HFR 3 - The Manila Sound by Les The DJ
Cover Art by Sacha Carlos-Raps
This past May, Filipino/American Artist Directory & Aloha Got Soul tagged me on Happy Family Market’s open call to participate in curating a mix for Happy Family Radio, a monthly series highlighting the Asian diaspora. I finished the mix in mid-September and I’m super excited to share it with you for Filipino American History Month!
Thanks for creating space for our community, Happy Family Market, and maraming salamat for introducing me to my new kaibigan, Sacha Carlos-Raps! Maybe I can DJ for your night market in the future?
The Manila Sound by Les The DJ for Happy Family Radio
Hotdog “Di Na Kita Iiwan Muli”
Cinderella “Superstar Ng Buhay Ko”
Rico J. Puno “You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)”
Pat Castillo “Aso’t Pusa”
Rainmakers “Ok Sa Akin”
The New Minstrels “Smile”
Leah Navarro “Totoo Bang Lahat Ito?”
APO Hiking Society “Heto Na”
VST & Company “Ayos Ba”
Hajji “Inggit Lang Sila”
Celeste “Pag-Ibig Ng Lubos-Lubos”
Ray-An Fuentes “Saying Goodbye”
The Boyfriends “Oras-Oras”
Ella del Rosario “Shake It Baby”
“Manila Sound is an era of Filipino music that started in the mid-70s. It is considered as the golden age of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) and will always be remembered as one of the few good things that came out during Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law regime. Groups like Hotdog, VST & Company, Boyfriends, and Cinderella ruled the airwaves and also helped shape what OPM is now. As a kid growing up in the Philippines—specifically, Kalookan City in the 80s—I was surrounded by music from the moment I woke up to the AM radio, to lunchtime variety shows with lots of song and dance, to the tunes played by jeepney and bus drivers.
I’ve been in Washington, DC for over 20 years now, but the songs I heard growing up made an impression on me. I play all sorts of music when I DJ but I wanted to share a mix of songs that lifted some of my people during those dark times.” - Les Talusan
If you enjoyed this mix and want to hear more, hang out with me twitch.tv/lestalusan for Bahala Na OPM Sundays, 9-11PM ET // 6-8PM PT, I’ll be playing a live, all-vinyl set of OPM for you and the whole barangay!
https://www.mixcloud.com/happyfamilymkt/hfr3-the-manila-sound