It’s not everyday that the Philippines is celebrating an
annual festival of music, especially with a whip of foreign sponsorship.
It was a full moon that the 22nd year of Fete de
la Musique 2016 kicked off on June 18 in Makati with more that 20 pocket venues
to party.
This was my first time to experience the French sponsored
festival, attended by thousands of partygoers of different nationalities,
dancing to the beat of universal bondage, MUSIC.
The parking lot of A. Venue in Makati was unrecognizable
with hundreds of people enjoying and supporting a certain genre of music of
their choice. I was thrilled that Ransom Collective was playing their own
compositions on the main stage. It was refreshing to hear such sound, the not so usual part of your playlist in your IPods. These songs are like the indie
versions of the motion picture.
The festive beat was just untiring, wishing I could stay
there for the rest of the evening. I was getting warmed up and already enjoying
some unfamiliar music when that happiness was cut short for we have to visit
the other pocket venues to experience the other genres offered by this
festivity.
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| Chillittees vocalist raised the roof of Greenbelt 3 |
The next stop was in Greenbelt 3 with a cozy smaller stage.
Just timely, Chillitees was playing hard on their originals. Damn, their vocalist
was really good and I was wondering, why such talent was not so popular in the
Philippines. I guess the type of their record is not for the commercial one. Personally,
I think this is the kind of music I could listen all day. Then, we got
ourselves interrupted as the growling stomach was already complaining that we
have to sit at Via Mare for a delectable dinner. Thanks to Tourism Promotion Board
for sponsoring our food.
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| Indio I performance was just completely jaw dropping |
Excitedly we went back in front of the stage hoping to catch
Imago’s number but damn we missed it. But we are not sorry with Indio I's performances were just exhilarating, exceeding my expectations especially when
they did the cover of No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley, directly
piercing through your heart. I guess, music truly transcends differences and can speak directly to your
soul. I am now a self-confessed Indio I fan, trolling in their page to check
on their next gig in the metro.
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| Talahib People's Music stormed the night |
But it was TALAHIB People’s Music that stormed the stage
with their indigenous sound rooting from the south. It was entertaining that
you could see the smiles and appreciation from the audience every time the
local band play in unison with a sound resonating from the tribal musical
instruments. They are the real representation of MUSIC and not just some irritating
random noise composed and played for commercial purposes.
I hated the moment the moment that we have to go to another
venue. We tried our luck in Z Hostel to witness another genre. But sad thing,
the bar upstairs was already jam-packed that they could no longer
accommodate guests. I hate to leave without seeing at least one performer in
the venue. We decided to stop by at B-Side where the much popular genre,
Reggae, was playing. I was shocked with the crowd, on queue waiting patiently to
get inside the jam-packed venue.
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| B-Side with Reggae |
Inside, the crowd, mostly yuppies, hurled like there was chaos,
dancing to the beat of the band. I was perspiring that I could feel that if I
stayed longer, I will faint to where I was standing. The ventilation was poor
that I couldn’t describe the stench to which I guess a combination of smoke,
sweat, alcohol and others. I can describe the event as a butt-kicking success to draw
such crowd who did not care at all about the chaotic crowd and ready to be stuck in such environment.
Don’t get me wrong, I love reggae for the substantial lyrics and message of the songs,
but not to the point that I will die out of suffocation. We immediately escaped what
seems a hell venue.
Disappointed that we did not enjoy much our stay in B-Side,
we opted to visit one of the high-end bars in the district, the Black Market.
And wowowwwe, it was definitely the complete opposite of B-Side. Black Market
was a venue for the usual bar goers that can ‘afford’! Instead of a live band,
the DJ was so slick with the choices of music making everyone getting crazy,
dancing while holding their favorite drinks.
The bar overflows with many choices of drinks from tequila
to draft beers to enjoy. The theme suits this generation, embodying
the pop culture. As the night went by, the crowd completely poured over, partying
like animals. We even spotted some local celebrities roaming around but I’ll
just be quiet about it.
It was already in the wee hour that we decided to leave
Black Market as I felt the gap of energy I have felt compared to the younger
partygoers. I can really feel I have graduated in this kind of activity but I
could say from time to time I am missing those days where I can party hard like
there is no tomorrow.
We hopped to another venue hoping to enjoy a lighter genre
of music, the acoustic, but just wow, the place in GREEN SUN was already filled
up to the brim. We have no choice but to leave with a hanging heart not able to
witness as many genre playing across Makati.
So, I guess, this will push me to attend the second part of Fete
de la Musique in Intramuros, Manila on June 23. See you there party people.
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