2024 WORLD TOUR #7 TAIWAN - MEDIA PLAYERS
TAIWAN LIVE JAZZ - MELTING POT | 爵犬 (JOE TRANE) EVENTS
Melting Part started with a basement jam in Taipei, where dancers, musicians and grafitti artists came to play.
Since 2022 they’ve been hosting cross-disciplinary jams, representing a close-knit community of artists, audiences and venues, showcasing the rich arts and culture ecosystem that Taiwan has to offer.
“爵犬 (Joe Trane)” literally translates to “jazz dog” in Mandarin is one of Melting Part’s most celebrated and long-running projects, shining a light on Taiwan’s buzzing jazz scene, every performance selling out.
The first Studio Monkey Shoulder Joe Trane event was held 27th July at Laylow in Taichung. Hosted by WADE DAO and D.J. Kool Klone, featuring Mike Tseng (Keys), Benny Lin (Drums), Jenni Tsai (Flute), and Han (Bass) and joined by a very special guest–Taichung’s very own JOYCE 914.
Head to the Joe Trane Instagram page for more info.
Source: WorldWideFM
Live Jazz from Taipei: So Beautiful ft. Star Wu, WADE DAO | 爵犬 JOE TRANE at Basement Café
2024 WORLD TOUR #7 TAIWAN - ALBUMS
甘 Aftertaste
DEBBY WANG 王思雅
Released 24 February 2024
Debby Wang Music Studio
*****
Through three months of field recordings and self-interviews, the aim is to showcase the sounds of Taiwan, allowing audiences outside Taiwan to better understand its culture.
Debby Wang is a vibist, composer, and educator. She studied at Studio Percussion School in Austria, Graz in 2009, and majored in classical percussion performance at the University Of Performing Arts and Music Vienna in 2015. She then switched her path in 2018 for Berklee College Of Music, dual majoring in jazz vibraphone performance and jazz composition. In 2021, she moved back to Taiwan to continue her music career as a performer, educator, and conductor.
"Aftertaste" contains 9 songs, all conveying a sense of identity and self-awareness.
Breaking away from the typical fixed lineup of albums, each track in this album has a different instrumentation, and the musicians vary as well. From solo marimba, vibraphone trio, sextet, to a big band, different instrumentations presenting the exploration of the doubts and self-doubt that have arisen during the artist's drifting across various places over the past 13 years.
The use of electronic sound effects and noise represents the artist's connection to Taiwan. Having studied classical music in Taiwan since childhood, encountering jazz in Austria, and traveling to the United States, where diverse sounds were encountered, I searched for myself in the world of sound. Cultural innovation is incredibly important, but the preservation of culture is also an indispensable part. Through field recordings, the most authentic sounds of Taiwan, interviews, and musical performances, connecting the present, future, and past together like drinking tea; swallowing the bitterness of the tea, leaving the final sweetness behind as the Aftertaste.
Read more ... Debby Wang, Bandcamp
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Land Forms (EP)
YENTING LO
GIN LIN, DEBBY WANG, SHAOHUAN HUNG
Released 22 February 2024
Yenting Lo
****-
After walking on various kinds of landforms, Taiwanese jazz singer-songwriter YenTing Lo puts her observations and memories into a series of musical poems.
YenTing Lo is a jazz singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, pianist, flutist and cross-media producer, based in Taiwan. Beginning with a musical foundation of classical piano and flute at a young age, YenTing grew up singing in choirs and playing in school orchestras. Self-taught as a singer-songwriter, YenTing stepped into the world of jazz after she attended the Taipei International Summer Jazz Academy. Since then, her musical adventure has brought her to Tokyo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Spain, Italy, etc. After graduating from the Conservatory of Amsterdam, YenTing has lived in the Netherlands for almost 6 years and moved back to Taiwan in 2021. She’s currently active in all kinds of stages from jazz to pop, from classical to musicals.
In collaboration with the Bebop Artist Project, YenTing invited three other Taiwanese jazz musicians: Shaohuan Hung (sheng), Gin Lin (guitar) and Debby Wang (vibraphone) to this afternoon live session, to explore how such special instrumentation portray four different landscapes - fierce winds on the mountain ridge, desert that swallow time, ripples that wave between islands.
Read more ... YenTing Lo, Bandcamp
Recent Releases
UTINGLING
Released 2022 - 2024
Utingling
****-
Utingling / YuTing Chiu is a sound designer, instrument maker and multimedia artist based in Taipei who is creating absorbing and innovative music that draws upon cultural and environmental sources - ancient, modern and all between - and field recordings from her travels.
Taipei artist Utingling (ala Yuting Chiu) has not yet released a full album, but already her work is noteworthy. When it is placed alongside the work of Debby Wang, Sabiwa, Tsuzing and Yenting Lo, we see a fascinating Taiwanese subgenre of experimentation that incorporates field recordings, electronica and heritage music, drawing from sources modern and traditional, local and international.
The three releases included here are:
-
her 6-track 2022 EP "晴 穹 Natureverse",
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her 2023 cover of Cantopop diva Sally Yeh's classic song "瀟灑走一回" and
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her 2024 single "Cloud Leoparded"
Her profile on Bandcamp summarises her approach as "building up her soundscape by blending ethnic and electro elements, layering field recordings from her many travels, experimenting sound with the rainmaker she create, those sounds highlight the detail of the imagery and inviting the audience to create their own experience along with the musical journey".
We love that the final line of her self-penned Spotify bio: "- just a teacup celebrating time with music -"
Read more ... Bandcamp
Built In System
Live in New York
CHIEN CHIEN LU
Released 6 October 2023
Feeling Good Music
*****
Lu leads from the front with a controlled virtuosity rooted in the soul and drama of modern jazz, and nudges the direction of the music from within.
