“They’re like little time stamps,” Gabba Santiago explains as we dive into his solo debut album, Recollections.

The 14-track record, which he started working on as an EP way back in 2019, is Gabba’s first studio album as a solo artist.

“Drums ng ‘Puzzle,’. That’s how it started at La Balls Studio of Nick Lazaro,” Gabba shares. Before the pandemic, the multi-instrumentalist had intended to work on an EP to be released in 2020. “Pangalan pa nga ng folder ko, “2020 GABBA EP.” But it didn’t make sense to release it at that time.”

“[The music] represents key little moments,” Gabba calls the album a sonic collection of the memories of his life. “Kasi when I write riffs I associate the time I wrote it. Kung saan ko siya sinulat,” he said. “Sometimes, it would make sense why [a song] sounds like that and hindi ko gets dati. Kaya pala medyo melancholic kasi I was kinda sad that time,” Gabba added.

Since he’s not a man of many words, but many riffs and melodies, songs are how he preserves these diary entries, turning them into musical moments. 

“A lot of the songs are timestamps from Sydney kasi nandun family ko eh,” Gabba added. “So it’s either here or there. So may mga key riffs na nagawa sa backyard ng Kuya ko. [Some] ideas, it’s pretty cool.”

My first memory of Gabba as a performer was not with him onstage with one of his former bands. It was him dancing to ‘Asereje’ by Las Ketchup when he was around seven years old. He had an innate sense of rhythm so it made sense when he shared how, at that time, he was already playing around with the drums. 

“Mga laru-laro lang cause of my brother. Tapos I fell in love with the guitar,” Gabba shares. His dad taught him the basics, and Gabba eventually learned his way through songs. “Gets mo agad. Kunwari mag-aaral ka ng ‘Wonderwall’ sa guitar, versus yung drum parts nun.” He recalls spending hours listening to a song and figuring out how to play it on his own. 

When I saw him again nearly two decades later, he was playing with a band, and it didn’t surprise me at all that he ended up as a performing artist. 

While he remains seemingly shy and soft-spoken offstage, Gabba is most confident when he’s performing, allowing himself to get lost in the music. Whether playing the guitar or the drums, Gabba shines naturally. Asked to choose his preferred instrument now, he reveals, “Nag-pantay ulit sila.”

Ahead of his first international gig as a solo act at SXSW Sydney, we sat down with Filipino math rock artist Gabba to talk about chronicling parts of his life into songs, creating his solo album with a little help from his friends, and taking his “lyricless” music on the road.

When people try to remember a song, they normally go with lyrics, but for you, it's melodies. So where would you start with a “lyricless” song? How do you start writing those songs? 

Gabba: My main songwriting instrument is the guitar, [so] I guess it starts there. It’s similar to how anyone would write [a] song, but the words are not part of the equation at all. I weave around that limitation. But I can’t call it a limitation as well, cause it’s also freeing. Pwede ka sumagad in other parts. 

You’re a solo artist, but you used to play in bands. What’s that switch like? You still play with a band for your live performances, but when you’re creating the song, it’s mostly you. You also play all the instruments, save for the collaborations that you have. How does that work?

Gabba: It's very freeing in the sense that you have total creative control as to where the song goes, but it's also difficult because you don't really have someone to bounce ideas with. You don't have someone to tell you that the second take was okay na. I get to fifteen takes and end up choosing the third take lang pala. It’s super different. 

It’s like two different worlds. This is more like a battle within yourself, how far are you willing to go and when to know when to pull back. I can’t say if one is better than the other. But yeah it’s different. There were times na I’d look for people to bounce off with… pero wala.

Who was your main producer?

Gabba: Francis “The Ringmaster” Lorenzo. During the recording process, ako lang talaga. Medyo post- si Fran nagp-produce, so after the fact talaga.

You know how some bands are like a jamming band? And then here, ikaw lang mag-isa eh.

Gabba: Exactly. Yun din yung nakaka-miss. Yung spontaneous parts na the magic that happens in the rehearsal studio na I didn’t have the luxury this time around. Like if I had to build an idea sa studio in a band, siguro 10 minutes lang. Play this. Ako, it will take me two hours. Tapos panget pala! (laughs)

Tapos i-ssend mo pa sa mga tao if kailangan mo ng opinions.

Gabba: Oo, kay Fran. [Sabihin ko,] Okay ba to? Eh may trabaho pa si Fran, ang tagal magreply. (laughs) I think this solo thing is not the most intuitive way to make music. I feel like [we still need] human connection. It’s a very fun experience naman. I would still do it.

For this album, you have 14 songs. In two of those, you have featured artists. One is Fran “The Ringmaster” Lorenzo, and the other is General Luna’s Bea Lao. Can we talk about the one with Fran first? Cause you guys are close friends, you hang out, it’s not just a work thing. So how did you decide, “oh you should feature on my track”?

Gabba: Fran has been producing all the tracks. But for this particular one, I felt like he did more than produce. Naging super half-half yung effort namin. Ang hirap nya tawagin na produced by Fran lang. He wrote parts, ang dami niyang contributions that would merit a featuring credit. 

