A SHORT HISTORY:

Bisrock isn’t so much a style of music. The loose term took in everything from alternative rock to pop punk, metal, novelty and even reggae. It mainly developed in Cebu before spreading in other areas of Visayas and Mindanao. In 2004, Bisrock broke into the airwaves with the help of 93.1 Smash FM, a local radio station based in Cebu. The movement spearheaded by Missing Filemon, Scrambled Eggs, Jimmycycle, Gangrene, Aggressive Audio and Phylum — although these bands did not invent ”Bisrock,” they were the ones who popularized it and did what very few can do successfully.

The popularity of Bisrock waned in 2010s. Smash FM got rebranded, gigs became less, and bands that originally promoted the music have distanced themselves from the tag. Bisrock was also not without criticism, often being referred to as ”baduy” (cheesy) and ”mabaw” (shallow). Bisrock eventually fell out of favor with the rise of new music trends that shifted listeners elsewhere: Vispop and Pinoy Rap. The spirit of Bisrock maybe dead, but the fact remained that plenty of people wanted music they can relate to, whether in language or self-expression. Despite being a short-lived phenomenon, Bisrock left a mark on Cebuano music and Pinoy Rock in general.

NOTE:

Smash FM’s rock format provided a platform for the emerging Bisrock scene to be heard on-air (regardless of their quality). ”Masa” stations like MOR 97.1 followed suit, but it was Smash that really embraced it.

Most songs on this playlist are from 2004-2009. One track per band, important acts outside of Cebu are included along with non-Bisrock bands that may be considered part of the movement. Unfortunately, not all made it to the list. Those that have demos and raw recordings; the music is lost or could not be located. Everything is sourced from the internet and old memory devices. Dedicated to DJ Ramil Dizon and solid Bisrockers!

MISSING/UNKNOWN:

Alcoholic, Barrio de Sonata, Blackmarket, Carnival Seven, Cridals, Crisrock, Dead String, D’Kazins, DM, Drift, Fill in the Blanks, Hanging Rice, Heartbreaker, Imburnal Kids, Jared, Levimaboram, Misplaced, Mojitos, Puppy-Eyed Kirtmen, Ramonitos, The Bordz, Uncle George, Weathermix, Zymurgy, etc.

NOTABLE MENTIONS:

Abyss, Disco Assassins, Intensity, MOP, Roots, Scoria, Scrambled Eggs, Sphinx, Stoned Magellan, The Ire, Yo Emperado (and others who paved the way) — in the 90s, these bands played ’’Bisaya rock’’ long before Bisrock got established.