Made in Taiwan

Made in Taiwan - Dronecast 25

Following our first podcast dedicated to the Quebecan freakwave, here comes a second made for and hosted by The Drone, enterely based on taiwanese vinyl and tape material freshly collected in Taipei: expect mandarin disco pop, children songs, easy listening, marimba orchestras or library stock music for bars and night clubs, with a certain amount of cover songs involving western or japanese melodies.

Vintage culture in general being not so offshore in the country, I'd like to especially thank for their adresses, tips and recommendations Yujun Ye, Kishino Yuichi, as well as Sataka Ritsuko and Hideki Yachi.

Detailed tracklist to follow hopefully soon,depending on our translator friend celerity, but we can already briefly mention the presence of the Pi li bu dai shi puppet show's opening theme from the 80's, J.S.Bach adaptation for marimbas by taiwan native orchestrator Wen Loong-Hsing, plus singers Wan Sha-Lang and Yao Su Rong, whose haunted voice for a sensuous beat closes the chapter.

Far-east approximations #1

P.A.O.L.A - Yokohama

There was a time, following WWII, when japan was still for many french people synonymous of an unaccessible question mark. For many of the nowadays geeks evolving in an instant globalized world, fascinating may be these years of careful approximation, paved with pitfalls and naïve misunderstandings: pure product of that context, this Yokohama obsessive hit is a perfect audio pendant to movies such as Typhon sur Nagasaki or Rififi à Tokyo (maybe not major masterpieces, but an interesting testimony for those who do care about that specific western / eastern encounter age). An uncomfortable and ambigüous INA document refers to Danielle Darieux's experience in that country during the Typhon movie's shooting in the 50's, in which she appears both fascinated and bitterly annoyed as a woman (also very unpurposefully yet slightly condescending with her japanese co-actress Kishi Keiko).



More generally, other far-east countries had a quite similar statu in the french collective unconscious, despite a different colonial situation. As already mentionned by Choron, one of the only way for common people to travel and see Indochine in the 50s - before mass-tourism arises - was, insanely, to military engage. Or to get one of these musical postcards intended to help the listener to travel, let's say, in a less butcher way...




Henri Génès - Le Cornak de Bangkok

Introducing the "Cornak de Bangkok" song during one of his concerts in Bobino, the sweet Henri Génès described it as "a song I brought back from India... where I almost managed to go". Bangkok being located in Thaïland, this gives you a certain idea of the lyricist's level of approximation...

The rhythm of the night

Sayphone - Unknown title - Track 7

The recent discovery of a blessed and deeply kind new dealer allowed me to discover and get a copy of this 2003 allmighty output by a new hero who could be seen as the laotian Haddaway. Again, the general lack of informations sadly draw the limits of my poor speech, although I can't help noticing a quite direct sunglasses connection with his youtube khmer cousin Ta Chea.

South Vietnamese Nuggets

Vietnamese take on Ananda Shankar's "Streets of Calcutta" ?


Fuka Vincente - Tempura Soul


Tali Bong - Koto Mata

Both tracks are taken from the "GI's Funk" compilation (Payback record label) which, despite its super "retarded" & "full of of clichés" liner notes, contains interesting material.
But unlike what is said, songs were not only recorded in Vietnam by US bands (during the war), as it contains Malaysian, Singapourian and South Vietnamese music too.


I believe that Tali Bong & Fuka Vincente never existed, but that these names are an alias for the one & only personn behind those two tracks.
Also, koto instrument is a traditionnal japanese one, but vietnamese classical music files it under the specific name of: Đàn Tranh.
Anyway, maybe I'm just mistaking... It is could also be taken from any japanese exploitation flick, or spy movie.(????) Mystery remains intact for me.

Azam Khan, guru

Azam Khan emerged from the Liberation War of Bangladesh of 1971, as a freedom fighter turned pop star. Lanky and bearded like all the best revolutionaries, he became one of the first Bangla pop heroes, first with his band Uchcharon, and later as a solo artist. With few real concert venues, the band swiftly rose from playing hotel ballrooms and university lecture halls to being broadcast on Bangladesh television in 1972.



In a string of super awesome pop songs, his lyrics blended the socio-political tumult of post-war Bangladesh with simpler themes of love and family, and he quickly became one of those much loved musicians adopted by pretty much everyone, old and young. He's now affectionately referred to by his fans simply as 'guru'.


Three tracks from his heyday, late 70s. Rough translations follow the titles below, in brackets.


Azam Khan - Jibonta Bhora (Life is full)


Azam Khan - Ashi Ashi Bole (I am coming, coming (but not coming yet))


Azam Khan - Obhimani (The emotional person)