Cova: A Year of Sound & Community in the Underground

Manila, Philippines – As Cova celebrates its first anniversary, it’s a moment to look back at how a passion project blossomed into a thriving hub for house and techno in the Philippines. Pauly, the director of Cova’s nights, shares the journey of building Manila’s first “micro-club” and fostering a strong underground community. His role as director was closely under the supervision of OG DJ James McCranie, the brainchild of Cova.

“Basically, Cova started last year as a passion project to home the underground (House/Techno) sound,” Pauly recounts. “I started programming the nights, specifically weekends, in May of last year.” From its inception, Cova quickly gained recognition as the pioneering micro-club in Manila, setting a new standard for intimate and immersive electronic music experiences.

The initial intent was clear: to create a platform for the underground community and various collectives. “I programmed the weekends initially and divided the Saturday nights for Deep Groove Collective, Sonic Ulam, Medusa, and Cherish Manila,” Pauly explains, highlighting the collaborative spirit that Cova embraced from the start.

As Cova’s reputation grew, so did its offerings. “Then [we] progressed to operating other nights like Hump on Wednesdays, Cherish the Night on Thursdays, and Moan on Fridays,” Pauly says, demonstrating the organic expansion driven by a passionate audience. The club’s commitment to diverse sounds and experiences continued to evolve. “We eventually catered other new collectives to have special nights like Bliss, and the latest, Opodisco to date,” he adds, underscoring Cova’s role as a launchpad for emerging talent and sounds.

A key element of Cova’s success has been its ability to attract both local and international talent. “Marco Effie and Elodie were two of our notable international DJs that graced Cova among other regional and global DJs that we guested,” Pauly proudly shares, emphasizing the caliber of artists that have played at Cova. Marco Effie was brought by House Collab Underground for a Halloween Special held at Cova, while Elodie‘s appearance was a collaboration of Elements, Deepgroove, and HCU.

As Cova marks its first year, it stands as an example of the power of passion, community, and the unyielding spirit of the underground. What began as a dream to provide a home for a specific sound has transformed into a vital artery of Manila’s electronic music scene, promising many more years of groundbreaking nights and significant experiences.

Join the celebration tonight, May 23, at Cova, alongside organizers such as Sonic Ulam, House Collab Underground, Medusa, Cherish, Opodisco, and Deep Groove at Cova, with a promising lineup including Herb Cabral, Ed Croix, BBSTEVE, Pauly, O.K Hara, Adri Malaki, MUk, and Randy Salvador.

Daniel Alexis

Hi, I am Daniel Alexis, also known as DASD. I am a bedroom DJ and music producer from Manila. Also, an IT student that uses the power of web to express different insights and perspectives through my writing, hoping that you may discover new and exciting things, and inspire others to express themselves!