Low End Theory

Capturing an era and capturing a frame of mind is what makes creation a true art form. Making that certain form of art and showing it to the world and getting nods for it is a different battle, it's a revolution in itself. Be it sound , visual or conceptual it is how you encapsulate an idea and express , a fragment of imagination that makes it strong and appealing. The true beauty of it's aesthetic is that you don't even have to like it. It's just there.

I remember when KST painted in Manila Design Week, I watched DJ Red-I play for the first time, and I heard a sound that blew me away. If I were a comic strip at that time, my thought bubble would have said, "Why don't they ever play shit like this in the clubs?".

The answer would most probably be that the clubs now are like governments, there is a formula that they follow. Because this music is not commercially accepted. This music is not trendy. This type of music is not appreciated by the masses. Therefore , this music is taboo or does not even considered in the club scenes here in the Philippines. What makes our scenes now? It's made up of formulas and saturated by commercial capitalism and makes the growth of cultural awareness controlled by people. Which is all well and good because I have my own ears and I can listen to whoever the hell I damn want. I know of artists here who share the same sentiments like , Red-I , Caliph8 and Pasta Groove who are in the forefront of this type of movement locally. I'm just saying that I wish there would be more venues or at least one that mainly plays music that are unheard of to most, resulting in a eye - opening , mind blowing experience.
But here's an event that champions this movement in the Philippines.



The low-end theory is a club that features champions of the independent music era, who were influenced by the arcade revolution and who's lexicons will forever be tied with the Capcom fighting games and it's soundtracks. Guys like , Daedelus , Flying Lotus , Gas Lamp Killer champion the scene fusing all sorts of samples , beats and sounds to create their own styles. The club also features , artists to paint with musicians in an organic manner. It's style wars once again and I smell a revolution of awareness - a - coming and I hope it spreads in the islands. I'm not much of a music man to talk about it so I asked my friend Milkriddles to speak on the matter of the low-end theory:

"The amalgamation of the different scenes is a faculty of sight we have yet to see in this country. Just like how the Romantic Movement started the intermixture of art, literature and music in the early 18th century, the “Low end theory” a club from Los Angeles conjures up its own carpool towards the end of the rainbow but of course it isn’t just gold at the end of it all, there’s more. Imagine watching your favorite band rocking out to one of the street’s meanest graffiti writer painting a mural behind the performer, while some of the craziest dj’s in town melt your brain with beats that are nearly as orgasmic as a good session of the old in-out, in-out. It’s amazing how one establishment can be a host to these kinds of activities without causing uproar between the different scenes. It’s Hip-hop alongside certain electronic notions right after you get to see your favorite bands and it doesn't end there because you have the craziest visual artists to sanctify the whole experience. Think about it, this may be what our country lacks a venue of unity where everyone can just share the same vision. We all are heading for the same artistic destination might as well work our way there with conjoined forces."