post - in the heart stories

AstraLogik is a Queer, Pinay, Bay Area based music duo creating celestial, reggae, soul, world, electronic and r&b music, full of the intention of healing, awareness, compassion and equality. While each played music before, coming together gave them the courage to create original music. The union of Charito and Chen is a balance. Together they make music that uplifts and reminds themselves of their values. These values include being nomadic, decolonizing, minimalism, learning/connecting to their indigenous roots in current times. They have shared the stage with musical acts like Jonah (& So Timeless/The Illiance), Philtered Soul, Aisha Fukushima, Jeremy Passion, among many others. AstraLogik is also part of the Balikbayans, a group of artists performing and producing around the Bay Area, and accompanying Ruby Ibarra’s performances with live music. With Ruby and the Balikbayans, AstraLogik has toured all around California and performed in the Philippines. Currently AstraLogik is working on new music that has been ruminating for 10 years and a new project titled “Melodies of Freedom” that “we hope that we can offer this music soon as further support and medicine for the continued fight for justice for Black people in this country.” AstraLogik creates to bring local and global visibility of Pinays through their work.

ASTRALOGIK.COM
Facebook.com/AstraLogik
Instagram: @astralogik

What is the message behind Astralogik?
This has always shifted as we move through life. But we realized that much of our journey has always been attached to a seeking of deep inner purpose. Much of our journey in understanding that has led us to lifestyles that remind us of how to heal. Specifically - being nomadic, Decolonizing (combating capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy, anti-blackness), being minimalists, and re-indigenizing by learning about the history of our Filipino people and other world cultures, as well as putting into practice indigenous ways, learning how we combine it with the way we were raised in a modern society. We also do community work through our music - so we also talk about unity and creating liberation and peace with our the universal human family.

How do you define the music you create?
Our music has always been medicine for our own spirits. We write music when we are dealing with tough times, or trying to remind ourselves of important values that we want to embody more into daily practice.

Astralogik vibes are celestial and uplifting, what do you want listeners to take from your music?
Be inspired. Cry. Activate. Reflect. Relax. Learn about yourself. Learn about others. Let Go. Expand. Have courage to be open. Be with every up and down moment. Trust.

How has your partnership influenced your music?
We both have been musicians long before we met one another. But it was our union that gave us the courage to put out a lot of original music. There was a crazy spark in the beginning of our journey that allowed us to come into sync with one another very easily and very quickly. We literally are with one another almost all the time. Our personal and romantic dynamic has also given us an ebb and flow with our relationship with music...it’s always a fine balance to figure out how to separate business from pleasure. Luckily we never take things personally with one another (even when we argue, we learn to compromise and forgive fairly quickly). The way we communicate, compromise, and share compassion in our relationship is an example of how we want to have relationship with the world around us. But we know that takes a lot of work and self-discipline - a lot of that inspires the music.

As a Pinay duo, what do you find important about your work and representation?
Our values intersect in so many places. We are Queer, Pinay, Bay-Areans, American born but raised by Immigrants (one in a suburban setting and one in an island setting). I feel like us putting out our story, music and performance really contributes to the conversation and visibility of Pinays in the local and global community.

What/who has been instrumental in your personal and creative growth?
Avatar, Steven Universe, our community (filled with so much creativity, artistry, education), our families, each other.

Who are some of your favorite artists that you've collaborated with? And what is like being part of The Balikbayans?
We are lucky to have a lot of Artist friends. Some of our favorite producers have been TRKRNR, Eko Zu, Tim Atlas.

We’ve shared stages with countless talented people - Jonah (& So Timeless/The Illiance), Philtered Soul, Feelosophy, Amy D., Aisha Fukushima, Jeremy Passion, Hirie, Tribal Roots, and so many others.

Our most recent collaboration with Ruby Ibarra has been a crazy journey. We combined forces with other local artists from the Bay Area to form the Balikbayans, a band that would support and play live iterations of Ruby’s music. We did some touring with them for a bit - got to travel up and down Cali and to Philippines. It was such a dream! We are extremely humbled to be a part of that journey - as Ruby Ibarra’s music has been instrumental to the visibility of the Filipina in America. She is one of our favorite artist to work with. Hard-working and humble. Not to mention she is a crazy ass MC.

The Balikbayans band members are all performing, recording, producer artists from all over the Bay. These brothers have taught us a lot about the many musical roads that an artist can walk on -but if you have one cause to stand up for, it can always unify you through all the differences.

How does your community uplift you?
As mentioned before, we are lucky to be surrounded by a talented and inspiring set of community. Everyone has something to share with us that is so dope - They teach us how to protect, how to heal, how to release, how to communicate, how to be vulnerable, how to be creative, how to tell our stories. They are also our teachers! We are also plugging them through our social media because they put out great content and are really doing the work out there.

Do you have any upcoming projects or work that you are excited about?
It’s been a long time since we put out new music with AstraLogik. We took a break for a moment to put out some dope electronic music with Eko Zu.

Now that were back in the Bay, we are pulling out some stuff we’ve had been incubating through the last 10 years that we’ve been together.

The next project will be based around the concept “Melodies of Freedom”. These are songs that we began writing more than 5 years ago because of our learnings about the oppression that underhandedly exists in this country. The unfortunate death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the ensuing activation of our communities to fight for the justice of Black people, reignited that spirit that we had when we started writing those songs. We hope that we can offer this music soon as further support and medicine for the continued fight for justice for Black people in this country.

Photos courtesy of AstraLogik

AstraLogik - Singers, Songwriters, Musical Duo