The duo came together after a spontaneous jam session at a party in 2015. With their newfound chemistry (and the help of their friends), they became an official band in 2017 and quickly became a hit among various audiences. While up and coming, they already created a buzz among musicians in Dubai, with some of their achievements including:

• Appearances as guests on ‘The Ticket Show’ on Dubai Eye 103.8.
• Being features in HYPE magazine’s Local Spotlight.
• Selected and featured as one of StepFeeds’ ‘10 musical acts you should hear live in the UAE’.

Their naming convention derives itself from one of Jules’ unfinished song “Nowhere Bird”. Birds against the world, these two musicians fly to wherever the winds take them. “Wherever we go, wherever the wind takes us, we will be perfectly fine as long as we are together.” Mitch says.

Nowhere Birds produces music on a more improvised scale, beginning with improvised lab sessions that eventually bring out ideas for new music. Jules remarks that “The songwriting comes naturally. The guitar takes the helm most of the time. I let it be and see where it takes me. Then I’ll sing in gibberish and eventually the right words will surface.” Jules further gathers inspirations from his dreams (as a lucid dreamer). Odd tunes play themselves in his sleep, then he wakes up, records the melodies and tries to translate it into his music. “Songwriting is like going through a maze, but without a right or wrong path. The more you get lost, the better you find the way.”

Check out their song, ‘River Running Fire’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0cRtGMmd4M

As well as keeping true to themselves, they take the feelings and reactions of their audiences into account. Their uniqueness and popularity comes along with their simplicity, making use of a limited amount of instruments and relying more on vocals and synchronicity for a more acoustic vibe. “Eyes locked on each other, close harmonizing. We rely on our minimal instruments so everything must sound organic. Nothing fancy. That’s what people like about our music. That became our brand.”

Since recording their first EP in 2017 (which will be released towards the end of January), Nowhere Birds have set their eyes on a bright future ahead of them, seeking to be heard worldwide. “We hope that our music will reach more ears, not only in Dubai, but also in our own land, Philippines, and of course, worldwide.”

For all aspiring artists seeking to make their mark on the world, Nowhere Birds has only one thing to say. “If you have a craft that you really love, love it more!”

Jules Suarez and Mitchiko Bagayna will be releasing their self entitled EP, “Nowhere Birds” on January 29th at the Fridge, Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai. Special thanks to Andy Brookes @League Champs for the production.

Website: http://nowherebirds.com/

Bandcamp: https://nowherebirdsmusic.bandcamp.com

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nowherebirds

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowherebirds/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nowherebirds/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nowherebirds

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxIcZ1OBimo0OxxUvPbCYQ

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Read more about music on Illustrado Life. 

