Cover Siblings Aly and Moe Cabral won the Best Music Score award at the prestigious 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) for Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ (Photo: Moe Cabral/David Lawrence)
Siblings Aly and Moe Cabral won the Best Music Score award at the prestigious 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) for Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ (Photo: Moe Cabral/David Lawrence)
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Sibling composers Aly and Moe Cabral clinched the Best Score Award for ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’, directed by Petersen Vargas, at the prestigious 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF). In this interview, they share insights into their creative journey
Manila, for all its old-world allure, also carries a certain unease. Locals will say that’s an inseparable part of its character: that the late afternoon hums with life, while the nightfall makes a great ally for goons.
It’s this very atmosphere that sibling composers Aly and Moe Cabral captured for the award-winning score of Petersen Vargas’s Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, a queer drama which offers an unflinching glimpse into gay sex work.
“The ‘Manila Sound’ is very chaotic and diverse. Since the film captures the grit of the city, I take inspiration from how I feel when I walk on the streets,” Aly tells Tatler. “There’s always this sense of imminent danger, but sometimes you see something pretty like a kitschy shop sign, a picturesque abandoned building, or silver banderitas sparkling in the wind. There is this toxic beauty and ruthless joy that is always present. The film captures this very well, and so the music must follow.”
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Growing with music
Above From a young age, Aly learnt to play piano and guitar (Photo: Au Tze Long)
From a young age, Aly learnt to play piano and guitar (Photo: Au Tze Long)
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Music comes naturally to both Aly and Moe, who grew up in a household filled with musicians and enthusiasts. From a young age, Aly learnt to play piano and guitar, eventually beginning to write her songs while still at school.
Moe, meanwhile, performed under the name ‘youngsleepyboi’ during his college years at Saint Benilde, creating what he describes as ‘sleepy beats’. He also co-founded a producer collective called Project Redux with his father.
“I wouldn’t say my sound has drastically changed. Of course, I still apply some of my [past] workflow to my music now. As much as possible, I would always try to put that theme of ‘nostalgia of a bygone era’ into my works. There’s still that ‘lo-fi’ charm, and that’s mainly how I would describe my sound,” Moe explains.
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Above Moe encourages aspiring artists to go out and immerse themselves in sound and music (Photo: INH Nokal)
Moe encourages aspiring artists to go out and immerse themselves in sound and music (Photo: INH Nokal)
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“I think a lot of people underestimate collaboration when it comes to making music. Whether there are two, three, or four of you guys in one song, that can have a big impact, and it changes the song a lot.”
For artists looking to follow a similar path, Aly and Moe share one clear piece of advice: just get on with it.
“Most artists nowadays have impostor syndrome, so if someone wants to pursue music, I would suggest working on your self-esteem and abolishing all pressure on ‘the self’. Abolish all obstacles—mental or physical—that are keeping you from pursuing your passion. Take things one step at a time and discipline the self. Rest accordingly and enjoy the journey,” Aly says.
Moe, for his part, encourages aspiring artists to go out and immerse themselves in sound and music. “Everything else will follow. Surround yourself with the right people, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Start it. Do it. And keep doing it. If it doesn’t work, try and try again. Don’t be afraid to be a little experimental. I guess the whole point of music is to share it with others. It’s not too late to start, and you have nothing to lose,” he adds.
International recognition
Above A scene from Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’
A scene from Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’
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The siblings’ Best Score win at the esteemed 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) came as an unexpected delight, as they had only been informed shortly before the event.
“Jade Castro, the film’s producer, whom we worked with closely, said that this was the first time a Filipino film won a best music award in an A-list festival ever. So it was really a pleasant shock for us,” Aly describes.
Moe, on the other hand, feels grateful not just for the recognition but for the journey that led them there. “It’s a milestone, especially for me. I’ve been scoring films since I was in college, and my sister’s been making music since high school. Working together is challenging but fun because us two working together. Seeing our work get an award internationally is such a big moment. High time for local producers and composers [to] get international recognition.”
Above A scene from Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’
A scene from Petersen Vargas’s ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’
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The duo admits that scoring for film came with its fair share of challenges, largely due to its inherent complexity. As Aly explains, the process begins with absorbing the scene and determining the emotional response it’s meant to evoke. That alone can be tricky (emotions are subjective, after all), and if that weren’t difficult enough, those feelings then need to be transformed into sound.
“It could be something that’s obvious visually, or it could be totally opposite to what you see in the picture, but the music has to be something that serves the whole narrative. It’s a highly subjective and rigorous trial-and-error, splice-and-edit process,” says Aly.
Above Moe Cabral
Above Aly Cabral (Photo: Ricardo Yan)
Moe Cabral
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One of the toughest challenges was composing the score for the opening montage. “We’ve had to make a handful of revisions for the score. We were trying to get the perfect feel for each scene. So in the end, it all came out a bit experimental. The opening scene was particularly difficult because it was a montage of the city. How do you capture the sound of Manila? I’ve had to try a few different tracks until, in the end, the noise track made it to the cut.”
There were also challenges related to the composers’ working environment. Moe shares that their family had just moved into a new house, and he and Aly found themselves sharing a single studio.
“Sometimes we’d work on it at different times, but we’re finding our rhythm also as to how to go about scoring the film. It was challenging because I was thinking about going for a hiatus at that time,” shares Moe.
“I was happy, though, because my sister got me on board. The score changed a lot, and we really had to blend our styles to see what would work on a particular scene. In the end, it all worked out.”
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Collaboration in music-making
Aly and Moe’s dedication to the craft paid off. They credit the act of collaboration in artistry and music-making—it remains, after all, the glaring sign of growth and humility.
“Petersen and I have been collaborating since our college days,” says Aly, likely pointing at films like How to Die Young in Manila and Lisyun qng Geografia. “Our collaborative process for all of the films is always intensive and exciting, mostly because of the emotional vigour of the films,” she describes.
For Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, Petersen and Aly worked together every day for a whole month. “That film was particularly intense–[because of] the revisions, tweaks and soundtrack curation.”
Aly recognises the power of partnership to transform a modest idea into something wonderfully beyond imagination. “Collaboration is not only the best thing to do, but it’s necessary to bring an idea to life,” she says.
Above Aly Cabral poses for a photo (Photo: David Lawrence)
Aly Cabral poses for a photo (Photo: David Lawrence)
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“Most artists nowadays have impostor syndrome, so if someone wants to pursue music, I would suggest working on your self-esteem and abolishing all pressure on ‘the self’.”
“I realised that manifestation becomes extra powerful when I get help from friends and collaborators, or when I’ve workshopped my ideas with them first before executing. I find that it makes the output more well-rounded and well-received by many.”
For Moe, recognising the strength in collaboration is empowering—it’s the understanding that together, something can always be elevated.
“I think a lot of people underestimate collaboration when it comes to making music. Whether there are two, three, or four of you guys in one song, that can have a big impact, and it changes the song a lot,” Moe says.
“I love collaborations because when you combine brains and put them into work, they can form something beautiful. You guys can form this special bond with it. You can never really know if you are gonna make or break the song. But hey, take a leap of faith!”
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Credits
Images: Moe Cabral, Petersen Vargas, Au Tze Long, David Lawrence, Ricardo Yan
Jove holds a degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines–Diliman. She has flair for in-depth, interview-driven stories that explore politics and culture, shaped by her background in national broadsheets.
When she’s not on assignment, Jove spends her days painting, sipping lemonade, and walking her dog, Jupiter. She can often be seen in Escolta with a film camera in hand, browsing novelty shops in search of rare memorabilia. For leads, reach her at Jove@tatlerphilippines.com.