Classically trained in contemporary percussion in her native Taiwan, Chien Chien Lu, the emergent vibraphonist is best known for recording and touring with Jeremy Pelt Quintet but made her recording debut with her 2020 solo release "The Path", her genre melding debut as a leader. She was backed by an elite cast of musicians, sourced principally from Pelt's ensemble and with his blessing. In fact, Pelt himself appeared here alongside bandmates Richie Goods (acoustic & electric bass), Allan Mednard (drums) and Ismel Wignall on (congas & percussion).
Built In System is the New York based artist's third release for the year 2023 and like it's predecessors it continues her strongly collaborative approach with Pelt, Goods and Mednard once again joining her in performance.
Lu dedicates the album to "all the people and things that have inspired me", adding that "as a woman from Taiwan, I view the world with my eyes and heart, seeking direction and peace. In the process of searching, I use the most familiar tool from my childhood, "music," to compose the sounds that exist in my imagination. I am happy and grateful for the significant individuals who have appeared in my life".
The album was selected by The Times of London as one of the best jazz and world albums of 2023.
Read more ... Jazzwise, Bandcamp
A Connected Holiday
CONNECTED
RICHIE GOODS & CHIEN CHIEN LU
Released 23 November 2023
Richaman Music
*****
What truly elevates this album to the forefront of seasonal fare is the admission of featured vocal contributions from Lisa Fischer, Imani-Grace, Andromeda Turre and Smithsoneon - the result of the creative collaboration that has become a defining characteristic of this duo.
For their second collaborative release as "Connected" and having previously recorded and toured together in the Jeremy Pelt Quintet, Jeremy Goods and Chien Chien Lu here tackle their first "Holiday Album" project with spectacular success. They have produced an innovative and enjoyable set of seasonal staples by mixing the the very familiar and sacred ("O Holy Night", "We Three Kings", "Carol of the Bells", "O Come, O Come Emmanuel") with the lesser known (Mary, Did You Know") and secular ("Baby It's Cold Outside", "All I Need").
Their signature mix of vibes and bass underpins this lively set of interpretations, but the album is lifted to the upper ranks of seasonal music by it's inspired vocal contributors and such is the quality that the set may be enjoyed in its own right, regardless of the time of year.
We note sadly that all vocalists are uncredited on Spotify, but are relieved to see them identified in YouTube.
SunNeverSetsOnMusic's searches suggest that this album has received little or no attention from the music press. We hope it will be re-released later this year and receives the attention it deserves.
SunNeverSetsOnMusic
Connected Vol. 1
CONNECTED
RICHIE GOODS & CHIEN CHIEN LU
Released 2 January 2023
Richaman Music
*****
Goods and Lu have craftily blended jazz and R&B to deliver a provocative statement with a gentle ambience that speaks to the peaceful world they long for.
Renowned bassist Richie Goods and respected vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu are documenting what looks to be the first in a series of collaborations. Connected Vol. 1 is their first complete album, one themed on unity and focused on undeserved violence against African American and Asian communities. Most of the compositions are co-written and they are performed with a slew of supporting musicians and guests with guitarist Quintin Zoto, drummer Lil John Roberts, and percussionist Danny Sadownick among the most prominent as Lu plays vibes and marimba and Goods plays mostly electric bass, saving the upright for two of the tracks. Other guests include vocalists Sy Smith, Jamison Ross and Pastor Dr. Adolfus Lacey, drummers Allan Mednard and David Frazier Jr., keyboardist Big YUKI, Shedrick Mitchell on organ and piano, Brett Williams on keys and Rhodes and Mike King on Rhodes and organ.
Read more ... Making A Scene
美麗的灣 Wonderful One
CHILL QIN
Released 23 September 2023
Multi Music
*****
Chill Qin continues to exemplify how traditional instrumentation, songs and sounds can be brought forward in a modern context that is both respectful, tasteful and beautiful.
Since the initial release of their debut EP "Guān 笑琴 - 觀" on Muti Music in 2020, Chill Qin has become a well known production team from Taipei Taiwan, labeling themselves as ‘cross-field’ producers, as the music no doubt crosses some boundaries.
In 2021 Chill Qin and Wen Ching Hao created an outstanding 12 minute sound design composition, named "43251", that was synched to custom visuals, and it was displayed at Taipei Fine Art Museum, as well as released on video and audio on Muti Music.
Chill Qin returns to Muti Music once again with another epic cross genre-bending cultural journey.
"美麗的灣 Wonderful One" feels like music should feel, when it’s a mini vacation from the mundane and generic and takes you somewhere for a little while.
On this release, the sound design is incredible, production top notch and the colorful melodies, vocal contributions and unique blend of styles, all together, make this a thoroughly enjoyable journey.
A similarly noteworthy release by Chill Quin is their 2022 album "萬象 The Poem For All Beings",
Read more ... Bandcamp
绿帽 Green Hat
TZUSING
Released 31 March 2023
PAN
*****
绿帽 Green Hat is unashamed to lean into its layered concept and the album never loses its well-rehearsed dancefloor momentum. Tzusing has been through many metamorphoses during his career, but it's here where sounds most eager to unify his interests and inclinations.
Growing up between Singapore, Taiwan, China, and the USA, Tzusing was living in Chicago when his love of music turned into an obsession. After relocating to China for work, he cut his teeth DJing at The Shelter in Shanghai and began refining his personal musical signature.
