Free the Robots

The official re-release of the original FREE THE ROBOTS EP VOL.1 on vinyl; a 20 year anniversary edition repress now available on Bandcamp and select record stores! Thank you for riding with me all these years. Stay tuned for more🙏🏾 * freetherobots.bandcamp.com/album/free-the-robots-ep-vol-1 * artwork by @livehazee

The Prototype Vol. 2 (20 year anniversary edition) is now streaming on all major platforms! Limited Cassettes + CD + bundle w/ alien Robot figurine now available on FTR bandcamp or cassettetapes.org. *I created the original prototype in 2005 as a selection of tracks from my earliest experiments of my formative years. It was a limited edition CD with only 400 copies hand-printed, hand-painted/stamped, and distributed globally. I released it as a personal art project shared only to the 400 people who ordered it. Now, exactly 20 years later, I’ve decided to revisit, reconstruct, and add the B-sides for this official release for the masses. Hope you dig it 🙏🏾 Artwork by @jeauyce Cassette/ CD: @cassettetapesdotorg @rapvacation

Growing up in the 90s/ early 00’s as a hardcore Hip Hop head was like an act of defiance in my local area. Generally playing the background in my head, I became an observer in most social situations. Despite feeling disconnected from much of my environment on a fundamental level, I was open to forming connections with all different people regardless of what they were into. I realized that maintaining a cynical attitude towards life and the people around me in Orange County was not the answer. That said, I found common ground beyond the realm of my Hip Hop community. I naturally gravitated toward those who felt the same in their worlds. Kids in gangs, punks, ravers, skaters, surfers and all sorts of weird artists within my local community and beyond, expanded my horizons. Throughout my early years, I ran with different crews mainly between the 818, 323, 562 and 714. I spent most of my time at my club L_ephunk, Koos Cafe, record stores, house parties, and the parking lots. This Mix is a representation of my soundtrack during those formative years which eventually led me to establish Free the Robots. -Chris Alfaro @freetherobots “8 CDs for a penny scam” now available on cassette via the “Tape Crate in Orange: Volume One” 🍊 Link in bio.

@barbosa_records MNL, HK, TKO tour re-cap w/ @jay_ruuu + @freetherobots in real life 🛩️ Where to next? 📡📡

@barbosa_records tour 1 is a wrap! Biiig love Manila, Hong Kong, & Tokyo! ✌🏾✌🏾 📷: @tunadog_07

Disco, Funk, & Acid House mix by Barbosa Records’ Free The Robots & Jay Ru for CRADIO RADIO X UNKNWN is now live on our YouTube channel! Thanks for your patience, enjoy! 🤩 Link in bio 🎥: @macheyolim @ainas.album 🎶: @barbosa_records @freetherobots @jay_ruuu

Barbosa Records’ set by Free The Robots & Jay Ru for CRADIO RADIO X UNKNWN drops tomorrow at 5PM on YouTube. Disco. Funk. Acid House. 😮‍💨 🎥: @macheyolim @ainas.album 🎶: @barbosa_records @freetherobots @jay_ruuu #cradioradio #unknwnmnl #pioneer #pioneerdj #music

SANTERIA × BARBOSA March 6 — OATH Shibuya This week, @santeria.party welcomes @barbosa_siargao to Japan. Barbosa — the cult tropical club and community hub from Siargao — lands in Tokyo for one night only, joining forces with SANTERIA to bridge island heat and Tokyo underground magic. On the decks, the two Barbosa founders: @jay_ruuu — known for genre-fluid selections rooted in disco, house, funk, and deep rhythmic movement — always driven by community and connection. @freetherobots — globally respected for his genre-defying blend of jazz, psych, hip-hop, and electronic music — hypnotic, raw, and boundary-pushing. Our Tokyo finest: @fu_k122 — a trusted force in Japan’s club circuit, known for cross-genre precision across Chicago, NY & Detroit house and relentless dancefloor control. And our host and founder of SANTERIA: @santevisioni — bringing his blend of deep house, afro-groove, and cosmic jazz, alongside his unique energy and love connection. This is a special one 🏝️🇯🇵 You can feel it in the air — spring is coming, and the heat is already rising. @shibuya_oath will be on fire 🔥 Come ready to sweat. All night long. #santeriaparty #barbosasiargao

