The Budots Phenomenon (Part One)
It has been a time since this craze has been popularised. Surprsingly, this form of music and dance culture was established through the Bisdak (Bisayang dako) culture in Mindanao, and is being given a frown among those who are unfamiliar to its sound and its impact among Filipino southerners. With its heavy beats, scratchy basses, and high-pitched synths, combined with odd sound effects and Bisaya lyrics and dialogue, no wonder it has been ingrained in the minds and bodies of the low-income class youth of Mindanao. This is called "budots".
To give you a preview, let me share you this clip.
Atrocious as it sounds to those who aren't familiar with the music and the dances incorporated with it, budots has interesting elements that have been well-combined to create an identity that spans across the hip-hop and techno music genre. It's been identified as "a crossbreed of European techno music and bad hip-hop, added with some nasty attitude."
The budots formula usually composes of these key elements: a base techno or hip-hop beat, a simple yet deep electronic bass core, layered with static sound effects, occasional turntable scratching, and horns, beeps or synths of varying pitches and tempo, topped with a overlay of DJ spiels throughout the track, and looped distorted vocals. Many budots tracks also incorporate unusual sound effects, which range from the sound of a revving car, laughter, burping and other sound effects familiar among local radio stations that give a humourous effect, to sound clips like sound effects of Warcraft and Counter-Strike video games, the famous shout of "Dao Ming Si!" by Shan Cai of Meteor Garden II, and one-liners of Philippine commercials such as "I love you Piolo!" But what gives it a Bisdak flavour among other popular techno music is the incorporation of Cebuano dialogue and Cebuano songs that depicts the everyday lives of the Bisaya masses.
KENNETH
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