Yung kay Bea, naalaala mo yung height nung pandemic na everyone was posting content? Like a 1 minute drum video of her, tapos na. Tapos sabi ko, “Oh can I like record over this and copy paste some parts?” Tapos nag-game siya. And then, that was for content lang. Di pa siya kasama sa album. 

When I decided that I wanted it to be part of the album, Bea asked me if she should redo the parts. Sabi ko hindi, kasi baka mawala yung mojo or something. Sobrang limited nun, but I liked how it sounded, kasi medyo raw. Pero yeah, nag-no ako sa redoing it. I liked how organic the whole thing happened. Feeling ko nga kaya siya naging part ng album dahil sa process eh. Kasi pag ni-redo nya baka ma-defeat yung reason for inclusion reason.

Let’s talk about the rest of your collaborators on the album, starting with Miguel Jimenez.

Gabba:  Migs, nag-saxophone siya sa ‘Woodcraft.’ I’ve always wanted to work with a saxophonist. We’ve jammed together before so I felt like siya yung perfect guy for it. Medyo pareho kami ng influences. Parang gets nya agad what I wanted. Sabi ko nga, play the fewest notes possible. He recorded it by himself, then he sent me like 60 takes… Tapos wala akong nagustuhan! So I benched it for a time. 

So what did you say to him?

Gabba: I waited a few months. Sabi ko I’ll work on other songs muna. Nag-Sydney pako nun with family tapos pag balik ko sabi ko, “Oh I have some ideas.” It was great, pero hindi talaga. Hindi talaga siya match sa song.

So I went to his house. Nag-setup lang kami, mas naging okay. This goes back to my point earlier, intuitive pa din yung face-to-face. 

We ended up with three takes nung day na yun, and then yun na. That’s what we used.

Who else did you work with?

Gabba: Meron isang song, ‘Zoomies’ yung title. There’s this sample pack, yung Dugdugpack with Pat Sarabia, Badjao De Castro, and Hannah Jabla. They reached out to me before na “oh you wanna make a video? Parang promo, use our loops. Tapos we’ll give you a copy.” So I made a one minute video. Same din. Yung mga ganun kasi ang bilis magawa. Yung mga no pressure. “Okay pang Instagram lang to.”

Nagawa ko siya in a day or two, tapos happy ako sa result. Parang nag-wiwish ako that time na, bakit hindi ganito yung process ng ibang songs sa album? So sinama ko siya. Inayos ko lang, like pinahaba ko. The organic part, relaxed ka lang. Wala siyang pressure. That was also nice cause I had to build around the drums, which is the opposite of how I start songs.

Similar to what I did with the Bea feature. Na-limit agad yung ideas, which made it easier and faster. Tuloy-tuloy lang. It was nice. So nagawa na. 

I also had help from Sam De Leon to co-produce the song. Nags-session siya for SB19. Friend ko siya from way back. I’ve always wanted to work with him, I felt like this track bagay sa kanya. He co-produced, added some elements, and then he played bass on it. Galing. 

And then where does Clara Benin come in? I think I can hear her in a few songs, but it’s pretty subtle.

Gabba: Si Clara na yung sa ibang songs. Like ‘Interim,’ ‘Puzzle,’ ‘Here Now.’ Vocal samples lang. Ginawa ko instrument voice nya. “Can you sing this?” Guguluhin ko lang siya. Medyo free-flowing.

You mentioned working on the album since 2019. Since it turned into a full-length from an EP, when did you realise that the songs you had would be the final ones to go onto the album? Tinawagan mo na si Li para sabihin “Li, tapos na album ko.”

Gabba: I think it was around six to seven months ago na naging final na eto na yun. 14 tracks. Up until then, it was [a] coin toss which ones would end up on the album. Pero by the ninth song, alam ko na. Full-length na to. Sure na. Forty minutes na siya. Di na siya EP. Nadagdagan pa ng lima. (laughs)

You have a physical album, but these days albums are no longer limited to the capacity of the format. Di kagaya dati na okay, an album has to be 10 songs. Now the definition of album is so loose. Like 7 songs can be an album. How did you decide that your album will be 14 songs?

Gabba: For one, yung organic part, meron mga stretches na makakagawa ka ng 3 songs in 2 months. Tapos may mga stretches na 8 months wala. Sumakto lang din siguro.

Gusto ko talaga ng full-length album to my name kahit na alam ko in today’s world, it’s not really smart and wise, cause people are so used to the micro-content. Two-minute songs. EP na same sound. Okay lang kasi ganun yung speed ng consumption. Gets ko din yun. But personally, I just wanted one full-length album in my resume as Gabba. After this, lets see, baka EP nalang ako. Gusto ko lang ng one full-length album to my name that's 100 percent mine. Iba pa din yung bibili ka ng CD na top to bottom mo papakinggan, buo. Pinaghirapan din namin siya eh [yung track order].

