"Alimbúkad: A Shoegaze Pilipinas Compilation Volume 2" by Various Artists

Shoegaze Pilipinas dropped their second compilation album - ! This time around, it’s a showcase of talent from all over the Philippines and the middle east - from Manila to Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, all the way to Oman and Qatar. Some of the bands have been teasing their inclusion over the past few weeks and it was a joy to see friends being included this time around.

I was able to chat with the mastermind of these albums, Dale Marquez (Sonnet LVIII, Some Gorgeous Accident), about the albums and the bands in them.

JANLOR: What made you say "Now's the right time to tell the world that Philippine Shoegaze exists"?

DALE: It’s really just about the music and sharing it. It’s always the right time to share music. I guess you can call me an archivist too and having been a part of the scene from the 1990’s, there’s so much music to discover and some of it I had copies of. I think the music here all deserve to be heard.

J: Given the number of bands in the scene, how were you able to shortlist those who are in the album?

D: The initial idea really was to get one compilation with twenty bands but when we asked around, the interest was quite intense. We had to split it into two volumes. Upon getting the songs from the bands, we thought it was best to present them that way.

Romel and Cherie have been very helpful, specifically for Alimbukad since most of the bands they handpicked here. I’m not too familiar with the newer bands since I’m based in the US now but with the right connections, we were able to get quite a bit of bands to contribute. There’s a few we’ve asked but either we didn’t get a response or they were busy or the circumstances didn’t work.

J: Are there bands you wish could've made the album? Can you enumerate them?

D: There’s quite a bit: Shoemart, Blinded By Love, Choking Brownies, Moscow Olympics, Memory Drawers... There’s a couple more but we may get them for the third installment so I will stay hush hush about them.

J: How many more albums can we expect?

D: Like I mentioned, there is a third installment. Working title is Alpas which means to break free (hats off to Romel for the title). Not exactly a part 3, it’s more of a stand-alone. It will concentrate on bands based in the US with members who have Filipino lineage and will also be joined by a few bands from our home country. The sound will also be broader like in Alimbukad so it won’t be exactly shoegaze or dream pop but close to it.

Grab a copy below!