Big up to international music exchange programs like RBMA (Red Bull Music Academy, www.redbullmusicacademy.com) that offer independent music makers and artists from around the globe opportunities to participate in workshops and play gigs overseas. Each year the Academy is staged at a different location and the lucky few chosen to attend enjoy a two-week vacation and musical adventure free of charge.
“There’s even an on-site open bar that serves beer, wine and, of course, Red Bull, every afternoon. This year, it will be held at Barcelona, Spain. Doesn’t it sound fantastic?” says Zephec, the first and only RBMA alumnus from Taiwan, who took part in last year’s Academy in Toronto.
Established in 1998, RBMA has played a significant part in bringing industry people together in a multicultural setting. “The workshops hosted by famous artists on the scene are intriguing,” says Zephec, “Benga, Esdemin (German tech house producer) and DJ Zinc (UK drum ’n’ bass producer) were some of the most impressive speakers.” In fact, after listening to the inspiring session and music by last year’s headliner Benga (a dubstep music producer from the UK), Zephec was determined to get into creating a kind of sound, dubstep, that he’d never dabbled with before. The participants are also encouraged to access the studios and collaborate on tunes with each other. “I got to make a track with DJ Zinc, and it’s probably the first dubstep track that’s got lyrics in Chinese!” he says, laughing.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HSU SHENG-XI
RMBA welcomes anyone who loves music and wants to be involved in its evolution. No particular set of skills is necessary, but only 60 participants every year are selected to represent a wide range of cultures, musical backgrounds and skills. The contest may seem competitive, but the chance of receiving an invitation is basically equal for all applicants, so you probably have a better chance of getting yourself admitted than getting booked at Luxy. It’s all about a creative vision, an honest attitude and an open mind.
But Zephec might have been aided by his accomplishments. This one-time drummer-turned-electronic-music-experimentalist is talented. The demo he submitted to RBMA last year was his debut album, We Will Still Repeat Today (released in December 2006 on Tripper Records). A stellar piece of experimental tech house, it was praised by many local music critics. Before that, Zephec was a nominee in Fnac’s annual music talent competition.
This year, Zephec was chosen to participate in another international electronic art event, the 404 Festival, in Italy. “But I will have to take a rain check because I haven’t heard from my anticipated sponsors yet,” he says with a tinge of disappointment.
Still, he appreciates the opportunity he had to see beyond the local scene, which to him is discouraging and not supportive enough. “It’s broadened my horizons for sure, and I will keep on making the music I love no matter what,” he says.
Zephec will be touring with KbN this weekend:
■ Tonight at 8pm at Room 335, B1, 47 Kangle St, Tainan City (台南市康樂街47號B1). Entrance is NT$250. On the Net: www.wretch.cc/blog/room335.
■ Tomorrow at 8pm at Womb, 2F, 18 Linnan St, Lingya District, Kaoshiung City (高雄市苓雅區林南街18號). Entrance is NT$350. On the Net: www.lofi.url.com.tw/womb.
■ Sunday at 10pm at Ins_Cafe, 3F, 1-1, Ln75, Taiping Rd, Taichung City (台中市北區太平路75巷1-1號3F). Entrance is NT$300. On the Net: inscafe.blogspot.com.
For more information on Zephec visit zephec.blogspot.com and www.myspace.com/zephec.
May 6 to May 12 Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from womanizer or lecher to sexual predator, but it once referred to an important rural trade. Until the 1970s, it was a common sight to see a breeder herding a single “zhuge” down a rustic path with a bamboo whip, often traveling large distances over rugged terrain to service local families. Not only
Ahead of incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 there appear to be signs that he is signaling to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the Chinese side is also signaling to the Taiwan side. This raises a lot of questions, including what is the CCP up to, who are they signaling to, what are they signaling, how with the various actors in Taiwan respond and where this could ultimately go. In the last column, published on May 2, we examined the curious case of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) — currently vice premier
The last time Mrs Hsieh came to Cihu Park in Taoyuan was almost 50 years ago, on a school trip to the grave of Taiwan’s recently deceased dictator. Busloads of children were brought in to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), known as Generalissimo, who had died at 87, after decades ruling Taiwan under brutal martial law. “There were a lot of buses, and there was a long queue,” Hsieh recalled. “It was a school rule. We had to bow, and then we went home.” Chiang’s body is still there, under guard in a mausoleum at the end of a path
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Australia’s 0.611, the UK’s 0.620, Japan’s 0.678, France’s 0.676 and Germany’s 0.727, the agency said in a report.” The Gini coefficient is a measure of relative inequality, usually of wealth or income, though it can be used to evaluate other forms of inequality. However, for most nations it is a number from .25 to .50