Behind the Decks with BARANGAY, the Fil-Am Collective Crafting Culture Through House Music

Music carries memories and molds experiences — especially during a night out, where the DJ sets the score and guides the room’s rhythm. On a Friday night at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere Space, the bass from Zone One pulsed through the dancefloor, pulling people in like a magnetic force. Beneath colorful, flashing lights and a shimmering disco ball, BARANGAY’s DJs LANSUH, Jay Dalawa, and Alcantara spun tracks that kept heads bobbing and bodies moving to the beat. Their energy matched the music — vibrant, fluid, and contagious. 

For Filipino American History Month, EnVi spoke with the DJs of BARANGAY —  a Fil-Am DJ collective and creative marketing agency — to explore how the collective is redefining nightlife, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creativity, collaboration, and culture that drive their events. 

The Collective’s Rhythm

Founded in 2017, BARANGAY began as a visual art collective, curating and producing art exhibitions. Music, however, was always central to their work. Before the members took to the decks themselves, they often hired DJs to soundtrack their events — a hint at the creative trust and collaborative spirit that remain a foundation of how they operate. 

In speaking with three of their members — co-founder Dominick Alcantara, artist manager Jazen Saga, and Lancer Casem, who helps oversee operations — it’s clear that trust drives their process. Each of them brings distinct skills from their day jobs, from visual storytelling to event strategy, yet they rely on each other’s instincts to craft immersive and intentional sets.

Their synergy and vision have earned the confidence of numerous venues (including Apotheka in Manila, The California Clipper Lounge in Chicago, and Mood Ring in Brooklyn) allowing them to transform spaces into welcoming, judgement-free zones where everyone is encouraged to let loose. 

On Building their Bahay Kubo 

A Bahay Kubo “is the simplest form of a home… the catalyst for Bayanihan — the traditional spirit of unity seen in moving entire houses. [It] invites everyone to contribute to the collective rhythm of our events — a collaborative effort, a shared narrative where each individual shapes the experience,” says Dominick Alcantara. “BARANGAY recontextualizes Bahay, translating to House, and the concept of Bayanihan as a way to create a communal experience in any place, unified through House Music.”

This philosophy became the foundation for the collective’s signature party series of the same name, BAHAY KUBO, born from a desire to communicate their story and “highlight Filipino DJs who love house music.” Like the traditional nipa hut it’s named after, BAHAY KUBO embodies resourcefulness and collaboration — a home built by many hands.

As BARANGAY’s events grew, so did their sound and sense of purpose. After living in Manila from 2018 to 2021, Alcantara became enamored with the city’s nightlife, drawn to the beauty of how it brought people together. That same spirit of connection is exactly what the collective carries into every set. 

Building Trust, On and Off the Dance floor

In just a few years, BARANGAY has done more than host parties, they’ve built a platform where Filipino creatives can showcase their artistry and collaborate. Their sets move fluidly between genres, but at the heart of it all is house music, the pulse that grounds many of their gatherings that now serve as cultural hubs where belonging, creativity, and diasporic pride intersect. 

Casem says, “Bahay Kubo can only happen when you are working with the community, when you’re working with the homies trying to build this foundation…That’s always what we’re trying to present on the dance floor through our playlists. We want people to feel like they’re with the homies, they’re with the community. They don’t ever have to worry.”

Within BARANGAY, trust touches all aspects of their work. “I don’t think the collective could be going as hard if we weren’t all putting the same effort into it,” Casem says, “Everyone really trusts us to create that space.” True to their name — barangay, which refers to the smallest Filipino community unit — their events embody community, kinship, and connection. Each transition feels deliberate, connecting eras and experiences as they connect people on the dancefloor.

The parties are a conversation of sorts, “a safe space for everybody,” says Jazen Saga, “where a lot of people can connect culturally in any way.” Beyond Bahay Kubo, their “Soul Kanto” (translating to “soul corner” in Tagalog) parties spotlight OPM classics, disco, house, among other genres. For Saga, it’s the type of party where “you’re intentionally working a record, but also intentionally bringing records that you feel and you want to communicate to the audiences, so really bridging music with your inner soul.”

Evolving the Sound, Expanding the Vision

Today, with twenty-seven members internationally, BARANGAY has evolved into a dynamic, creative force blending each member’s roots into a sound that carries the essence of Manila’s nightlife to every set that they spin.

In New York City alone, eight of their DJs continue to carry that mission forward. “It’s really beautiful that we get to have this platform to create space to expand their visions from back home and bring it over in Korea, Japan, Thailand, Europe,” Casem says, “we don’t ever really have to worry about…what anyone is producing because we have a lot of trust in each other when it comes to each part of all these moving parts.”

Casem puts it simply: “We just want to be that space where people can leave all of [it] behind as soon as you enter the door and you’re just having fun with the friends, with the homies, with the family and leaving all that stuff behind.” 

A Legacy, Continued

BARANGAY’s sound exists at the intersection of continuity and connection, bridging cultures, genres, and generations of music while creating space for cultural exchange. Each DJ within the collective, alongside the guest DJs they collaborate with, brings a distinct musical identity shaped by their roots and experiences. For Alcantara, that connection traces back to the house and techno scenes of Manila’s nightlife (where his love for DJing began four years ago) layered with the Motown, soul, and disco he grew up on. For Detroit-native Casem, she draws from the city’s signature Ghettotech and local Detroit house, infusing her sets with kinetic rhythm and grit. 

Saga says, “I also try to look at other Filipino DJs that are trying to make waves down in New York to see if we could really fit them in our bill if it makes sense. We try to connect and funnel the artistry of Filipino DJs that do want to visit… We try to really embrace stuff with open arms and play not whatever, but really showcase their sound.”In their own ways, the collective continues a legacy that Filipino-American DJs helped shape decades ago — from the pioneering turntablists of the 1980s to the mobile DJ crews who brought community parties to life across California. What began in garages and rec centers on the West Coast now reverberates through clubs in New York, Manila, and beyond, bound by an ever-evolving rhythm.

Where Music Meets Memory

Back at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, the crowd continues moving and the beats keep building, as the collective sets the stage for guest DJ, Jojo Flores. In these moments, BARANGAY’s ethos becomes palpable, creating a space where community, connection, and faith in the DJ’s flow guide every movement.

Reflecting on the collective’s mission, Alcantara notes, “What I really appreciated was that [friends involved in Manila’s nightlife] say that we do a good job of representing Manila culture in nightlife here. That’s what we try to do… whether that be through music selection, curation, or just the overall welcoming nature of the Philippines, we do our best to bring that to all of our events.”

For BARANGAY, DJing goes beyond playing to the crowd, it’s an act of creative expression and the artistic license to play music that might surprise listeners as much as it moves.

To experience it firsthand, dive into one of BARANGAY’s groove-filled sets on Youtube, and follow their Instagram to keep up with their next parties and events. 

Interested in reading more on music collectives and culture? Check out EnVi’s recent piece on Glasshouse here!