What is Nord?

It’s a premium brand of musical keyboards from Sweden that are actually assembled by hand. From organs to synthesizers, their products have been reputed to be simply amazing and exquisite. And to top it all, they look so well crafted that they exhibit a certain attitude being distinctively red and all.

I’ve been hearing and reading of this brand before. But I never actually got to see one. That is, until a couple of weeks ago.

I was lucky enough that I got invited to the grand launching of Nord here in the Philippines. The event was hosted by Lyric, who is the company responsible for bringing in the said brand locally.

The event was graced by featured performances from Fuseboxx, Mike’s Apartment, and Cruz’in. While being treated to the excellent band performances, I had the chance to get some snaps. I’m sharing here just a few of them:

That night, I personally witnessed what talented musicians can do with just some of those bright red keyboards. I was at awe while I witnessed the talent of the different keyboardists with the matching versatility of their red instruments. It was one hell of a swing. From “progressive rock” to “soul music” then to “jazz fusion”!

Simply fantastic is how I would personally describe that night! Oh, and did I mention that the Nord keyboards were red?

One of the best brands in collector’s toys is officially coming to Manila.

MINDstyle is a global brand recognized for fostering creativity through its line of art toys. Their products are unique and feature works from internationally acclaimed artists like Doktor A, Ron English and Michael Lau among others. 

And they are setting up their pronounced presence locally by opening a store within a store in the concept shop of Bratpack at Greenbelt 5. The event is going to be held this coming Friday (June 12) with the opening ceremonies slated to start at 6pm.

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Yes! You saw the invitation right. The occasion is going to be hosted by our very own Philippine racing Goddess and celebrity Gaby dela Merced.

As it turns out, Gaby is also an avid art toys collector. Her interest for accumulating vinyl figures started out around 7 years ago with one of Michael Lau’s creations.

The products from the “Collectors Toy Box” are basically designer vinyl art toys. And they can literally be toys for collectors since they are available only in really limited numbers. Because of their rarity some have been known to fetch prices from hundreds to thousands of US dollars.

Aside of course from the lovely Ms. dela Merced, I’m also excited to see the initial batch of toys MINDstyle would be releasing and showing during the launch.