GUNITÂ / gu·ni·ta / noun Tagalog (archaic) 1. Memory 2. The act of remembering fondly 3. A compilation of original Pinoy bass tracks from the homeland and diaspora “Ang musika ay paggugunita sa mga ugat na hindi kailanman naputol.” (Music is the remembrance of roots that no force could sever). The act itself; GUNITÂ is modern sound rebellion. No one can erase what your roots remember. A full-length VA bass compilation by Continuum Bass and @kanto.cult.radio featuring all orginal music from: 🎋FREE THE ROBOTS (Siargao) 🎋PASTA GROOVE (Manila) 🎋OSIVE (Vienna) 🎋ET IV (LA) 🎋BASS RELIEF (Manila) 🎋SVATG (Barcelona) 🎋F1-PV (Zurich) 🎋GUTINBEAR (Siargao) 🎋DICEY (PA) 🎋s00thsyr (Laguna) 🎋EZZREI (Manila) #Gunita #Compilation #ContinuumBass #KantoCultRadio #Global #Diaspora Curation/ Art Direction: @ezzrei

Cold Cuts Presents Free the Robots, Jay Ru (Barbosa Records, PH) & o-mori   🗓️ Friday, February 27 🕗 20:00-late 📍 @migashongkong 3/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen Road’s Central 💰Tickets: GA at $200 (includes FREE COLD CUTS served on the night 🎫 Buy now: /coldcuts2   Featuring:   Free the Robots @freetherobots : The innovative DJ and producer from LA, who blends genres worldwide, and co-founded Barbosa in Siargao with Jay Ru.   Jay Ru @jay_ruuu : The Filipino DJ and other co-founder of Barbosa Siargao, who curates diverse music and fosters community through creative exchanges. o-mori @omori.tadashi : A Hong Kong-based vinyl collector and DJ with 20+ years of experience, he researches the Asian rare record market and promotes vinyl culture through his writings and the Hong Kong Analog Shopping Centre. Expect: disco, funk, delicious cocktails, vinyl’s on the terrace, good hospitality, company, outdoors, indoors, drink specials, soft furnishing, olive oil cake, meaty surprises, local DJ’s and FREE COLD CUTS! Get your tickets now via ticketflap and link in bio.

Taking us on a journey into sunset and kicking of their Asia trip is Free The Robots b2b with @jay_ruuu 🌐 For over two decades, @freetherobots has been an influential force pushing musical boundaries as an international recording artist and DJ. His genre-bending sets have captivated audiences from his hometown of Los Angeles to dance floors across the globe. Emerging from LA’s underground in the late ’90s and early 2000s, FTR evolved into a multifaceted musical storyteller dedicated to energizing dance floors. He has shared stages with artists such as The Beat Junkies, Lefto, Nosaj Thing, and The Gaslamp Killer, and held residencies alongside icons like Shepard Fairey, Rhettmattic, and B Real of Cypress Hill. His commitment to musical diversity has been showcased at influential events including The Low End Theory, The Do Over, Wonderfruit, Lowlands Festival, and stages across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Beyond performing, his DJ sets fuse genres in bold and unexpected ways, reflecting his deep musical knowledge and ever-evolving creative vision. His monthly radio shows on NTS, ROVR, and Radio Alhara further highlight his extensive archive of rare and influential sounds. In recent years, FTR has settled in Siargao, where he co-founded @barbosa_siargao @barbosa_records with Jay Ru — creating a space for music, community, and cultural exchange while helping shape the island’s growing presence on the global music map. Honored to have our island surfer boys here for UNKNWN . 10 year. Come spending the day into night with us.

@barbosa_records ASIA TRIP 🌏 Barbosa Records is taking its signature sound across Asia, catch them in these cities : 21/02 @unknwn.mnl 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY [ MANILA ] 26/02 @fmbelowground W/ @yetiout [ HONG KONG ] 27/02 @clockenflap Cold Cuts PRESENTS: BARBOSA RECORDS [ HONG KONG ] 28/02 @sohohouse [ HONG KONG ] 03/03 @tsubaki.fm LIVE W/ @fu_k122 [ TOKYO ] 06/03 @oath : BARBOSA X SANTERA [ TOKYO ]