DJ & musician Diego Castillo revives his immersive podcast 'Foaming at the Mouth'

The Philippines is off to a rough start with over 800,000 COVID cases — now the highest in Southeast Asia. With the country’s entertainment industry deemed as non-essential and continuously left at a lull, its people are finding more and more ways to keep repeated lockdowns more bearable.

Enter Diego Castillo, a living legend in the local music industry, former radio host of notoriously loved NU 107, guitarist of the forever-celebrated band Sandwich, DJ, film scorer and a bona fide music consummate.

Like countless artists, Diego looked to music as his refuge during the pandemic and soon decided to revive 'Foaming at the Mouth' — his “excuse to geek out on all the music”.

“Foaming at the Mouth is a little podcast I started on Mixcloud way back in 2013,” he explains. “I get to tell stories of shows I've seen or other music and non-music musings I feel that might be fun or interesting to talk about. I feel like I have a pretty eclectic taste in music so in the same episode you're bound to hear anything from J. Dilla, Sister Nancy, Kela Futi, The Clash, Stereolab, Dela Soul, Detroit Swindle, Larry Levan, Roy Ayers, Bad Brains, Velvet Underground and so on. Punk, Indie Rock, Funk, Rare Grooves, Classic House, Hip Hop and everything else I like.”

Filipino creatives have been steadfast in finding means to cope, with out-of-town artist residencies, in-house studio sessions and monumental releases to name a few. As for Diego, he’s psyched to produce more regular episodes and explore how to maximize it all from home.

“This pandemic has given me a reason to revive it again,” he says. “Also, I love Spotify and all, just like the next guy, but I do miss someone talking about the music you're listening too. It's also cool if it's curated in a way that it can tell a story, both through my stories and from the songs themselves.

As to what else people can enjoy remotely from his relaunched podcast, Diego quips: “The future of FATM is hopeful to be able to churn out more shows and maybe do it all on vinyl. The last three episodes I called Transmissions from the Analog Heart just to test it out. I'm not DJing in the real sense, just straight segues, but next is to actually do a proper set like I would do in a club. Maybe [also] do a special on the 70' GAPO. Those bands were amazing! Soul Jugglers, Advisors, WE Inc, Please, Frictions and so much more. Not enough is known about this pretty incredible musical scene.”

With a mix of DIY and technology at his fingertips, Diego’s podcast promises to be as limitless as his irrefutable love for music.

“Music played a huge part in serving whatever purpose it needed at the moment. It kept us sane, gave us hope and kept us dancing. it was an indispensable part then, as it is still now.”