The Grit and Glamour of Manila’s 90s Rave Culture

In the 90s, the Philippines saw a restored democracy, a period of deregulation and privatization, and then the world’s largest volcanic eruption in the last 100 years. 

But perhaps unknown to many and more important to some, the decade also brought the country its first raves. 

House and techno music, edgy and obscure fashion, and queer culture fueled the capital Manila’s underground parties in places like Verve Room, Insomnia, and Kemistry in Malate, and ABG’s in Pasong Tamo.

As rave culture unfolded in Manila, Eddie Boy Escudero—a rock band manager-turned-photographer, then in his 40s—found himself in the middle of the parties, dancing in the crowd with his camera. 

“In the mid-90s, I discovered the rave scene and loved it. It was a photographer’s dream come true with all the odd characters wearing really cool clothes, different colored hair, tattoos, and all dancing to electronica,” Escudero told VICE.

Soon he was basically paid to party, getting booked to cover events around the metro. Armed with his camera and a dozen or so film rolls each night, Escudero captured the grit and glamour of the nascent Manila rave scene until it became popular. 

“The ravers were just a minority in Philippine society, and despite the difficult times many of them may have experienced, they sure felt really free and happy during a rave,” he said.  

According to Escudero, techno was new at the time and everyone fell in love with its beats. Young and unknown fashion designers became rockstars at these parties. Bars opened and groups flew international DJs in to play. Even the bars’ parking lots would be full of sweat-drenched dancing ravers gripping water bottles. That’s the one thing Escudero said defined Manila nightlife in that era—“we danced.”

“Too many people on their phones now,” he said.

In 2009, Escudero lost about a third of the contact sheets and photo negatives from his years of raving to the floodwaters of Typhoon Ketsana, known locally as Ondoy. But some of his photos remain, and rave culture in Manila lives on.

“I think the scene may be making a comeback with the success of Poblacion in Makati,” Escudero said. “It could be the new Malate.”

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