The album, which is named after an expression that Chinese use when a woman cheats on her husband or boyfriend because the phrase sounds similar to the word for cuckold.
The album meditates on China's complicated history of patriarchal heteronormativity, and how these archaic double standards continue to dominate the culture in pervasive, often invisible ways. Even in progressive circles, internalized male inadequacy and its inevitable projection of possessiveness and aggression has been brushed underneath the rug, so by addressing it head-on, Tzusing attempts to question these structures using a level of aesthetic anxiety and thematic intensity that's hard to ignore.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Island No. 16
Memories of Future Landscapes
SABIWA
Released 14 April 2023
Phantom Limb
****-
"Sabiwa dances between the line of electronica and ritualism. Her oeuvre is abstraction made sound; a creative amalgamation that weaves together elements from natural and synthetic sources." - METAL Magazine
Rising Taiwanese sound designer / sonic experimentalist Sabiwa's first Phantom Limb release of new album "Island No. 16 - Memories of Future Landscapes" is a strange and beguiling journey through traditional Taiwanese folk musics, turned concréte.
In her new album the Kaohsiung-born, Berlin-based Sabiwa employs bass heavy rhythms, dissected field recordings and exploratory extended vocal technique. Often beginning the compositional process with her own voice and ancient, nature-mimicking musics from the Thau, Bunun, Atayal and other tribespeople of her native Taiwan and also recording from south asia recorded by Kink Gong, Sabiwa processes and slices source material beyond recognition, opening sonic pathways to mesmerising, transcendental new dimensions. Glitching samples and indistinguishable language merge with evolving organic texture, forming a strange, dreamlike, transportive unreality. SABIWA’s background in classical and academic music (she has played the cello since childhood) also shines through, lending a deep and engaging musicality to the brain-melting psychedelics of the record.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Sent
9M88
Released 6 October 2023
Jazz Baby
****-
Chill Qin continues to exemplify how traditional instrumentation, songs and sounds can be brought forward in a modern context that is both respectful, tasteful and beautiful.
9m88 (real name Joanne Tang Yu-chi) and affectionately known as Baba, is a R&B singer-songwriter from Taipei, based in New York. Her music is heavily jazz-influenced but well-blended with R&B, Free Improvisation, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop and Pop music. Her soulful voice and her lyrics often emphasize both the female sensibility and rationality, she's adept in fusing styles into poetic songs.
This, the artist's third album, follows within a year of her second, August 2022's “9m88 Radio”, which featured guests from worldwide artists such as Oddisee (USA), SUMIN (S.Korea), Mitsu the Beats )Iapan) and StarRo (Japan).
"Sure" relies almost entirely on the talented 9m88's mellow vocals but she incorporates a wide range of vocal styles. First single "What If?", a cover of a song by a 1990's era singer, songwriter, producer Chang Yusheng, for which she adopts an easy going jazz approach and features Takuya Kuroda, one of the most famous trumpeters in Japan.
Opening song, “Hair,” is an acoustic jazz ballad. Title track "Sent" features vocal and folky guitars, "足久無見 Tsiok Ku Bo Kinn (Long Time No See" is truly funky, "Fauvism" (which is a style of painting and art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century, led by Matisse, among others) adopts a Brechtian cabaret fee, while “Farewell Summer,” is a breezy bossa nova number. It is an entertaining mix.
Read more ... 9m88
Way Out
壞特 WHYTE
Released 19 June 2023
Monzilin / Sony Music Entertainment Taiwan
****-
Working closely with producer Chen Junhao, Whyte unabashedly reveals private emotional stories, care for women's issues and deeply depicts various forms of powerlessness.
壞特 Whyte (pronounced "Why - Ta") is a singer-songwriter known for her jazzy and laid-back voice. Deeply influenced by jazz and soul music, she started to write songs after two years of learning guitar.
Whyte first began to attract attention on the Internet in 2019 with her two songs "Cazzo" and "Can't Sleep", which were a mix of Chinese and English lyrics.
Keeping her identity mysterious, she released her first album “A Bedroom of One’s Own” in 2020 with her producer Tower. The lo-fi album embeds jazz, blues, funk, soul music, hip hop, and Latin into its soundscape. Her music tolerates simplicity, embraces imperfections and fully expresses her low key attitude towards life.
With his lazy voice and mysterious figure - always wearing a hat and sunglasses - she has become a gentle companion for the "late-at-nighters" and the lonely.
However, the seemingly dormant days of the past three years were actually a period of chaos for Whyte. This experience forced her to confront life's issues, and she found that she longed for inner peace and freedom more and more. Deciding not to be disturbed by external emotions, she learned to meditate, observed the changes in her mind inwardly and was ready to run her own music world again.
Read more ... Sony Entertainment Taiwan
這一切終將過去
This Will Pass Eventually
楊斯琪 SZUCHI
Released 1 September 2023
楊斯琪
****-
"Sabiwa dances between the line of electronica and ritualism. Her oeuvre is abstraction made sound; a creative amalgamation that weaves together elements from natural and synthetic sources." - METAL Magazine
The album concept is an unexpected combination of vocals and jazz instrumental arrangements, integrating the singer-songwriter's narrative style with Szuchi's unique and melodious melodies and warm vocals. The suite of nine songs takes the audience on an emotional journey of reflection upon interacting with life and others.
Movie soundtracks from different periods have given Siqi a lot of creative nourishment. In the second half of the album, listeners can treat the songs as movie soundtracks like watching a movie.
