How Filipino Collective Orange Juice Asia Are Building Global Connections With Dance Music

If there’s anything true about a night out, it’s that some of the best bonds you make are made on the dance floor.

Hailing from the Philippines, global dance community Orange Juice Asia has taken this to a whole new level, bringing international dance music acts to our local nightlife scene and vice versa, introducing international crowds to Filipino dance music classics. The collective recently embarked on a tour around Europe, their most recent out of multiple international tours in the past. In a span of three weeks, the group played in locations all around the continent, from Amsterdam to Paris.

Likewise, the founders of Orange Juice Asia, DJs Marco Pedro, Shingen, and ManilaJunkie, invite DJs and other dance music acts from around the globe to our neighborhood night clubs. They’ve brought the likes of CHAMOS, Dave Nunes, and more to Manila, curating nights never to be forgotten by its attendees. These moments have also spawned collaborations between Filipino DJs and these global artists, combining cultural mixes that have never been witnessed before.

To delve further behind the minds and experiences behind this community, Billboard Philippines had an exclusive interview with two of the trio behind Orange Juice Asia, Marco Pedro and Shingen. As DJs and music curators themselves, they expressed their sentiments with song recommendations.

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations on your recent tour around Europe! What were the preparations like going into this tour? What kind of mindset did you put yourself in prior to embarking on this journey?

Marco Pedro: Yeah, thank you so much! We appreciate you for having us. I guess from planning the entire tour — from the route, the events, the promotions to music and then the all the way to the content — it took about six months. Like our previous tours, we knew the schedule would be both physically and mentally demanding. We made sure the prepare ourselves for that, and I think above all this tour was also our chance to represent the Philippines in Europe. This played a key role in our music selection and overall planning for the tour. 

Marco Pedro: We used this song (“Horns In The Sun”) when we released the tour flyer. We chose this because it’s more of a feeling; it’s not really the meaning behind the lyrics or anything. We were looking through songs we could use when we release the flyer and this felt like the perfect song, because it’s very warm. It’s like we’re bringing that warmth to Europe.

Shingen: I agree with Marco on everything. It really took a while to prepare for it.

Your collective is already well-loved within the Philippine nightlife scene and beyond. When did it feel like the right step was to cross international borders? You’ve gone on previous tours as well. What makes this one different?

Shingen: Actually, when we launched Orange Juice Asia in 2020, our original plan was to host curated events in Manila that showcased the sound that we wanted to push, but when COVID hit, we had to shift our focus. 

So instead, we started collaborating with other DJs, producers, and music communities from other countries and shared the content with their community here in the Philippines. It quickly picked up, and before long, we started receiving inquiries from neighboring countries for us to play there, which eventually led to the first Asia tour back in 2023.

Marco Pedro: Yeah, we had our first Asia Tour in the middle of last year. We did play abroad on separate occasions before that, but it was just like one-off shows. This was the first time we had like a structured tour together. 

I guess what separates this recent tour, aside from it being a new continent, it’s more of, a lot of the artists we’ve been flying in are from Europe. So this was, aside from meeting a lot of new people, it was also reconnecting with them. With our Asian tour, it was a lot of new faces, because we didn’t have the opportunity to fly in too many Asian artists, as compared to this year, we’ve been flying in a bunch, but in 2023, not so much. So, that’s what differentiates it a bit. We were more I guess comfortable with the people, we were staying with we were seeing in Europe because we already had a previous connection with them. 

Shingen: We’d brought them here before, so we established the bond already.

Shingen: As soon as we entered Europe, the song that was playing on my AirPods was “Welcome To My World” by Ezra Collective. That really encapsulated the vibe that we were feeling as we entered Europe, and that whole vibe was just amazing.

Amsterdam is quite literally the mecca of dance music. How would you compare the experience of spinning there — not only once but for three different nights — to spinning for the Filipino crowd?

Marco Pedro: Okay, so both are, for sure, unique experiences on their own. 

In Amsterdam, the crowd is super diverse. There’s a lot of different nationalities, as compared to here in the Philippines. I’m sure they’re regularly exposed to different music cultures as well. So, you could definitely see how much they appreciate different kinds of music and how deeply-rooted they’ve become to dance music. Playing for the three different nights in a lively scene like theirs really opened our eyes and our ears, and allowed us to really experiment with our sound. We didn’t really have to stick to a plan, we were more free to play what we really wanted to play.

