This month we’re excited to share with our readers the interview we conducted with Archi of the newly minted Formosa Soundsystem. Formosa is the old name for Taiwan, first given to the island by Portuguese seafarers. The southern city of Tainan, where the sound system is based, was once the capital. It’s fitting that the former seat of power, from where Dutch colonizers were ousted centuries ago, is the center of a bass music revolution in Taiwan today. In our Q&A with Archi, he reveals the how’s and the why’s that led to his setting up the first-ever soundsystem in Taiwan, his musical influences and inspirations, and what sounds inhabit his DJ sets at present.
We’ve worked with Archi previously, and are supremely happy to share with the world at large this unassuming, yet bass-tastic talent from southern Taiwan. Those who prefer reading the interview in Mandarin will find a link for doing that (click here!).
We’ve also got a link to the July 2020 installment of Frontline Radio on Soundcloud, hosted by dINO, head honcho and primo DJ with Taipei’s newest bass organizer Frontline. About mid-way through, check out the 30-minute set featuring Formosa Soundsystem’s Archi, and his exploration of the myriad possibilities of dubstep.
Hey Archi! How’s it going!?
Couldn’t be better! I’ve been busy preparing for the upcoming event for a while, and keeping myself motivated. It’s all good!
Would you please briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Archi from Tainan, Taiwan. I play bass music, and run Formosa Soundsystem.
You are part of a sound system collective called Formosa Soundsystem. What should we know about your gang?
There are two pieces in the group, me and soundman 阿翔 (Siong). We are originally from a bass promoting group called Ricecake Production (shout out to bossman Hui). We couldn’t get this far without those days in Ricecake Production. Now we are stepping into the next chapter. Basically there are only two of us running Formosa Soundsystem. I’m responsible for arranging the sound system and handling public relations matters. Siong helps me to sort out the PA business.
Could you please briefly introduce the system itself? Fill us in on what makes it tick.
Formosa Soundsystem is 100% hand made by a Yoga Master/Woodworker 阿水(A-Sui). The focus is on reggae, dub, hip hop and bass music. It’s a five-way sound system. We like to separate frequency individually. The bass section is composed by two layers of kick bass and sub bass from 30hz to 200hz that can put out amazing basslines and sound pressure. You’ll feel a strong vibration if standing closer. There are three layers for mid-top range, 12” driver for vocals, 1.4” driver for high range, 1” driver for super high. In total, 5-way output, each section has excellent sound quality! Siong and I focus on the sound balance. He has the ability to make the sound loud enough, but won’t hurt people’s ears – what a great soundman should be like!
When you move your sound system to different cities and venues for spreading your love of bass across Taiwan, how long does it take to set it all up, and then break it down after the party is over?
It depends on the difficulties of getting to the venue. Normally it’s within 1 hour (not including sound check). But like last event in “The Bar” in Taipei, we were supposed to move the sound system via the lift, but it was out of order a few days before the event. Just our luck!
So we have to move everything by manpower through a long staircase down into The Bar, and spend almost 2 hours to finish set-up. That means there’s a second round of moving after the party is over – extremely hard work! So grateful to Frontline/Dino, who is always supporting us (physically & mentally), and everyone who ever helped. Much appreciation!
Your sound system is visually impressive, and a revolutionary addition to bass music culture in Taiwan. Please describe the reactions when clubbers encounter your sound system for the first time! What are the differences in crowd reactions among the different cities and venues?
Reggae sound system is a common thing in UK or EU, but my sound system is the first of its kind in Taiwan. It’s a new experience for some Taiwanese. People were astonished by the size of it. They usually check it out up and down, and then stick around all night, enjoy the sound system treatment. I’ve seen people put drinks or jackets on sound systems when I was abroad, but this didn’t happen to me. Most Taiwanese pay respect to things that are not belong to themselves. Our clubbers not just respect the sound system, they don’t even touch it! Well done! The crowd reactions are lively in every city. Most people give us a thumbs up as comment. That’s our momentum for progress, thank you guys!
As many clubs in Taiwan’s urban landscape are located in the basements of high-rises, do residents living in the floors above the club ever make noise complaints?
As you know Taiwan is a packed island with huge population. The noise problem is always the first factor to be considered. The venues we've been to are asking us to reduce the low frequency. Usually they’re afraid of neighbors reporting it. We tend to respect the owner’s opinion, the premise as not calling popo to come. We adjust the volume to a reasonable range. Like we did a gig in Kaohsiung last month, the owner told us the sound was too loud for the venue. There’s an iron sheet that was rattling when doing the sound check. Siong knows the particular frequency that caused the annoying noise, so he tuned down the frequency a bit to avoid noise and nailed it. The volume that night was probably as loud as the venue had ever been, yet no complaints were made by neighbours.
