88Rising unveils the surprise announce of international artist Jessi to the lineup of Head In The Clouds Music & Arts Festival in Manila. Previously, more artists were announced to the setlist like Denise Julia, Manila Killa and SB19 were revealed as additional artists on Head In The Clouds Manila social profiles.
In October it was announced that the inaugural Head In The Clouds Music & Arts Festival in Manila will feature a stellar range of global as well as local talent including headliners Joji, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, eaJ, and YOASOBI. This year’s festival will also showcase performances from BIBI, MANILA GREY, Ylona Garcia, ATARASHII GAKKO!, MILLI, Zack Tabudlo and many more; plus special guest Grammy-winning hitmaker and electronic producer ZEDD.
All artists are scheduled to perform during the 2-day festival on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, 2022 at SM Festival Grounds Parañaque City.
Don't miss out as limited tickets are now available. Purchase your passes HERE.
Here's the final lineup that's about to be crazy:
Adawa
Akini Jing
Atarashii Gakko!
August 08
BIBI
Denise Julia
eaJ
Elephante
GUAPDAD 4000
Jackson Wang
Jessi
JinxZhou
Joji
MANILA GREY
Manila Killa
MILLI
NIKI
Rich Brian
SB19
Spence Lee
Stephanie Poetri
Warren Hue
Ylona Garcia
YOASOBI
Zack Tabudlo
With very special guest:
ZEDD
About 88rising:
88rising is the pioneering global music & media company representing the best of Asian talent. 88rising was the first company to launch an Asian-centric music festival in the United States (Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival - now in its fourth year), the first to have an Asian artist top the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts and Spotify’s Weekly Global Albums chart, and the first to launch an all-Asian radio channel reaching all of North America. In 2021, 88rising executive produced and curated the soundtrack to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Marvel Studios’ first Asian-American superhero. In 2019, they were awarded Label of the Year by NetEase, one of the largest music streaming platforms in China. With over 160 million followers across global social media platforms and over 40 billion total streams and views, 88rising’s global influence is undeniable.
Cover Photo Credit: 88Rising Instagram
88rising’s Head In The Clouds Manila music festival already boasted one of the top festival lineups that we’ve ever seen, and now the company has just added more popular homegrown acts to the setlist! The newest additions to the music and arts extravaganza are: Paradise Rising’s Manila Killa, rising R&B hitmaker Denise Julia, iconic P-Pop group SB19, and 88rising artist August 08.
Announced by 88rising and Live MNL last August, the Head In The Clouds Music & Arts Festival is presented by Globe with GCash as major sponsor and will take place on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, 2022 at SM Festival Grounds Parañaque City. The festival will feature a stellar lineup of world class headliners including Joji, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, eaJ, and YOASOBI. The festival will also include live performances from BIBI, MANILA GREY, Warren Hue, Ylona Garcia, GUAPDAD 4000, ATARASHII GAKKO!, MILLI, Zack Tabudlo and many more. Special guest is Grammy-winning hitmaker and electronic producer ZEDD. 88rising and HITC MANILA also plan to announce more acts as the festival approaches! You can buy tickets and passes here.
Photo Courtesy of Manila Killa's Instagram
The Philippine-born DJ, Manila Killa kicks off his The Dusk Tour this weekend with the first 3 stops. He'll be starting in Denver, Colorado then heading to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas for the Life is Beautiful event. The tour coincides with the release of his album, Dusk. The 12-track album gives listeners and fans what they love about the dance and electronic DJ. Get all the info about The Dusk Tour here!
The album is filled with originals and collaborations with many of his friends. While you wait for Manila Killa to hit your city, check out the tracklisting and listen along.
Cover Photo Credit: Manila Killa Instagram
After a three-year-long creative process, Manila Killa has finally dropped his debut album. The full-length project “Dusk” is an electronic album guided by emotion-driven soundscapes and the connective nature of melodic dance music. The expansive LP encompasses all the world has come to know of Manila Killa’s diverse stylings into a cohesive work of art that accurately reflects his life journey and creative growth.