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  Visual artist Buhay Mendoza considers his art pop surrealist – a genre he loves for its playfulness and how it “signifies freedom and tickles creativity.”  According to him, his chosen specialty also allows his to maximize his strength as an artist.  Over and above that, Buhay says she considers art as his religion which gives him the sanity to appreciate all his blessings and makes him feel closer to God. For him, art is life, the purpose of his existence.  And hence, he advises aspiring artists, “Being an artist is a calling. Do it for the love of it.”     How did you get into art? Actually, I am a late bloomer for a practicing visual artist. I started around 2008 at the age of 35. Everything happened like a walk in the park when I met a group of artists from Antipolo, Rizal during that year. They were the ones who opened the door for me to showcase my first artworks in public, and the rest is history.       What’s your process of creation? I always base concepts on my personal experiences, as well as my childhood days. Currently my style is shyly shifting to a more mature subject that tackles social issues that our country is facing today. I usually have a morning ritual before I do my paintings, but it always starts with a research or eye candy.    After the research I would create a lot of initial sketches. Usually they are doodles. I always keep a sketchpad in my bag wherever I go. If any ideas come about, I jot them down right away and sketch them very quickly.     When done with final studies for my painting, I lay them out on my stretched canvas. I usually worked with oil before but lately, I have just been using whatever medium could be handy for my artwork. I try to experiment and expand my creativity by using raw materials from junk.   Life has always been my inspiration. To spread the greatness of our Creator is one of my inspirations. With this, I become one of His channels to show how blessed mankind is.     How does your work represent you? I just put my heart into each of the pieces I work on. I draw inspiration from other artists as well, but somehow I do still try to work with my own stuff. One is artist Yoko d’Holbachie – I am always amazed by her works.        The true magic of art is seen and felt when you do it passionately. People can feel it from your pieces. What matters most is to deliver the message of your painting effectively to your audience, with them just looking at it.   What have been the highlights in your journey as an artist so far?  I had my first solo show in the HSBC Tower in Ayala Makati, and my third solo show in Ho Chi Minh Vietnam sponsored by An Binh Gallery. I had a successful showcase in these two events and I was even featured in one of the magazines in Vietnam.  One of my paintings was also featured in Art plus Magazine – the November 2014 issue.     What were your most notable recent projects? This year in February, I worked on my fifth solo show for Kanto Gallery. I held a group show for Gallery Big and the Ayala Museum last December. I also have a work in progress in one of the galleries in Glendale California.   What’s your hope and plan for the future? Philippine Art is truly a diamond in the rough. We have so many talented artists who need our government’s support in terms of enhancing their skills and promoting the art that they produce. That’s one of my advocacies as well – that is why I place such importance on what I do as a visual artist. ________________________________________________________________________________ Find more Filipino artists and writers on Illustrado Life. 

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Visual Artist

Contemporary artist Jun Cambel grew up in the heart of the city, Manila. He views art as a tool to raise people’s environmental awareness. He often applies mixtures of paints and industrial materials to create multiple layers with pronounced textures. He sometimes combines found objects and realistic rendering to give the canvas an extra dimension. He worked in CM Ltd and Edipresse Media for fashion and other lifestyle magazines such as Couture, MenMode and Hong Kong Tatler as Art Director from 1993 to 2007.

As global climate change becomes more serious, Jun thinks that he has an obligation to express his views on the issue of environmental protection. Through his art, he lifts the veil of familiarity from commonplace objects and scenes – a leaf, a crumpled newspaper, an overflowing ashtray – and transforms them into potent symbols of our age. Far from harboring didactic intentions, however, Jun says he paints because he enjoys it. His works tend to make us reminisce about yesterday, while he also likes to show current situations and portray possible future scenarios.

He taught Graphic Design and Visual Arts Communication at the Caritas College of Careers HK in 2010-11. He is currently Production and Design Editor at (SCMP) South China Morning Post.
Jun’s talent was evident at an early age and he won several drawing contests as a primary school student. His promise blossomed during his high-school years and he decided to pursue fine arts at Manila’s FEATI University while majoring in advertising. He supported his studies by working at his brother’s graphic design studio (Bal Cambel/Grafik Asia) as a Graphic Artist for movie production companies. He attended classes under Ibarra dela Rosa, a Filipino painter renowned for his pointillism.

After university, Jun joined an advertising agency as a Visualiser, and was later promoted to Associate Art Director and Senior Graphic Designer at a design studio and advertising agency. He came to Hong Kong in 1993.
After years of focusing on graphic design, in May 2005 he decided to participate in the “Contemporary Filipino Artist Exhibition” – a group show at Hong Kong’s City Hall in Central. Inspired by the positive feedback he received about his work, he embarked on his first solo exhibition, “1st Expression”, at Asia Fineart Gallery in November 2005.

