Big Brother Mark

After more than a decade of genre shifts and name changes, MARK REDITO comes back to Manila as the wise kuya we never knew we wanted

- Lex Celera

I NEVER THOUGHT that I’d find myself shoot the shit with Mark Redito outside our office, talking about budots and the difference between the weather in California and Laguna. His name doesn’t ring a bell as much as his former moniker−which is why he still includes “FKA Spazzkid” in his name−but he’s still the same artist that has given me feelings of revelry, contemplation, and mono no aware whenever I listened to his music. His debut album “Desire” (2013) was the soundtrack of many of my commutes in Manila.

If you haven’t scoured the web for “future funk” and “Majestic Casual-ish” music 2010 onwards, you wouldn’t understand how thrilling it is to find a fellow Filipino making the music in your playlists. In that sense, Mark Redito was an inspiration for many Filipino musicians who wanted to make it big the same way he did. But not many know his exciting past of punk music, his soon-to-be released album “Neu Tropical,” and his vision of a future of more Asian representation in the music scene. In this interview, Mark talks about past, present, future, and his move towards a more mindful, wiser persona by reverting to his real name.

Before Mark Redito, you were Spazzkid. Before you were Spazzkid, you were Cocolulu. You had your roots in the Laguna hardcore scene as a drummer for Aggressive Dog Attack, you were a vocalist for A Day Like Today, and were part of this band called Honolulu. I’d like to know more about your beginnings, your roots, beginning with the Laguna hardcore scene. What was it like?