“Dusk is my debut album, the apex of the sound I've been crafting over the years. I spent a lot of time during quarantine reflecting on what I wanted out of creating a full-length album. I reached a realization that I wanted it to be a project that touched on all aspects of my inspirations and influences through dance music. The subjects and emotions I touched on consisted of heartbreak, yearning, and resolve; all things I considered throughout the creative process. I took a dance-music driven approach to the production, reaching back to my roots and channeling the feelings I got when I first started listening to dance music. This album is something I've worked towards my entire life and I hope that people can resonate with the ideas and energy I've put into it. - Manila Killa
Additionally, the producer is also going on a national headlining tour to support “Dusk.” For tickets and more info on the tour, head to www.manilakilla.com.
To prepare for his debut album, Manila Killa releases a brand new track with Lights called, "Dusk." The new song is also the name of the album that's ready to drop this summer. The collaboration between the two artists brings out a project with multitudes of flow and feelings, pushing the sound of electronic music.
The track colors vivid imagery, which brings the lyrics to life that matches Manila Killa's refined sound design. "Dusk" delivers an ideal scenario of being the soundtrack played while escaping the city to something much quieter.
Manila Killa shares, "'Dusk' is a song that I always imagined to be played on the road leaving the city heading towards the desert. I made sure to encapsulate that feeling through my production, and reaching out to Lights to lay down the vocals was the missing piece to complete the song. This one's special to me because I looked up to Lights and listened to her well before I began my music production journey, so it feels like a full circle moment to have her on the song. I'm hoping people feel a type of yearning emotion when listening to it as that's what I've felt throughout the journey of creating this song over the last year."
ABOUT MANILA KILLA
Surveying the wonders of cultures from across the globe, Chris Gavino, best known as Manila Killa is a well-traveled producer inspired by his cross-continental upbringing. A now decorated producer with an expansive repertoire of accolades, Manila Killa cut his musical teeth as a high schooler in the Philippines by combining self-taught Ableton lessons with a penchant for electronic music. Guided by emotion-driven soundscapes and the connective nature of melodic dance music, Manila Killa excels at synthesizing the foundations of human passion. In 2014, he formed the successful house duo Hotel Garuda and co-founded his own independent record label Moving Castle which has since housed acts like Robokid, Slow Magic, Khamsin, and many more.
Since his departure from Hotel Garuda in 2018, Manila Killa refined his solo craft with his 2019 debut EP '1993' which garnered praise from media heavyweights like Billboard, Forbes and Ones To Watch, adding to a laundry list of critical-acclaim from tastemakers like Complex, Paper, and NYLON. With official remixes for Chvrches, The Knocks, Tegan and Sara, and performances at festivals like Firefly, Electric Zoo, 88rising's Head in the Clouds, and more, Manila Killa is defined in equal parts as a producer, performer, and in-demand collaborator. Dedicated to the consciousness of contemporary dance music, Manila Killa is distilling years of passionate experience and expertise to unveil his debut album in the summer of 2022.
Currently, Manila's Top 10 Streaming Markets worldwide include Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore.
Manila Killa is easily one of our favorite producers in the game! The artist’s latest single, “Dark Places” dives deep and offers an introspective take into the lives of the genre-bending producer and collaborator Kwesi.
“Dark Places” comes forward with an accompanying official music video that further promotes the song’s deep meaning and moody vibe.
"Dark Places marks the beginning of a new perspective on how I view the world alongside music. Feelings of nostalgia have overcome many of us, including me in the past two years and I wanted to explore that realm through this song. After hearing the initial vocal demo, I immediately knew that I wanted to draw inspiration from brooding, moody and dark influences, and Kwesi's haunting voice and lyrics offer a glimpse of hope that I molded the instrumental production around." - Manila Killa
“We have choices to make every day and sometimes, the mind can go to dark and strange places that are often unhealthy and destructive. At one point or another, we find ourselves scared and confused about the past and what it means for the future. This song is about finding our way out of that darkness and working to be better for ourselves and those around us every day." - Kwesi
Watch the official music video below.
Cover Photo Courtesy of Manila Killa Instagram
PARADISE RISING'S second compilation EP, Semilucent 2, is out now with a whole new ensemble of artists on the project. With the goal of establishing a presence for Filipino artists in the West and globally through music distribution, music rights management, and artist development, PARADISE RISING has more than lived up to expectations since it was launched in July 2020.