Did you know which tracks would open and close the album?

Gabba: Hindi. (Laughs) Sa end ko lang nalaman. Nung napakinggan ko na lahat. Medyo magulo na yung thought process sa arrangement but I knew I had to start with ‘Puzzle.’

Ginawa ko yung ‘Puzzle’ yung mahabang intro na yun, specifically to start the EP or album. Kasi parang ang tagal nya eh. Parang Star Wars intro na pababa. Yun na yung headspace ko at that time. Sabi ko intro siya to something big. That was the first track.

The last track, ‘Coastline,’ was the second song I wrote [for the album]. It felt like a good tie-up to all the randomness that happened in between. 

I think I remember grouping the songs according to how they felt or sounded like. Baka nga mahalata mo which ones are from the earlier parts of the process, [which ones are] from the latter. 

Let’s talk about your live shows. You kickstarted your tour with your very first solo album launch. What was that like, with all those people showing up despite the crazy weather for your show? It even ended up on TV Patrol.

Gabba: I guess “surreal” is the best word I can use. Leading up to the launch, there were a lot of hiccups with the merch. The two weeks prior to the launch, the day-to-day. Going into it was a bit stressful. But the merch stuff was sorted out, and then came the launch day, the weather was bad. Other gigs started cancelling a couple of days before, so that was my main concern going into the show. We rehearsed the day before and it was really hard to go to the studio. It was really raining hard. 

We were at the venue by 3 PM, we were setting up. Then around 4:30 PM, it was raining very hard. I heard it from the inside. So I said, “Let’s turn on the house music.” (Laughs)

But I was like, it’s okay. When the show starts, the people will come. Some people were there so early. So many bands were there too cause all their gigs were cancelled. 

There used to be… Gabbafest. But the launch was like your… solo debut? 

Gabba: Yeah, brand lang ako dun eh. (laughs) [The launch] was probably the most weighted show for me in my whole life. It was different because it was my own show.

I really appreciate how each leg of the Recollections tour is special. Each show offered something different. How do you work on the live show aspect with your manager Li Perez and record label A Spur of the Moment Project? 

Gabba: The concept of the tour, I have to give credit to Li, to Spur, for that. I just really wanted a tour to supplement the launch. And then Li being Li, she opened up a lot of concepts. I was really happy with everything.

The lineup on your tour is quite diverse as well. Can you tell us more about the curation for that?

Gabba: We had a pool of musicians that were fans of my music, and my friends as well. So one artist would be old friends from my band days, like Ang Bandang Shirley and SOS, and the other artists would be new friends from when I started as Gabba, like Lola Amour. 

You play with a band for your live performances, with all the music you've made on your own for the most part. What's that process like? Is it like, “Ok guys these are the songs, this is how we perform them?” Or is it more collaborative?

Gabba: Chico is the drummer and Patrick is the guitarist. We were friends from way back since Spur started. Originally, Miko Villena was the bass player. But he had to leave for work. When I was looking for a bassist, I thought if I should get a bassist that I already knew or someone that Chico and Patrick knew. They knew Dan. He's like a gentle giant. And then what's great is that Dan is the one who became my right hand. We're on the same wavelength. 

In the beginning, I sent them their parts, just the tracks that are slotted in the whole track. So initially I had an idea of what they should play. But it became very different down the line. It kept changing as we kept playing. By April, medyo na-finalise na namin. 

Prior to [the] album launch and tour, we were only playing the same 5 songs. So everyone had to learn the new songs. Then some shows on the tour would be stripped down, so we would have to learn those as well. 

You’re going to be performing at SXSW Sydney in October. You’re the only Filipino musician on the lineup representing the country. How did that happen?

Gabba: Email! Like everyone else. (Laughs) Nalaman lang namin na may Sydney nung nag submit na kami. Nakita namin may Sydney pala. Kasi ang hirap sa States, ang gaming gastos. Yung Sydney, I have family there [so I thought] it might be easier. Suntok sa buwan, like any application.

It’s gonna be your first international solo performance. You played with Reese Lansangan in Singapore as a session musician, but of course, performing solo is different. 

Gabba: It’s surreal that I get to go there. Tapos Sydney pa where I shot my latest music video, ‘Coastline’.

It’s almost like a full-circle thing for you and your album since you mentioned you worked on some of the music in Sydney. Recollections was made in Manila and Sydney and now you’re taking it to SXSW Sydney.

Gabba: Pa-QANTAS naman kayo dyan!

After you get back from Australia, where else would you want to bring your music to?

Gabba: I really wanna go around Southeast Asia. But in the Philippines, maybe Cebu, Bacolod. I feel like may mga math rock communities din around, kasi may may mga nag-tatag sakin sa covers nila sa IG na mga taga-province. It would be nice to visit if given [the] chance. We’ll see where it takes us.

Gabba is set to perform at SXSW Sydney on 18 October, 6:30 PM at Phoenix Central Park and 20 October, 3 PM at The Underground UTS. Find out more SXSW Sydney here.

Listen to Recollections below.