PARADISE RISING, 88rising’s sister label that launched in July of 2020 and dedicates itself to empowering, promoting and establishing Filipino artists, has released “semilucent 2″ via PARADISE RISING/88rising Records. The new release arrives unmistakably during Filipino American History Month, which is a celebration for all Filipinos — not just Filipino Americans. The new EP is the second installment to semilucent — a compilationalbumthat came out July 31, 2020 that has since garnered over 10 million streams, 2 million YouTube views and well over 50 playlist additions. Not only did the album transcend genres, but it also showcased an impressive array of emerging Philippine artists. Now, PARADISE RISING returns with a new ensemble of artists on its new EP and second installment to its annual compilation album. The latest compilation, semilucent 2, features fresh, new artists both homegrown and diasporic.
The freshly released, semilucent 2, is a 5-track EP that provides genre-blending acoustics, memorable melodies and high-energy 808s, drawing inspiration from the darker mood that comes with the ending of summer and a longing for memories past. Highlights include exciting new recordings by the Vancouver Canada-based duo MANILA GREY; Philippine-native singer and instrumentalist Steven Peregrina; up-and-coming female R&B artist daze based out of Amsterdam; hip-hop powerhouse from New York CA Christian Alexander; seasoned rapper and songwriter Curtismith; and Filipino-American electronic producer standout Manila Killa with multi-talented global vocal artist Yuna from Malaysia. Each track from semilucent will have their their very own music video released on 88rising’s YouTube channel.
Filipino-American producer Manila Killa serves up new track “Reminisce (feat. Yuna)” and shows the eclectic nature of not only the EP as a whole, but within the song itself. On the track, he says “I started the instrumental track “Reminisce” during quarantine when I felt no pressure to create a specific type of music. It was during a time where I felt artistically free – there were no shows coming up and everything was at a stand still so I took the opportunity to try some things out I haven’t before. When I found out Yuna was interested in the track I was so so excited to work with her as I’ve been a long time fan. She totally understood the mood I was going for with the track and turned it from this fun disco demo into something raw, emotional, and reminiscent of better times.”
