Manila Sound is a musical genre in the Philippines that begun in the late 1960s in Manila, flourished in the early to mid 1970s, and waned before the onset of the 1980s. It is often considered the "bright side" of the Martial Law era and has influenced all modern genres in the country by being the forerunner to OPM.
Manila Sound's laid-back and unpretentious musical style gave way to the intricate, multi-layered, and sometimes symphonic arrangements of OPM (Original Pilipino Music) that dominated popular, radio-friendly Philippine music starting in the late 1970s up until the 1990s. OPM, spawned initially and heavily influenced by the annual Metro-Manila Popular Music Festival, emerged as radio favorites. Two of OPM's early and highly successful releases were the songs, "Anak" (Child) by the folk-rock singer-songwriter Freddie Aguilar, and "Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika" (How Beautiful Is Our Music) by pianist-composer-conductor Ryan Cayabyab, both of whom produced a new generation of Original Pilipino (aka "Filipino") Music, represented by artists such as Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Basil Valdez, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera and, later, Regine Velasquez.
A resurgence in interest in the Manila Sound surfaced in recent years with the compilation album, The Best of Manila Sound: Hopia Mani Popcorn. In 2006, the Apo Hiking Society (the former Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society) relaunched their retro hits in a double-cd package, coupled with reinterpretations of each by Manila's young alternative bands. In 2007, riding on the appeal of this revival, "The Best of Manila Sound: Hopia, Mani, Popcorn" was released, which featured interpretations of a number of classic Manila Sound hits. This album's song listing is: "No Touch" (Rocksteddy), Ipagpatawad Mo" (Mayonnaise); "Hanggang Magdamag" (Kapatid); "Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko" (Soapdish); "Rock, Baby, Rock" (Kala); "Bitin Sa 'Yo" (Up Dharma Down); "Bonggahan" (6Cyclemind); "Macho Guwapito" (Protein Shake); "Tao" (DRT); "Kapalaran" (Radioactive Sago Project); "Ako Si Superman" (Sound); "Handog" (Join the Club); and "TL Ako Sa 'Yo" (Kitchie Nadal).