Past Exhibitions:

• 2016 – You’re Nothing but an Overrated Trying-hard Hong Kong Art Rat: Group Exhibition, Art Galileia, Serendra, Manila
  • 2015 – Junk Shop: Arte Pintura Group Exhibition, Art Center, Manila
  • 2015 – Metaphor & Parody: Group Exhibition, Baguio Museum
  • 2014 – The Best of the Philippines: Group Exhibition, Marco Polo Prince Hotel
  • 2014 – Meditation & Megrim: Group Exhibition, The Popsy Room
  • 2014 – Pintura Circle charity auction for Tacloban typhoon victims: Group Exhibition, Hong Kong Centre for Visual Arts
  • 2011 – HARAYA 3: Group exhibition, Central Library, Hong Kong
  • 2011 – WHY NOT WHAT’S NOT: Two-man Exhibition, Hong Kong Visual Arts Center
  • 2010 – HARAYA 2: Group exhibition, Main Gallery, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
  • 2009 – Detour 2009 Live Mural Painting: A Haraya group exhibition, Main Gallery, Anchor Site Main Courtyard
  • 2009 – HARAYA (Imagination): A group show by Filipino artists based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Visual Arts Center
  • 2009 – Kulay, Kultura, Kalawili: Group exhibition, Main Gallery, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
  • 2008 – Awakenings: Group exhibition, OC Gallery, Olympian City
  • 2008 – Take Five: A group show by Filipino artists based in Hong Kong, Asia Fineart Gallery, Hong Kong 3rd Philippine Arts Festival
  • 2007 – Estilo, A Group Exhibition of Filipino Artists in Hong Kong: Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong exhibition area, Hong Kong
  • 2007 – Drawings On Square: A group show by Filipino artists based in Hong Kong, Fringe Club, Hong Kong
  • 2006 – A Group Exhibition of Filipino Artists in Hong Kong: Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong exhibition area, Hong Kong
  • 2006 – Unang Sulyap (First Glimpse: A Survey of Philippine Art Works in Hong Kong: A grand exhibition of Filipino artworks. Central Library, Hong KongSeminar/Workshop
  2010 – Mix Media Art and the Fun of Doing It, Hong Kong Museum of Art, presented by LCSD and HKMOA

Association/Membership
Member, HARAYA Group of Hong Kong-based Filipino Artists

Contact:
Tel: (852) 9354 0458
Email: jscambel@artelier.com.hk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jun.cambel?v=wall&ref=profile

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Find more Pinoy Artists at Illustrado Life. 

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a.k.a Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen

DJ/Producer/Kung Fu Athlete

Photos By Ruud Baan

“What I love most about making music and playing music is the ability to create something that has a certain emotion, something that will touch big groups of people and can give them a long lasting memory. Making something that’s just a concept or a spark in the brain, finishing it and then putting it out for the world to enjoy has been truly magical!”

Illustrado talks to Dutch-Filipino DJ Laidback Luke who was nominated in for the best European DJ award from the 27th Dance Music Awards and #46 on DJ Mag‘s Top 100 DJs list in 2008, reaching #27 in 2009 and #17 in 2010.  This wildly successful musician-slash-kung fu practitioner has worked with artists such as David Guetta, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Example and Junior Sanchez and played throughout Europe and North America as well as shows in Japan and Ibiza. He also released three studio albums: Psyched Up (1998), Electronic Satisfaction (2002), Cream Ibiza Super You & Me (2011) as well as a mix album, Windmill Skill (2003).

How did you get into music and how do you create pieces?

I’ve been producing music since I was 15 years old when a friend showed me it was possible to make music with the help of a computer. I was never the best at playing instruments so I found out the computer could help me reach my full potential. I work mainly in concepts. I’ll try and imagine the track to sound like that and that track with a bit of another track in there. Even with sounds I can use references in my mind. So there’s never a lack of inspiration because you can literally take anything out there and be inspired.

How do you make your work distinctive? 

You don’t need to worry about that. There are a few things: always try and keep a little bit of edge in there. So a track can sound perfectly mix, but will only really pop if you put something dirty up against it. To be distinctive, the only thing you need to do is dive into yourself. Luckily every person is unique, and so are you. You have to trust that and just really make what triggers that personality in you.

What have been highlights in your journey as an artist so far? 

I’ve pretty much done it all. From being no one, to learning how to produce, to handing out my first demos, to get signed, to release tracks internationally, to start doing photoshoots and interviews, to signing a major deal, to getting famous, to fall back into a dip, to crawl back up again, to maintaining my career. All of it mattered! Every downfall or struggle is part of the bigger picture.