That being said, playing for crowds here at home is always special, because Filipinos really have a different energy and warmth that you can’t really compare to other audiences. I guess you could say our crowd here has a strong sense of connection and community, while in Europe, it’s a little more scene-oriented because they’re very established over there. I guess both experiences are amazing, for sure.

This song (“I Believe In Miracles”), this is one of the first songs we played in our first set at ADE, and I think we got a really good crowd reaction as well.

That must be a really surreal experience, as a DJ, to play what you want without limitations. How would you describe the differences in limitations here and there?

Marco Pedro: Our first event was Amsterdam dance event. So, that’s basically as open-minded as you can get, because everyone’s there to just be exposed to new music, and not really expect they wouldn’t really want to hear the same thing from last year [or] from the previous events. So, that already made it a lot easier for us to be more loose with what we’re playing. But, also, it comes with touring because when you’re on tour, most of the time the crowd is there to see you. So they’re just listening to what you want to play, it’s not them expecting to hear the regular club programming. So, I guess those two combine really helped us breathe a little, so we wouldn’t have to stick to like a set list.

Shingen: I agree with Marco there, the crowd there, they’re just really open-minded and exposed to different genre — I mean, it’s Amsterdam, dude. Everything’s there, unlike the Philippines where it’s a bit progressing, but we’re getting there. It’s definitely fun to play a song that we like to play. It’s a crazy experience for sure. 

What’s one of your favorite crowd reactions you got throughout your tours?

Shingen: Oh, there’s so many. From this Europe tour, there’s a lot of places where the crowd is just really wild. But, what but most of them have in common is that there are a lot of Filipinos in the crowd. It was rewarding to see them feel proud to be Filipinos. Like, you could really tell that they’re really they love [the] Philippines and they just wanna vibe and all that. Especially when we would play like more classics, classic songs like the medleys by Celeste Legaspi and VST & Company’s “Awitin Mo, Isasayaw Ko.” Man, the crowd would just go crazy, and you could tell the Filipinos — you know, they have that specific energy that you see. 

Marco Pedro: It was really nice because all the stops we went to, there was a significant part of the crowd that was Filipino, and they would tell us that when they saw Filipino DJs coming to their city, they had to go. A specific city I think that stood out, in that sense, was Milan. We were very surprised with how big the Filipino community was there. Then that’s where we started to play Tagalog songs.

Shingen: Like “Bebot.”

Marco Pedro: And it was nice because even the European or local crowd there would bounce off that energy, even though they don’t know what the lyrics mean. They were still very happy to see the Filipinos go crazy.

The song for this Celeste Legaspi’s “Bolero Medley,” which is one of the songs we used for our intros for one of those sets.

On Friday (November 15), you’ll be bringing CHAMOS to spin for Apotheka, and this is only one of the many times you’ve brought international DJs to the Filipino nightlife scene. Can you describe what it’s like being a bridge for Filipinos to be able to experience worldwide acts? Why do you think it’s important?

Marco Pedro: Of course, bringing in international acts, it’s always exciting and rewarding to bring something fresh to our scene and see how people who [go out] on a regular basis connect with that new music. Most of the acts that we fly in are artists that people here have only seen through videos or social media, like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram. 

So, when we see them finally get to experience it live, there’s like an extra energy that they bring out. They really wanna give it their all, which also helps the visiting artists feel good about their performance. So, we think it’s important to bring these international acts, because it not only raises our local scene, but it also shows our local audience that they’re part of a bigger music community. So, it’s not just here in the Philippines — you’re part of a global movement. I guess it also breaks down the idea that these experiences are only for other countries, so we’re also a part of that. 

I guess the more international talent that we bring in, it also pushes local artists to think bigger and aim higher. It’s about creating a scene where everyone here feels like they’re part of something bigger.

Since you guys have done so many nights where you’ve brought in international DJs, what are some of the standout nights?

Marco Pedro: Okay, so recently, like this year. I think, yeah, we’re both taking the same thing. We brought in this Brazilian DJ, Pantejra.

Shingen: Dude, that was the craziest night we’ve had.

