DWXB-FM, nicknamed "the station that dares to be different", was the first
all-New Wave music radio station in the Philippines. Located at 102.7 on the
FM dial and broadcasting from inside a house in Pasay City, Philippines,
DWXB-FM, also referred to as XB-102, acquired legendary status since it
vanished from the airwaves on June 9, 1987. DWXB-FM captured the
imaginations of Manila youth in the '80s, bringing New Wave music to the
Philippine mainstream and inspiring regional rock artists such as The Dawn,
The Identity Crisis, and Violent Playground, all of whom were championed by
the station at a time when guitar-based OPM was ignored by the other local
outlets with the exception of a weekly show on DZRJ-AM in the early '80s.
Prior to switching to New Wave, DWXB-FM flirted with disco in the late '70s
and then adopted the American Top Forty format in 1982, dubbing itself Cute
102. By 1983, DWXB-FM was programming New Wave bands from the U.K. such as
Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Tears for Fears, Devo, and Culture Club into
the Top Forty mix. In 1984, New Wave began erupting in Manila's dance clubs
thanks to the city's mobiles, who often spun records imported from Europe,
and the proliferation of New Wave music videos on Philippine TV. DWXB-FM
gradually evolved into a New Wave radio station, guided by the station's
pioneering DJs including the late Mark Fournier, known over his broadcasts
as Magic, and The Unbeatable, the alias of Dave Ryan. Despite its relatively
low frequency, DWXB-FM developed a huge following in places where its signal
could be picked up, creating mainstream hits such as "State of the Nation"
by Industry, "The Ghost in You" by The Psychedelic Furs, "Feels Like
(Heaven)" by Fiction Factory, "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo, and "People Are
People" by Depeche Mode.
In 1985, DWXB-FM was already the Philippines' most influential music
station, its popularity putting pressure on regional labels to belatedly
release the entire discographies of The Cure, Depeche Mode, Aztec Camera,
and U2 and hard-to-find LPs from The Lotus Eaters, China Crisis, Orange
Juice, and The Church. On the surface, their New Wave format could be
compared to overseas stations like KROQ-FM and CFNY-FM, DWXB-FM probed the
genre for deeper cuts and more obscure acts, giving massive exposure to
little-known or forgotten New Wave artists from the U.K. such as The Pale
Fountains, Care, Friends Again, Fiat Lux, Martin Ansell, and Private Lives.
DWXB-FM largely eschewed American New Wave bands like Katrina and the Waves,
the Bangles, and Scandal, deeming them as too pop. DWXB-FM briefly competed
with another New Wave radio station in Manila, DZBM-105, in 1985. It became
a battle of the 12" mixes and who would discover the next cutting-edge
sounds first.
1 DWXB-102 Hits of 1985 (Partial List)
2 DWXB-FM in 1986
3 DWXB-102 Hits of 1986 (Partial List)
4 DWXB-FM in 1987
5 DWXB-102 Hits of 1987 (Partial List)
6 Post-XB: New Dreams for Old
DWXB-102 Hits of 1985 (Partial List)
"Harborcoat" - R.E.M.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds
"Walk Out to Winter" - Aztec Camera
"The Unguarded Moment" - The Church
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" - The Smiths
"Running Up That Hill" - Kate Bush
"Who Knows What Love Is?" - Strawberry Switchblade
"Living in a Dream" - Pseudo Echo
"Hunting High and Low" - a-ha
"No Guarantees" - The Nobodys
"Wishful Thinking" - China Crisis
"Somebody" - Depeche Mode
"The First Picture of You" - The Lotus Eaters
"State of Art" - Friends Again
"The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen
"Tenderness" - General Public
"When All's Well" - Everything But the Girl
DWXB-FM in 1986
The competition between DWXB-FM and DZBM-FM had perished by 1986, the latter
shelving much of its New Wave music for pop. DWXB-FM, with the New Wave
market to itself and surprising Top Ten ratings, concentrated on pleasing
its followers and instead of trying to the masses. The station developed a
certain sound - a combination of jangly, romantic pop (Jimmy Jimmy, The
Lotus Eaters, Aztec Camera); ethereal, shimmering rock (Care, Echo & the
Bunnymen, U2; Gothic dance (The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & the Banshees,
Xmal Deutschland); synthesized European disco (Yaz, Depeche Mode, New
Order); punk (The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Dead Kennedys); and an array
of spellbinding and undiscovered local talent (The Dawn, Introvoys, Deans
December).
