For partygoers and music lovers alike, it was every Friday’s have-to-be-there shindig for its first run stretching from November last year to February this year.
Most DJ’s would not gamble playing genres the average local partygoer isn’t used to the way Tanaflow did a drum and bass set. Clubs you would go to on a typical weekend evening would not have a DJ and drummer combo like MOTHERBASSS, for the Planet finale or a DJ B2B midi keyboard player with Ezzrei and JGREG, plus a surprise performance by August Wahh. For those Planet nights at Nokal, not only was it completely safe to have performers like those; It was welcomed–celebrated, even.
Photo by Inah C.
This is not Boiler Room
We’ve already had that. The idea that just because there’s a camera set up, isn’t what makes Boiler Room what they are anyway, that definition would be a disservice to what they are. There are only so many things you can do to set yourself apart from the rest of the nightlife scene, as a collective or event.
But where there was once Boiler Room Philippines that introduced our sound to the world, P°LANET brought global sounds to the shores of Manila. P°LANET is first and foremost a community built through a celebration of creativity with music in the backdrop. It is a cesspool of music, fashion, film, and anything founders Sky and Len think of, with a core team consisting of Marshoe, Inah, Talya, and freshman creative Johan. Co-founder Sky Dominique says that “P°LANET’s focus is celebrating creative exploration and expression.”
(from left: Sky, Len, Talya) – Photo by JM Javillonar
And this is evidenced by the way they run their nights. Where else would you see a photo exhibit in a nightclub? Or hear Baddadan while choosing photo prints to purchase? A closing film to ceremoniously end a season. Only P°LANET has done that of late. “Sky didn’t want it to be just another Friday night. He wanted [the night] to be portrayed through a different lens,” said project manager Talya Lacson.
P°LANET made the planet feel within reach
Worldly music played for the slowly but surely maturing rightfully global audience that is the Filipino nightlife scene would be one of the multiple ways to describe P°LANET.
However, to Marco Pedro, a globally acclaimed DJ and co-founder of Orange Juice Asia, who’s played for P°LANET a multitude of times now, “P°LANET is a creative platform, a community, and a brand, but most importantly, it is a safe space for people,” whether you’re a DJ, producer, creative, or just someone looking for a fun night out.
(in photo: Tanaflow) – Photo by Inah C.
P°LANET brings to the table global sounds through celebration and community-building— if the said table was the Filipino nightlife scene. Davao-based DJ Ross Fuego of WeOutHerePH and Unlabeled Collective describes P°LANET as serving, “as a warm and energetic welcome and a platform to showcase my talent and music. Nothing but immaculate vibes.”
Talya seconds this claim. “So many people have come to P°LANET nights, posted about it, and gotten gigs.” P°LANET has become a platform, she adds.
With a roster of guests like Dutch-Monegasque DJ Nala, Turkish duo Les Baklavas, and Filipino-Belgian Tanaflow, P°LANET puts the “planet” in planetary. Sky says that he and the team ensure they, “highlight music like afro, UK drill, garage, drum & bass, rap,” representing not just sounds but geographical locations and cultures.
A film by Marshoe
P°LANET proved to be a space for partygoers to not just dance to good music, but to hear new sounds and make new friends while doing so. So much so that on the finale of P°LANET’s first run at Nokal, apart from a photo exhibit, a film was also shown, made by Marshoe himself where regular attendees got a quick shoutout and even some screen time.
Photo by JM Javillonar
Clubhouse regular MC Aki hails P°LANET as, “where you wanna go if you want music, fashion, community, all in one place.” “[The finale video] was made through what I felt. Sky and I have been working for quite a while, so he put his trust in me to just be me,” Marshoe said.
Trusting the P°ROCESS
P°LANET, much like any other planet, was formed largely out of the universe’s invisible forces. “I knew Len for years but we never worked on anything together,” Sky Dominique states. Half the team’s 6-man roster didn’t even meet in Manila. Fashion photographer and P°LANET co-founder Len narrates that he met Talya, the group’s self-claimed, “non-creative” in Bacolod as a teenager, and it was Talya herself who was the introductory bridge between Len and Sky, in the City of Smiles itself, way back 2019.
(from left: Inah, Marshoe, Len, Talya, Sky) – Photo by PLANET
This is not your ordinary Big Bang theory. Inah iterates that P°LANET was, “just my internship. I was supposed to come in and go.” And now she finds herself in the middle of the madness that is the nightlife. The latest addition, Johan, of the graphics department tells his story of coming into P°LANET, “and they were functioning already.” He adds, “I came expecting I was just gonna do posters, and Sky suddenly said we were going to design merch,” and that he, “was part of the process” from ideation to execution of every deliverable.
In many ways, P°LANET not only built a community but also a subculture in itself. Fresh out of P°LANET Boombox from Boracay, the looming question in everyone’s mind is the same: What’s the next sidequest?
Photo by Inah C.
Photo by Inah C.
Photo by Inah C.
