Pioneering music and arts festivals in the country in the last decade, Volume Unit Entertainment is on a mission to continue uplifting the Filipino music and arts scene at Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival 2020. The first music and arts festival in the Philippines is set to happen on Saturday, 29 February 2020 to Sunday, 1 March 2020 at its new home at La Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City.

Discovering Paradise in the City

Whether held up in the mountains or by the beach in Puerto Galera, Malasimbo has continually opened up to a diverse community of performers, artists, bands and music lovers, elevating the local festival experience not just in its backyard but in the entire country. Now, it has found a bigger home in the lush rainforest smack right in the middle of the metro.

While maintaining its hallmark as a key player in environmental conservation, Malasimbo celebrates its 10th year at one of the few green spaces left in Metro Manila. The La Mesa Eco Park has over one million trees and various species of flora and fauna. It is also situated beside the La Mesa Dam and Reservoir which contains the primary source of drinking water for over 12 million residents in the metro.

Unearthing Activities for Everyone

Malasimbo is bringing in various family-oriented programs in the park. To connect with your inner self, different art and wellness programs can be attended at the Narra Grove Pavilion. Explore music inspirations and its healing effects using various resonant tools and musical instruments. Find freedom and connection in mind and body through cultivating deep curiosity, ultimate compassion, and empathy. Envision, design, and craft masks with tools and materials found in nature or recycled trash.
For sunrise and sunset sessions, breathe in creative and transformative energy through meditation, yoga, dance, and journaling meant for energizing or winding down. Participate in morning warm-up to mindful hikes, dance meditations, and before bed pampering.

Family activities will be held at the swimming pool as well as a DJ party in which attendees can enjoy in the middle of the rainforest.

Under the shade of a hundred trees, a music business conference is slated to happen at the Drilon Orchidarium where artists from the music industry together with music lovers have the chance to exchange conversations. The same area will also hold the silent disco stage in the evening with bright festival lights beaming the trees.

Listening to Quality Sound

Amphitheaters have been a staple of Malasimbo in delivering great sound. With La Mesa Eco Park’s amphitheater, Malasimbo is set to produce, once again, quality sound as attendees discover this paradise in the city.

“[La Mesa Eco Park’s amphitheater] sounds good and reflects the exact same conditions of our last amphitheater. Sound travels in time and space at 343 m/s. It’s a science which if neglected, leads to poor sound and concert experience,” founder and festival director Miro Grgic says.
In the past years, Malasimbo has seen some of the world’s best jazz, soul, world, and dance music legends and contemporaries make their way into the country’s longest-standing festival. This year, artists line-up features a mix of international and local acts with Snarky Puppy’s Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles and Mike Love headlining the festival.

Joining Malasimbo are Melbourne hit-maker Laneous, Canadian keyboardist Anomalie, Colombian jazz pianist Jesus Molina Quartet, Italian guitarist Matteo Mancuso, and Uncomfortable Science. Local music artists include Brigada, jazz ensemble Project Yazz, and Talata ni Tala.
Alongside these artists, Malasimbo also brings in nine DJs with Up Dharma Down’s Ean Mayor, She’s Only Sixteen’s Roberto Seña, Deej Fabian, Bass Relief, Norris King, Put3ska’s Bing Austria, Rei Ka, DJ duo Bignay Sound System, and Jigga Who.

Creating Conversations with Music Industry Professionals

Since its establishment in 2011, Malasimbo has been supporting the livelihood of artists, especially musicians. For this year’s music business conference, notable international music business executives will be discussing critical topics about the evolving knowledge of how the music industry works.

In an outdoor set-up space surrounded by a scene of nature, artists and professionals from the music industry will be talking about Royalties, Publishers & Collection Societies, digital marketing and monetizing music, the use and importance of record labels, organizing sustainable festivals and events, song quality and right volume, songwriting versus performance, artist management and booking agents, making it in the Philippines versus overseas, creating and producing music, and corporate funding.
Keynote speakers for the music business conference include Rolling Stones tour manager Sam Cutler together with Quincy Jones MGMT, Jacob Collier MGMT, FKJ MGMT, Warner Music, and Filscap.

“Since we live in the streaming age, some revenue streams aren’t significant anymore. It’s important to equip local musicians with the knowledge to understand how to sustain themselves in the music industry,” Grgic says.

Saving the Last Green Space

Over the past years, Malasimbo has been contributing strong efforts on cultural and environmental conservation through mangrove planting, reforestation, beach clean-up projects, and supporting indigenous people’s livelihood.

This year, Malasimbo is looking towards one of the last few forested areas in Metro Manila as a place to bring in local and international performers and artists while raising cultural and environmental awareness through continuous listening, creating, and discovering the Malasimbo music and arts scene.
For the benefit of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation’s environmental arm, 10% of tickets sold will be donated to Bantay Kalikasan. In 1999, a campaign was launched to rehabilitate the La Mesa Nature Reservoir. This opened the area to a total of 680,000 more trees planted in the La Mesa Watershed, covering 98.3% of its 2,700 hectares.

Through the help of donors, volunteers, and partner agencies, Bantay Kalikasan reforested 1,522 hectares within the watershed. It was also able to transform the 33-hectare land into a natural park with an eco-academy facility.

Tickets for Malasimbo 2020 vary on the date release schedules. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 1, two-day passes are at (P8,000) and one day pass is at (P4,500). From Feb. 1 to Feb. 29, two-day passes are at (P9,000) and one day pass is at (P5,000). Door prices for two-day passes are at (10,000) and one day pass is at (P5,500).

For updates about the event, follow Malasimbo on social media:
Website: malasimbo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MalasimboMusicandArtsFestival
Twitter: @malasimbofest
Instagram: @malasimbofestival
Get tickets at malasimbo.com