Left wing Aboriginal combo hits the right notes

Based in a nondescript and rather ratty two-story detached building located on the northern reaches of Taipei's Wenshan District, the aboriginal combo, The Flying Fish and Cloud Panther Music Collective (FFCPMC, 飛魚雲豹音樂工團), is a product of Taiwan's darker social side rather than of its many multicolored record labels.

The band's members aren't middle-class rebel wannabes sporting the latest in stylish haircuts and chic apparel. Nor do they consider themselves cutting edge.

"Look at us? We're not what people consider fashionable, we're ordinary people doing what we consider to be important," explained the band's Puyuma (排灣) voice, Ngernger (林廣財). "We're simply trying to make a difference and if our music can help, then we'll use our music."

With its multi-tribal outlook and a line-up which includes musicians and singers of Atayal (泰雅), Puyuma (卑南) and Paiwan (排灣) origin as well as one Han (漢) member, the FFCPMC doesn't focus solely on the music of any one tribe. The material is instead a hybrid of works by a multitude of the nation's indigenous peoples.

Along with performing and recording under the label FFCPMC, the band are all active members of the Aboriginal Workshop (原住民族部落工作) -- an organization dedicated to bringing the plight of the nation's indigenous Aboriginal population, regardless of tribe, into the homes of the country's comfortable masses. The members are regular contributors to left wing publications and journals pertaining to Aboriginal rights.

Out of the ashes

Formed shortly after the devastating 921 earthquake, the collective's members were initially involved in housing and sanitation projects and the distribution of relief packages to areas of central Taiwan where government aid was either slow in coming or non-existent.

"We set out to help those who had suffered in the earthquake and who were systematically being ignored by the powers that be," recalled Mizin (陳明仁), the band's Puyama (卑南) vocalist and some-time producer. "Realizing that there was only so much we could do without cash and public awareness, we began doing gigs up and down the country to raise money and let people know just what was happening."

Whilst the combo was not the only band touring the nation and raising money for disaster relief in the winter of 1999 and early 2000, it was one of the few to snub many of the officially sanctioned events.

The FFCPMC went it alone. Organizing its own series of gigs and setting up its own label, Heart of Darkness (黑暗之心), the band released its debut album, Native Melody in Three Parts (原鄉三部曲) -- a collection of live numbers recorded at disaster relief concerts -- in early 2000.

In order to maximize its profits and minimize expenditure, the band decided to distribute the CD independently.

With the help of the Aboriginal Workshop, the band took to the streets of the nation's cities to sell the CD and drum up support for the nations' hard hit minorities. The album became an unexpected hit, selling over 12,000 copies in less than a month. The proceeds were donated to Aboriginal disaster relief organizations.

Going its own way

Although the band now enjoys a modicum of renown, it continues to shun conventional marketing. It continues to sells its work through illegal street side stalls, ensuring that all profits go to the nation's Aboriginal tribes rather than swell the bank accounts of its record stores.