TAIWAN TEMPO RUN: global project of Taiwanese culture

JASS is the first Taiwanese/Chinese music producer to be interviewed by the BBC, about his new project, Taiwan Tempo Run. JASS started out when he was 15 years old, as a street artist making music, and was lucky to be discovered by a record label. Since then JASS has been making music with various people, before embarking on a more personal project.

JASS decided help raise awareness about Taiwanese culture amongst his own community and inform foreigners this through covering famous pop songs using traditional Taiwanese strings, wood wind and bamboo instruments, under the Taiwan Tempo Run. JASS’s work portrays the diverse 5000 years of Taiwanese/Chinese culture, referencing and exploring all kings of deep stories and meaning. Taiwan Tempo Run involves both local and foreign musicians, working on an album that is rooted in by aspects of Buddhism, traditional dress, Taiwanese folk culture. The album examines the Gods, the ceremonies and the festivals, that are mentioned in each episode of the project.

Taiwan is a constantly changing and adapting country and culture, and JASS is responding to the growing status of Taiwan and actions of China. JASS found that when he arrived in London, most people were curious about the music of his home country, having little or no grasp on what it could sound like. JASS found that most mainstream music from South East Asia contains western elements, like JPOP, KPOP and MandoPop. Just as many Taiwanese people don’t know who David Bowie is, how can we expect english speaking people to get into Taiwanese stars such as Jay Chou, he thought. With these cultural barriers in mind, JASS began to put together ideas for a project that could allow for international access to Taiwanese culture, deciding to try and bring Taiwanese/Chinese culture to the mainstream to break its history of invisibility in mainstream media.
JASS is also concerned that many Taiwanese people are growing up learning to play piano and violin but only Western music, without interest in traditional Taiwanese music, focusing on learning English rather than absorbing the taiyue language of their grandparents. The Taiwanese language, taiyue, underpins the music, bringing to the light the importance of the language to the culture of the Taiwanese people. More and more, young people are using Mandarin and English to communicate, as the importance of taiyue melts away.

JASS has a passion for making what he has coined ‘oriental electronic music’, teaming traditional methods with new electronic techniques. JASS uses features of traditional Chinese opera combined with electronic music to adapt popular Western songs. This innovative genre of music attracted the attention of foreign audiences, and landed JASS with his exclusive BBC interview.

This project has been a challenge, gaining the trust and building a relationship with traditional Taiwanese artists who are understandably protective of their culture and traditions. For instance filming temples and Buddha Gods is seen as a radical act in Taiwan, but JASS has managed to show that he is creating this work for a positive impact on the preservation and continuation of Taiwanese culture. Following the interview with the BBC, JASS is on a high. He never expected that he would here the beautiful notes of Taiwanese folk songs in the UK. This project is encapsulates the need to self identify and inform others of who you are. We Are Formosa will be released on the 20th December, as well as the launch party which will tour round London on a vintage bus, with complimentary Taiwanese desserts and beer. Would be live streaming on Facebook, YouTube and Weibo(China).