MANILA | Imagine the unusual pairing of a folk legend with an indie hip-hop rapper.
Absurd? Not if the experience is made possible by “Coke Studio,” a musical platform driven by the theme of no boundaries in a constant search for diversity and creativity in human talent anywhere it abounds.
Since it began in Pakistan in 2008 as a television series featuring live studio-recorded music performed by various artists, “Coke Studio” has expanded into a musical platform adopted by several countries to showcase the diversity of their music and, by extension, culture.
With the aim of utilizing music to unify people and resolve cultural tensions, “Coke Studio” has evolved into one of the most successful, culturally impactful assets built by Coca-Cola. It has achieved this by bringing talented people of varying creative persuasions and fusing a variety of musical genres into unique new sounds.
To this end, “Coke Studio” will be launched in the Philippines this month with the goal of elevating an already resurgent Original Pilipino Music scene. Through a new television show, OPM legends and emerging artists from different music genres and sub-genres will come together and create a new and exciting sound for the present and next generation of music fans.
The show premieres on July 29, 7PM on TV5 with the unusual pairing of folk legend Noel Cabangon and indie hip-hop rapper Curtismith.
A native of La Union, Cabangon is a singer-songwriter who started his career as a member of the folk trio Buklod in the late 1980s. Buklod recorded original songs with socially-relevant themes. He continued this musical direction on his own and today is best known for anthemic hits like “Tatsulok” and “Kanlungan.”
At the opposite end of the musical spectrum is Curtismith, an indie rapper who is best known for his 2015 mixtape “Ideal” and EPs “Failing Forward” and “Soully Yours.”
The collaboration of Cabangon and Curtismith is just one of the many exciting “mashups we never thought we needed” that we will see on “Coke Studio” in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how these two talented individuals fuse the traditional, melodic sounds of the past with the contemporary indie vibe of today.
Aside from Cabangon and Curtismith, succeeding episodes of “Coke Studio” will also feature Raymund Marasigan and Myrene Academia of Sandwich, Reese Lansangan, Jensen Gomez of Jensen and the Flips, BP Valenzuela, Josh Villena of Autotelic, Eunice Jorge of Gracenote, Franco Reyes of FRANCO, Buddy Zabala, Ebe Dancel, Maysh Baay of Moonstar 88, Gabby Alipe and John Dinopol, Abra and Kian Ransom of The Ransom Collective.
In addition to the studio recordings, fans can also watch “Coke Studio” artists for free and experience cool on-ground activities at the related “Coke Studio Roadshow.”
With this intriguing mix of seasoned musicians and rising newcomers, “Coke Studio” hopes to inspire the creation of fresh and exciting musical content that will influence impressionable young audiences into appreciating Original Pilipino Music like they never did before.
“Coke Studio” airs every Saturday at 7PM on TV5. For social media updates, subscribe to the show’s YouTube channel at Youtube.com/CokeStudioPH and follow the Coca Cola Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CocaColaPhilippines/.
Watch the sneak peek of the initial episode of “Coke Studio” featuring Noel Cabangon and Curtismith here:
