Labor Exchange tells its story

They started life in the protest movement that emerged against the Meinung Dam (美濃水庫) in southern Taiwan. They became a symbol of the revival of local Hakka culture and have recently become one of the only Taiwanese folk bands to go on international tour.

They are called Labor Exchange, and their history and their music make up a small but rich chapter in the development of modern Taiwan. In the tradition of the Buena Vista Social Club, director He Chao-ti (賀照緹) has told their story, making extensive use of their music, including footage of their recent European tour. The documentary will air on Public Television tonight at 10pm.

During his acceptance speech at the Golden Melody Awards last year, the band's lead singer Lin Sheng-hsiang (林生祥) emphasized that music is not something for music professionals alone, but is for everyone.

Their frequent appearances at community events have underlined their populist credentials. The group received the best produced album and best composition for non-mainstream music for their debut album Let Us Sing Mountain Songs (我等就來唱山歌). They have recently released a second album Night March of the Chrysanthemums (菊花夜行軍).

The band, which sings mainly in the Hakka dialect, is in the vanguard of the movement for the revival of Hakka culture, and are based in the town of Meinung, which after years of economic decline, has been making strenuous and relatively successful efforts to reposition itself as a cultural and tourism center.

Formerly, Meinung drew its wealth from tobacco, and the smoke houses where the leaves were processed are still a distinctive feature of the landscape. Labor Exchange converted one such house into a studio -- bass player Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) is a professional sound engineer -- and the composition of these old structures is said to give their albums a distinctive sound.

The documentary film, titled East of County Highway 184 (縣道184之東), is taken from a song in their new album, a ballad about the beauties of the road that runs through the rolling landscape of the Meinung region. With music that mixes earthy language, traditional tunes and innovative instrumentation -- a tractor engine is used in the title track of Night March -- the band has a broad appeal that extends far beyond that of the Hakka community.

On the web:

http://www.leband.net