Decadance Tour

Boyet Almazan is one of the most accomplished DJs in the Philippines. He was a pioneer in the industry. He started performing as a DJ in 1983 when he joined Wopsy Zamora’s ANZIA First Audio group who played in the Philippines’ top discotheques like Stargazer (Silahis Hotel), Goldmine (Hyatt Hotel Baguio), and Louie Y’s (Hyatt Manila). Boyet was highly sought-after then not only because of his “clean” mixing style, but most of all, because of his keen ability to read the crowd and rouse them into an euphoria on the dance floor during his sets. Boyet was the headline DJ of the phenomenal Faces Disco, which opened in 1987. He was also in the first DJ team for the equally successful Kudos Disco, moved on to Euphoria, then back to the second Faces Disco in the early 1990’s.

 

He used to say: “I don’t just 'play’ music. I create a feeling!” Such a concept was way beyond its time as Avicii, probably the most famous DJ right now, pretty much said the same thing when asked about his style of playing dance music. In the mid-1990’s, Boyet found himself teaming-up with fellow disco DJs Erick Maniquis and Manolet Dario to handle the music of a new bar concept owned by former PLDT top honcho Tony Boy Cojuangco. Being passionate about disco and other genres of music, the trio took a bold leap by playing a wide selection of disco, R & B, new wave, rock, and dance music spanning the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and and the beginnings of electronica and house music of the early 90’s. Diverse artists as Boz Scaggs, Tito Puente, Chicago, Shirley Bassey and the Beatles would be played early in the evening, and then progress to dance music as the night wore on.

 

The experiment to mix up the music and surprise the crowd with tracks from different eras or genres was a resounding success. Thus was born a new trend in the Manila bar music scene and it made the iconic Giraffe Bar an instant hit from day one! The group, spearheaded by the growing popularity of Boyet, then became music consultants for other clubs and bars like Cats at the New World Renaissance Hotel and Zu at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. 

 

Boyet, with Erick and Teddy Dario, conceptualized and started DecaDance in 2003 at the former Giraffe, called Dreambar@6750. He experimented with all-retro dance music, going against the current trend and focused instead on the music of the 80’s and 90's. He revived the disco scene a la Stargazer/Louie Y’s/Rumors/Faces/Euphoria in a bar atmosphere. This began a trend that was widely copied around the country. The dance/event was another outstanding hit with long queues weekly. Boyet then brought the music he conceptualized to other bars such as Soleil, Mezze and until recently, in Jill's, which became the home of DecaDance for over seven years before moving to its current home, The Peninsula Manila in Makati, considered the premier destination for dance which quickly became the ultimate party scene for celebrities and Manila’s elite.

 

It was but natural for Boyet to start his own company as his name had become a brand and synonymous with music and dance parties. He is now CEO of Signum Event Engineering, a one-stop provider of audio and lighting system for touring events and concerts, video equipment (i.e., projectors, LED video walls, Watchout system), staging and power generators. It is one of the biggest touring equipment rental companies in the Philippines today. Boyet has remained at the top of his profession while others who tried to imitate him have been largely forgotten or have moved on. Boyet describes his edge among other DJs: “My mind goes 300 kph every time I spin records! Unlike other DJs of my time, I was never out of the limelight. Most of my contemporaries were either displaced during the 1990’s or they went with the trend in music. (My team and) I stuck it out with what we loved and lived. I knew which music people liked during the 80s, 90s and up to the present and I have one of the largest and widest collections of music of that era. That’s our formula for enduring success!”

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