In Taiwan, expressions of love can materialize in the oddest of places. One afternoon five years ago, Davos Brozmanoid was at a Dazhi convenience store and saw a couple taking pre-wedding photos out front. Later, he showed Kate Boehms a picture he took of the event on his phone, and soon they had a name for their band. Hi-Life Wedding is holding a CD release party tomorrow night at China White.
Boehms got into music when she was a teenager. “After playing several instruments at school, I chose double bass at 14,” she said in an interview with the Taipei Times. “I’ve always loved music and it just felt natural to learn.”
Brozmanoid, who plays the synthesizer and sings, began his musical journey a bit later. “I always wrote [music] and at around 20 I started with guitar,” he said. “Two years ago, I got into playing live electronic music. I just always wanted to make songs.”
Photo courtesy of Hi-Life Wedding
Having played together for five years, Hi-Life Wedding’s sound has undergone several evolutionary steps.
“We originally played punkish rock and roll, but now I’d call it punktronic,” said Boehms. “We enjoyed it a lot but felt a bit more comfortable with our sound and performance once we brought in the synth and sampler.”
Hi-Life Wedding spent a good chunk of the Lunar New Year break locked in a studio coming up with the songs for their self-titled CD. One of the tracks they have released on Soundcloud as a preview to their CD, Fear to Tread is a lo-fi opus about doing just enough to survive. Brozmanoid’s voice channels the raspiness of Leonard Cohen, while Boehms’ ethereal vocals floats atop the wiry beat. They overlap at the conclusion of the song, creating just the right amount of tension to “keep their head above.”
Brozmanoid, who starts making songs by programming beats on his MPC and then jamming with them, also writes the lyrics. “There is something inside that must find a way out, so this is my way of expressing myself,” Brozmanoid said. “Some people BASE jump off stuff; this is what I want to do. I guess my goal is to make the best expression of who I am and how I feel about things.”
Hi-Life Wedding CD launch party with Mr Uppity, Wang Hart, Max Savage, and the DaJieDa Divas is tomorrow night from 10pm to 4am at China White, 2F, 97-101, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路二段97-101號). Admission is NT$300, which includes a beer. Hi-Life Wedding’s self-titled debut CD will be available at China White for purchase for NT$300.
While Taiwan is earning its stripes as a party island of sorts, she pales in comparison to Ibiza, the hedonistic tourist destination 80km off the coast of Spain. For those lacking funds to take a trip to Europe, Space Ibiza is coming to both Room 18 in Taipei and 18TC in Taichung this weekend. Voted the “best global club” at the International Global Music Awards, Space Ibiza is on tour with resident DJ Danny Marquez and four dancers.
Space Ibiza on Tour from 10pm to 4am tonight at 18TC, 38 Dachuan St, Greater Taichung (台中市大川街38號). Admission is NT$1,000, which includes two drinks. Space Ibiza on Tour from 10pm to 4am tomorrow at Room 18, B1, 88 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路88號B1). Admission is NT$1,000, which includes three drinks.
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