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NOFACE RECORDS INVASION IN THE BELLE & DRAGON MKT 6|17|17


photo by A DELA ROSA

Fete Dela Musique’s Bedroom Beats Stage represents a huge amount of untapped and hidden gems of talent in the local beat scene. The Belle and Dragon, located in the middle of a busy business district in Carlos Palanca Street in Makati. The place seemed cool and comfy for the bedroom artists to perform. These Internet-born artists come out of their digital corners to showcase their skill and music from 3 o’ clock noon to 1 in the morning, Turning the knobs and generating noises that are never heard before. The oddity of hearing sounds that are produced in your bedroom sounds different when performing it in front of a crowd of 100. The bedroom beats stage was one of those stages where it has one of those unforgettable moments. Those moments are a tough thing to list out on because there were too many things to highlight in a night full of surprises.

It’s so hard for me to start the discussion or where I can even begin talking about how amazing and entertaining this stage was from start to finish. Though, I arrived the pocket stage right AFTER Pure Mind Quiet Heart’s set and had to leave after NOFACE RECORD’S set. So I was able to see a handful of cool and creative minds bring out their piece of music that are unearthed, revealing, skeletal, minimalist, maximalist soundscapes where no one in the surface could ever find.

photo by Ellyza Cua

I’m not here to talk about the totality of the pocket stage but I would rather talk about what may have been one of the most brutal, savage, polarizing, and downright chaotic experiences I had in a Fete stage. Ever. My addiction of stage hopping have stopped once NOFACE RECORDS stepped up front.

The tables have turned and the mood of the stage faded to the color purple. All eyes are set on the darkness. Cats like Riyo Wa$hington, skinxbones, Ce$ar Montana, Young $imon, and Calix all share the same thoughts once they took over Fete: Destroy and Disturb.

The Hip-Hop Stage is distances away from the Bedroom Beats Stage and the NOFACE RECORDS fit the slot in either stages. You may consider them savages as ‘too alt’ or way ‘too grim’, well, NOFACE gives no fucks to anyone who badmouths or talk smack about their music. While the hip-hop stage in The Studio are busy doing their own thing, NOFACE were destroying Belle and Dragon’s ambiance for a good cause.

photo by Ellyza Cua

NOFACE RECORDS is an internet label that spawns otherwordly internet artists like no other ‘label’ in the country. This group consists of one of the most hardworking producers, rappers, and singer-songwriters in the local beat scene; artists like skinxbones, Ωmega, youngsleepyboi, slutgirl and Calix, just to name a few. They aren’t the type of label that carries the tag “hip-hop/rap” but they sure do carry the “depressionwave”, cloud-rap, neo-soul, and trap tag a lot in their projects. And so far, the guys haven’t even peaked in their careers as vets in the scene (and save for a few members who are just starting out as producers and rappers also).

The memories that I had last Saturday was scattered. I had traces of hype that are hiding in me so long, I had to let it out when NOFACE wreaked havoc right around 11:30 pm. The set started with Riyo Wa$hington’s DJ set. He played tracks and what might have been unreleased tracks from his music library. Then followed Yung $imon’s performance of his passive-aggressive track Trenchcoat Mafia. I started to appreciate that track more if it was performed live because you can hear $imon’s more aggressive side. Calix entered the picture, bringing not only his anger and frustration with him but he brought his NOACE cohorts like Ce$ar Montana, skinxbones, and F0ssils. Calix and Ce$ar Montana clamors out their ode to conyoshaming in Remission and SWA6669.

photos by A DELA ROSA

The kids were terrified and culture shocked by what’s happening right in front of them. I was going hard on the tracks while the young adults were feeling the Dead Inside Vibe. The performances weren’t that polished but their execution to disturb the ‘cool kids’ was spot-on and mandatory. The bedroom beats stage sort of needed that change of pace. And from there on, NOFACE is a group that shouldn’t be completely slept on. The group sleeps on you when your whackness starts to cave in.

PHOTOS BY @ELLYZA CUA and fellow ELBI SALAD ORE @A Dela Rosa.

Follow their social media accounts and get updated with their art, photography, stories etc. :

A DELA ROSA: asaladore.com

And definitely check out NOFACE RECORDS’ social media accounts to check out their back-to-back roster releases right here:

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