The Mighty Miscellaneous: Almost Done, Never Finished...

All photos courtesy of Isi Laureano

Every time I'm asked about our scene and artists to look out for, I find that The Mighty Miscellaneous remains on the top of my head.  I've followed this diverse group for awhile now, though at times, they seemed to be more suitably described as mysterious than miscellaneous.  Seldom did they have gigs, responses from members as to when their album would be done were often ambiguous, etc. I suppose part of the appeal may have been the unknown; but as a fan, I always yearned to hear more, see more, and experience more.  See, I'm sure music heads will feel me when I say that once I experience an artist's music - when I get in that zone - I am a fan for life.  Now, over a decade deep and with a great deal of growth and hard work, Misc is prepared to serve their fans and like their performance set-up, they are ready to get live.

In anticipation of their album titled "Almost Done" (pun intended), the crew launched their first single and video "CTRL+ALT+DEL" last February 29, 2012. Backed up by class acts and surrounded by their friends, fam and fans; Cubao X was The Mighty Misc' house and they brought it down.

Chillitees warming up the crowd

Chillitees started off the night with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blues. From hits off their past albums like "Paikot Ikot" to their latest "Why" to freaked tracks like Bill Wither's "Use Me"; this Pinoy Soul band brought it like always.  So there may have been a few changes with respect to members (B Surge of Iconic on bass & Alay of Makopa on drums), but Uela Basco on vocals and Dan Gil on keys kept it essentially...well...Chillitees.  Good stuff.

ILL-J reppin' the Golden Era

To keep it moving and to set the mood for the Golden Era of Hip hop, ILL-J too, had a medley of his own.  With industry hits like Nas' "The World is Yours" to Mastaplann's "Way of The Plann" to a megamix of ILL-J w/ SVC and solo tip singles; he had the crowd nostalgic and at ease.  After giving props to those that paved the way like Francis M. in unreleased track "A King is Born", he had DJ D'Tech loop his music to bring on-board Aero & RJay of LDP for a brief freestyle sesh.  In effect, homage to past, present and future MCs.

Before Misc hit the stage, the crowd tuned in to the first viewing of their "CTRL+ALT+DEL" video directed by Syke.  I was unsure of whether I was going to mention this, but I figured it was a funny tidbit for the evening.  Initially, there were some technical difficulties on the system that was going to play the vid and Misc member C.Lo/Delphi broke the ice by saying "Well, that's a MAC. Can't CTRL+ALT+DEL that shit!"  After a minute or so, however, the program was back in business.  The video was a simple depiction in B&W of the ultra tight crew in what appeared to be their Misc Mobile, just doing their thing as usual and jammin' to their anthem.  It was very anti-glamour, but represented a lot more for true Hip hop heads.

Thereafter, their set opened with the heavy boom and bap of DJ Umph's MPC and you could almost feel everyone's chests thumping along to the beat. From there on out, the crowd was treated to a consistent mix of breakbeat, boom bap, and jazz fusion Misc music in the form of tracks like "One Step", "Lounge Logic", "Speech" and "Keep Rockin'".  Naturally, they closed it out with the evening's title track "CTRL+ALT+DEL", but a flipped version that induced collective cries of delight.

Who's house? It's The Mighty Miscellaneous' House!

If Miscellaneous' music was a celebration of Hip hop then Indie.Nial's DJ set at the end of the night was in keeping with the tone with a seamless mix of 90s East Coast gems. There's really not much more that needs to be said about his set beyond the fact that it was on-point.

Mr. Soulsonic, ILL-J & Rye giving Indie.Nial their stamp of approval

The CTRL+ALT+DEL single/video launch was a definitive high in Hip hop.  That night stood as a forecast on more highs to come in the musical journey of DJs Umph & D'Tech, Tibbz, C.Lo/Delphi and Switch - The Mighty Miscellaneous - specifically, the release of their full-length album.  A portion of their journey is "almost done", but I'm confident that we can expect a lot more from these guys who are innately and passionately Hip hop purveyors.  Thus, they are never finished, and that's great news for all of us fans.


Reminders:
-A 4-track EP will be released on www.themightymiscellaneous.blogspot.com within the next week or so
-Almost Done will be launched on June 15, 2012 (more details TBA)
-Gigs and other info can also be found on their blog or on www.lockeddownentertainment.blogspot.com

Homegrown & Homecoming

Earlier this month, we were fortunate enough to have one of the premiere [Pinay] femcees, Hopie Spitshard, hit us up for a performance and special guestings.  It made me proud to not only see how innately connected she was with local hip hop and her roots in general, but to hear from her how impressed she was with the scene.  In her words: "The Manila music scene is live for real".

Dropping soon right here are excerpts of an exclusive video and written interview with Hopie, which is 1 part of a 3-part collaboration/coverage courtesy of The Hiphop in Her, Cafe808 and Soulsonic TV. The radio interview already aired on Cafe808 www.sarisarisounds.com and you can also watch out for Hopie's Manila performance coverage on Soulsonic www.ssonictv.blogspot.com.

