14. How Taiwanese Indie Music Embraces the World: Global Mandopop, East Asian DIY Networks, and the Translocal Entrepreneurial Promoters

MIAOJU JIAN


 

1. Sunset Rollercoaster on Audiotree Live (Full Session) (2018)

Setlist: “Greedy,” “Summum Bonum,” “New Drug,” “My Jinji,” “I Know You Know I Love You”
 

 

Sunset Rollercoaster went on their “Love Motel Love” North America Tour in 2018, traveling to two countries and nine cities. In between, they stopped in Chicago to record their Audiotree session and became the first artist/band from Taiwan to record live there.


2. Elephant Gym on Audiotree Live (Full Session) (2019)

Setlist: “Underwater,” “Finger,” “Head & Body,” “Spring Rain,” “Galaxy”
 

Following in Sunset Rollercoaster’ footstep, Elephant Gym became the second Taiwanese band to record in Audiotree. The live session video rapidly struck a chord with many math-rock genre aficionados, attracting overseas fans and made “Taiwanese Indie Music” a hot topic on the streaming platform.


3. Mayday, “Stubborn” (Live version, 2012)

NOW-HERE WORLD TOUR 2012 in Beijing Bird’s Nest.

Lyrics

Mayday is the most popular Taiwanese band of the last two decades. Mayday’s music was praised for voicing the heartfelt feelings of young Taiwanese/Chinese about their lives, relationships, work, and reflections. The band began touring internationally in 2004, with footprints covering Asia, the US, Europe, Australia and other regions. Mayday successfully performed at Beijing’s 100,000-capacity “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium for the first time in 2012. A hundred thousand tickets to their Now-Here World tour sold out in a matter of hours, requiring additional shows. The audience always sings collectively to “Stubborn,” performed typically at the end of their concert.


4. 草東沒有派對, “大風吹” (2016)

4. No Party for Cao Dong, “Simon Says” (2016)

From The Servile

Lyrics & Song: No Party for Cao Dong.
Producer: Hsiao-Tzu Lee.

LyricsLyrics (translated)

Formed in 2014, No Party for Cao Dong initially played at the Group of Rock Club at Taipei National University of the Arts. Their debut, self-distributed EP, The Servile (2016), sold over 30,000 copies in a short time. The YouTube tracks also went viral with over million plays. The following year, they won “Best Song of the Year,” “Best New Artist,” and “Best Band” at Golden Melody Awards. “Simon Says” (Best Song of the Year) describes the experience of bullying in childhood, and represents some kind of “no future” voice of the generation born after the 1990s.


5. 透明雑誌, “性的地獄”

5. Touming Magazine, “Sexual Hell”

From: Our Soul Music

 

Live video in Japan, 2011:

Audio:

Lyrics

 

“Sexual Hell” is from Toumine Magazine’s debut album, which pays homage to a range of musical influences from Motown grooves, punk rock, to hip-hop. Most of the songs carry the theme of teenage sorrows. The youth in “Sexual Hell” is tormented by sexual desire day in and day out, which drives him to feel like he is living in a “hell of sex.”


6. 透明雑誌, “透明雑誌 Forever”(2012)

6. Touming Magazine, “Touming Magazine Forever”

From: Touming Magazine Forever

Lyrics

“Touming Magazine Forever” is included in the band’s second EP Touming Magazine Forever, with an animation music video produced by well-known Thai comic/animation artist Wisut Ponnimit (Tam). It is one of the most representative songs in their works because the lyrics and the fierce rhythm of instruments give the number of people inspiration to keep themselves in youth and fight the world with no hesitation or whatsoever. Stay in, stay gold. “We Are Forever Young.”


7. 盪在空中, “直直去” (1990)

7. Hang in the Air, “Ti̍t-ti̍t-khì” (Move Forward) (2010)

From A Vast Scenery. Published by HIJ Studio, Taiwan

Produced by Hang In The Air and Yuchain Wang
Recording studios: Ayi Studio and The Rooftop Audio
Cover designed by Aozaru Shiao and Vovi Huang

Lyrics

Hang in the Air is a Taiwanese indie reggae-rock band that started from the livehouse Underworld and formed in 1996. They were inspired by the legendary Japanese band, Fishmans. Listeners could hear dub, reggae, ska, and rock elements in Hang in the Air’s music, but all lyrics are written in Taiwanese. Ti̍t-ti̍t-khì (Move Forward) is a hidden track in their first mini album A Vast Scenery (2010), which also has a Japanese version, issued by Art Union Records in Japan in 2012.


8. Skip Skip Ben Ben & Ichiko Aoba, “Hunter Game” (Asia Tour 2019 in Okinawa)

From L.O.T

Songwriter: Skip Skip Ben Ben.
Chorus: Ichiko Aoba.
Promoter: Budha Tero.

Live video (Facebook)

A collaboration between Taipei-based musician Skip Skip Ben Ben and Kyoto-based artist Ichiko Aoba. They were introduced by Budha Tero, a live house operator who arranges collaboration between artists from Japan and Taiwan. Skip Skip Ben Ben’s LP, L.O.T. was the result of many collaborations and the Asia Tour 2019, which went to four countries.


9. Skip Skip Ben Ben, “回台北” (2010)

9. Skip Skip Ben Ben, “Back to Taipei”

Song, Lyrics and Producer: Skip Skip Ben Ben.

Lyrics

Skip Skip Ben Ben is a well-known female artist from the band, Freckle. “Back to Taipei” is the tenth song on No-Fi, No Fiction, an album she self-produced and recorded in her 39-square-meter home without the high-quality recording system. A true Lo-Fi experience and pleasure.


10. Sunset Roller Coaster, “Vanilla Villa” MV

From Vanilla Villa (EP)

Presented & Produced by Sunset Music Productions Co., Ltd.
Song and Lyrics: Sunset Roller Coaster.
Director: Lin Mao Z.
Producer: Yuji Fann Fann.

Sunset Roller Coaster, a 6-piece synth-pop band, made their name in the indie circles with Bossa Nova (album), Jinji Kikko (EP), and Cassa Nova (album). With their 2019 EP, Vanilla Villa, they released three more tracks and a video featured here. You will be all eyes during the video playing. After watching it, you may be totally feel confused about what you’ve watched just now. Science fiction? Meteor Garden of Star Trek version? Or perhaps just a funny romance.