Up Dharma Down

Up Dharma Down is a Manila-based band that has taken apart and interestingly combined musical boundaries in their songs. Many of their listeners have tried to give their music a tag, but even the four of them attest to the fact that the only way to understand this nameless genre is to press play. BBC U.K. thru Mark Cole's radio show and Time Magazine Asia have blessedly helped push their music internationally. They have played in regional music festivals, received numerous nominations and garnered recognition for their work from award-giving bodies: NU107 In The Raw Award (2005), NU107 Best New Artist (2006), NU107 Best Female Award (2006), and MYX Favorite Indie Artist(2008). With the recognizable charm of the band as part of independent label Terno Recordings, their sound has crossed-over to commercial success. They have represented brands such as Lipton and Puma. They were also involved in the music-making campaigns for both McDonald's shakes and Coca-Cola. Their debut album, Fragmented has hit #1 and stayed in the charts for weeks from its release in early 2006. The four continue to receive even more approval not only from local critics and musicians but also from the likes of Tim Bowness (No-Man) and Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), since the launch of their sophomore effort, Bipolar in October 2008. A generic goal of putting two and two together has managed to branch out to something promising. The band may never succeed in putting a name to their sound, but everybody knows how their sound may soon give music a new name.