Enchi

Formed in the summer of 2001 by high school friends who wanted to spread the reggae vibe in the island, Enchi is Dumaguete’s first homegrown reggae artist.  The group had its early beginnings in the now-institutionalized “Reggae Wednesday” at Hayahay Treehouse Bar, a charming music joint by the sea. Over the years, the weekly gig has drawn a growing mix of musicians, students, artists, tourists and locals who flock to Hayahay to sing and dance to Enchi’s upbeat and unique brand of music. Their songs, mostly in Cebuano, and a few in Tagalog, talk about love, friendship, respect for animals, and the laidback island lifestyle in Dumaguete. One of their more popular songs, Istambay, prods the out-of-school youth to keep away from street brawls and espouses peaceful living.

A pioneer in the local reggae scene, Enchi continues to gain a local following not only in Dumaguete but in the neighboring towns and islands in the south. The group has played all over Negros, including Bacolod City and Kabankalan, and in other parts of Visayas like Siquijor, Malapascua, Maasin, and Tacloban City.  Enchi’s unique beat has reached the shores of Mindanao as well, including Dapitan, Dipolog, Maranding in Lanao and parts of Misamis Occidental. The group has also been part of the past years’ Bob Marley Festivals and Rasta Claus Concerts in Cebu.

Enchi has played with some of the top OPM artists, including Tropical Depression, Indio I, Junior Kilat, Brownbeat All Stars, Brownman Revival, Peace Pipe, and Hale.

In 2004, Enchi became part of the Island Riddims—a Pinoy compilation by the country’s best reggae and ska acts like Tropical Depression, Peace Pipe, Junior Kilat, Davao-based Gaucho and other reggae artists around the Philippines.   The 18-track album includes two of Enchi’s songs: Ngano and Tsinelas, the latter currently being used as soundtrack for national programs on ABS-CBN, GMA, RPN 9 and many more.

Last year, Enchi released its own album “Dungagi Ni” under Galaxy Records which contains ten (10) songs in Cebuano and Tagalog.  The music video of the Tagalog track Lab Stori , Enchi’s first one, has recently been out on MYX, and will soon be getting some airplay as well on MTV and other music programs.

This summer kick-started with a reggae-concert featuring Manila’s Peace Pipe at Hayahay last April 7. Enchi joined the 2006 Bob Marley Day fest last April 8 which gathered 15 reggae bands from Manila and Cebu. Together with top rising artist, Junior Kilat, Enchi topbilled this summer’s major reggae fest dubbed “Ragga de Mayo” last May 26 at  Hayahay. The band continues to play at the Reggae Wednesdays and in out-of-town gigs.

At present, Enchi is an 8-man band composed of frontman Herbert “Bembem” Timtim Jr. on lead vocals and guitar, Paul Duran on guitar, Nowell Teves on bass, Gerard Locsin on drums, Edwin Caballo on keyboards, Raul Limbaga on the saxophone, and, brothers, Mark and Dave Beevers on the trumpet and trombone.