I remembered the first few cassette tapes I ever bought. I asked a friend back in 3rd grade, “Ano ba mga okay pakinggan?” And that's how my library began: with TQ, Marilyn Manson, Oasis, and Limp Bizkit. Since then my iTunes library has grown to tens of thousands of songs from a wide selection of artists including Snoop Dogg (now known as Snoop Lion), Lamb of God, Spice Girls, and whatever else you might find in between.

We all have our ways of getting our hands on new music: be it through friends, YouTube hopping, or music sites like Last.fm and Myspace. Finding new local music is a different story though. With all this talk of OPM being dead, media not supporting local independent music, and whatever other factors and arguments I’d rather not get into. Though the internet might make it that much easier to access new music, how does one even know what to look for without having a particular artist/band in mind?
The simplest solution to this of course would be to go out and watch a gig. I’m not about to start preaching because I know that not every listener would appreciate a night out in a noisy, crowded, and smoke-filled bar – which finally brings me to my point – here I’m providing you with an easier way. Think of it as me passing on an OPM version of my TQ, Marilyn Manson, Oasis, and Limp Bizkit.


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If you’re looking for some good alternative rock/somewhat punky pop music along the lines of Motion City Soundtrack and The Get Up Kids, then try listening to Rugis. They’re gonna be a bit harder to catch than the others since they come all the way from Lucena, but they’re definitely worth checking out if you happen to find out they’re in Manila.




If you want something not so heavy but heavier, try listening to Nyctinasty. Influenced by bands ranging from Coheed and Cambria to Mae, this all-girl quartet has a way of blending the heavy with the melodic as well as the technical that just works somehow. I still don’t know how they do it.




If by some sort of chance you like listening to instrumental/post-rock stuff like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and Sigur Ros, we have a growing local scene for that too. There have been more and more instrumental bands coming out recently, but I would suggest listening to Earthmover. Without compromising simplicity and dynamics with their clean sections while still maintaining an in-your-face heaviness, they’re probably the one instrumental band I saw come into the scene with a bang.




Of course there’s also something for those who prefer hip-hop/RnB type stuff. With the recent boom of Fliptop, the local hip-hop scene is very much alive. If this is more your thing, check out The Mighty Miscellaneous. Two MCs with distinct and tight styles of flowing over some good beats topped with great lyrical content.




Lastly, if you’re into club/electronica, you would know of the recent boom of dubstep. With artists like Skrillex taking home Grammys, it’s hard to not have heard of it by now. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, local DJ Mike Arce-Ignacio, better known by his stage name Mecha Hell, will definitely satisfy your craving.

Our local music scene has something for everyone and I haven’t even touched on pop, metal, ska, folk, and countless other genres, which I’m sure you’ll be able to find here too. We'll save that for another time. I hope this made it easier, but more than that, I hope this made you more interested. At least now you have a place to start your journey into the endless and pleasantly surprising world of OPM.



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