It can be tough to choose among your favorites, but sometimes you have to. For today’s OPENING ACT, Kayo pits his two highest-rated sneakers—Nike’s Air Vapormax 2019 and the AirMax 720—against each other in an attempt to pick an all-out winner.
Read MoreOPENING ACT—Nike AirMax 720s in Crimson Tint and Volt
Today’s OPENING ACT is an anniversary of sorts, marking Kayo’s return to his roots. We feature the Nike AirMax 720s, which was the same sneaker he used for his first-ever unboxing. And it’s a sneaker that held up well after extensive wear: “I’d wear it a couple of days every week, and I have a lot of shoes, so that says a lot.”
Read MoreSabadontt’s Pixelated Animation of Rainy Life in Manila
Rainy season in Manila can be a difficult time, but combine that with an endless rush hour and you have every excuse to go full emo. A young Makati-raised artist named Sabadontt is capturing all the feels of these dreaded, water-logged days in a series of pixel art animations. Commuters stuffed in leaky stairwells waiting for an MRT that threatens to never show up. A student trying to hide under her umbrella pauses on an overpass, gazing off in existential crisis. Locals start to shed the day’s struggle in a communal break at the carinderia.
Read MoreMark Valino Brings Filipino Street Dance Home
The term “street dance,” when used in the Philippines, is a little complicated since most of it happens on stage or in the studio. But director Mark Valino aims to correct that, bringing these styles back their rightful place. He shoots song-length videos of dancers on sidewalks, stairwells, and literally in the middle of the street. The series mainly focuses on Southeast Asian dancers but also includes dancers from his hometown of Toronto. Ultimately though, it was the Philippines that inspired the whole thing.
Read MoreDistort Monster’s First Solo Show At Secret Fresh
Skateboarding. Punk rock. Graffiti. They’re all pretty aggressive subcultures, outlets that allow angry kids to express themselves. And Distort Monsters has been here for all of them since he was little. Whether out in QC on his board during middle school, running around Metro with a can in high school, or penning angsty punk songs all along, it was a way for him to channel his mood into relatively positive ways. And it paid off too, considering that he’s opening his first solo art show this Sunday, courtesy of the good people at Secret Fresh. [Full disclosure: Distort is now part of the Honeycomb team.]
Read MoreOPENING ACT—Star Wars Toys! (+NYC to Paris Update)
Today we switch things up a bit with OPENING ACT and take a close look at some Star Wars toys. Spolier alert: spoilers everywhere!
Does Kayo have a Star Wars twin?? Not really, but pretty close! K-2SO—the repurposed droid from “Rogue One”—certainly shares a lot in common with Kayo: “I see a lot of myself in his personality. Even his look; he’s bald and has dark skin… That’s why this is the second K-2SO I’ve gotten as a gift.” This particular K-2SO toy is a Funko Pop! bobblehead exclusive from New York Comic Con.
Read MoreACDMND$ and Nahmean Namsayin’s “Ice” Breaks A Million Eyeballs
If you don’t pay close attention, there’s a lot of heat catching fire that you’ll miss. But we’ve got your back: ACDMND$ and Nahmean Namsayin‘s “Ice” turned out to be a sleeper hit, ratcheting up a steady number of fans since it dropped in June and breaking through the million man mark this week. The Antipolo squad brought together the perfect combo of earworm hooks and beats that make it hard to forget. (Skinny G‘s thug life glasses are worth noting, too.)
Read MoreWater Water Everywhere Not A Drop To Drink: Bato At VoV
Empty, matte black figures suspended above dust piles in a small, windowless room and a dry faucet on the far end. It’s a bleak scene, one loaded with implications for our future if the world continues on its path. The installation is Dennis Bato‘s “Element Of The Past” show at Vinyl on Vinyl, which opened this week. And although meaning behind this piece of concept art is unclear at first glance, all it takes is a nudging from the artist himself to send its possibilities spiraling. He says it’s about the existence humans might face from the choices we’ve made, specifically the specter of water crises, which Manila only recently suffered through as millions of people faced limited access to water.
Read MoreMANILA GREY Drops New Video For “Silver Skies”
It’s not just a silver lining for MANILA GREY, their whole sky is silver. Even cloudy days gleam with a chrome sheen for these dudes. The Vancouver duo’s new cut “Silver Skies” shines with the glow of an ’80s night drive dipped in modern Canadian icy vibes. With a glossy beat by in-house producer azel north, Soliven and Neeko take lyrics about their jewelry and shorties and imbue them with depth and emotion. “We all just locked into a studio and made the record happen,” azel tells us. “We started the record with the drums, and synth chords I laid down.” It’s the lead single for their upcoming sophomore project No Saints On Knight Street.
Read MoreThe Tattoos And Art Of Nep Cardenas
Linework is linework. Whether it’s tattoos or illustration, simple and precise lines can make all the difference. It’s a lesson that Nep Cardenas is taking to heart in both fields. With illustrations heavily influenced by comic strips and manga, and tattoos inspired by classic Japanese and Sailor Jerry styles, the young artist is quickly making a name for himself.
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