Semilucent 2 is a 5-track EP that provides genre-blending acoustics, memorable melodies and high-energy 808s. In contrast to the dreamy and airy radiance of the songs from the debut project, Semilucent 2 draws inspiration from the darker mood that comes with the ending of summer, and a longing for memories past. The label mentioned that the artists would be both "homegrown and diasporic," so lyrically and sonically, we should be getting a great mix of vibes from this highly anticipated EP. The EP features Manila Grey, daze, Steven Peregrinam, Curtismith with CA Christian Alexander, and Manila Killa featuring Yuna.
MANILA GREY is featured in this EP with “Island Baby (Maarte).” It brings a new vibe to the compilation project. “In this song, we show love to all the beautiful women in our lives, women who represent the vibrancy and class of our culture, both in our home city Vancouver. Maarte is slang for high maintenance in Filipino, but it actually means artsy. We just wanted to flip that narrative into something fun, while showcasing the art and the grace. All the strong women in our lives have high standards, sometimes you need that energy you know? Like go ahead, it’s all good, feel yourself."
Also highlighted are hip-hop powerhouse from New York CA Christian Alexander, seasoned rapper and songwriter Curtismith; CA Christian Alexander said he and Curtismith “are excited to be a part of the semilucent 2 EP because we have an opportunity to represent the Philippines on 88rising’s global platform and inspire the next generation of artists to continue to keep pushing Filipino music culture forward.”
Philippine-native singer and instrumentalist Steven Peregrina and up-and-coming female R&B artist daze based out of Amsterdam give the EP a different style. Peregrina's track “All Night” is “all about good vibes, good times, and partying.” He adds, “I'm super excited and ecstatic to be a part of the semilucent 2 EP. I consider this song to be my "TakeOff" and y'all should be ready for me! So, Asia, here I come.” According to daze, his song “Situation” is “about a relationship between two people who are in between love and friendship, or a situationship. Neither really wants to admit how much they like each other, but the tension and passion keeps building until they both can’t deny it any longer. It’s a soulful song with layers and layers of melodies that express desire, connection, and taking a leap of faith,” daze revealed.
For “Reminisce,” Manila Killa shares that he “started the instrumental track during quarantine when I felt no pressure to create a specific type of music. It was during a time where I felt artistically free - there were no shows coming up and everything was at a standstill so I took the opportunity to try some things out I haven't before. When I found out Yuna was interested in the track I was so excited to work with her as I've been a longtime fan. She totally understood the mood I was going for with the track and turned it from this fun disco demo into something raw, emotional, and reminiscent of better times."
“When I heard Manila Killa's instrumental track, I was at a place in my life where I had to start being creative in a new environment. I was at home with my family, it was so different from what I'm used to. But listening to ‘Reminisce’ just inspired me to write something emotional, about romanticizing the past or a memory that lives in your head forever.”
YUNA ON REMINISCE
88rising founder and CEO Sean Miyashiro took note of the "vibrancy in the way talented young artists are emerging, and such a massive audience in love with music. We want to support their voices, help them be heard, and bring music from the Philippines to a global audience."
Listen now to Semilucent 2 on Spotify and other major streaming platforms. Merchandise is also available.
88rising’s mission of supporting and shining the spotlight on Asian talent around the world takes an exciting step forward with a new label dedicated to musicians from the Philippines. The pioneering media company has teamed up with the Philippines-based mobile provider Globe to launch PARADISE RISING, a localized label dedicated to establishing a presence for Filipino artists in the west and globally.
Source: Forbes
Cover Photo Courtesy of Manila Killa Instagram
Kollective Hustle's Website Launch Party was lit! The event hosted by Romeo Marques Jr., had your favorite Filipino artists, DJs, and personalities all stopping by to show some love:
The Hustle Mission was the outline for the two and a half hour kickoff event:
Each section mixed interviews and DJ sets with conversations between SOSUPERSAM and Jen Deleon and our very own Roslynn chatting with Guapdad 4000 and Illmind. Plus we were stoked to see Passion and Gabe Bondoc singing the Filipino national anthem, Lemonade together! It was a reunion of half of #CatchingOneLemonade.
Kollective Hustle is all about "uniting the emerging generation of Filipinos in transforming their ideas into action, passion into profession, creativity into careers, and to inspire a global culture of collaboration." We hope you were just as inspired as we are! Keep up to date with news or get involved at kollectivehustle.com
