It's hard to know where to place local rocker, Ardor(阿德)and his
ever-changing brand of rock n?roll. His 1992 independently released
debut album, Forceful Rock(強強滾), shot to the top of local charts
after a local instant noodle manufacturer used the album track "Bubble" (泡)to accompany a television commercial for one of its products. The
bouncy pop riff-riddled tune became an instant hit and Ardor, who until
that time had been on the fringes of the local indie scene, enjoyed a
brief but significant brush with stardom.
The nation's major labels weren't overly impressed with what they heard,
however. And in 1994 he signed with the nation's leading independent
label, Crystal Records (水晶).
There he worked on some of the label's early politically charged
releases which included the 1994 pro-DPP compilation albums, The New
Green Dream(綠色新希望) and Office Desk(辦桌貳).
In 1996, the heavy guitar, pop-laden tunes that had come to typify Ardor
were once again beamed into the living rooms of the nation. Politics
took a back seat, as the rocker penned a tune for a television
commercial for a popular malt-tea beverage.
Two years later and after giving himself the moniker of "hoodlum," Ardor
returned to the studio and released what is arguably his best work. The
rock-guitar heavy Hoodlum(流氓) was tight, well-produced and proved an
instant hit with both mainstream rock fans and the underground-music
crowd alike.
After a two year hiatus, he returned to the music scene last year when
he released the less raucous This World(看看這個世界). The album saw a
much more mellow rocker shedding his alternative image and combining
mild rock with folk to create a more mature sound.
Whatever style of music Ardor fills his sets with, however, be it six
year-old buzzsaw angst tunes or contemporary folk, his gigs are very
professional affairs and remain popular with rock fans of all ages.
Ardor and his band Liumang(阿德 and 流氓)will be playing at Zeitgeist(聖
界) - B1, 122, Chunghsiao East Road, Sec. 2(台北市忠孝東路2段122號B1)
- at 9pm tomorrow. Tickets cost NT$250 and are available at the door.
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