CRWN is taking over the world. In 2018, the Malasimbo staple brought his mixes to the U.S. with his contemporaries Lustbass, BP Valenzuela, and rxhanders, following the release of his Orchid mixtape. This time around, CRWN will be ruling the Ayala Museum alongside visual artist Gus Albor for Creative Nights, where music and art will coalesce on February 8 (Friday).

In this edition of our new Roll Call series, the Filipino producer answers a few random questions—from what he did on his birthday to what he was supposed to dress up as last Halloween—with photos from his camera roll. 

What did you do on your birthday?

 I just had dinner with my girlfriend and

my family in a Japanese restaurant near my place.

I’d say it was a simple and special birthday. 

Like all birthdays. 

Show us a photo from your last holiday/vacation.

Spent Christmas in Hong Kong with my family. It’s always fun to come back to every now and then. Here’s a picture of a big ass Pikachu.

What’s the one thing you can’t live out?

I’d usually say my books, because I love my books for real.

Except I bought a Nintendo Switch recently and it’s taking over my life. 

So here’s a photo of my Switch with some of my books lol

Show us your most recent OOTD

Does this count?

What’s the last screenshot you took?

My brother sending me Frank Ocean singing SZA’s The Weekend. Jesus Christ. Best 5 seconds on Instagram right now.

Show us a photo of your most memorable gig.

Most memorable gig was playing with BP, Lustbass and Rhxanders in San Francisco last year. That was something else

What’s the last thing you listened to?

Too good. 

Who are your favourite people in the world? 

I’d say my family and my bandmates that’s a given, but I love these guys a lot too. New set of favorite people in the world, And A Half.

What did you dress up as last Halloween?

Usually Spider-Man EVERY year except last year I didn’t get to attend any Halloween parties. Which sucks cause Halloween is my favorite holiday. Here’s the It’s Wednesday My Dudes guy though. 

Show us a bad photo of a good meal.

This was taken in Japan, it looks like it’s from a cafeteria here or something. 

Show us a photo of your favourite city.

Tokyo is definitely up there. 

You’ve recently started sharing photos you took with an accompanying score on Instagram. What's the inspiration behind that?

I wanted something to deepen the experience of looking at my photos on Instagram (long shot), but it’s more of just getting me in the mood to produce more music with purpose . Taking in more inspiration from my photos and my own experiences

You seem to be heavily involved in creating your music videos and album art. How do you think do visual arts and music complement each other?

I think it’s just a matter of complimenting the music by borrowing other kinds of mediums, bringing the art to another dimension entirely. It’s always been a great match because you just feel like you’re in another realm of art, and whether you close your eyes or not , you’d still feel like you’re in that artist's space.

You’ll be performing a live music and art collaboration with award-winning abstractionist Gus Albor for Creative Nights. How do you find his art? How do you find abstract art in general?

I’m really excited to see what’ll go down that night. I still haven’t met Gus personally and I’ve only seen his art online, so I’m expecting that night will really be special for Gus, myself and everyone attending. 

Again, I’ve only seen Gus’ work online, it’s already amazing. It’ll be a whole different experience looking at it live and standing in front of his work for sure. 

As for abstract art, I’m fascinated by it every time I get a chance to see it up close. 

More on the process than the actual finished product really. You can clearly see how the artist was feeling at that particular moment in time while adding the emotions he or she wants you to feel when looking at the piece. 

What art movements do you relate to the most? Why?

Modernism is my go-to movement because of its simplicity and desire to keep things refreshing and complex at the same time. Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse are some my favorite artists and the source of inspiration for my beat tape, Orchid, last year. I was borrowing a lot of their techniques and trying to use their visual elements when it came to making the songs come to life.

Creative Nights with Gus Albor and CRWN is happening on February 8, 2019. Tickets are now available for PHP 1,500 (VIP) PHP 900 (On the day walk-ins), PHP 700 (Regular), and PHP 500 (Ayala Museum Members) at the Ayala Museum ticket counter and via Ticketworld.  VIP tickets are exclusively available at Ayala Museum and are inclusive of priority seating, a meet-and-greet with the artists, an exhibit tour with our senior curator, and other exclusive offerings. All ticket tiers include access to Gus Albor's Territory exhibit. 

For more information email Ayala Museum at hello@ayalamuseum.org or call 759-8288 loc 8271.

RSVP here. VIP tickets are now on sale at the Ayala Museum counter. Early bird tickets are also available via Ticketworld.