Manila Community Radio has become a vital hub for the Filipino underground since launching in 2020. Founded by members of the BuwanBuwan Collective, Ikigai Radio, transit records and UNKNWN, the online platform has devoted itself to shining a light on independent artists, musicians and DJs across the Philippine archipelago, with an emphasis on marginalised voices and subcultures.
At the heart of MCR’s ethos is budots, a genre that originated in Davao City around 2009, and has evolved to become the dominant sound within the region’s burgeoning grassroots scene. Characterised by its infectious energy, syncopated drums, animated basslines and gratuitous lashings of FX, vocals, whistles and synths, the style’s multiple regional variations filter rhythmic elements of indigenous music through eurodance, trance, pop and techno foundations, with an accompanying freestyle dance style to boot.
Speaking about the style, MCR co-founder and programming lead Jorge Wieneke V (a.k.a. obese.dogma777) said: “It’s fascinating how budots kind of captures and represents us as a people, with its resilience, playfulness, and campiness. Like other grassroots sounds across the globe – like Detroit techno, Chicago house, Indonesia’s dangdut and more – it feels like something the Philippines can truly call its own.”
Now, budots pioneer DJ Love has curated a compilation for MCR, spotlighting the sound’s many strands over 53 tracks from artists across the archipelago. All proceeds from the release will go toward the families, livelihoods, and creative projects of the Camusgirlz, a budots dance troupe from Davao City. Check out the release here.
Back in April, Manila Community Radio was awarded the Boiler Room Broadcast Lab grant, through which they able to host a live streamed budots showcase, which you can revisit here. The artists participating in the Broadcast Lab showcase were Teya Logos, Libya Montes, Showtime Official Club, Hideki Ito, T33G33, obese.dogma777, Pikunin and DJ Love, all of whom have now stepped up for DJ Mag’s Selections series to highlight two tracks that join the dots between budots and numerous, high-energy club styles from around the world. Dive into their choices below.
