CEBU CITY – There has perhaps been no other time that so much diverse music has become accessible to so many. With advances in digital music distribution as well as the fall of traditional record labels, artists have new ways of recording and distributing their music while also allowing them to reach new audiences. Whereas in years past, musicians would have to go to the major record labels that are found in Metro Manila for their music to be recorded and heard, the dynamic has shifted considerably.
Taking advantage of these changes while also tapping the rich musical talent pool found in Cebu, 22 Tango Records was founded by a couple of former bandmates. Singer-songwriter Cattski Espina and guitarist Anne Muntuerto founded the independent record label in 2001 as a means of releasing music from their own band, Cattski. The label has since grown over the past 17 years to include songwriters and musicians from the South including the Wonggoys, Martina San Diego, Ella Melendez, Womb, and Undercover Grasshoppers. Their roster isn’t just limited to Cebu-based acts, however, as the Internet has allowed 22 Tango Records to also represent musicians from other parts of the world.
On January 12-14, Crisscrossings: Creative Convergence 2018, brings together some of the most creative people from Cebu and surrounding areas such as 22 Tango Records. A three-day event to celebrate creative entrepreneurship, art, design, and maker culture in Cebu, Crisscrossings is presented by Create Cebu, Crossroads Cebu, A Space Cebu, the European Chamber of Commerce Cebu, and the Materials Innovation Centre.
Always operated from the artists’ perspective, 22 Tango Records is a place where like-minded indie musicians can continually grow and evolve together, experiment and become co-conspirators of boundary breaking words, music and ideas. The label aims to help artists produce and promote their music— whether in classic grassroots fashion of mail-order sales and word-of-mouth or thru digital music distribution and web-based marketing, all while being able to express their artistic vision in a nurturing environment.
On Saturday, January 13, Grow Cebu Music: The Congress, will be presented by 22 Tango Records and aims to spark awareness and enthusiasm for the music community, showcase the vision and present ventures of the different organizations, and elevate interaction between artist and listener. The afternoon of panel discussions will feature a careful selection of organizations that represent the varied fields of music in Cebu. These include Sistemang Pilipino, Kadasig, and Bomba Press.
The program will close with performances by Vincent Eco, Mary Anchit, and Mother Folker with Sinfonia. Grow Cebu Music Congress will then culminate with an Artist Showcase at 8pm right outside at the Crossroads grounds, featuring the best that Cebu homegrown music has to offer, namely Thinking Chair, Fonzy, Sepia Times, Carlisle, Honeydrop, Mother Folker, Wonggoys, and Coolie Dread and the Microphone Commanders (CDMC). All these are just a sampling of what to expect at Crisscrossings: Create Convergence 2018!
