In the Philippines, the Minus-One (commonly, albeit improperly, spelled "minus one"[1] without the hyphen) is a variant mix of a multi-track recording, wherein the lead vocal track of a song is muted for further use. In the Philippine recording industry of the 1980s, during the heyday of vinyl records, this variant was released as the "flip side"[2][3] of a commercial song's 7-inch single, but generally never a part of the Long Playing album containing the full-featured song. Succinctly, a B-side selection became referred to as "minus-one" because the lead vocal track is subtracted from the A-Side song's original mix.
The Minus-One is the patented name of the "Sing-Along System" karaoke machine invented by Filipino business executive Roberto del Rosario in 1975.[4] The term and the idea of records without vocals can be traced back to the Music Minus One company in the 1950s.[5]
A "minus-one mix" would not necessarily be wholly instrumental, as backing vocals of the song's original mix may be retained. The concept of instrumental B-sides to complement their full versions became a production trend of the Philippine record industry of the 1980s, which was replicated overseas.[8] In the ensuing years, tracks from minus-one flip sides were assembled by production houses for their inclusion in compilations.[9][10]
↑ Fintoni, Laurent (2020). Bedroom Beats & B-Sides: Instrumental Hip-Hop & Electronic Music at the Turn of the Century. Velocity Press. ISBN9781913231040.
↑ "Bagani Quincentennial Theme Song". National Quincentennial Committee Philippines, National Historical Commission of the Philippines. March 25, 2020.
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