Okay, my Hiphop heads, in case you didn't hear...we can anticipate another exciting visit - Mastaplann and Bambu are coming home! Obviously, Mastaplann has always been and always will be a massive part of the Filipino Hiphop world. Shoot. They are pioneers, a household name and you can't dismiss these guys when speaking of Hiphop over here.  They made their way home 2 years ago and that 2 years was a long enough wait.  Mabuhay MP! Now, speaking on behalf of many, a lot of us have also been following the works of their homeboy and extremely gifted MC, Bambu.  Much like Hopie, this will be his first time to perform out here and to check out what we've got going on, so we plan on showing him that we've got it going on right?

Happening on April 14, 2012 tentatively at B-Side, is Mastaplann and Bambu's Homecoming.  More details TBA so remember to keep checking back here for more info.

Don't think that in the wake of all this excitement for Balikbayans, I've forgotten about our homegrown talents.  Never that.  In fact, a lot of us have been patiently waiting for this next event happening as early as next week.  On Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at Pablo Cubao Expo is the official single/video launch of CTRL + ALT + DEL by The Mighty Miscellaneous. Naturally, TheHinH will be there to cover this momentous occasion in Hiphop.  See you all there.

Play4Serve: LockedDown X Daily Grind Session

"...the sheer energy and delight that erupted between artists and audiences is what completed the magic of the night..."


Photo Credits: Isi Laureano
For Play4Serve (production of Sandwich & Imago)

You never know what to expect at a LockedDown gig. Or let me rephrase: you can expect great camaraderie and music from all walks of life, but any other expectations are truly that of positive ambiguity.  In other words, full of pleasant surprises.

That being said, the Play4Serve event at Escobar, CubaoX did not disappoint with its diverse lineup of artists and an appreciate, open-minded (and eared) crowd. Don't get me wrong, the initial reaction for those with rock preferences was to clear out whenever a hip hop artist came up.  However, when they would hear something unlike the commercially known sound, I would see rockers bobbin' their heads and rejoining the action. That, my friends, feels really good to watch and experience in 2012.

ILL-J and D'Tech

While the whole night was remarkably passionate in everyone's unique crafts, I thought I'd summarize my personal picks for the evening's highlights.

Firstly, it was a real treat to see ILL-J perform after a bit of a hiatus with DJ D'Tech (of The Mighty Miscellaneous) backing him up on past and present tracks.  Giving homage to Nas and Mastaplann then warming up the crowd with classic SVC single "My Homies" to his own "First Wifey" and "Feel Good"; his medley sparked up a little something for everyone. The crowd  definitely took a liking to unreleased track "A King is Born", which gave tribute to The King of Rap Francis M. and other Filipino heroes.

Secondly, and speaking of Filipino heroes: RAIMUND MARASIGAN. With Imago. With Pedicab. With Gaijin. Then my personal fave, with Sandwich.  Not to mention his jam session on Miscellaneous' set where he joined in on the boom and bap of DJ Umph's MPC. He is a rock legend, but here's a little trivia for ya: he's a huge Beastie Boys fan and he produced 1 of the first tracks for SVC when they chose to go independent for their All Natural album.  Not only is he well-versed in so many musical elements (drums, guitars, vocals, etc.), but also in so many genres (hip hop included).  Basically, I believe Mr. Marasigan's musical talents have the Midas touch, because everything he touches turns to gold. It was amazing seeing him display his multi-talents throughout the night.  That's passion right there.

Pedicab

Gaijin

Imago

The Mighty Miscellaneous x Raimund Marasigan

Sandwich bringin' down the house

Thirdly, The Mighty Miscellaneous kills it every time. I've never seen any flubs or lack of power in a Misc performance. What made the Play4Serve set different? As mentioned before, music vet Raimund Marasigan jammed with them (he actually rapped the CTRL+ALT+DEL hook on his sesh with Sandwich too), but the surprises didn't stop there! Member Tibbz, who we usually see playing the live instrumentals on his MPC, got back on the mic that night for a heavy, unforeseen verse. Factor all that into their solid foundation as a unique, live hip hop group, and there was no way this set would not end up on my list of highlights.

The Mighty Miscellaneous

Lastly, I can't really explain the feeling of discovering new talent.  Not that this group was new, per say, but new to my ears. Straight out of Baguio, came a bonus set from Sky Dive Academy.  With their big band + brass section blaring and intellectual rhymes coloring up the instrumentation, it's no wonder why Raimund Marasigan was so eager to have everyone listen to this crew. Big ups!

It was the sheer energy and delight that erupted between artists and audiences that completed the magic of the night. The Play4Serve: LockedDown x Daily Grind Session was just what I needed after the Christmas-New Year break, which sort of put music in the backseat for me.  Regardless of how present music was in each individual's lives, though, it seemed like they all needed it too.

-------------------------

::TheHinH X Cafe808 Contest:: CALLING ALL INDIE HIP HOP ARTISTS/GROUPS!

TheHinH is collaborating with Cafe808, Sari-Sari Sounds' hit flip hop program hosted by Switch of The Mighty Miscellaneous for its first contest.

We're giving you the chance to have your mixtapes/albums/singles featured on two (2) episodes of the show. That's (2) exclusive episodes aired on a Wednesday and Friday with multiple replays!

View the poster below for details on how to join:

For more information on Cafe808 or Sari-Sari Sounds, log on to www.sarisarisounds.com