muna where they covered Apo original “Kabilugan ng Buwan.”

Recently the trio became a foursome, when another DJ, Caliph8 joined the group and scratches – “with notes,” Malek emphasizes – to add texture to the music. Caliph8 is also said to have one of the most prodigious collections of vinyl records in the archipelago.

While Beng coolly writhes and gathers energy and attention like the eye of the storm up front, the three kalbo guys keep the beats alive in the background, with Malek playing the band’s only traditional musical instrument.

Whats with the future?

The guys of Drip hold steady day jobs. Beng finished Integrated Marketing and Communication, specializing in Advertising, from the University of Asia & the Pacific. She works in accounts service group of an advertising agency.

Malek graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and majored in composition. He once thought he would focus on film scoring but changed his mind. Ironically, most of his new projects now involve scoring music for indie films and a daily fantasy oriented-action TV show.

Ian and Caliph8 both work as content providers for an outfit called Wolfpack.

The band gigs about six to eight times a month. Which is just enough, Beng and Malek agree. Any more and Drip could disrupt their multi-tasked lives. Their manager says Drip was able to achieve in four years what took pop-rocker Barbie Almalbis 12 years to realize. Which was: find their place in the sun while playing their own kind of music, on their own terms.

Interestingly, they don’t think much of the future. “Mas okay yung pagka you set out not to have a plan,” Malek explains.

Beng adds, “The plan is no plan.”

But they do want to perform overseas for their kababayans, or for anyone who will take time to listen.

They do want to reach out to more people even if they project a hip, removed air.

Malek even dreams of becoming another Lito Camo, credited with writing “Boom Tarat Tarat.”

“Siguro we are at the sidelines of the radar, kasi we are not hitmakers (yet),” Beng muses.

With the way Drip pursues its no-plan plan, there is no radar in the Pinas that can track them down. Kasi, maya-maya nandyan na lang sila.?