No Man Is An Island -

The KMT Enters the Metaverse…With Chiang Kai-shek NFTs

·January 18, 2022·3 min read

The latest of the KMT’s desperate attempts to appeal to people proves a funny one–Chiang Kai-Shek NFTs. More specifically, a recent initiative of the KMT to try and raise funds for the party has been turning a decorative saber owned by Chiang Kai-shek into an NFT Read More

To Ruthlessly Self-Dissect: A Conversation with Wag6ie

English Interviews Music

·January 14, 2022·2 min read

Brian Hioe interviewed Hong Kong artist Wag6ie about their new MV, Unbelievable. The following article originally appeared on Electric Soul, a Hong Kong-based electronic music magazine and ticketing platform, on December 20th Read More

Innovative VR storytelling at the Kaohsiung Film Festival 2021 Competition

English Events

·January 12, 2022·5 min read

The Kaohsiung Film Festival is known for its fantasy-oriented selections of films, but in the last few years, it has sought to spotlight VR films. Apart from that the festival initiated a competition for VR films, it funds and supports Taiwanese VR projects and productions. It also opened the very first VR theatre in Taiwan—the Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB—bringing the latest and various VR films to the local audiences all year round Read More

Best Taiwanese Indie Albums of 2021

English Music

·January 7, 2022·6 min read

New Bloom members Peter Freestone and Brian Hioe pick some of their favorite indie albums from 2021, mainly focusing on bands from Taiwan. This is the fourth in a series of Best Album lists compiled by New Bloom Read More

A Look Back at 2021: Ten Highlights from Electric Soul’s Last Year

English Music

·January 4, 2022·3 min read

Look back on the past year of Asian electronic music with the top ten articles from our partner publication Electric Soul! Electric Soul is a Hong Kong-based electronic music platform and publication Read More

Best Club EPs of 2021

English Music

·December 30, 2021·6 min read

New Bloom member Peter Freestone picks some of his favorite club EPs from 2021, mainly focusing on music producers from East Asia. This is the second in a series of Best Album lists compiled by New Bloom Read More

Best Psychedelic Albums of 2021

English Music

·December 28, 2021·5 min read

New Bloom member Peter Freestone picks his favorite psychedelic sounds from 2021, which are primarily experimental albums by music producers from East Asia. The following list doesn’t follow in the order of No. 1 to No. 10 in the standard sense of a Top 10 list, but is ordered in a way that makes sense given the theme. This is the first in a series of Best Album lists compiled by New Bloom. Read More

Trying to Capture the Sound of Jakarta

English Interviews Music

·December 24, 2021·4 min read

Brian Hioe spoke to the members of Batavia Collective about how they formed as a band, their current projects, and future plans Read More

The Ten Best Taiwanese Movies of 2021

English Film

·December 21, 2021·9 min read

Discover the top Taiwanese movies of 2021 across genres like horror, romance, LGBTQ, comedy, documentary, and more—streaming links included Read More

The History of Queer Parties in Taiwan

English Interviews Music

·December 17, 2021·19 min read

Brian Hioe spoke to Levin Lo, or DJ Rainbowchild, a veteran of the queer party scene in Taiwan. Among other things, Rainbowchild was the DJ that played at the wedding banquet party that celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in Taiwan in May 2019, as the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Rainbowchild currently DJs at Locker Room, CÉ LA VI Taipei, and other venues, having also DJed at the Werk parties, Fairy, and other venues Read More

Film Preservation as a Struggle Against Inevitability

English Film

·December 14, 2021·3 min read

Archiving Time, an hour-long documentary on Taiwanese film preservation currently available on Taiwan+, is a well-executed take on what could be a rather cut-and-dry subject. Namely, the film proves an argument for the importance of film preservation, as well as a documentary film that details the process Read More

A Farewell to a City That Has Changed Forever

English Interviews Music

·December 10, 2021·6 min read

Brian Hioe spoke to Rainbow Chan, whose EP Stanley was released on November 25th. According to the EP description, “Stanley is her exploration of a love past, a farewell to a city that’s changed forever” Read More