Marco Pedro: And it was super fulfilling because we actually booked him for ourselves. It was more of, we were big fans of his, and compared to other events where we’d bring in people because we think they would a be a good education to the crowd. But this time, it was more for us. And I was admittedly a little worried, because I wasn’t sure if the crowd would understand that very deep Brazilian music, so we did put a lot of extra effort into marketing it. But the turnout was crazy. Like I didn’t know there was such a big Brazilian community in Manila. So, a lot of people showed up in Brazilian jerseys, flags.

Shingen: We really had to push that it was a Brazilian night.

Marco Pedro: It was, for sure, the best event we’ve had [in terms] both turnout and the effects of the event. I think even after the Pantejra event, like until now, a lot of the DJs play Brazilian songs. Not just remixes, real authentic ones, and sometimes, the crowd would look for it as well. So, I guess it had a really big impact in the scene, for sure.

I feel like that’s such a fun part of your platform right now that not only do you guys get to invite international acts, you get to kind of also fanboy over your international acts and share them on a wider scale. 

Marco Pedro: Yeah, because that was the first time we met him, I’d been talking to him online for a while, but this was the first time we actually got to hang out and chill. Actually from that trip that he made here, we ended up collaborating on a track, like him, me, Shingen and another artist from Germany, Paul Mond, and he just recently released it on his album. It’s on Spotify now.

Shingen: And we worked on the track right here, right before he flew out.

Marco Pedro: We started the project in a studio in Manila, then he finished it on the road.

Marco Pedro: “Klash Riddim” is a part of CHAMOS’ newest EP “From Erbil to Amsterdam” which focuses more on their Middle Eastern roots. We chose this track because our answer to the question talks about how we want to bring something fresh to our audience here in Manila, and we believe their Middle Eastern sound is new territory for most people here.

As a global artist collective and community hailing from the Philippines, what more can you see in store for collaboration between Filipino and international dance music acts?

Shingen: There’s a lot of potential for more collaborations between local and international dance music acts because of how easy it is to connect with people online. I guess social media has opened up a lot of avenues for artists from different cultures to work together. A lot of Filipinos are gaining global recognition and it’s only a matter of time before bigger dance acts from other countries take notice and start to work with us. 

But it’s also more than just working on music. It’s also working on events, stores, brands and all the kinds of content that we are doing. We think we have a really passionate and creative community here in the Philippines that can push boundaries internationally and elevate our scene. So, we’re just really growing, progressing, and collaborating. It’s a really big thing to us.

Marco Pedro: Yeah, and I think collaboration is been a big theme this year with our scene, a lot of collectives are starting to really work together, unlike before, where everyone was just doing their own thing. I think that’s a big part of why our seems been thriving because everyone’s just working together.

I think that’s something that’s very unique to the Filipino dance music scene. Especially from my standpoint where I see so many different collectives collaborating. All in all, it looks like one big happy family.

Shingen: Yeah, like, why not just be a big family? Why not just work together?

Marco Pedro: I wouldn’t say it’s competition, because everyone are friends, but it is technically healthy competition. There’s no negative energy there, it’s more of, “What more can be contribute to the scene together and individually?”

As our platform continues to expand through social media and the like, what’s something you can see in store for the Filipino dance music community in the coming years?

Marco Pedro: Social media, especially today, gives us a better chance to share our content and connect with audiences abroad, which opens a lot more opportunities for collaboration. A lot of the artists today really use social media to their advantage for rapid growth or just being able to have more eyes on what they’re doing.

I think in the next few years, I mean, we we think and hope that we would be seeing a lot more Filipino talent on the global stage. So, more tours, more festivals, more awards. I guess for the Filipino dance music community, we see it becoming more connected and recognized globally, because our community right now is thriving and like we said earlier, as long as we continue to support each other and work together, then there really is no limit to what we can achieve as a as a community. 

Shingen: Yeah, it also helps that the Philippines is that actually one of the biggest users of social media. So, obvious growth from here on then.

Marco Pedro: (Regarding the local DJ collectives) I think of all of us are really incorporating social media into our events, our content, everything, and it really does help getting it out there instead of older forms of media. For example, Planet has their whole YouTube thing — so do we — and then Round 43 has a whole content plan that they have with their team. So, yeah, I think using media and social media to our advantage really does amplify that growth better.

Marco Pedro: We chose this track we have with Pantejra and Paul Mond because our answer talks about collaboration between local and international dance acts, and this track is a representation of that since the only way it came about was through us collaborating with Pantejra for his first Asia tour and Manila debut show.