Archi, you’ve traveled wide and far. What overseas clubs and/or sound systems inspired you to set up your own sound system in Tainan?
The first time I’ve listened to a decent sound system was at Brown Alley, Melbourne in 2013. Their sound system is Martin Audio (correct me if I’m wrong). Alix Perez was dropping Skeng. I was fascinated by it right away. After that I started looking for events with good sound systems. One year later, I went to Outlook Festival 2014 (alone). Outlook opened my mind toward sound system culture. I still remember the huge sound pressure from Mungo’s Hifi and Void Incubus. Absolutely madness! It feels like tons of heavy weight on my body, the blood was boiling when I stood in front of Void Incubus. No words can describe fully the feeling of pressure.. Yes, Outlook Festival inspired me. I decided to build Formosa Soundsystem when I came back to Taiwan.
What format do you play during your sets and why?
Vinyl and digital. I love the dynamic range of vinyl. It sounds much better than digital to me, and I use custom head shell wire (Wax Alchemy) on my Shure 447. Believe me, the dynamic range is like improved from 360p to 4K ultra HD. Strongly recommend it! Since I invest most of my money on the sound system, the record buying budget has been cut off. To import vinyl from Western countries to Taiwan is not cheap tho. So sometimes I play digital because it’s easy to get.
You had a tour around Taiwan teamed up with Taipei’s leading dubstep crew Frontline and world famous dubstep selector DJ Joe Nice. I think it was a key moment for the dubstep scene in Taiwan. Could you share your experiences with us?
Actually Joe had been looking for opportunities to play in Taiwan two years ago. Dino got the perfect timing. He put lots of effort into make this happen. It’s a great experience to work with Dino and Joe. Joe is Nice, he likes to share some DJ tips and knowledge with us. He kept pulling out some dubplates that I never heard before when doing sound check. His record bag is like a history of dubstep. I guess many people want his bag. He said: Yes, they are! That was our first time to do a little tour with a world famous artist. I think that’s a key moment for us to learn how to run sound system business.
Could you please give us some insight into the Taiwanese bass music scene?
It’s still a minor player here, but the crowd is expanding. Within this difficult situation, those DJs I know are promoting bass music really hard. I admire their good taste and talent. They are updating their music crate constantly. I would say the bass music you hear from them is the newest/finest, and won’t disappoint you. There’s no such sound system which was customized for bass music in Taiwan before ours. Maybe people didn’t have chance to know how it feels like. I want to bring to people a different listening experience via Formosa Soundsystem, and Siong’s professional acoustic engineering skill.
How do you feel about the dubstep/140 music scene?
I love the early productions and Bristol sound. It sounds like techno to me at some point, just a different drum set. It’s like a melting pot, a combination of elements like 2 step, techno, reggae, dub, hip hop. I can feel that the dub techno style is rising, the roots dub sound is back at the same time. The dubstep scene is still lively.
Who do you think are the most influential and cutting-edge producers of late?
Pugilist, Babe Roots and The Bug. These producers are breaking through from dubstep to different genres. They're not satisfied with a certain style. I think there will be no boundaries between music genres in the future. Producers who have ability to make different styles of music, and are good at live performance, will survive.
Do you listen to any other music genres besides dubstep?
Reggae, Dub, Hip Hop, Tropical music – too many to mention.
What are your plans for the future?
We’ll make a few different cabinets, try a new set-up for searching for the best of the best. Besides, I wish my crew had more opportunities to get in touch with people in all aspects. Like this interview is a nice one, or we can team up with musicians to organize seminars. The purpose is to share everything we know about the sound system culture.
Could you please recommend a few DJs, producers, and sound-system crews from Taiwan?
Dino, Sonia, Legacy & Trent, Katrina, Slick, Sylvian, @llenblow
Please recommend five tunes and a DJ mix that should be essential listening for every human being – the sort that would leave your life incomplete if you’d never heard them!
Skream-Rutten Loefah-The Goat Stare Tubby Isiah-Bring me Fire-Versa Version The Bug-Void ft. Liz Harris Appleblim & Peverelist-Circling Pugilist & Mystik mix for Unearthed Sound [004]
I wish to see you again in Tainan soon! Big up mate and keep going! Thanks for your time! I would like to hang out with you and your family at Tainan’s Beach!
Formosa Soundsystem
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Formosa-Soundsystem-103024674587850/
Frontline
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/frontlinetw/
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/frontlinetw
Mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/frontlinetw/
