The Taiwanese rock is rock music from Taiwan. Taiwanese rock has been influenced by British, American, and Japanese rock over the latter half of the 20th century. As a genre, it is nurtured by regular festivals, notably the annual Spring Scream, Hohaiyan and Formoz festivals.
Early listeners to Western rock music in Taiwan were university intellectuals who were often bilingual. [1] The pioneer of Taiwanese rock was Xue Yue, also known as Simon Hsueh (1954-1990), who debuted as part of the campus folk movement prior to the end of martial law in Taiwan. Xue, a part-time drummer in the American Military Club, released his first album The Stage of Rock and Roll in 1984; collaborating with famous contemporary poets such as Chen Ko-hua and Hsia Yu for the lyrics of his later albums. Xue died in 1990, shortly after the release of his fifth album. [1]
In 1995, Freddy Lim founded the band ChthoniC with a group of friends. [2] In 2000, the group was invited to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, which inspired Lim. The band had previously played at the Formoz Festival, then an intercollegiate event held by the Northern Taiwan Rock Association; Lim created a new company, the Taiwan Rock Association, and broadened the reach of the festival. [3] It continued until 2008 and then was reestablished in 2013. [4]
Taiwanese rock, like other genres in Taiwan, was influenced by the Modern Folk Song Movement of the mid-1970s that emerged partially in response to American cultural imperialism. [5]
Major Taiwanese rock acts include:
The music of Taiwan reflects the diverse culture of Taiwanese people. Taiwan has undergone several economic, social, and political changes through its cultural history, and Taiwanese music reflects those issues in its way. The music of the country has adopted a mixed style. As a country rich in Chinese folk culture and with many indigenous tribes with their own distinct artistic identity, various folk music styles are appreciated in Taiwan. In addition, people in Taiwan highly appreciate various style of Western classical music and pop music. Taiwan is a major Mandopop hub.
Cui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui", he is credited with pioneering Chinese rock music. For this distinction he is often labeled the "Father of Chinese Rock".
Chthonic is a Taiwanese heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei. They have been called "the Black Sabbath of Asia." The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music, including adaptations of folk songs and the use of traditional instruments, most notably the erhu. Their stated goal is to use their music to bring ancient history and mythology into the modern era especially to build awareness of the myths of Taiwan and tragic events in that country's history.
Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop, and in particular the Campus Song folk movement of the 1970s. 'Mandopop' may be used as a general term to describe popular songs performed in Mandarin. Though Mandopop predates Cantopop, the English term was coined around 1980 after "Cantopop" became a popular term for describing popular songs in Cantonese. "Mandopop" was used to describe Mandarin-language popular songs of that time, some of which were versions of Cantopop songs sung by the same singers with different lyrics to suit the different rhyme and tonal patterns of Mandarin.
Lim Giong is a Taiwanese musician, DJ, actor, and an active figure in the Taiwanese experimental electronic music scene. He is known for recording rock songs in Taiwanese Hokkien, starting with his first hit song "Marching Forward" in 1990. He is also known as writing film scores for directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke, and Bi Gan. His has received numerous awards for his work, including the Cannes Soundtrack Award in 2015 for The Assassin.
Lin is the Mandarin romanization of the Chinese surname written 林, which has many variations depending on the language and is also used in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia.
Lo Ta-yu, also known as Luo Dayou and Law Tai-yau, is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter. During the 1980s, Lo became one of the most influential Mandopop singer-songwriters with his melodic lyrics and love songs, and his witty social and political commentary that he infused in his more political songs, often to the point that some of his songs were suppressed in Taiwan and Mainland China during the 1980s. He is recognized as a cultural icon in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China.
Hokkien pop, also known as Taiwanese Hokkien popular music, T-pop, Tai-pop, Minnan Pop and Taiwanese folk, is a popular music genre sung in Hokkien, especially Taiwanese Hokkien and produced mainly in Taiwan and sometimes in Fujian in Mainland China or Hong Kong or even Singapore in Southeast Asia. Hokkien pop is most popular amongst Hoklo people in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the Overseas Chinese and Overseas Taiwanese in Southeast Asia, such as Chinese Singaporeans, Chinese Malaysians, Chinese Filipinos, Chinese Indonesians, etc.