Latest Projects 

My newest track is out right now with the hottest DJ/producer right now: Florian Picasso. Our track is called ‘With Me’ and features the vocals of Tania Zygar. This is out on the Spinnin’ Records label at this moment!

What’s your hope for the future?

I have one dream left and that is to score an international cross-over hit. I just need one and my life is made ha ha. In other news, we’re about to start with making my new album and I’m very excited about it!

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More content on artists and writers on Illustrado Life.

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Visual Artist

My Art

I’m into visual arts – Sketching, Drawing & Painting as well as sharing the skill to the younger generation and even to the adults as a hobby or a preparation for their career path in arts or design related course. Since childhood, I was actively involved in the arts as it was part of the subjects and activities in school. At home, I grew up with an environment of architects through my uncles. I have started sketching diagrams and also going with them if they have site visits. But I have decided to divert on Fine Arts rather than in Architecture for a change.

Art can be a therapeutic activity. It makes me more focused. Creating something gives me a sense of immediate accomplishment that people may like or not, I love what I have done. It may be good or bad as it’s part of the creative learning process.

I engaged into it seriously when I went away from home for about a month at the age of 12 wherein I have met professional artists who have their art shops for portraiture drawing, painting, signboards and streamers for ads.

Eventually, I also started my own home based art shop. Work on visual aids for schools, signage, sketches, portraits for gifts and other material.

My Process

From personal portrait commission that I do is based on their preferred photos but I do it with an unfinished effect and catch the emotion and likeness of the person.

With other works, I based them on my ideas, feelings and comments on such daily events which seems ordinary but contributes to the meaning and purpose of life. I do sketch studies and take photos of places and people they go through the photos and find something interesting to design and compose an artwork. On commissioned works it’s a balance between the artist’s and client’s preference. But mostly, client’s just let me do what I think would be best.

My Journey Thus Far

Art has played a major part on my personal development. It gives me a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Doing art is self-satisfactory but teaching art goes beyond a social concern. For me, I consider teaching or mentoring as a social service. It may be a career preparation for others, the youth or just a fulfillment of a childhood dream to become an artist.

I have participated in various competitions in the Philippines but as I work here abroad in the Middle East just keeps my radar on competitions and events that I can participate in. After further studies and international art exposure, I wish to start up my own Classical Atelier in the Philippines to advocate on the revival of Classical Art Movement and equip the younger generations with skills and methods that can be applied on their art related pursuits.

My advice to my fellow artists

Have a long term plan on what one desires to achieve and break it down into action steps. Plan ahead and have a daily, weekly and monthly schedule. Start with the end in mind and evaluate one’s action if is it moving towards the end in mind or not. Team-up, build a team. Success can never be achieved alone. Train oneself not just as a skillful artist but also as a resourceful and innovative entrepreneur.

Website : www.artcircleexchange.wixsite.com/ronnie-pascual

www.artcircleexchange.wordpress.com

IG: @artdaily365

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More Artists and Writers on Illustrado Life here. 

Related articles: 

Artist Spotlight: Kevin Sabino.

Artist Spotlight: Victorino Bautista.

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Visual Artist

My Art

I was born and raised in Philippines and finished an architecture degree at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.  I worked as an architect for some time in Manila until I migrated in Australia in 2005 where I continued to work for various Australian architectural firms since.

My journey in the visual arts started when I was a young boy seeing my eldest sister paint.  Emulating her, I became creative; drawing sporadically whenever I can but I was really never serious.  My creative journey took a different turn in 2010, when I finished a soft pastel painting course at the Adelaide Central School of Art in Adelaide in South Australia.  It revived my interest in the arts and I started to take it seriously.  Between fulfilling my daily duties at work and pursuing a Master in Architecture degree at an Australian university, I devoted  my free time to painting.

