Kalakal is a sound that brings together its two credited creative forces, SB19 and Gloc-9, rooted in the rich, multifaceted creative landscape of the Philippines, a nation with a long, enduring tradition of collaborative sonic practice that ties together diverse strands of cultural expression to create works that resonate both within local communities across the archipelago and far beyond national borders. Every choice that goes into shaping a work like Kalakal is rooted in the specific context of its creators’ shared national origin, a context that infuses every layer of the work with a sense of connection to the creative ecosystems that shaped both SB19 and Gloc-9 as they developed their respective practices, and that led them to come together to contribute to this single collaborative piece.