When British alt-soul and art-pop duo Thandii joined forces with Filipino musical royalty Jun Regalado, the result was Coco Okayo—a vibrant meeting of artistic spirit that transcends geographical and generational boundaries.
For London-based musicians Graham Godfrey and Jess Berry, a whirlwind trip to Manila opened the door to a new cultural and musical context. After several prolific years of releasing albums independently, the duo set out to explore Godfrey’s Filipino heritage through an ambitious project led by Sama Sama Records founder Norsicaa. At its center was a collaboration with one of the Philippines’ most recorded drummers, Jun Regalado.
A 1998 KATHA Outstanding Musician and 2018 ALIW Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Regalado was also recognized as Pakil’s Pride Awardee at the 2024 1st Laguna Jazz Festival. Now in his late 70s, he continues to revisit his musical legacy. His track “Pinoy Funk” was reissued by London-based Soundway Records in its 2024 Ayo Ke Disco compilation, while his YouTube channel has seen him recreate the drumming from nearly 100 songs he originally recorded during the 1970s and 1980s.
For Regalado, Coco Okayo represents an entirely new creative experience.
“Coco Okayo is unlike OPM sessions or Manila Sound cuts I’ve done before and it is my first album collaboration experience outside of my peers.”
The project draws deeply from the 1970s Manila Sound movement, but its connection to Manila goes beyond musical influence. The album was recorded in a local studio whose vintage equipment helped shape its sonic character.
“It was like stepping into a time-warp,” Thandii recalls. “Period correct pre-amps, compressors and instruments recreated the tones of the era and combined with Sir Jun’s magical sound and touch—it created an authenticity so completely right for the moment.”
Rooted in the sounds of Filipino diaspora and British soul, Coco Okayo also allowed Berry and Godfrey to explore new sides of their musicianship. Berry, in particular, found herself drawn to the flute throughout the recording process.
“I felt like the melodies and flurries of flute poured out of me during this whole process—it was quite freeing and explorative and unlike any album we’d made previously,” she says.
The resulting record moves freely between OPM, soul, disco-funk, trip-hop, and contemporary art-pop, refusing to settle into a single genre while maintaining a cohesive identity. Thandii describes the sound as “MAR-NILA,” a new musical space that connects Filipino diaspora artists paying tribute to the Manila Sound of the 1970s with the post-punk, disco, and beat-driven art-pop emerging from the seaside town of Margate.
Rather than existing between two cultures, Coco Okayo creates a world of its own—one where Manila’s musical heritage meets contemporary British creativity.
For Regalado, that connection carries a deeper significance.
“This is Filipino musicianship being celebrated abroad,” he says, inviting listeners to support a project that is both deeply personal and universal.
Coco Okayo by Thandii and Jun Regalado arrives on Spotify and all major streaming platforms, as well as through Bandcamp, on September 11. The single is available now, with vinyl and digital album pre-orders also open.
For more information, visit Sama Sama Records or Thandii.