Read more ... Spotify profile
Music For The River Jazz Suite: The Spirit of Love River and Mississippi River
徐崇育 VINCENT HSU
& THE JAZZ SUPREME ORCHESTRA
Released 20 October 2023
Vincent Hsu
****-
This innovative new work finds common ground between two seemingly disparate great rivers: Love River of Hsu’s hometown of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and the Mississippi River, integral to the birth of jazz.
Fused with Afro-Cuban undertones, of which Hsu has played extensively for most of his career, Music for the River Jazz Suite is truly a singular and unique work of cultural and musical fusion.
Hsu’s fourth album as a bandleader allows listeners to hear Hsu’s compositions brought to life by a large ensemble for the very first time. Music for the River Jazz Suite captures the raw thrill of the concert atmosphere, recorded live at Taiwan’s Weiwuying Recital Hall. Breathing life to these deeply emotive and soulful works, Hsu is joined by saxophonists Hank Pan, Shen-yu Su, and Jonas Ganzemüller, trumpeter Wen-feng Cheng, violinist Yu-chen Tseng, clarinetist Chieh-an Fan, trombonist Yi-chun Teng, guitarist Shih-chun Lee, pianist Musaubach, drummer Kuan-liang Lin, and conga player Carol Huang.
The seeds for this incredibly creative project were planted over 15 years ago, when Hsu visited New Orleans for the first time. It was 2007, and Hsu took a trip on a steamboat on the Mississippi River. “I got to thinking about how jazz has been played on the boat since the 1920s. I also saw how the movement and the waves of the river share the same kind of motion of jazz music when it comes to the swing feel,” he shares. Observing that the Mississippi River passes through so many important musical cities such as Nashville, Memphis, Clarksdale, and New Orleans, he began composing works inspired by the river itself. Eventually, this led him to draw parallels to Love River, a 7.5 mile river known as the spine of Kaohsiung, his birthplace in Taiwan. “I wanted to connect the stories of my upbringing with my musical influences.”
Read more ... Lydia Liebman Promotions
My Influences | Taiwan Impressions
MICHAEL WANG QUARTET
Released 15 December 2023
Improvised Way / Sony Music Entertainment Taiwan
****-
Through complex time signatures, irregular structures and unexpected harmonies, (Wang's Quartet) pursues auditory balance and hopes to bring music fans a unique experience. A musical journey that is both novel and familiar.
Trombonist Michael Wang has assembled and recorded with a trio of the top jazz musicians in the Chinese jazz circle alongside him - Huang Ziyu (arguably the most influential jazz pianist in Taiwan's history), Xu Yuying ( percussion) and Liu Yujia (double bass)
"My Influences | Taiwan Impressions" tells the story of Michael Wang's impressions during the three years after returning to Taiwan during the epidemic. It is full of emotions about this land and the touching people and things around him. This album is also his first attempt at trombone composition, further exploring the possibilities of trombone playing. Different from traditional jazz, "My Influences | Taiwan Impressions" is an avant-garde musical adventure.
Read more ... Fishhuang
Pluto Potato
PLUTATO
Released 5 July 2023
Plutato
****-
Filled with jazztronica vibes and odd metre, they acknowledge that even if you can't dance to it, you can soar with them.
"Plutato" means Pluto Potato, it’s a jazz trio established in Taiwan.
They say they're looking for potatoes on Pluto, which is their way of saying that they're searching for signs of life even in the extreme environment.
Musically, this means putting together organic elements and futuristic imagination, with astronomy fiction and earthly stories.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Hideout
LINION
Released 20 October 2023
Vincent Hsu
****-
n the Taiwanese music scene, LINION is renowned for his Neo-Soul and R&B style. He is also a rare singer-songwriter who primarily performs with the bass guitar.
I Growing up in the seaside Tamsui District of New Taipei City, surrounded by mountains and rivers, LINION’s lyrics and melodies are relatable, and his vocal delivery is laid-back and mellow. He often expresses the joys and sorrows of urban youth in his songs.
After graduating from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, LINION released his debut album, "Me In Dat Blue", in 2018, which quickly earned him a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 10th Golden Indie Music Awards.
His sophomore album, "Leisurely", released in 2020, offered a spiritual cure to the social anxieties of city life. It not only made the list of Top 10 Albums of 2020 by leading radio station Hit Fm but won the Best R&B Album at the 12th Golden Indie Music Awards. Beyond his solo work, LINION has frequently collaborated with Japanese musicians such as THREE1989, illmore, and chilldspot, culminating in multiple singles earning over a million streams.
LINION’s long-awaited third album, "HIDEOUT" incorporates folk elements into R&B and aims to create a sonic sanctuary where the inner secrets of fans can find solace.
Read more ... Spotify profile
A Simple Sentence
鄭平 ZHENG PING
Released 31 July 2023
AUCE Music
****-
Singer-songwriter Zheng's lyrics are delivered in a breezy, smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style that reminds us of the great American artist Michael Franks.
SunNeverSetsOnMusic found very little English-language information for Zheng (or Cheng) Ping except for KKBox - a Taiwanese site that claims to be the world's first legal music streaming platform with service areas covering Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, with a library of more than 100 million songs.
The album entry for "A Simple Sentence" is headed with an aspirational quotation: "sing happy songs on days without happiness" - which we take to be the sentence to which the album title refers.
Intriguingly, KKBox adds - "Zheng Ping embedded what he wanted to say into the melody in his native language (Taiwanese) where he felt most comfortable. Describes a seemingly boring life of being forced to do business. Send out a signal between fantasy and reality, looking for a channel that can echo him. This work received a 111-year subsidy from the (Taiwan) Film, Television and Popular Music Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Culture."
