Seattle-based Internet radio station broadcasts first international music countdown
(Seattle, WA) - On June 10, 1987, Filipino disc jockey Allan K. said goodbye to his listeners, devoted fans of Manila, Philippines’ first alternative-rock radio station, WXB 102. After years of being the country’s tastemaker when it came to new music, playing a renegade mix of U.K.-imported punk and post-punk, New Wave, college rock, reggae, Goth, ska, and local underground bands, the station was shut down by the newly installed administration of President Cory Aquino. The property from which WXB 102 broadcasted, a house owned by cronies of the ousted Ferdinand Marcos, was suddenly sequestered by the new government, and the station faded into legend, continuing to spawn imitators and inspiring an entire generation of Philippine musicians who defined alternative music in the country.
On September 10, 2005, WXB 102 was resurrected as an online radio station on Live365 with two of its original staff members - DJ Carla Abaya (“Cool Carla”) and former volunteer Michael Flameno (“Mick Flame”) - along with American disc jockey Brent Sanders (“The Sandman”) and Carlo Macalino (“DJ Klyde”), the webmaster of the tribute site wxb102forever.com. Lifelong fan Michael Sutton, the CEO of the independent record label Sutton Records, had long envisioned reviving the radio station that captivated him in his youth. “WXB 102 was the greatest radio station ever; its music spoke to me and thousands of similarly alienated teenagers growing up in Manila during the ‘80s,” Sutton explained. After bringing Abaya and Flameno aboard, Sutton searched for the missing members of WXB 102’s legendary 1986-1987 staff.
Over a year later, WXB 102 boasts a nearly complete reunion of its popular broadcasters: Rico Gutierrez (“The Morning Man”); Manolet Rodrigo (“The Ghost”); Allan Kato (“Allan K.”); Butch Rivero (“Julius Caesar”); and George Gabales (“George Frederick”), who originally programmed the station’s cutting-edge sounds in Manila. “It’s a dream come true,” Sutton admitted. “I can’t believe I’m able to hear these icons again with new shows, spinning a combination of classic alternative and exciting young acts.” Even many of the station’s old teenage volunteers - Maria Christina Panopio-Valenton (“Tiny Tina”); Natividad Dominique Manauat (“Natty the Nellyphant”); Janice Roasa (“Janice Pee”); Jojo San Juan (“Drumboy”); Rommie Ramos (“Wommie”); and Paolo Marquez (“Polo Kid Paolo”) - have all grown up with their own program, Anarchy On WXB.
Just like its earlier incarnation, WXB 102 features actual disc jockeys playing the songs and talking about them, a departure from most Internet stations that merely stream mp3s in a constant loop. The difference is that the DJs are usually not broadcasting from the same booth - or even the same city or country. The Morning Man is in Baguio, Philippines; the Ghost, George Frederick, Mick Flame, Cool Carla, Allan K., Julius Caesar, the volunteers, and newcomer Hilary Isaac are based around Metro Manila, Philippines; DJ Blare is broadcasting from Hong Kong, China; The Sandman is in Seattle; and DJ Klyde resides in Los Angeles.
To celebrate its first-year anniversary as an online entity, WXB 102 is now airing “The 102 Most Sequestered Songs of All Time,” a countdown of ‘80s New Wave favorites as voted by the radio station’s fans. It will have the distinction of being the first online music countdown hosted by DJs in various countries. “You will hear the most adventurous yet accessible selection of New Wave music ever,” Sutton added. “Everything from well-known groups like the Cure and Depeche Mode to obscurities such as Private Lives, Care, and Seona Dancing, the band that once featured Ricky Gervais from The Office.”
The 102 Most Sequestered Countdown can be heard right now at:
http://www.live365.com/stations/xb_102
Michael Sutton
CEO/Sutton Records
http://www.suttonrecords.com

