South Border

YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – PRESENT

90’S GROUP ROSTER: JAY DURIAS, BRIX FERRARIS, LUKE MEJARES, TATA BALANE, BUTCH VICTORIANO, RIC JUNASA

90’S HITS: KAHIT KAILAN, LOVE OF MY LIFE, HABANG ATIN ANG GABI, SA ‘YO, MAY PAG-IBIG PA KAYA

South Border is a Filipino pop and R&B band formed in the 1990s who gained recognition in the music scene in the 2000s.

Originally formed in 1993, the band whose name is a tribute to their roots in Davao down south, first came into national prominence in 1996 when they launched their first self-titled album. It included a Jimmy Antiporda song entitled "May Pag-Ibig Pa Kaya" which they interpreted in the Metro Manila Pop Music Festival earlier that year. Another song, "Kahit Kailan" was awarded 1996 Song of the Year by various radio stations, thus giving them their first big hit.

The following year, the album reached gold, then platinum. South Border was all set for their first major concert at the Araneta Coliseum. As expected, thousands of their newfound fans trooped to fill the massive dome to the brim. Before the end of 1997, the exceptional talents of South Border was recognized by their peers in the industry when they won the most number of trophies at the 10th Awit Awards including Best Performance by a New Duo or Group, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Produced Record of the Year for their hit song, "Kahit Kailan". By the end of 1997, their debut album had gone triple platinum.

Members

    Jay Durias – keyboards, co-lead vocals

    Kell Gatdula – lead vocals

    Janno Queyquep – guitars

    Joseph "Otep" Concepcion – drums, percussion

    Manuel Tabuñar – bass guitar

    Edward Picache – saxophone

Former members

    Brix Ferraris – lead vocals

    Luke Mejares – lead vocals

    Duncan Ramos – lead vocals

    Vince Alaras – lead vocals

    Marcial Patrocinio – lead vocals

    Tata Balane – bass guitar

    Pido Lalimarmo – guitars, vocals

    Butch Victoriano – guitars

    Paul Benitez – drums, percussion

    Benjie "Bagets" Mendez – drums, percussion, vocals

    Rancis de Leon – alto saxophone

    Maki Ricafort – guitars, vocals

    Marlowe Mata – bass guitar

    Ric Junasa – tenor saxophone

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Freestyle

YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – PRESENT

90’S GROUP ROSTER: TOP SUZARA, JINKY VIDAL, TAT SUZARA, CARLO TAPIA,

NIKKI CABARDO, GERALD BANZON
90’S HITS: BEFORE I LET YOU GO, SO SLOW, ‘TIL I FOUND YOU, THIS TIME

Freestyle is a pop/rock/R&B band from the Philippines formed in 1996 and hit mainstream in 1998. The band is famous for their songs "Before I Let You Go", "So Slow" and "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?".

 

Current members

 

    Ava Santos (vocals) 2013–present

    Joshua Desiderio (vocals/keyboards) 2005–present

    Mike Luis (vocals/keyboards) 2005–present

    Rommel dela Cruz (bass guitar) 2005–present

    Gerald Banzon (drums) 1996–present

    Tat Suzara (lead guitar) 1996–present

Former members

    Jinky Vidal (vocals) 1996–2011

    Christopher "Top" Suzara (vocals/guitar) 1996–2005

    Carlo Tapia (bass guitar) 1996–2005

    Nikki Cabardo (keyboards) 1998–2005

    Obet Luzon (keyboards) 1996–1998

    Tzuki Garcia (drums) 1996

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Kulay

 

YEARS ACTIVE: 1991 – 2000

GROUP ROSTER: BOOM DAYUPAY, JEANNIE OAKMAN, RADHA CUADRADO, ANGEL JONES* (Angel replaced Jeannie after the latter died in 1997 because of an epileptic seizure)

90’S HITS: DELICIOUS, BURN, SHOUT
Kulay formed in 1991. Boom Dayupay (born Lino) returned that year to the Philippines from Canada, where he had worked the club scene in Vancouver as a DJ. Joining Dayupay was girlfriend/singer Jeannie Oakman. The two formed Kulay, which means "color" in Tagalog, the Philippines' national language. An audition brought local female vocalist Radha Cuadrado.

Kulay signed to OctoArts/EMI, a joint venture between local label OctoArts and EMI, and released their debut album, 100,000 Pesos Worth of Karma, in 1995. Dayupay composed and arranged nearly all the material (there was a cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime"), and also produced the album, a process followed in all of Kulay's releases.

