Perhaps one
of the most enduring and familiar legacies to come out of the
Caribbean shores would be that sensational dance-rhythm phenomenon
born in the late 60’s, accented with a delirious and bewildering
backbeat known as reggae. Armed with cool, soothing melodies
and infectious grooves, reggae music chose to celebrate life,
love and dance, amidst heated surroundings of ferment and crisis.
It shouldn’t be hard to imagine then why nearly 180°
degrees around the equator and thirty years later, on an isle
quite similar to Jamaica, several young lads aimlessly floating
in the doldrums of urban campus life caught on to the reggae
fever and formed BROWNMAN REVIVAL.
Started in late 1994,
the band re-captures the original groove and spirit of the
reggae vibe - when reggae appealed more to the heart and the
hips, infusing it with pop undertones that strike a familiar
chord with Filipino “aural palates”, not to mention
their pelvic areas. BROWNMAN REVIVAL is made
up of the one-drop rocksteady beats of drummer Dennis,
the sensual grooves of Jao on bass, the sexy
accents from percussionist Januarie, the
steady “chanka” rhythms of Alphy
on guitars, the wicked horn riffs of Jayson
on trombone, Jojo on sax, Ambet
on trumpet, capped-off by the passionate wailing of frontman
Dino.
Drawing heavily on contemporary
reggae acts such as Big Mountain and UB40, BROWNMAN REVIVAL
creatively mixes the traditional roots sound of venerated
reggae icon Bob Marley, with an OPM sensibility producing
a festive but sensuous strain of Lover’s Rock reggae
with such vibrant energy that never fails to leave the crowds
winding and grinding their sweaty bodies to the band’s
euphoric reggae party.
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