DWXB-102 Hits of 1986 (Partial List)
"Thinking of You" - The Colourfield
"Castles in the Air" - The Colourfield
"The Distance Between Us" - Fra Lippo Lippi
"Killing an Arab" - The Cure
"Fire in Cairo" - The Cure
"Grinding Halt" - The Cure
"I Met Her in Paris" - Jimmy Jimmy
"Hands Across the Sea" - Modern English
"More to Lose" - Seona Dancing
"E=MC2" - Big Audio Dynamite
"Suspicious Minds" - Fine Young Cannibals
"Love Missile F1-11" - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
"Still on Fire" - Aztec Camera
"Whatever Possessed You" - Care
"Cities in Dust" - Siouxsie & the Banshees
"African and White" - China Crisis
"I Don't Like Mondays" - The Boomtown Rats
"Incubus Succubus" - Xmal Deutschland
"Walk Away" - The Sisters of Mercy
"Love Moves in Strange Ways" - Blue Zoo
"The Pan Within" - The Waterboys
"C.R.E.E.P." - The Fall
DWXB-FM in 1987
While the New Wave era was already pronounced dead in America in 1987, the
genre had not even yet peaked in Manila. Albums once unavailable were
continuing to be licensed to Philippine labels, thanks to the tastemaking
punch of DWXB-FM. However, 1987 would be its final year. The new Cory
Aquino-led government began sequestering properties owned by her predecessor
Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies, including the home that DWXB-FM beamed
from. At this point, the DJs - including The Morning Man, George Frederick,
Fat Albert, Julius Caesar, The Ghost, and Cool Carla - were working for
free, spinning New Wave records from 6 a.m. to midnight. On June 9, 1987,
despite attempts to keep it on the air, DWXB-FM signed off after The Alarm's
"Walk Forever By My Side".
DWXB-102 Hits of 1987 (Partial List)
"Happy Hour" - The Housemartins
"Pushing Up Daisies" - The Colourfield
"The Windmills of Your Mind" - The Colourfield
"Career Opportunities" - The Clash
"Sunshine Reggae" - Laid Back
"Tears" - The Chameleons
"Heartache" - Gene Loves Jezebel
"Desire" - Gene Loves Jezebel
"Enveloped Ideas" - The Dawn
"Imagining October" - The Identity Crisis
"Absolute Reality" - The Alarm
"She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult
"Two Rivers" - The Adventures
"Bizarre Love Triangle" - New Order
"Come With Me" - Translator
"Flaming Sword" - Care
"My Boyish Days" - Care
"Sunday Morning" - The Bolshoi
"Panic" - The Smiths
Post-XB: New Dreams for Old
In November 1987, seeing that the absence of DWXB-FM left a void on Manila
radio that could be capitalized upon, DWNU-FM debuted at 107.5 on the dial
with a series of test broadcasts that resurrected 102 staples such as Wire
Train, INXS, Echo & the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, The Pale Fountains, The
Housemartins, and Icehouse in what was termed a "New Rock" format. It
essentially picked up where DWXB-FM left off, debuting late '80s New Wave
acts like Black, Crowded House, and Johnny Hates Jazz. However, DWNU-FM
wasn't considered as adventuresome as its predecessor. In late 1987, DZBM-FM
had returned to its short-lived New Wave format from the mid-'80s. DZBM-FM,
whose nickname was "Power 105," plunged further into the New Wave waters
that DWXB-FM once swam in. Just as DWXB-FM did, it bravely paraded the most
rare New Wave records they could find, carving a fanbase for virtually
unknown artists such as Eyeless in Gaza, Fruits of Passion, The Explorers,
The Room, and White China.
In 1988, Mickey the Clown from DWXB-FM reappeared on DWBC-AM as Mick Flame
and hosted a 102-styled show often featuring former DWXB-FM DJs as guests.
Except for DWNU-FM, which continued to tweak its format and became an
alternative rock powerhouse in the '90s, none of it lasted as Manila entered
another decade.
In the late '90s, tribute sites to DWXB-FM started appearing on the Internet
from fans. Moreover, various radio shows began debuting in the Philippines
that paid homage to the quirky and colorful music DWXB-FM and its successors
brought to an entire generation of teenagers in the country.
On 10 September 2005, lifelong fan and New Wave historian Michael Sutton,
CEO of the independent label Sutton Records, along with Seattle DJ Brent
Sanders and Los Angeles jock DJ Klyde, revived DWXB-FM in cyberspace. Sutton
proceeded to recruit some of XB's original staff, including Mick Flame, The
Morning Man, and Cool Carla, to record their first XB shows in 18 years.
You may visit the web site at http://wxb102forever.com