Time, as we all know has a way of changing things. And nobody knows that more than Cholo Hermosa, the voice behind Yolanda Moon (YOMO). First formed in 2012, while Cholo was still a Music Production student in De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde, YOMO began as a shared side project with his then songwriting classmate and guitarist Kyle Quismundo. But through the course of five years, things changed, and Cholo had to adapt.
YOMO went from a simple side-project, to a full-fledged triphop duo, to what is it now: a production kit. As Cholo says, I’ve always seen YOMO as a platform for collaborators, or shared space, with creators who share the same vision as me, from when I first started in my bedroom studio—Since then, I have been blessed to share YOMO with Manila’s best musicians, filmmakers, and artists.” Having grown up in a house that patronized ‘50s and ‘70s music, one thing that’s remained the same with YOMO is that it’s sound, until now, is deeply rooted with disco, soul, funk, and jazz music.
So far, YOMO has released one album, entitled Light of Day. Released just last year, Cholo says, “The first album definitely gave me the chance to explore freedom with creation, but I think we only peeled a layer with Light of Day.” A realization that came upon him after attending a week-long music production program that includes 24 different guest producers called Mix With The Masters Program at Studios La Fabrique in South of France, Cholo believes there is much more space for growth with YOMO.
Their second album, due for release next year, will be the sonic proof of that. As Cholo says, “It has a lot to do with the changes that YOMO went through in the past two years, as well as the changes in my life after the Mix With The Masters seminar I attended in France. So far, what I can tell you is that it will have two sides to it, following a certain theme, and the two sides are opposite from each other. And it’s definitely going to be a full-length album.”
When asked what changes exactly, Cholo divulges, “I realized that much is expected from the modern artist. Especially these days where you can get information literally in a matter of seconds. I realized it’s not enough to just know how to write a song, or play an instrument, but you must also know more. I realized that there are really no limits when it comes to sculpting sounds; more knowledge, means the wider the palette of colors to choose from. And that is why I am so excited to finish up our second album because it will be a melting pot of the my last two years, from Studio La Fabrique (Mix With The Masters), to New York (Tchad Blake and AES), to Los Angeles (My brief internship at Capitol Studios), to the new and improved 15D Studios, an Airbnb-style recording facility I run.”
In line with everything Cholo shared we us, he makes us a six-tracked playlist under the theme: Change.
St. Vincent – “New York”
“I love the contrast of emotions from the lyrics to the music.”
Massive Attack – “Angel”
“Pure darkness!”