Assembly Generals
Manila, Philippines | Established. Jan 01, 2018 | INDIE
Music
The best kept secret in music
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Assembly Generals are gearing up for a major drop this February.
On Thursday (01/24), the electronic hip-hop supergroup announced that they will be dropping their second studio album Fatigue at 20:20 in Makati City on February 2 (Saturday).
The launch will also introduce new merch from the band. Further details to be revealed soon.
Check out Assembly Generals' latest single, 'Ligaw' on Spotify. - Bandwagon Philippines
In celebration of Independence Day, Filipino electronic hip-hop supergroup Assembly Generals pay tribute to the indigenized Filipino alphabet with their latest video 'ABKD.'
Ingeniously written as an acrostic poem, the fiery new single runs through the Abakada alphabet forward and reverse in a witty lyrical and musical manner. The fresh release talks about writing beyond one’s self, crab mentality, the Filipino concept of sacrifice, and striving for the better as one—a celebration of the Philippines as a nation: the good, the bad, and the hopeful.
Backed by dark synths and a heavy bass, the self-produced track gives a fresh taste of what Assembly Generals have to offer on their forthcoming sophomore album.
The track is available for free download on the Locked Down Entertainment's official Soundcloud page. - Bandwagon Philippines
Enlisting themselves to the fight for the future of hip-hop, Manila-based supergroup ASSEMBLY GENERALS are here to serve the nation with unapologetic urban poetry.
Camouflaging as an electronic hip-hop supergroup are Paolo “Switch” Toledo (The Mighty Miscellaneous), Raymund Marasigan (Sandwich, etc.), Mon Punzalan (Team Manila), and Deng Garcia (Flying Ipis), who first gathered barely two years ago to form the Assembly Generals. “There was never a conscious decision to start a new band. It just evolved naturally because the music happened, the sound was complete, so we said, ‘Let’s try it live,’” explains Switch. Despite coming from different territories, they march along the same beat and stay in closed ranks. “Our chemistry is mixed by mad scientists who work on bio-nuclear weapons—it’s pretty strong.” With one foot in old school rhyme structures and another in new school beat designs, it was the start of a new movement for the four-piece urban collective.
Armed with a snarky wit and layered aural tapestry, the quartet entered the studio with an organic aesthetic in mind. “Raims and Mon had a huge folder of beats. They sent it to me and I picked out a few and came back with an album’s worth of lyrics,” recalls Switch. “We all decided that Deng would be the last piece to make the tracks come alive–she added her own touch to the style and the lyrics. Everything just flowed after that.” With a debut album tucked under their belts, the Assembly Generals aren’t rushing towards their next step but continue to push with a future-forward musicianship. “There was no grand plan or higher purpose before all of this. The only vision was–and still is–to make fresh music and to rock it live no matter what venue or crowd,” says Switch. “Our only expectation was that we’d all have dorky smiles plastered on our mugs after every show.”
Considering that each member comes from different backgrounds and bands, how does this factor influence your sound as Assembly Generals?
Switch: It doesn’t. And it shouldn’t. Because it’s a totally new sound.
You guys said in a previous interview that your music is constantly evolving. What makes it different every time you make it?
S: The music SHOULD evolve, because it’s a living, breathing organism. The stuff we started in the studio sometimes end up on totally different beats with totally different arrangements on the album, and it’s the same live. No two gigs are the same. The familiarity is mixed with uncertainty because we switch up flows, samples, and drum patterns–even to the smallest detail that only we can notice. It’s fun to have those and talk about it after.
You guys present a much different take on hip-hop. What makes Assembly Generals different from the current hip-hop scene?
S: We’re different in sound, in set-up, and in the backgrounds we represent. Thing is, everyone does their own thing now; the lines between “different” and “same” are smudged–and that’s good. We need different. Different styles make for a richer representation of hip-hop. But in the end, it all uplifts local music. Everyone is doing their own thing and making sure the quality is at a high.
Speaking of it, what can you say about the state of local hip-hop?
S: Hip-hop is alive and well. It’s stronger and more diverse–more liberated: sick rhymes, fresh beats, richer stories, and a deeper understanding of music and message. You just need to know where to look. You need to recognize. Go to the shows, watch the videos, listen to the tracks. It’s all there. It’s always been there. You’ve just been tuned out.
Now that you’ve released a full-length debut album, what’s the next step for Assembly Generals?
S: We don’t know; we’re down for whatever. We’ll make more music, make more experiments, and just surprise ourselves. Right now, we’ll keep rocking shows for sure. Maybe we’ll fly to space one day and do a gig from the moon. - Status Magazine Online
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Paolo "Switch" Toledo (The Mighty Miscellaneous) on lead vocals,
Raymund Marasigan (Sandwich/Squid9/Pedicab/Basement Lung) on drums and production, Deng Garcia (Flying Ipis) on vocals and Ableton loops, and
Mon Punzalan (Team Manila/Daily Grind/Brklss) on the MPC sampler.
In 2018, the group expanded to new iterations which included:
Michelle Callanta-Toledo on vocals,
Jigger Divina on Ableton loops,
and the addition of female emcee, Peaceful Gemini, to join the lyrical assault.
Not the usual fare of names that coincide to form a hiphop group, but the Assembly Generals have taken aim at shattering stereotypes, and breaking bias. Theirs is not about who, what, why, and how. Theirs is simply "because we can" and "because it’s fun to do it live”.
Even the sound is a sonic gathering to behold, and something quite hard to categorize. Call it raw-electric-Filipino-hiphop or any other permutation, but the simple fact is that the music is alive. It breathes, it grows, it speaks and it moves in and out of every pocket.
The music is still rooted in good old hiphop — influenced heavily by the sample-based drum production, and the clear-cut rhyme poetry on the mic, both in their English and Tagalog tracks. But there's that extra flavor, that extra kick, an unexpected that leaves you with just the right amount of discomfort to make you want more.
The Assembly Generals’ self-titled debut album was released on March 6, 2015 in Cubao X. Produced and written by the band, and recorded in Shinji Tanaka's Sound Creation Studios less than a year earlier — all even before their first live gig. The album also features a well-equipped arsenal of guest artists (much like any hiphop album would) such as Beng Calma of DRIP, Camoi Miraflor of Pinoy Stories, local hiphop pioneers DJs Arbie Won and Supreme Fist, and a posse of iconic hiphop MCs such as Skarm, ILL-J of the Sun Valley Crew, MC Dash of the Legit Misfitz, Tracer One and Johnny Krush of Mastaplann, and GodNeeks of the LA-based collective, Rhytmatics.
The band has several music videos out on YouTube, from their debut singles “Kontrabida” and “SakaLawakan”, to their most recent video, “ABKD” — the first single off of the sophomore release coming in 2018. They also have a collection of live videos from different shows and sets online, and their music can be found on all music platforms and streaming sites. But as they say: there’s nothing like experiencing it live, and in your face.
The Assembly has been in and around the country’s live music circuit, from Manila, La Union, Malasimbo, and even Palawan, making rounds in both underground shows in the city’s most notable gig bars, appearing in local music fests, touring with other bands, product launches and expos, Rappler Facebook live jams, and fronting for international acts in big festivals such as the 2016 Good Vybes Fest.
Band Members
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