Read more ... KKBox
瓦合 The Clod
NO PARTY FOR CAO DONG
Released 5 July 2023
草東沒有派對
****-
One aspect of grief that ... goes often overlooked is the visceral need to be kinetic; to do something, anything, to channel lingering energy into movement. It is this phenomenon that I think sits at the center of The Clod (瓦合), the latest miracle record from Taiwan’s No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對).
It has been over seven years since their debut record The Servile (醜奴兒) released in 2016, and in October of 2021 their drummer, Fan Tsai, was found dead at the age of 26 in her COVID-19 quarantine hotel room. The shock and void left in the wake of her abrupt passing can be found on every single track, not just in the lyrics, but in the song compositions and structure choices themselves.
Their debut’s blend of dancey guitar-driven indie/alt rock and solemn lyricism hasn’t been entirely left behind, but it has undergone a transformation.The Clod is a journey that has the band trying to find catharsis across its quick thirty-five minute runtime, and ultimately seeming to find a little bit of what they are looking for.
No Party For Cao Dong was judged Best New Artist, Best Band and Song of ther Year at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Sputnik Music
夜婆 Iā-Pô
PANAI (BANAI) 巴奈
Released 15 December 2023
創銘實業股份有限公司
****-
The wonderful collaboration created a Taiwanese song that has never been heard before, and its naturalness and unpretentiousness are the most rare things - regardless of the baggage of form and inheritance, they only focus on telling a story.
The lyrics, music, arrangement and production by Ke Zhihao, and vocals performed by activist singer Banai 巴奈, and ten years in the making, the Taiwanese language album 夜婆 Iā-Pô ("Ye Po") is a vehicle used to metaphorize the situation of women in Taiwan's traditional rural society in eight songs / fables that also happen to constitute the four stages of life.
In recent years, many songwriters and bands from different generations have been trying to create Taiwanese songs in their own ways. However, differences in musical styles and language training backgrounds have made the "Taiwanese songs" they present very different.
Ke's native Taiwanese language skills enable him to clearly describe objects and situations in short, neat sentences while leaving room for imagination, making the metaphors referring to agricultural society full of modernity. The lyrics of "Ye Po" are both natural and clean, and also show the multiple aspects of Taiwanese elegance and vulgarity.
The album was judged Best Taiwanese Album at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Blow
CHIU SHU-CHAN 邱淑蟬
Released 28 July 2023
邱淑蟬 Shuchan Chiu
****-
"Shape Of Life" was written and composed by Qiu Shuchan, and Xiao Heshuo as the producer. The acoustic guitar-based folk style runs through the entire album.
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Hakka is Qiu Shuchan's mother tongue, and folk songs are her favorite music style. Originating from her family background as a rural farmer, her works have the instinct to smell the local customs in the fields in the early morning. "棉被Comforter" specially invited singer Wan Fang to sing together. Wan Fang, who is both an actor and a singer, combines singing and dramatic narration to create a strong tension;
"望" also receives two different treatments. One version is the most original creative version, and the other (the Goodnight Version) is recorded by Zhong Yongfeng, a writer and poet who is also a Hakka, interpreting hope from different perspectives, and conveying the love that transcends all through the cooperation of different generations.
The album was judged Best Hakka Album at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... KKBox
Zhin Moi 鎮妹
ZOOMIE 陳彥竹
Released 24 November 2023
柔米, 親愛的音樂有限公司
****-
One aspect of grief that ... goes often overlooked is the visceral need to be kinetic; to do something, anything, to channel lingering energy into movement. It is this phenomenon that I think sits at the center of The Clod (瓦合), the latest miracle record from Taiwan’s No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對).
Known as Zoomie or Roumi (real name is Chen Yanzhu) signed up for the "Taiwan Original Pop Music Awards" under her real name, Chen Yanzhu in 2017, and won the first prize in the Hakka category with the song #屋. Roumi is pronounced in Heluo dialect, which means "soft and beautiful". It was the name given to her by her grandfather, who is of Hakka descent.
In recent years, many singers have chosen to sing in their mother tongue, which is a good thing for self-identity and the inheritance of their mother tongue.
The singer comments "In addition to exploring and confirming my self-identity and language, I use my mother tongue to detail my growing experience, making life memories more intense and moving. I don't know if the album tracks have a chronological order, but some life-like environmental recordings between the songs link lyricism and criticism and add some breathing space. In addition, memory is at the core of this album - the use of music to record personal memories.
Zoomie was judged Best Hakka Singer at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Vocus
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Harateng no Pangcah
(The Beauty of Pangcah) 美感
WU SI AI (USAY) KAWLU
Released 29 December 2023
WIND MUSIC INTERNATIONAL
****-
The wonderful collaboration created a Taiwanese song that has never been heard before, and its naturalness and unpretentiousness are the most rare things - regardless of the baggage of form and inheritance, they only focus on telling a story.
Beauty is the feeling and recognition of beauty. Everyone has a unique sense of beauty, which can be a pace of life or a subjective belief. For Usay Kawlu, the so-called "beauty" is the true feeling shaped by the life experience of a contemporary Ami people.
All-around talented women dance and love, extracting eight kinds of "beauty" from life and memory, showing the multi-layered life chapter of the Ami people
In her 2021 debut album "The Girl on the Vine", Wusiai opens a girl's fantasy of pursuing identity through a fantasy background story. edge. "Beauty Harateng no Pangcah" is the second part of the album series.
Wu Si Ai leads the audience to accept the baptism of culture and further enter into the various feelings of Amis life. In the past year or two, Wu Siai and her family have driven their campervan on "homecoming" trips along the East Coast from time to time. These journeys have no clear purpose, but Wusiai continues to open up her sensibility, observing and thinking about what she sees and feels in daily life from the perspective of the Ami people, constructing an inspiration map for this album, and finally refining Eight profound feelings are composed into eight colorful and moving movements.
