Choogah: A Brief History
There is a reason behind every name. “Michael” is actually a rhetoric question that asks “Who is like the Lord?” “Sean” is a variant of the name “John”, which means “Gift of God.” My friends used to call me Mike or Sean, now they call me Choogah. But how did “Choogah” ever get to be a nickname for “Michael Sean”? Now, even my email addresses carry this name; almost always, furrowed eyebrows wrinkle at the novelty.
I enjoy making music with a band—especially when I play on the keyboards. Even with my limited, amateur skills, I still count it pure joy to be able to express myself through this ancient art with my Korg X5D.
One of the sounds that come out from this particular keyboard is the “Rock Chugah”—a synthetic imitation of muted electric guitars in overdrive (although I’m really not sure about this). This is the rhythmic sound used in heavy metal songs that go chug-chug-chug-chug. So “chugging” and “Chugah” is an onomatopeia for this kind of sound.
I liked to use this sound so much that my good friend Jerlyn P.(who was at that time NOT my good friend) affectionately harassed me by calling me “Chugah”—which she wrote with a double “o”. The name stuck and I eventually used it as my call sign when I became a disc jockey in Bulacan in 2002.
When I started to work at Anino Entertainement in 2002, our boss Niel D. was concerned about calling me by name because another Michael (digital artist Michael Rivero) was also on the team. I offered my new nickname “Choogah” and I have been known by that name ever since. Eventually, another Michael joined us and I was thankful for my unique nickname.
I enjoy making music with a band—especially when I play on the keyboards. Even with my limited, amateur skills, I still count it pure joy to be able to express myself through this ancient art with my Korg X5D.
One of the sounds that come out from this particular keyboard is the “Rock Chugah”—a synthetic imitation of muted electric guitars in overdrive (although I’m really not sure about this). This is the rhythmic sound used in heavy metal songs that go chug-chug-chug-chug. So “chugging” and “Chugah” is an onomatopeia for this kind of sound.
I liked to use this sound so much that my good friend Jerlyn P.(who was at that time NOT my good friend) affectionately harassed me by calling me “Chugah”—which she wrote with a double “o”. The name stuck and I eventually used it as my call sign when I became a disc jockey in Bulacan in 2002.
When I started to work at Anino Entertainement in 2002, our boss Niel D. was concerned about calling me by name because another Michael (digital artist Michael Rivero) was also on the team. I offered my new nickname “Choogah” and I have been known by that name ever since. Eventually, another Michael joined us and I was thankful for my unique nickname.