In the vinyl record bar 78-45-33 in Salcedo Village, you can do a lot of things. You can, for example, enjoy good conversation while getting a cocktail from the bar. You can also admire the collection of vinyl records displayed on the top shelf and the rare JBL Hartsfield speakers from the 1960s, all owned by Tonyboy de Leon. You’re free to do anything except one thing: You can’t choose the music.
Tonyboy, who is the founder of the November Hi-Fi Show and a certified audiophile, doesn’t take requests in his bar. Calling 78-45-33 an “extension of his living room,” the whiskey bar is dressed in dark interiors with mid-century modern accents, reflecting the owner's personal style. The way he sees it, he’s a gracious host entertaining whoever walks in as guests in his space.
In conversation with Tonyboy, you’ll realize his passion for music runs deep. Describing himself as a free spirit in a shirt and tie, he explored the bohemian night scene that dominated Manila in the ’80s and ’90s before graduating with a degree in finance.
In his youth, Tonyboy was part of Social Distortion, a mobile disco station that used to set up pop-up parties with their own sound system, DJs, and the freshest new wave hits for high schoolers. “Back then, Social Distortion was popular because we were only playing new wave and punk, when everyone else was doing disco,” he says.
Well-known among party organizers from Assumption College and St. Scholastica' s College, Tonyboy explains how they had a hand with the rise of the nationwide hit “More to Lose” by Seona Dancing, the music act fronted by a pre-comedy Ricky Gervais (millennials, ask your parents about this). The song has an interesting spot in local pop culture history, as for years it was known, not by its real title, but as “Medium” by Fade. Social Distortion purposely renamed the record to prevent competing mobile stations from finding more about it. A tie-up with 99.5 RT led to a Friday night spot, and the rest was history.