The album was judged Best Taiwanese Album at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Five Music
MAKAV 真愛
Released 11 September 2023
那屋瓦文化有限公司 Nanguaq Co.
****-
"Treasure" is based on gospel spiritual songs, echoing the importance of faith in Makav's true love life. Even if the lyrics are related to faith, she will not simply appropriate common lyrics from the church, but will integrate them into her song with skill and emotion, in the story of youth.
"Treasure" is 20-year-old "Bunun treasure girl" Makav's debut album, sung a trilingual mixture of Bunun, Chinese and English integrating Hip Hop, electronic, R&B and other styles.
She collaborates with "Paiwan Ordinary Goddess" Ah Bao to boldly sing the Eight Blessings of the Bible and Heaven.
The Bunun are an indigenous people from the central mountains of Taiwan, of approx. 41,000 or 8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population. The Paiwan are an indigenous people from the south central mountains of Taiwan, of approx.100,000 or 18% of Taiwan's total indigenous population
She is a Bunun girl who grew up in the city. Because she loves singing and creating, when she was in high school, Makav used her mobile phone to make simple arrangements and record demos of her singing. Her teacher even recommended her to sign up for a folk song competition. Her rich and pure emotions are reflected in her music, which is as "true" and "loving" as her name.
Makav was judged Best New Artist and her album was judged Best Indigenous Album at Taiwan's 2024 Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Marie Claire Taiwan
a method for capsaicinoid analysis
동이 DONGYI
Released 21 March 2023
forgetting curve, MUSIC&NEW
*****
East Asian ancient music was thrown into an alchemical furnace, waiting to be stirred, fusing unique acidic folk songs.
Born in Busan, South Korea 동이 dongyi (whose name means earthenware used for drawing water) has wandered across South East Asia from Busan to Jeju Island, Kyoto, Tokyo, Hokkaido, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hongkong and is now based in Taipei. His instruments of choice are acoustic-bass and electric-bass, however his music includes a wide range of traditional East Asian instruments.
This music bridges territory that connects Bill Laswell and Alabaster DePlume, Javanese gamelan orchestras and Japanese Gagaku and Chinese opera.
Read more ... Bandcamp
in a Single Thought Moment 念三千
DHARMA
Released 22 October 2023
Jack's studio
****-
Each person’s life contains infinite potential; this is the core belief of Nichiren Buddhism. The Buddhist concept of “three thousand realms in a single moment of life” serves to give us some idea of quite how much possibility exists in each instant of our lives.
Dharma is quite likely the first band in the world to combine ancient and traditional Buddhist sutras with the modern style of death metal. The inherent ferocity of death metal augments the will of the scriptures to instill within the listener a sense of spiritual relief and undeniable passion through the release of karma.
They write: "As a band, and as individuals, we are always trying to evolve, always educating ourselves, and forever looking to combine new theatrical elements into our performance to exemplify our personal evolution on stage. We hope that by doing so, our audience will evolve and educate themselves along with us. Delusions and distractions fly around us like these three thousand boundless worlds. As such, it can be difficult to escape the shackles of the mundane. Our thoughts flit between heaven and earth from day to day, back and forth, and back again. Though the external environment is often filled by the emptiness of the earthly concepts of contempt, power, and fame, as long as your heart and mind are clear, no matter where you go, you will roam in what we call the Western Pure Lands. This is the idea behind our performance - a mix of heaven and hell, the earthly and the otherworldly - a moment of clarity amidst the three thousand realms".
Read more ... Bandcamp
Other 別樣
LIM GIONG 林強
Released 25 March 2022
bie Records
****-
The ethereal sounds on OTHER mark a moment of truth for Lim Giong. Compared to his sporadic "phantom persona" put together by media over the years, this work spontaneously coming out of his personal "psychological state and imagination", is more representative of the real Lim Giong today.
The ex-pop singer, who left the entertainment world at the peak of his career, has long since changed course to become a low-key producer behind the scenes. In recent years, he has become a "music worker", frequently painting his musical brushstrokes on the cinematic worlds of directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Jia Zhang-ke.
Although carrying a similar aura of subtlety, the 3 tracks of OTHER are distinctive from the OSTs Lim composed for films - here, he expresses with a free state of mind, using the simplest ways to depict the most profound, which he experienced when surrounded by the earthy and floral scents in the great outdoor.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Kafka on the
Rivers-and-Lakes
SHENG XIANG & BAND 生祥樂隊
Released 4 March 2022
Fire On Music
****-
With the poetic lyrics of Chung Yung Feng and the creative compositions of Lin Sheng Xiang and Hayakawa Toru paving the bumpy road, Kafka on the Rivers-and-Lakes is a bold, meditative and thoroughly grassroots album that excites the ears and the mind.
Sheng Xiang & Band is a six-piece band led by singer-songwriter LIN Sheng-xiang and lyricist CHUNG Yung-feng. The duo's decades-long partnership has produced a large body of work about rural life and environmental issues, which have won them a large and loyal following across Taiwan. They are considered pioneers among the Hakka-speaking community for using the language exclusively in the modern rock idiom.
One of Taiwan's most unique bands, Sheng Xiang & Band blends traditional and contemporary music elements and themes into an idiosyncratic folk and roots rock sound. Influenced by The Metamorphosis, the Hakka band's fourth album sends its protagonist on a Kafkaesque pilgrimage through the legislative jianghu.