Flavour of da Moment was released in 1996, and though a fine outing, containing heavier doses of rap and funk, it lacked the overall charm and energy of the first album. It also did not sell well, according to the label (there are no album charts or SoundScan in the Philippines). 

Kulay then signed with Sony Music Entertainment Philippines (SMEP) and was placed on the Dance Pool label, operated out of Sony's European regional office in the United Kingdom. In August of 1997, Kulay released Vibestation, again encompassing many rhythm & blues styles, but this time emphasizing funk. Vibestation is an outstanding effort, and sets the standard for hip-hop in the Philippines.

Sadly, however, founding member/singer Jeannie Oakman passed away in September of 1997 after an epileptic seizure. Kulay nearly disbanded, but then recruited female vocalist Angel Jones, an American of Philippine ancestry. 

Also in September of 1997, an album track, "Delicious," was issued as a radio single in the United Kingdom, and the new Kulay lineup toured the U.K., Germany, and Italy. Kulay's self-directed video for "Delicious" was a nominee for the 1998 MTV Asian Viewers' Choice Award. Despite these international accolades, sales at home for Vibestation failed to match expectations, and the album hadn't reached gold (which is 20,000 units sold) after nearly two years on the market.

Dayupay founded Vibestation Records, signing several fledging rap and hip-hop acts (Kulay remains signed to SMEP). In July of 1998, Vibestation Records inked a distribution deal with BMG Records Philippines. Kulay also began hosting and producing a weekly television program, Vibestation TV. 

In 1999, "Burn," another track off Vibestation, was released in the United Kingdom and several other European territories as a commercial single and in the U.S. as a promo single, and featured remixes by top European DJs Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and Judge Jules. Both "Delicious" and "Burn" and their respective remixes were released in the Philippines in 1999 as Kulay Remixes. Planned releases in the United States and the United Kingdom for Vibestation, however, did not materialize.

Kulay released its second album for Sony Music Entertainment Philippines, Chapter What?, on November 19, 1999. Unlike Vibestation, however, the album was not placed under the Dance Pool label, and the album did not receive an international push. In 2000, female singer Radha Cuadrado left the group. Instead of recruiting a new member, Kulay disbanded, leaving behind a legacy of the best hip-hop the Philippines had known.

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P.O.T.

YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – 2005

Member: KARL ROY, FRANCIS REYES, MALLY PARAGUYA, IAN UMALI, JEFF LIMA, HARLEY ALARCON, JAYMAN ALVIAR

90’S HITS: YUGYUGAN NA, FISHCAKE, MONKEY ON MY BACK, ULITIN, PIECE OF THIS, FYB 

P.O.T. was a Filipino rock band, formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005. The band is fronted by Karl Roy who also fronted the bands Advent Call and Kapatid. The group is famous for their 1997 remake of the song "Yugyugan Na", originally performed by The Philippine Advisors in 1977. The band held their reunion concert on July 22, 2006 at the 70s Bistro in Quezon City.

The initials of the band name P.O.T. is a pseudo-acronym, declaring that it has no meaning at all or as what Karl Roy stated in an interview, fans of the band can freely decide in making up any meanings that fit the initials.

On March 13, 2012, Karl Roy reportedly died due to cardiac arrest. Hours after his death, Roy became the top trending topic on Twitter Philippines.

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Hungry Young Poets/Barbie's Cradle

YEARS ACTIVE: 1997* – 2005 (*Barbie’s Cradle started in 1998)
GROUP ROSTER: BARBIE ALMALBIS, FRANKLIN BENITEZ, RICCI GURANGO (as HYP), ROMMEL DELA CRUZ (as Barbie’s Cradle)
90’S HITS: As HYP – FIREWOMAN, TORPE, & PERSONAL FLIRT; As CRADLE – TABING ILOG, GOODNYT, & THE DANCE

Hungry Young Poets (aka HYP) was a band founded in the Philippines in 1997. They were originally formed as a duo by Barbie Almalbis (guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter) and Ricci Gurango (bassist). After releasing their first and only self-titled album, Franklin Benitez (drummer) officially completed the lineup as a trio.

In 1998, Gurango left the band to lead the cover band Little Green Men, before forming Mojofly. With Gurango's assertion of rights to the band's name, Almalbis and Benitez would later rename the group to Barbie's Cradle.

Barbie's Cradle later became a popular band, with Barbie Almalbis as lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, and Franklin Benitez as drummer. Rommel dela Cruz then joined the group as bassist, and by 1999, drummer Wendell Garcia joined replacing Benitez.

In 2005, the group disbanded and Almalbis went on to pursue a solo career, while Rommel dela Cruz soon became the bassist of Freestyle (the original bassist migrated to Australia).

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