‘Dissent’ is the brainchild of battle DJ/producer Miaow and singer/songwriter Marc Abaya. Brought about by a mixture of boredom-induced experimentation and reactionary lyricism representing the nation’s collective grief, ‘Dissent’ melds together freshness and familiarity in a 3-minute track that keeps you on edge from the get-go.
Photo from “Dissent” Teaser
As with other musicians pumping out some of their most inspired work during this time of lockdown, Miaow and Marc set out to create something unique, especially in the sphere of Philippine music. With her bass-driven wildness owing to her open format DJ background, paired with his heavy, grungy, loud rock tones brought about by his time in Sandwich and Kjwan, their collaboration provides an eccentric auditory experience. Rock and EDM have met before in the Western world, from mainstream acts like Marshmello partnering up with A Day To Remember on “Rescue Me” or Steve Aoki linking up with blink-182 for “Why Are We So Broken, to more underground names like REZZ and and Kayzo. However, the marriage of the two genres isn’t as prevalent in the Philippines. With ‘Dissent,’ Marc and Miaow look to bring a revolution and shake up the sonic landscape, presented in a record that plays off of the two sounds with heavy riffs and hard hitting bass, peppered with forward-facing synths reminiscent of Skrillex and RATM-like lyrics.
Miaow (Mia Ayesa), a UP Fine Arts grad, enjoys the whole experimental creative process. A former model, she made a 180-degree career shift to music and DJing. Constantly pushing herself in new directions, she places utmost importance on skill and expression. Of the song’s sound, she would use the term ‘rocktronica’ to describe it, but it goes deeper than that. “Maybe there’s no need for genre boundaries anymore. Music is music is art—a documentation of human emotion. No need to define where one genre starts and the other ends.”
Marc had always been a multidisciplinary artist. After his tenure with OPM legend Raymund Marasigan on Sandwich, he formed his own band, ‘Kjwan’ in 2003. During this time, Marc also appeared on TV as a video jock for MTV Philippines. Eventually, he transitioned into acting, appearing on films and TV shows, both in GMA and ABS-CBN over the last decade. Most notable is his most recent stint as Ang Probinsyano antagonist Jacob Serrano. However, after filming, the show’s broadcast future is unclear due to the network’s dissolution. ‘Dissent’ was written as a message, partially Marc’s own protest against the shutting down of the network. “The music & words are an effect of everything going on. Whatever you think or feel when you listen to this song; that’s what it’s about.”
A short trailer for the track is on Miaow’s Facebook page, which you can check out here. Look for the full song when it comes out on major streaming platforms, August 7th.