Their efforts have yielded a long string of awards, including the Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan's highest music honor, for Best Album and Best Lyricist.
Read more ... Cloudgate, Yes Asia
水逆 Mercury Retrograde
鄭宜農 ENNO CHENG
Released 4 March 2022
Fire On Music
****-
Working with producer Chunho, the singer-songwriter has crafted an ambient and dreamy alternative album that defies typical expectations of Hokkien pop music.
Enno Cheng (Chinese: 鄭宜農; pinyin: Zhèng Yínóng) is a Taiwanese indie singer-songwriter who is also an author and a film actress. She is currently part of the band Chocolate Tiger 猛虎巧克力) in addition to performing and releasing albums solo. She is the daughter of film director Cheng Wen-tang, who she often collaborates with by writing screenplays and film scores as well as performing in his films.
Mercury Retrograde is her first completely Taiwanese-language album, and one of the best of her career. Drawing from Wu Ming Yi's same-titled story, "How the Brain Got Language?" unfolds a dream-like soundscape about the desire and determination to speak, like a newborn bird spreading its wings. "Daughters" encourages women to fly in an equally gentle and mesmerizing synth-wrapped melody. Mercury Retrograde continuously impresses with its details – whether it's the sensuous bassline of "Before Dawn," the emotional buildup of the Taiwanese-style ballad "Dear." or the beautifully layered vocals of the jazzy "Distance" featuring deca joins – that signal the great musicality of this ambitious work.
In 2023, Cheng won Best Female Singer in Taiwanese and Best Album in Taiwanese at the 34th Golden Melody Awards.
Read more ... Yes Asia
G8 Dark Binary Opposition 派樂黛 G8 二元對立
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Released 18 November 2022
Dark Paradise Records
****-
As the Dark Paradise Records website declares - "Since it hasn't closed down yet, let's make another compilation album!"
It's that simple. There is no pretentious packaging or inspiration from the inner voice. When exploring, it is more like looking for something to do and thinking about it carefully.
Talking about the complexity of the compilation album, how can the unique shapes and colors of the ten groups of Taiwanese musicians be condensed into incisive copy?
Besides, I'm not a songwriter, so I can't do it, I really can't do it!
Rather than pretending to be pointless or making things up out of nothing, I sincerely suggest you try to listen to any song in this collection.
There is no mysterious commercial conspiracy in it, but more of the original intention of the creator. They use various tools that are incomprehensible to ordinary people to channel the sounds running through their minds; through production that may be lengthy and boring, and even through some inner struggles and choices, they create a brief pastime for others.
And what we want to hold on to may only be those few seconds for music; for creation, that fleeting sense of satisfaction.
Read more ... Bandcamp
士詩靈魂夜
A Soulful Night of
Jazz Poetry
Hung Hung, Minyen Hsieh, Mars Lin
Released 20 May 2022
Darkeyes
****-
"This album reflects the themes and rhythms of jazz, but also reflects the wonderful interaction of singers, poets and players... It can be said to completely capture the live theatrical performance. The excitement and tension.” Cultural critic Professor Dean Anthony Brink
A piece of pure jazz music that is also a three-dimensional performance of literature!
Taiwan's first jazz poetry album. It was jointly produced by jazz musician Xie Mingyan and poet Hong Hong, inviting eight poets of different ages and backgrounds - Zheng Jiongming, Chen Jiatai, Honghong, Liao Weitang, Cao Shuying, Yuan Shaoshan, Cui from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
Koran and Rie Hayashi read their own lines of poetry in completely different voices, languages, and tones, and the musicians responded with improvised sounds. The outstanding musicians led by Xie Mingyan, including Zen Zengyi on piano, Shinya Ikeda on bass, Lin Weizhong on drums, and guest trombone Deng Yijun, presented a state of parallelism and intertwining: music makes the imagery of the poem more penetrating, Poetry also allows music to bring the listener more into the plot. Coupled with Rie Hayashi's magnetic and dramatic voice, she can change her voice to sing classic songs, or shuttle with her smart voice. Just like all jazz performances, it is completed in a flash, one session at a time, and cannot be copied.
One side of the album is a dialogue between poetry and the jazz tradition, including poems dedicated to Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Charter Baker, John Zorn, and Hong Hong's "Taipei Blues", the oldest album in Taiwan. 's jazz bar left its mark. The other side is an exploration of Taiwan’s history and contemporary survival: Lam Rie Hui’s “My Name, Please” adds new lyrics to Nina Simone’s black feminist song “Four Women” to commemorate the four women who suffered from white terror; Zheng Jiongming’s “Listen” is a summons written for the Formosa incident (a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred on Formosa Magazine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 10 December 1979 - Human Rights Day - during Taiwan's martial law period. At that time, the Republic of China was a one-party state under the Kuomintang, called Dang Guo, and the government used this protest as an excuse to arrest the main leaders of the political opposition).
Read more ... Wikipedia, Ensemble Music Centre,
The New Beginning 新生
玩弦四度 INTERESTRING QUARTET
Released 26 August 2022
玩弦四度 Interestring Quartet
****-
The 2014 release of the very first eponymous album of Interestring Quartet blew the minds of Taiwan’s performing arts circle.
Interesting Quartet are: Wei-Jun Huang, (head and lead violinist), Wei-Hsin Liu (second violinist), Ti-Chi Yeh (violist), and Chun-Lin Yeh (cellist). Together, they started the first jazz string quartet in the greater Chinese area.
Blending jazz, pop, R&B, blues, country, and world music, the ensemble translates string music into a rhythmic fusion of transcultural sound influences that defies the labels of traditional string quartet.
