When Finn Santos and Charles Salazar first conceptualized Baller Room, an episodic live music program that takes place in basketball courts, where players shoot shots behind DJ performers, the result was a viral alchemy of crossovers that are equally both musical and athletic. In the Philippines, basketball is everywhere — barangay leagues to makeshift hoops cobbled together from plywood — and the sport is a cultural heartbeat among locals anywhere.
Baller Room crystallized after a now-legendary clip surfaced where a player’s errant ball ricocheting off a vinyl mid-set. Instead of chaos, Santos and Salazar saw potential. “Usually ‘basketball and culture’ adjacent ‘yong themes namin kasi ‘yon ‘yong language na nagi-intersect [sa] ginagawa namin.” Santos tells to Rolling Stone Philippines. “It’s literally Boiler Room meets basketball. Nothing deep, just ‘basketball reasons.’”
Yet, the intersection feels inevitable. Basketball courts have long doubled as community hubs where music blares from crackling speakers. Baller Room just flips the concept over its head: the DJ takes center court while the game hums in the background.
Cultural Crossover
Launched earlier this year during one of Salazar’s Studio Hours workshop series, Baller Room embodies their mission to merge sports and subcultures. Santos, a creative director, and Salazar, a visual artist, previously explored this through streetwear and art. Here, they weaponize spontaneity. Their inaugural session featured Six the Northstar on decks while basketball players dribbled past the booth, one even kicking the table mid-game. “I think, treated na hiwalay na activity and pag ba-basketball at ‘pag enjoy ng music.’” Santos says. “Isa sa ethos na natutunan ko sa project ni Charles na Official Barangay Basketball (OBB) na any basketball game sa anumang level ay valid!”
On the surface, Baller Room is what the founders call a glorified “tambay session” for hoopheads and music nerds. But the execution is deliberate.
“Actually ginagawa naman ng sport brands na may basketball runs at may DJ. Pero merong disconnect eh. Kumbaga parang naging background music lang ‘yong DJ” Salazar says. “Dito sa Baller Room, we switched the positions. Nasa harap ‘yong DJ tapos may background nong game, which is ang ganda lang kasi parang chaotic siya pero may rules at agreement dun sa mga naglalaro, while the DJ has his own moment there.” It’s organized chaos where players adjust their tempo to the beats, crowds react to both dunks and drops, and the DJ curates the mood while dodging stray balls.
Novelty or Natural Evolution?
Salazar calls it the “elephant in the room” – a synergy so obvious it’s been overlooked. “Dami niya possibility pero since parang ang mundane niya pareho na idea,” he says. “Then pag nakita natin sila na literally, I mean literally nag-intersect parang may borderline novelty siya and ang fresh makita.” The proof is in the lack of casualties despite close calls. Santos recalls several moments of hijinx in the making of the episodes.
“Swerte nadin na hindi raw nasira ‘yong needle pero tumigil talaga ‘yong mundo, bukod sa tumahimik, baka nakasira pa kami ng gamit. Anyway mga ten times ko naman sila inask if may nasira, sabi nila wala naman.” Santos laughs. At the end of the day, the Baller Room experiment thrives.
For now, the program remains a grassroots movement. But with its Boiler Room-meets-barangay ethos, it’s redefining how Filipinos experience two of their greatest loves: basketball and beats. No jerseys, no hype tracks, just raw, rhythmic collision.
