it's the premise that foreign music is superior that makes pinoy music inferior.
maririnig natin yan sa mga sarili nating mga tanong.
what makes our recordings so pinoy?....
do our recordings really need improvement, just because they sound pinoy? like it's a bad thing?
inferior equipment was one of the factors that got started that entire hiphop revolution. it's now one of the biggest selling genres in music.
that was an entire culture that refused to ask the question - what's wrong with our music? why don't we sound like the whites?
I disagree on several points that you make. One: If you consider our recordings on par with internationally produced records then, sure, the claim of inferiority has no effect. However, if one listens to records and compares a type of sound - British or American - you answer is best summed up according to personal preference. What do YOU like? Personally, I like my music productions warm, punchy, with a realistic in-your-face sound. Do the recordings of local places deliver as well as British and American products? No. But that is MY preference. If you are fine with the local sound - more power to you. Also, no one is "trying"to sound like the "white man." If you've worked in studios long enough or collaborated with different people in music, there is no "white man" dictating the quality of the sound. In reality, studio engineers whether in the US, Japan or Europe, are all of different nationalities. Asking around how you can make your productions sound like the "the white man's" product is going to get you thrown out of the building.
Two: hiphop was NOT launched by inferior gear. Rather, it was launched as a result of cultural innovation and resourcefulness. The boom box, tape, records, and turntables were the tools of early hiphop pioneers. Note, the Technics SL1200MK2 - the DJ and Hip Hop artist's workhorse - is NOT an inferior piece of equipment. If it were, it would not still be in production 30 years after being introduced into the market with virtually no changes to its original design. Moreover, the vinyl record, another integral piece of hiphop, is NOT inferior. In fact, audiophiles - a lot of them - still prefer the warmth and punch of vinyl over digital music reproduction.
So, what is the Achilles heel of our Philippine production work? If marvin says it isn't the skills, or the gear, what is it then? I think, the answer lies in socialization, specifically,social standards pertaining to music. We think American or British made music is better because we have been weaned on it. IS this bad? Not necessarily, except that it seems to irk a lot of Filipino pride as to whether or not we can hang with foreign produced material. My answer to this? Develop and present production material that CAN compare with foreign produced music. If it annoys people so much that Western made music is THE standard then, make a new standard patterned after a local sound, OR develop something that sound totally unique and ends up being recognized as a unique production.
Another point is about Filipino musician's kicking a$$. Sure, this is true - skillwise - but ask yourself this: when was the last time our country produced an act that was internationally recognized for being uniquely Filipino? When was the last time we produced musical talent that represented something truly Filipino? In my opinion, Freddie Aguilar was the last person that even turned heads abroad that others outside the country actually knew who he was and knew what he contributed to our musical identity. He wasn't looking to sound 'kano, heck, Änak wasn't even sung in any other language until distribution for the music called for translations of the song!