My Process

Basically, I am a multi-media visual artist. I paint using acrylic and pastels but I also do digital illustrations.  I like to paint a variety of subjects. Funnily enough, as a way to make long train rides bearable, most of the digital illustrations I have done were conceived and finished during my daily train rides between work and home in Sydney.

My Journey Thus Far

Over the years, I have done commissioned portraits of people and pets and digital illustrations as well. Earlier on, a pastel portrait I have done of a Philippine actress was bought by herself after a friend of hers saw the painting on Instagram and told her.

My style is still evolving.  Like most artists, I started with doing works that are realistic but over the years my style  has evolved  into  a  more contemporary modern style with lots of  bright happy colours.  I want my clients to feel happy when they look at my works so they would be happy as well to hang them on their walls.

I currently enjoy finger painting in acrylics. I like the sense of freedom and playfulness I get when I paint using my fingers instead of brushes. I am really excited to explore this new-found artistic expression and find out what I can produce with it.

Message to Fellow Artists

Personally, I believe that the process of art making is just as important as the final artwork itself. People may buy the final artwork, but they rarely see what the artist goes through in producing such work.  As an artist, you have to enjoy that journey.

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Follow Vic on Instagram: @ vf_bautista

Facebook: Victor’s Art Gallery

Youtube: Vic Bautista

Find more Illustrado Artists and Writers on Illustrado Life. 

The post Artist Spotlight: Victorino Bautista appeared first on Illustrado Magazine - Filipino Abroad.

Visual Artist     

My Art

I am a former Head of Art  and Creative Director of a multinational advertising agency. Now, I am a Creative and Design Consultant for various multinational brands. But more importantly, I am a full-time painter – something that I’ve always considered as my calling.

I spent part of my childhood by the sea. I grew up in Boracay island and Panay island in Aklan, where the culture is a vibrant mix of religious and ancestral beliefs. Stories from our grand parents tell of mystical beings like wakwak, aswang, kapre,and sigbin. We also have the world famous Ati-atihan Festival. As a kid, I was influenced by all of these colorful festivity and mystery. This is evident by the aesthetic I have today.

I love colors. My figurative paintings are always very graphic and highly stylized. This stems from my Advertising years, when I used to handle beauty products..

My ink paintings are really my own. I use traditional Chinese inks but I render them in a Westernized style using paper, canvas and wood surfaces.

I think my work is different, in that it doesn’t look “Filipino.” I don’t follow any genre. I have different styles. I change styles depending on my mood on a particular day. This way my expression is always spontaneous and fresh.

My Process

I seek inspiration from my childhood experiences. I’ve always loved the process of creation – from ideation to seeing the final result. I don’t usually sketch before painting.. especially when i do my ink paintings. I thrive love in unpredictability. I use mainly watercolor, acrylic and mixed media.

I keep myself inspired by driving; no destination in mind. Just driving around and seeing where the roads take me. Weekly, I drive in the mountains of Rizal, or around the lake of Laguna. Up to this day, I also do this ritual when I go home to Boracay.

My Journey, so far…

I started to paint seriously 2 years ago. I’ve exhibited twice in my hometown, at the Museo it Akean. However, my real joy is posting work online, and selling it there without the “Politics of Art” and without the help of galleries. So far I’m really grateful for positive response I’ve been getting.

I think online is the new venue for Arts. One of the highlights of my career was when my first painting was bought by a National Artist for music. During my Advertising years, I won recognition from have festivals in London, Hollywood and New York. I also have a Guinness book of World Records for my design for Levis.

I have designed and illustrated 5 children’s books that were published and marketed in the US, and are also available in Amazon.com

Moving forward, I would simply love to be able to still do what I do, but have my reach magnified ten-fold. There is plenty of art in me, and I would be honored to share it to as much of the world as possible.

WEBSITE: www.kevinsabino.blogspot.com

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Band

Verdad is Spanish for “Of the truth”. We live up to this name by staying true to ourselves and letting our individual influences merge and mutate into what we call our own collective identity. We love it because this has been our outlet and what we believe to be the highest form of expression.

