I’ve uploaded a small snippet of the end of my set in Kaohsiung (in the video-section) – watch out for the lady in the third row having a great old boogie. You can’t tell from the back, but she was 60 if she was a day… here’s to us all bopping like that at 60! Thanks for the video, Patrick!
The photo-section has been update with pics from the gigs in Tainan and Kaohsiung…
The Freedom Mix of Jui-chuan Chang’s track The Hope Is Here (off his Genesis album) is finally done. You can have a listen to it in the MoShang Radio player and it will soon be available on the Podsafe Radio Network for podcasters to play.
If I spent somewhat longer than usual brooding on this one, it was because I wanted to do justice to Jui-chuan’s powerful anthem. Here is Jui-chuan’s own translation of the lyrics:
THE HOPE IS HERE
They say there’s a gulf between us
’Cause we fight and badmouth each other
Born and grew up on the same land
Without you, I can’t fly
No more yelling, no more name-calling
Let’s sit together. Let’s sing and drink
Only when you’re here with me
Freedom will blossom like the spring
Feeling so good, standing here
It’s our voice that they will hear
On this land there’s no passer-by
’Cause as one we unite
(Chorus)
Come here
No longer separate
Truly free on this ocean with no shores to be seen
Come here
It’s a colorful world
Let me sing you this song ’cause the hope is here
They say we daydream too much
We’d surrender as soon as we get scared
Ancestors’ blood and sweat drop into soil
Protect democracy and let it soar
You worship the Buddha, I believe in Jesus
We’re actually on the same path
Only when you’re here with me
Mercy will be blowing in the wind
Feeling so good, standing here
It’s our voice that they will hear
On this island there’s no passer-by
’Cause as one we unite
(Chorus)
Come here
No longer separate
Truly free on this ocean with no shores to be seen
Come here
It’s a colorful world
Let me sing you this song ’cause the hope is here
I’m spending my first Chinese New Year in Taiwan and it feels a bit strange to be here without having to go to work. Strange in the best way possible. The ten day break gives me the opportunity to catch up on some stuff I’ve been meaning to do – like uploading a small clip from my performance with Jui-chuan Chang in Tainan on February 10th (see the link below). I’d love to do the Hey Kid remix with Juichuan in a club with people bopping, but I guess the bookshop was a good test. It was a great pleasure either way! I’m busy working on a second remix for Jui-chuan and it should be ready in a couple of days, so watch this space…
Just a couple of weeks to go before Em. and I are off to South Africa for three weeks for my brother’s wedding. We’re really excited, of course, but it seems the laws have changed since our last visit together two years ago and Taiwanese citizens now need a visa for the RSA. It means a trip through to Taipei tomorrow and we’re holding thumbs that there are no problems.
:^/
Emily and I are really settling into our new apartment nicely now. The Onse Plate studio is comfortably installed in a room filled with winter sunlight (pic above). I know, I know… it doesn’t look like much – lol! Since it’s basically all in software on the PC it’s truly larger on the inside, though.
Continuing the Eslite Bookshop tour, I played at Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung on Sunday. New pics are under the photos link. Our MySpace friend, Patrick Wei, came through from Taipei again and took some videos on his digital camera – he posted some on his MySpace page. Thanks, Patrick – I hope your arms have recovered from keeping the camera up for 45 minutes!
I’ve updated the “photos”-section with pics from yesterdays two gigs in Taichung (Fongyuen and ChungYo). ChungYo is my favorite department store, so I got a real kick out of performing there. Thanks to all my friends who came to the gigs yesterday: Mark and Kevin, Patrick (again!), Marlize, Echo, XiaoKe and Zoey (Gold FM).