Update (March 6, 2025, 7:33p.m.): Tuna shared new details about his condition in a fundraiser update, revealing his high heart rate and what doctors are recommending for treatment.
Sherwin Calumpang Tuna, better known as DJ Love, has been hospitalized in his hometown of Davao City, according to an Instagram announcement on March 5. The music producer, dance choreographer, and a pioneer of budots, a grassroots electronic dance genre, is currently in critical condition after being clinically diagnosed with heart failure.
His manager and collaborator, Jorge Wieneke, has set up an online donation drive to help cover the costs of Tuna’s heart surgery, hospital expenses, medications, and post-treatment care. So far, they are aiming to raise P1.2 million. “If you’ve ever shared a dance floor with him, been moved by his music, or simply believe in supporting the people who shape our scene — please help,” Wieneke says in their Facebook post. “Every donation, share, and show of support makes a difference.”
Tuna’s family has also taken to his personal Facebook page to share the urgency of his situation: They posted, “He is suffering pain for more than a week now.”
In a fundraiser update posted on March 6, Tuna detailed how his heart rate goes up to 160 beats per minute, requiring him to undergo electric shock to reset his heart back to a normal rhythm. Doctors have advised that he may need a pacemaker or surgery, but a coronary angiogram must first be performed to check for blockages in his arteries. “Ako po’y kumakatok po sa kalubluoban po ng inyong puso na sana tulungan niyo po ako,” he wrote.
DJ Love is more than just a name in the Philippine music scene; he’s a cultural icon. Alongside his producer colleagues, he pioneered the budots genre, characterized by its chaotic blend of whistles, floor squeaks, gecko chirps, bouncy disco snares, and samples of Top 40 hits. The movement was born in Tuna’s internet cafe on J. Camus road extension in Davao City’s Poblacion district, inspired by his fascination with the “disco” culture he grew up with, a colloquial term in the Philippines for parties held in public spaces like barangay town halls, municipal grounds, and basketball courts. What started as a dance craze soon evolved into a full-blown musical phenomenon.
In April 2023, DJ Love made history by headlining a Boiler Room show in Manila alongside some of the country’s most sought-after dance producers. The performance catapulted budots onto the global stage, with international producers remixing the genre and giving it the recognition it deserved.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
