Masskara Festival Music: Getting uglier and lousier each year

The Masskara Festival in Bacolod City Philippines has been known to attract thousands because of its colorful costumes and smiling masks. Every third weekend of October, hundreds of Bacole?os (people of Bacolod) troop to its main thoroughfares garbed in smiling masks and colorful costumes full of beads and sequins and the body, full of glitters. All of them sashay to the Latin beat.

Ahhh. The Latin beat. Those were the days when the Latin beat was in use. Gone are the days when the Trini Lopez Medley in the 80′s was used. The Gipsy Kings in the 90′s was the norm.

Admittedly I got so used to watching Masskara Festival with the Latin Beat. After all, that’s how it was originally made.

The trini Lopez Medley became one of Bacolod Masskara Festivals greatest music of all time. If I am not mistaken it was used in 1998, during the Golden Charter Anniversary of Bacolod, and was used again sometime in the 90′s

Then somewhere in between, organizers used an Ilonggo music. It was a medley of Ilonggo folksongs. If I am not mistaken it was during the late 80′s. the music was horrible. And forgettable. Today nobody dares to remember that song.

We saw some sort of a revolution in the 90′s. The Latin influence is still there but it has now been infused with modern pop music. To some extent it was good because the people are familiar with the song, but at the other end of the scale it was annoying, organizers would oftentimes chose danceable songs that are so “pang-masa”? that it sounds so cheap. The arrangement is not also that good. Another good and memorable Masskara Festival Music is the Gipsy Kings Medley. It was Latin but at the same time modern during its heyday. It was freshly released when it was used as an official streetdance music of Masskara.

Another good song used was the 1991 Kaoma Medley. Many Bacole?os would agree they still remember this song until now. It was the Volare and Lambada medley. Lambada was on its peak at that time. And the people loved it.

The year 2000 broke and Masskara has introduced another innovation. Ilonggo music infused with rap. Many do not like this songs. But I must say, the Bacolod Masskara Festival Music of 2000 is one of the best. Probably the best Ilonggo music ever produced.

From 2004 until the present the Masskara organizers are releasing Ilonggo songs for the Street dance contest. 2005 has the theme “Masskara goes ASEAN”? that is why you get to hear Asian instruments being used. Masskara 2006 has the theme “Masskara goes global”? and it is very evident in its beat, where it uses Asian, African, Latin beat and rap music. Masskara Festival Music 2007 on the other hand has the theme “Icons of Bacolod”? where it used the Ilonggo folk songs as its core infused with rap music and some lively beat.

While the Masskara Festival contest itself, and the tourist arrivals each year is getting bigger and bigger, the Masskara Festival music is getting lousier and lousier each year.

No, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Ilonggo music. In fact I love the 2000 version. I just don’t like the music of the last 4 Masskara Festivals. It is good that it is fast and danceable but I just don’t like it. Many people would agree with me.

I just hope that the Masskara Festival 2008 Music would be better if not the best. Something that we could still remember and hum even after so many years have already passed.

And yes, in preparation for the 30th Anniversary of Masskara Festival next year, I hope that the Festival Organizers would compile all the songs that has been used since it started.

Masskara Festival 2008 Music
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Masskara Nusic 1980
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Masskara 1988 Music
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Masskara 1989 Music
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Masskara Festival 2004 Music
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Masskara Festival Music 2005
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Masskara 2006 Music
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Masskara Festival 2007 Music
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Masskara Festival 2008 schedule