Our Music

Creating original music has been one of the bands main motivators when we started as Verdad; to mold different aspects of music we are entwined with and create something different. Mutually believing that music is borrowed, we want to break down and mold all the different types of music like a puzzle and create something different.

We are motivated to pursue this craft mainly because, originally we always wanted to pursue the reason why we got our band name. Verdad is Spanish for “Of the truth”. We live up to this name by staying true to ourselves and letting our individual influences merge and mutate into what we call our own collective identity. We love it because this has been our outlet and what we believe to be the highest form of expression. And in some cases it gives us the kind of fulfillment which every musician is looking for.

It all started with just wanting to play gigs in local bars. That urge to be on stage and play music, but as soon as we got the time to finally play together we recognized the chemistry and took a leap of faith to make it happen and write our own material.

Our Process

Our process for creating music solely relies on everyone sitting down together, starting out with a couple of drinks and just letting those creative juices flow naturally. But with that being said, we are very lenient with creating songs. We adapted a rule wherein, once a member doesn’t comply with what we’ve created for at least a couple of tries, that song goes down the bin. We start with the backbone of the song and play with the melody later on.

How we manage the creating process is directly correlated on how we mutually try to create something that is musically pleasant for each member. It might sometimes start slow and on other occasions it can turn out to nothing. Tension can grow on such situations, but we try as much as we can to take a fresh breath of air and help each other with producing something we all can relate to. Up until we do a final check in the studio if what we’ve created is something we can do a full throttle in its entirety.

We keep ourselves inspired through sharing what we call each other’s treasure of playlist. Something we have not heard of before can create a ripple effect to try and create something we have not done before. And at most times we keep attending as much musical events as we can to broaden our grip on original music.

Our Journey, so far

What makes our work own is that just by listening to our music you can distinguish different aspects of each member – a hint of progressive, post-rock, metal, reggae etc. How it differs from other works is not something we can really put into words as it differs in a lot of different aspects. But in our own perspective we try to be true to ourselves in our own songs, and let it mold itself into something different – but a good kind of different, one that gives you shivers down your spine.

Our journey as a band of musicians has been quite a ride. Starting off we just wanted to play at local bars and in some occasions talk about what it would feel like to be able to get your own original song being played on the radio, and to be able to have your own CD. It all seem farfetched back then, but after much anticipation we had a track played in the radio. And then finally, we got to share the stage with bands we looked up to and we got to release our own album named as “Lifepath 22” under Blacksheep Records.

Our advice for our fellow artists

Write your own material – plain and simple. Writing your own material gives your band its identity. Secondly, it broadens your horizon of your own capabilities, individually and as a band. You grow in ways you cannot fathom.

Another thing is to keep on exploring. Music is borrowed, but we all can tap into that stream of endless possibilities and create something that we can call ours – and that is something that is timeless.

Facebook: @verdad.music

Youtube: Verdad Music

Photos by Angelo Aguilor

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Band

Our Art

Music has always been a huge part of our lives. We can’t really see ourselves not doing anything musically. For us, music is the purest form of connection you can make with other people. It is the language of the soul. It inspires us to be better human beings. It is also the medium that we use to inspire others. We all started playing music at an early age. Listening to our parents’ records and being inspired by playing live music. Watching a lot of our favorite band concerts on VHS tapes to playing on a band with your high school friends.

Our Process

It is very special with this band. Mikkoy, David and I, Cromwell – we are the main song writers of this band and it’s really all just about who comes up with a melody first. Once the melody has been finalized it sort of automatically drives us to a direction were we already know where to play our parts in that song. It’s something magical, as we don’t even need to spend a lot of time to create a song. We just let our instincts and emotions drive us. That’s why you’ll get a different vibe with track.

I think that what makes our music original. We try to bend the emotion of each song. It’s like telling a story. Once the melody parts of the guitar are done, we will then go to our bassist James and drummer Axell to create the back bone of the song. This is where we decide the tempo and how heavy we want the parts to be.

