ASSEMBLY GENERALS
Paolo "Switch" Toledo (The Mighty Miscellaneous) on lead vocals,
Raymund Marasigan (Sandwich/Squid9/Pedicab/Basement Lung) on drums and production, Deng Garcia (Flying Ipis) on vocals and Ableton loops, and
Mon Punzalan (Team Manila/Daily Grind/Brklss) on the MPC sampler.
In 2018, the group expanded to new iterations which included:
Michelle Callanta-Toledo on vocals,
Jigger Divina on Ableton loops,
and the addition of female emcee, Peaceful Gemini, to join the lyrical assault.
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Not the usual fare of names that coincide to form a hiphop group, but the Assembly Generals have taken aim at shattering stereotypes, and breaking bias. Theirs is not about who, what, why, and how. Theirs is simply "because we can" and "because it’s fun to do it live”.
Even the sound is a sonic gathering to behold, and something quite hard to categorize. Call it raw-electric-Filipino-hiphop or any other permutation, but the simple fact is that the music is alive. It breathes, it grows, it speaks and it moves in and out of every pocket.
The music is still rooted in good old hiphop — influenced heavily by the sample-based drum production, and the clear-cut rhyme poetry on the mic, both in their English and Tagalog tracks. But there's that extra flavor, that extra kick, an unexpected that leaves you with just the right amount of discomfort to make you want more.
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The Assembly Generals’ self-titled debut album was released on March 6, 2015 in Cubao X. Produced and written by the band, and recorded in Shinji Tanaka's Sound Creation Studios less than a year earlier — all even before their first live gig. The album also features a well-equipped arsenal of guest artists (much like any hiphop album would) such as Beng Calma of DRIP, Camoi Miraflor of Pinoy Stories, local hiphop pioneers DJs Arbie Won and Supreme Fist, and a posse of iconic hiphop MCs such as Skarm, ILL-J of the Sun Valley Crew, MC Dash of the Legit Misfitz, Tracer One and Johnny Krush of Mastaplann, and GodNeeks of the LA-based collective, Rhytmatics.
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The band has several music videos out on YouTube, from their debut singles “Kontrabida” and “SakaLawakan”, to their most recent video, “ABKD” — the first single off of the sophomore release coming in 2018. They also have a collection of live videos from different shows and sets online, and their music can be found on all music platforms and streaming sites. But as they say: there’s nothing like experiencing it live, and in your face.
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The Assembly has been in and around the country’s live music circuit, from Manila, La Union, Malasimbo, and even Palawan, making rounds in both underground shows in the city’s most notable gig bars, appearing in local music fests, touring with other bands, product launches and expos, Rappler Facebook live jams, and fronting for international acts in big festivals such as the 2016 Good Vybes Fest.