Check out the Fam Jam family playlist here. Each participating family collaborated to create their own unique audio soundscapes over the course of three weeks. Sit back and have a listen.

“Let’s go for a walk” by INTROSPKT (Zarina Mazlan) & Zak Mazlan

My name is INTROSPKT (she/her). I am a Filipino Singaporean-Malaysian DJ/Producer from Toronto who loves experimenting with sound and engaging with my audience while performing.

For Echos of Home, I have invited my brother Zak to co-create with me. The work centers around randomness, allyship, nature, family, and joy.

"Let’s Go For a Walk" is an auditory experience that captures the sounds of the city, movement, nature, and a peek into the random conversations my brother and I have on our walks.

Our creative process involves field recordings in our area, conversations we had during our walks, and recordings from the Fam Jam. We used our iPhones to record audio and utilized Ableton Live 12 Suite to put it all together.

We were inspired by the sounds in our neighborhood and the Fam Jam program.

In summary, my work is a reflection of my intersecting identities. By sharing "Let’s Go For a Walk," I aim to inspire auditory exploration and creation with no boundaries—just being random with it.

Listen Here

“Discovery in Connection” by Diane Vallesteros and Michelle Andrea Pang-Oden

My name is Diane Vallesteros [she/her/siya], and I am a film/media composer based in Mississauga, Ontario. For Echoes of Home, I have invited my chosen family - a singer-songwriter and recent Laurier graduate of the BMus: Community Music program with high distinction, Michelle Andrea Pang-Oden [she/her/siya], to co-create with me. 

Discovery in Connection is an improvisational soundscape - a sonic experience that holds space for the unique contexts we all navigate. This piece is a snapshot of the connections Michelle and I made through many meaningful conversations. These were deep discoveries of our upbringings and important relationships, weaved with the past and new knowledge of Filipino culture, and our intersectionality as Filipina-Canadians in the Western Musical scene. We took inspiration from our individual and shared experiences on what home, comfort and the on-going improvisation of life can sound like when it speaks through music.

Throughout the creation of Discovery in Connection, we sought to be intentional with our instrument and sound choices. The track begins with an environmental recording from a walk outside, it represents that music is present in our daily lives. Our two voices are in conversation, moving in separate melodies and sometimes intertwined in harmony. The melodies are accompanied with reverb to reflect how our life experiences and voices echo and linger in the fleeting moments of time. Familiar instruments such as the strings and guitar are included to honour our Westernized musical upbringing and comforts. Lastly, the kulintang rings sporadically as it symbolizes our recent discovery of traditional Filipino instruments and a new profound calling to connect more with our ancestral culture. 

With this piece, we provide you a space to experience discovery in connection with our co-created, conversation inspired, and vulnerable sonic journey. Our improvisational soundscape encourages you to journey onwards, with a curiosity to discover and continuously embrace the complexities and connections that come with life - from its hardships to joy, and everything in between. 

Maraming salamat po sa inyong pakikinig, enjoy your listening experience! <3

“Banuyhay” by Waynes, Jazz and Juli Manalang

Banuyhay tells the story of the Manalang family, exploring themes of family separation and longing its winding melodies captures the heavy heartache of separation driven by labour migration. Banuyhay is a testament to a monumental love that spans distance.