If you don’t know him, you most definitely should. Asch Catabona, better known by his stage name Asch, is an up and coming solo artist in the electronic scene. Juggling his studies at Meridian International College with his music, Asch mostly play gigs around the Makati area, his biggest one being this year’s Malasimbo Festival at Puerto Galera. “I took interest in creating music when I was 16. It was a really rough start for me because I didn’t know how to play any instrument and I didn’t have any background in music at all. So I went through a lot of extensive reading, familiarization, and Youtube tutorials to understand everything that I needed to know in order to create the music that I play,” he shares. “The type of music I make before was chill trap then I sort of jumped to the future genre.
I then added a little influence of blues and jazz and almost whatever I want to put in it.”
For this week’s playlist, Asch goes ambient and picks his favorite trip hop songs and artists, arranging them from least to greatest.
5. Port Town – Izzard
“Izzard’s imagery of Port Town through his synths and intricately sequenced samples makes me just want to go to bed and hope of dreaming about soda island.”
4. Chao (Goodbye) – Swindail
“Swindail is one of the international producers that I look up to in terms of how you project vibes through music. You’ll love this one if you just wanna chill and hit up that joint.”
3. In the Midst of It All (feat. Sam Wills) – Tom Misch
“Tom Misch, of course. This is the type of track that I would listen to when I’m commuting going home. This track makes me feel like I’m finally gonna go home after going through a stressful day.”
2. Blue Window – Duñe x Crayon
“Now if you just really want to chill out and groove to the beat then this one is for you.”
1. Motion – Medasin
“A big part of my sound is heavily influenced by this guy. Medasin’s latest release gives a deep diving sound with artistic visuals that will take you on a trip to another world.”
Asch’s next gig is on June 10 at Saguijo Bar and Cafe. You can follow him on social media here:
By Grace de Luna and Denise Fernandez
Photos courtesy of Nikki Dy