Vex Ruffin - LiteAce Frequency LP

When Vex Ruffin’s family moved from Northridge, California to the City of Parañaque in the Philippines, their first car was a Toyota LiteAce. Swooping around the thick Metro Manila traffic between colorful jeepneys and tricycles in the compact van left a strong impression on young Vex. The Toyota LiteAce was immensely popular in early 90s Manila — beloved for its durability and reliability — and enjoys an intense, affectionate following to this day. Vex’s family’s LiteAce would hold his parents upfront, and him and his three younger siblings behind as they cruised in comfort.

Fast forward three decades and Vex is raising two young boys with his wife in the Inland Empire while working two jobs. In between those responsibilities, he cooked up his third Stones Throw LP LiteAce Frequency at his kitchen table, a collection of songs influenced by 70s Manila Sound and Pinoy soul. Other ingredients like Japanese funk, Brazilian sounds, and hip-hop made their way into the recipe. “At my age, you start to reflect,” Vex says, “I’m going back to my roots, channelling that time, mixing nostalgia with how I am right now.”