Parnassvs is the first DJ and producer from the Philippines to receive support from artists like Armin Van Buuren and Paul Van Dyk. He has released music on international labels such as Blackhole Recordings, AVA, Enhanced, Grotesque, and IAMT.

His tracks have been played and supported by industry names including Armin Van Buuren, Nicky Romero, Tritonal, Ferry Corsten, Paul Van Dyk, Markus Schulz, Sean Tyas, Artento Divini, Dash Berlin, and Ruben de Ronde. Two of his recent tracks, Leviathan and Ethereal Circles, were consecutively voted as the "Transmission Festival Tune."

Beyond production, Parnassvs has contributed to the Manila dance music scene by founding event companies Gigas Lux and Communique, focused on trance and house music. He also launched Sessions Academy, a media arts training center specializing in DJing and music production. Under his underground music alias, Luis del Carmen, he has released on IAMT/IAMT RED, Techburst Records, Numen, Miss Nine’s 925 Music, and Eclipse.

The Filipino DJ/producer talks to 6AM on redefining boundaries, merging techno with hard trance, and fostering a united dance music community.

 

Hi Parnassvs! Thanks for talking to 6AM. How are you doing?

Hello 6AM! Doing absolutely well! Thank you for having me!

 

You’ve made history as the first DJ and producer from the Philippines to gain support from heavyweights like Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, and more. What was that journey like, and how did it shape your perspective on the local and global dance music scenes? Can you share some of the key challenges you faced along the way and how this recognition has influenced the local dance music community back home?

It was absolutely an honor–It truly gave me a different perspective by switching my sights to the international scene rather than focusing on what was happening simply in Manila.  The main difficulty with trying to break through is being too caught up with what is happening in your own industry–forgetting that there’s another audience outside of your own local scene.   A good number of people are totally okay with this but for me, I wanted something different.  

Also, the Philippines in general tends to operate in a bubble–a bit risk adverse so anything considered different will usually take time.  I would say, Manila is still stuck on “good old days” of dance music.. Anything else that is new is considered risky.  We are JUST warming up to tech house and techno while our neighbors in Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea are all about hard trance/techno and drum and bass now.  

The DJ scene in Manila is very focused on “camps”, so it’s a bit tribal– lots of politicking.  People forget there’s only one industry sometimes. In terms of recognition, I’ve been careful not to go down the path of showing and bragging but to recognize it as an opportunity to put the spotlight on the Philippines’ dance music scene — like hey we have a dance music scene here too. 

You operate under both “Parnassvs” and your underground alias “Luis del Carmen,” sometimes combining the two as “Parnassvs vs. Luis del Carmen.” What drives this duality in your artistry, and how do you decide when to merge these identities? It’s not common to see artists blend techno and hard trance under a unified moniker. What’s the story behind this hybrid approach, and how does it impact your creative process when working on new tracks?

Both Parnassvs and Luis del Carmen have their distinct styles.  However when they merge under a “collaboration” or a “versus” type name, its more a combination of the best of both worlds.  Trance’s big synths minus the emotion and lengthy breakdowns and techno’s saturated percussions, drums, and dark basslines–possibly adding a bit of groove to it in the mix.

I actually have it all worked in my head when I’m making a Luis del Carmen vs Parnassvs track. Always refreshing to release it under thes two names. 

 

You’ve established Gigas Lux and Communique in Manila, along with Sessions Academy, a media arts training center. What inspired you to venture into event production and education, and what role do these initiatives play in supporting Manila’s electronic music scene?

Sessions Academy along with Gigas Lux and Communique were created to establish communities in music and also the Djing industry as a whole.  It was a united approach to bring this industry closer together and break the “camps”.  

 

Your latest EP “Jezebel,” a collaboration with techno artist John Odin, recently dropped on Eclipse Recordings. How did this project come together, and what was the dynamic like in the studio? What made this particular collaboration special?

The Jezebel EP, I wanted to create a hard techno track that specifically merged trance music into hard techno. Jezebel definitely embodied this and is one of my favorite tracks on the EP. I didn’t want to make it too far out in trance music since it was so dark as it is in vibe.  “Chaos” was more of a traditional techno track that was more percussive and had groove.   Both actually I tested at Ultra Europe and Space Plus in Bangkok— all were received well by the crowd. John came in on the collaboration for old time’s sake since we used to be a duo under the name “Tellus and Omi” so we figured, why not.  

 

With new releases on the horizon for IAMT Recordings and Outburst, what can your fans expect from this next chapter in your music career? What direction are you taking with these new tracks, and how do they reflect your evolution as an artist?

A lot of my new tracks are basically a combination of two of my main genres but a few unreleased ones are definitely in their respective genres.  Been very grateful for the support especially from Spartaque under Codex and IAMT, the legendary Mark Sherry from Outburst and Gene Karz of Eclipse Recordings.  

 

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