In its continuous effort to expand its catalog, Viva Records has recently acquired Up Dharma Down’s original sound recordings (OSR).
With the acquisition, Viva Records now officially owns the master recordings of Up Dharma Down. This includes the four albums Up Dharma Down released with Toti Dalmacion’s Terno Recordings: Fragmented, Bipolar, Capacities, and the self-titled UDD. The albums have established Up Dharma Down as one of the most influential bands of the mid-to-late aughts and onward.
Toti Dalmacion, head of Terno Recordings, said that the deal with Viva Records was a natural one.
“The Viva deal happened smoothly because of my long association with Boss Vic del Rosario,” said Dalmacion. “There was the ‘Hotdog’ connection (Dalmacion is related to the Garcia brothers of said band) and I’ve also worked with Viva before.”
“And there’s also the trust,” Dalmacion said, adding “I trust that Viva will know what to do with original sound recordings that Up Dharma Down (has built through the years).”
Up Dharma Down, a.k.a. UDD, was the leading indie pop rock band of its time. The group—with lead singer-keyboardist Armi Millare, lead guitarist Carlos Tanada, drummer Ean Mayor, and bassist Paul Yap—established themselves as darlings of the alternative pop scene with memorable hits such as “Unti Unti,” “Sana,” and “Indak.” But it is with “Tadhana” and “Oo” that UDD solidified itself as a major creative unit. These aforementioned songs took UDD from being just an alternative rock band to being an influential music artist whose works have influenced its generation and beyond.
Viva Records’ top man, Del Rosario, said that the UDD acquisition “is in line with Viva’s thrust in expanding its catalog and in making sure that great music, like that of UDD, will be heard by a new generation of listeners.” He mentioned that he plans to use the music of UDD on “appropriately themed films on our growing streaming service Vivamax, as supporting music.”
“The Up Dharma Down catalog is a treasure trove of great music,” he said. “I’m sure that we can rediscover a new hit or two in there.”
Speaking of new hits, Dalmacion is also excited at “what Up Dharma Down can offer its legion of listeners in the future.” Here he shares that the band has “also reached a two-album deal with Viva Records,” ensuring that there will be new music from the band in the foreseeable future.
The Up Dharma Down catalog now joins those of Sarah Geronimo, Arthur Nery, This Band, Bandang Lapis (to name a few), and the still growing list of recordings under Viva Records.