The critically acclaimed band has received numerous recognitions, including the 2015 Golden Melody Awards (nominations for best album, best album producer, best composer, and best recording under instrumental music category), 2015 Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music (nomination for best crossover album), as well as 2015 Golden Indie Music Awards (winner of the best jazz album).
The band's website (and the miraculous Google Translate) reveals that their most recent album New Beginnings is a reflection upon group experiences over its eight year history. "In the past eight years, we traveled all over the north and south of Taiwan together, met many people and encountered many things. We play music in various settings, large and small, indoors and outdoors. We have experienced many social turmoils and changes in the world situation. In happiness and sadness, in peaceful and shocking moments, we listen to the sounds around us and remember the music in our hearts. The members' lives have had their own plans, and there have been various changes that they couldn't keep up with...We cried and said goodbye with smiles. No matter how far apart we are, we can always maintain the connection with each other. Now, this album is what we can present to you at this moment after the ups and downs of the past two winters and summers..."
Read more ... Interstring Quartet
ADAN
Released 7 September 2022
Danvoice Studio
****-
Her songs explore the real-life conflicts and bittersweet human relationships that many may encounter on their way to becoming a "respectable adult." A sophisticated yet bold approach is how she presents her lyrics. While they may not be the ultimate solution to life's endless setbacks, people will find courage and inspiration through her candid words and embrace her textured voice.
aDAN (real name: Xue Yi Dan, pronounced Sheh-Yi Dan) is a singer-songwriter from Taiwan, born and raised in Kaohsiung and currently living in Taipei. She has worked as a full-time musician as well as working in the fields of backing vocals, jazz vocals, and vocal production/arrangement.
aDAN released his debut mini album "Too Quiet" in 2019, and was soon nominated for Best R&B Song at the 11th Taiwan Golden Indie Music Awards for his song "Sugar-coated". She has since released many original works, including his live session single "Nanmen Lu Shang", which was nominated for Best Jazz Song at the 13th Taiwan Golden Indie Music Awards.
Flashback was co-produced with guitarist Wico Weng, and her work is a mixture of various elements, including R&B, jazz, and pop music. With her silky and sexy mezzo-soprano vocal tone, aDAN sublimates jazz and R&B styles into pop music, sprinkling fresh sparks into familiar melodies and demonstrating her charm as an urban female vocalist.
Read more ... Diskunion
In Mind
甜約翰 SWEET JOHN
Released 28 October 2022
Workaholic
****-
After being tempered by various performances, this album has become more mature in terms of instruments and vocals, showing many different aspects of Sweet John. What remains unchanged is the joy after the song ends.
The group name Sweet John comes from the "Dear John Letter" that is specially used to say goodbye to lovers and partners.
Sweet John specializes in light and recognizable melodies, restrained and gentle whispers. Combining a variety of instrumental sounds and styles, coupled with the perfect mastery of rhythm, weaving a lazy piece of Sweet John style, dedicated to every listener's heart, Sweet John, who is so beautiful but can only wave goodbye.
" In Mind" is Sweet John's third album. After two albums, Sweet John gradually broke away from the youthfulness revealed in "Dear" and the melancholy revealed in "Selected Urban Novels".
After experiencing the change of team members, the interaction between people is explored from a more mature perspective, and the relationship between different stages is interpreted through different rhythms. "
Read more ... Bandcamp
Marigold 萬壽菊
HAOTING 黃浩庭
Released 11 November 2022
Sunset Music Productions
****-
Huang Haoting is like a marigold that is resistant to moisture and drought, and has strong vitality. It sways the blessing flower language of "longevity and health" in the wind. He is willing to bloom with bright yellow and unconditionally accompany every emotional heart.
Huang Haoting, a member of Taiwan's internationally renowned band Sunset Speed, has released his first album "Marigold", which is based on Taiwanese and incorporates city pop, chillwave, AOR adult lyrical and other genres.
Huang Haoting is not only good at playing saxophone, but also has the all-round ability of synthesizer, guitar and singing.
Behind the release of the first album, in addition to Li Yinghong as co-producer and co-creator of many lyrics and music, Zheng Yinong, LINION, Lily Hua Yishuo, Lei Qing, DJ MR.GIN, Lao Wang (Wang Yuchen), and Problem Headquarters Wu Yusheng, As well as Chicago musicians Paul Cherry, Shubu and more than a dozen friends from the music industry helped out.
Read more ... Taiker Magazine
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Tunic
(Original Game Soundtrack)
LIFEFORMED, JANICE KWAN
Released 16 March 2022
Loopdisk
****-
Explore a land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters in TUNIC, an isometric action game about a small fox on a big adventure
This is the soundtrack for the game TUNIC. It's an album about mystery, adventure, and the depths they take us to.
Created over a period of seven years and co-composed with Janice Kwan.
Read more ... Lifeformed, Janice Kwan
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Tunic (Piano Sketches)
LIFEFORMED, JANICE KWAN
Released 1 October 2023
Loopdisk
****-
These are some early piano concepts written for the game TUNIC. (they're pretty raw). some sketches are closer to the finals, some are just short little bits that prompted the rest of the track, and some never made it into the finals at all.
sometimes when I'm feeling unsure, i find it helpful to look back and see how something began, and then where it ended up. it helps me remember how much tracks can evolve over time, and that it doesn't have to be love at first note.
time is an interesting factor in creating things. sometimes a track comes out in a flash--those are times i feel invincible and i could do this forever. sometimes it needs to sit and ferment, and the flavour becomes more apparent over many sessions--these are times when i'm reminded that music has a life of its own and my work is in being open to whatever comes.
Read more ... Bandcamp