WLAH Artist Spotlight

Our Identity

As to how we identify ourselves as a group of musicians, Cholo Juan, an artist friend of ours, really said it best:

“From reality to the innermost of our consciousness. We traveled through time and space. Just like an exploding nebula, the sounds shooting, twirling, forming into words. Sounds become words, words become neurons. Pulsating, transmitted in different parts of our brains and all throughout the body. Leaving an ultimate sensation track after track. We are a vessel traveling into the vastness of universe, hearing every heartbeat of the stars. We left reality, realizing our existence. We left time and space, staying in our consciousness, We Left As Humans.”

I guess it’s the emotional connection we make with people that makes this band special. “Transforming the venue into a drive of ethereal nostalgia,” as what our friend Viztoni from the band Verdad said. We play post rock, math rock, ambient music, but we have lots of influences, as we’ve been exposed to different type of musical genres while growing up. We’ve only played 4 gigs including our most recent album launch at Zephyr Sports Bar. That’s probably one of the most fun gigs that we’ve ever had, as we had all our friends supporting the show. We also sold out our album and we are really grateful for the feedback we’ve been getting.

WLAH Artist Spotlight

Moving forward…

We’re currently writing new songs for the next album. We have so many music on the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with everyone. I’m also on the process of writing the script for the comic book were releasing. The 6 songs on the album represents 6 chapters of a comic book series. We are also working with a local based film director on shooting the series of the music videos.

Our advice to our fellow artists

Just keep on playing and don’t be afraid to experiment. Be honest with yourself, and most of all, have fun while doing it.

The post We Left as Humans (WLAH) – Artist Spotlight appeared first on Illustrado Magazine - Filipino Abroad.

Artist Spotlight: KIDWOLF

Music Producer, Composer and DJ

MY ART

I love my work. I’ve always liked music growing up and I think it’s my first love. There’s just something beautiful about writing a song, putting it out there for people and hearing how it gets transformed and reinterpreted by the listeners.

I started writing when I was 13, But went to work in a call center when I was 18. After five years of that, I decided to just pursue my passion and start making music.

MY PROCESS

When I was younger, I used to imagine how songs back then would sound better if they added this and that on the melody or the lyrics. I also liked to play with the chords with existing songs and change it around, wondering how these chords interact with the song. Nowadays, I just start with an idea, a feeling and a message. I start with a statement and I build the song around it – the right chords and the right melodies. I go by feel. I start playing on a guitar to lay down the chords and then record it and just create a beat afterwards to make it EDM. I love what I’m doing. That’s what keeps me inspired. And I’m lucky that my source of income is also my passion.

I rarely compare my works with other artists, so my inspiration is almost always random bits of sound I have in the soundbank that is my brain. I just enjoy writing songs and making beats and worry less about whether people compare it with other artists, cause I believe that as long as your composition process is honest, you can be proud of the song regardless of the common feedback.

MY JOURNEY, SO FAR

My journey as a musician took a really good turn when I got introduced to Hifan and Flipmusic. I learned so much from the people I worked with there and I still practice the good habits I learned from them. My most successful track so far is “Free” with BV. I collaborated with artists Nica Del Rosario and Kio Priest on the songwriting. We did not expect it to reach so many people.

I don’t really have anything too rigid laid out for my career. I just go with whatever life throws at me and where the beat takes me. I believe that no matter how much you plan, life always finds a way to shake you off-track. You dance with it anyway.

Artist Spotlight: KIDWOLF

Having said that, I’m happy to announce that I have an upcoming single “Nothing On” coming on Spotify the first week of December!

MY ADVICE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS

My advice to people who want follow their dreams is to never give up. The road is hard, but in this industry, what counts is your capacity to persevere and that you have the right mindset, attitude and patience.

Connect with Kidwolf!

TW and IG: @officialkidwolf

FB: facebook.com/kidwolf

I just go with whatever life throws at me and where the beat takes me. I believe that no matter how much you plan, life always finds a way to shake you off-track. You dance with it anyway.

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The post Artist Spotlight: KIDWOLF appeared first on Illustrado Magazine - Filipino Abroad.