Taiwan bands to perform at Taiwan Beat segment of MIDEM in Cannes, France

William J. Yih, deputy chief of the Government Information Office (GIO), said that Taiwan has been invited by MIDEM, an international music market held in Cannes, France, to provide bands perform at the event for the first time in 12 years. The GIO has arranged for three Taiwan bands to perform at MIDEM, namely ChthoniC, Lim Giong, and The Hohak Band. On January 22, the three bands will play in the evening in a segment called "Taiwan Beat." The performances will exhibit the ability of Taiwanese acts to stage live shows at the international music market. It is also an important milestone for both Taiwanese music and Taiwanese bands.

Yih said that the local music industry is presently in a stage of transition. He said the GIO wants to provide as much help as possible to promote the development of the domestic music industry, and measures being taken include offering financial assistance to bands to issue CDs, formulating measures to help revive the publishing industry, and providing concrete measures to assist in and encourage the development of the industry. Yih said the GIO is working to promote a stage for the three Taiwanese bands at the MIDEM festival, and that this is an important step in assisting the Taiwanese music industry to make a name for itself in the international arena, with the hope that in the future, Taiwan music will have even broader room in which to develop.

The Taiwanese bands will set out for France on January 20. In all, 17 musicians will take part in the performances. The musicians will hold a practice session on January 21, shortly after their arrival in Cannes. A dress rehearsal will be held on the afternoon of January 22, and then they will hold their formal performance at the Palais des Festivals ¡XMediterranee that evening. Each of the groups will put on a 45-minute set. More information about the upcoming performances and the backgrounds of the groups can be found on the MIDEM Web site under the Concerts & Events section.

ChthoniC has specially created a new anthem that it will perform in Cannes. The tune describes the Saideke indigenous tribe in the 1930s and how it was subjugated by Japanese colonialists at the time. Its efforts to defend its ethnicity triggered a rebellion that resulted in the Wushe Primary School incident.

Lim Giong's theme will be "prayers for peace." Music and visual arts are used to cleanse the soul, seeking a world of peace free from worry. Lim Giong will share his musical creations with others at MIDEM with the aim of achieving spiritual tranquility. He will integrate various media to create an amazing "Three Dimensional Sound Picture."

The origins of the music of The Hohak Band rest in Hakka music. They include a number of musical forms from Taiwan and throughout the world in their music. The theme of their performance is "A Big Reunion." The music will exhibit the wide variety of styles their have adopted in their music. At the same time, it will create a joyous atmosphere for the "Taiwan Beat" event.

The GIO said that the groups that will perform at the MIDEM event have all won Golden Melody Awards in the past and their music exhibits the richness and many styles of Taiwanese music. The GIO added that the invitation for these bands to perform represents the high quality of these bands and will certainly have a positive impact on the development of Taiwanese musical groups. It will also encourage any number of new groups to continue to create music as well as their own sound.