This year, Bangkok Music City is bringing together over 50 local Thai acts and 20 international artists, spread across eight stages in the city’s vibrant creative district of Chareonkrung. Among the global talent are eight Filipino delegates, each representing their own promotions, agencies, and regional scenes.
From Luzon, delegates include reps from CHEKE, NYOU, and The Rest is Noise. Representing the Visayas and Mindanao regions were music publication Coast2Coast and record label Filla Killa. One of the eight musicians from the Philippines is Ahmad Tanji, an independent promoter, frontman of the indie rock band We Are Imaginary, and founder of the production outfit Shoplifters United. Hailing from Camarines Sur and now based in Quezon City, Tanji wasn’t just there to showcase his music — he is there to bridge the gap between his personal taste and the broader indie music scene.
Tanji, a seasoned figure in the indie pop and indie rock community, sat down with Rolling Stone Philippines to share his thoughts on representing Filipino music at Bangkok Music City. “Di kasi naiiwasan yung personal preferences ng ibang delegates, and that’s okay,” he says.
“Sometimes your exposure to other sounds is limited or based on how loud and active an artist’s social media presence is. In that part, pansin ko, laging kulang from our side.”
The indie pop scene in the Philippines has been thriving since the mid-2000s, and Tanji has been there for most of it. He points to songwriting as the genre’s beating heart. “I just know it’s more raw, more honest — it can even be monotonous and repetitive in arrangement,” he says. “Think twee pop or old-school shoegaze anthems. But somehow, the overall piece can charm or hit you in ways a polished, generic radio hit can’t.”
Tanji namechecks some of the genre’s key players and adjacent acts: Cream Flower, Soft Pillow Kisses, Megumi Acorda, The Camerawalls, Ciudad, Cinema Lumiere, and more. But he’s equally excited about the new blood in the scene. “Ako naman kasi, kahit one of the older guys, I’m always excited by new music,” he says. “It inspires me to inhale and witness new outbursts of creativity.”
For Tanji, it’s also not just about the music — it’s about the connections, the conversations, and the shared energy that make events like Bangkok Music City so vital. As he continues to champion indie pop and indie rock, both at home and abroad, one thing is clear: Tanji seeks to keep the Filipino music scene alive, raw, and real.
