Thandii X Regalado

Release “Coco Okayo” – A Disco-Funk Anthem Bridging Manila’s 70s Golden Era with Modern Art-Pop

British Alt-Soul Duo Collaborates with Philippines’ Most Recorded Drummer in Career-Defining Project

Single Out 17th July 2026

+ Album ‘Coco Okayo’ Out 11th September 2026 via Sama Sama Records

MARGATE/MANILA – Margate-based alt-soul and art-pop duo Thandii announces their most ambitious project to date: a collaboration with Jun Regalado, the Philippines’ most recorded drummer, spanning nearly 60 years and over 400 album appearances. The single “Coco Okayo” arrives 17th July 2026, with the full album following 11th September 2026 on digital and 12″ vinyl via Sama Sama Records (UK).

The Collaboration: Passing the Torch

When British alt-soul and art-pop duo Thandii collaborates with Filipino musical royalty, the result is a blinding flash of artistic spirit that transcends geographical and generational barriers. A chaotic whirlwind trip to Manila allowed Jess Berry and Graham Godfrey to explore a new cultural context of songwriting, channeling Graham’s Filipino heritage through an ambitious project proposed by Sama Sama Records: to make their next album with Jun Regalado.

Now in his late 70s, Regalado recently gained international recognition following the reissue of his track “Pinoy Funk” on Soundway’s 2024 compilation ‘Ayo Ke Disco’. Nearly 500 album appearances are now finding themselves in the collections of younger generations. On ‘Coco Okayo’—the first time Regalado has collaborated outside of his contemporaries—he effectively passes the torch to a new generation of diaspora artists.

The Single: Dancing as Self-Soothing

“Coco Okayo” is a new take on disco-funk, merging the 70s ‘Manila Sound’ with the alt-soul touch of Thandii. Featuring ethereal vocals, twinkling piano riffs, and a rolling, driving bassline, the track captures a moment of communal release.

“Getting down; dancing as self-soothing,” Thandii explains. “In a post-truth time when it’s hard to tell what’s real it’s about coming to terms with this new reality; making peace with the now.”

The Album: MAR-NILA Sound

Recorded in Manila at a local studio “like stepping into a time-warp”, the album captures an authenticity grounded in period-correct pre-amps, compressors, and instruments that recreate the tones of the 70s Manila Sound era. “Combined with Sir Jun’s magical sound and touch – it created an authenticity so completely right for the moment,” Thandii notes.

The resulting album dances around genres and influences—from OPM to soul, disco-funk and trip-hop—refusing to be categorised as any one thing, yet cohesive in its sound. Thandii dubs it MAR-NILA: “It’s a new genre coming from Filipino diaspora artists paying tribute to the Manila sound of the 70s, but combining it with modern day post-punk-disco, beat-driven-art-pop music coming from the small seaside town of Margate.”

Creative Process & Contributors

The duo, operating from their Margate home studio HaloHalo, provided vocals, percussion, flutes, and production across the project. “I felt like the melodies and flurries of flute poured out of me during this whole process—it was quite freeing and explorative and unlike any album we’d made previously,” explains Jess Berry.

The album features regular Margate collaborators including keyboardist Steve Pringle (Jess’s bandmate in Pigeon), alongside Filipino connections in the United States: Wyn Avillas and Ian Santillano.