Freddy Lim Tshiong-tso is a Taiwanese politician, musician, and independence activist. He is the lead vocalist of the Taiwanese heavy-metal band Chthonic. and the lead vocalist of the band Metal Clone X started by him and American guitarist Marty Friedman. Lim served as chair of Amnesty International Taiwan from 2010 to 2014. He was one of the founding leaders of the New Power Party (NPP) in Taiwan and represented the party in the Legislative Yuan until 2019. Lim won a second legislative term as an independent in 2020.
Transition is an English rock indie band from Bristol. They lend their style to the influence of U2, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, and were voted amongst the Top Ten Bands in the UK on Channel 4's Slash Music Showcase. Transition is made up of the brothers Jesse Edbrooke (guitarist) and Josh Edbrooke (drummer) together with Niall Dunne (guitarist). In 2009, the band relocated to Taiwan.
Dust of Angels is a 1992 Taiwanese crime film directed by Hsu Hsiao-ming, executive produced by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien. It was entered into Directors' Fortnight at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. "An lah" (安啦) is a Taiwanese Hokkien colloquialism; the title in full roughly translates to "take it easy, lad" or "cool it, kid."
Huang Yu-shan is a Taiwanese filmmaker. She has made significant contributions to Chinese cinema in the areas of aesthetics and cultural history. Her focus is the woman's viewpoint, and frequently challenges the status quo in what has been a male-dominated society.
Anthelion are a Taiwanese symphonic black metal band. The current members are Code, Zeist, Troy and Siniz.
Bú-Tik is the seventh studio album from Taiwanese black metal band Chthonic. It was released by Spinefarm Records on May 29, 2013, in Asia; June 3, 2013, in the United Kingdom; and June 25, 2013, in North America. Bú-Tik is the group's third record to be released through Spinefarm Records, and their second to have been produced and mixed by Rickard Bengtsson.
Chen Da (also Chen Ta; Chinese: 陳達; pinyin: Chén Dá; Wade–Giles: Ch'en2 Ta2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Ta̍t; b. 1905 (1906?) – d. April 11, 1981) was a Taiwanese folk singer. He was part of Taiwan's folk music scene and worked as an analphabetic creator of lyrics. His spontaneous performances of traditional tunes became an object of study for many scholars focused on the music of Taiwan and brought him to the attention of writers engaged in music criticism including the novelist Wang Tuoh. According to the Journal of Music in China, Chen Da was "the only noted singer of Taiwanese folk singing." Chen Da is also referred to as a singer of "Hoklo folk songs," a synonym of "Taiwanese folk songs."
Formoz Festival is a music festival in Taiwan. Started in 1995 with only ten participating bands, Formoz Festival plays an important role in the development of Taiwanese indie music and has now become a three-day event, attracting music fans from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong.
The Megaport Music Festival has been held in Kaohsiung every year since 2006, with five exceptions.
Zhongguo feng or Chinese style music is a popular Chinese music genre considered to adopt a more traditional musical style in its instrumental than normal popular music, similar to Chinese traditional music but with a "Modern Twist" style way. Following the success of Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's early works including "Wife" (娘子) and "East Wind Breaks" (東風破), it emerged in the popular music scene in early 2000s.
Kii-Ming Lo, born November 4, 1954, in Keelung, is a Taiwanese musicologist.
Chen Ming-chang (陳明章) is a Taiwanese folk singer, guitarist, Taiwanese yueqin player, composer, and producer born in Beitou. He is known for writing scores for the Hou Hsiao-Hsien films Dust in the Wind (1985) and The Puppetmaster (1993), as well as for songs such as "She Is Our Darling" and "Wandering to Tamsui". He is stylistically known for singing primarily in Taiwanese Hokkien, incorporating traditional styles and instruments into his music, as well as songs that represent the Taiwanese underclass.
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