Deep interview of 2023WMFT Artists
Dear Music Lover,
The experience of a performance often resembles watching a captivating movie, a profound documentary, or embarking on an unprecedented life journey. If you've had such an experience before, or if you're curious to explore this feeling, we invite you to meet a group of creators who masterfully translate abstract elements into tangible musical notes—Go Go Machine Orchestra.
A vital component of the band's mission involves international performances, and they're eager to use this opportunity to introduce the unique sounds of Taiwan's distinctive orchestras to audiences worldwide. This aspiration led them to participate in the Showcase of the 2023 World Music Festival @ Taiwan. Join us on this musical odyssey!
Go Go Machine Orchestra / Photo Credit : Zhu Shang-Jun
Building Minimalism on a Foundation of Classical Music
Go Go Machine Orchestra merges diverse musical styles—minimalism, electronica, slowcore, and percussion-based music—using instruments like E-piano, synthesizers, guitars, and percussion. Each band member honed their craft in various international locations (LA, New York, Chicago) before forming the orchestra in Taiwan in 2017. Besides, they also have extensive exposure and familiarity with various music genres, including electronic, jazz, rock, metal, and more. This diverse musical experience enriches their creative process.
“Classical music serves as a foundation, from which infinite possibilities can be explored and extended.” — Go Go Machine Orchestra
When asked about the term “minimalism,” they explained: “In music, minimalism builds upon a minimal set of elements, starting with a few notes or rhythmic motifs. Through gradual repetition and variations, simplicity evolves into complexity, culminating in a complete musical composition. This method emphasizes subtle changes and repetitive elements to craft rich layers and depth in the music.”
This core is a crucial element in contemporary music and a genre they deeply admire, which is why they've held onto this core value from the inception up until the release of their latest album, “SYMBOL,” in July.
Members (LTR) : Kuan-Yin Chen, Ni-Li Tang, Pin-Hsin Wang, Ting-Chun Yeh
Intertwining Math, Symbols, Codes to Convey Pure, Clear Messages
Following the remarkable success of their debut album “TIME” in 2019, which propelled them on a European tour, including performances at the esteemed Les Rencontres Trans Musicales and a live session recording for the renowned U.S. radio station KEXP, marking them as the first Taiwanese band to do so.
Their latest album, “SYMBOL,” draws inspiration from atoms, RNA gene sequences, Morse code, Pascal's Triangle, and more, creating a conceptual album based on the theme of symbols. They collaborated with the award-winning saxophonist Ming-yen Hsieh, who produced the album and co-worked on two of its tracks.
Each track in this album carries a unique significance. For instance, “Dystopia” explores the interplay between a utopian world and a darker reality, inspired by the film “Inverted World.” “RNA” symbolizes both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic worlds. The band employed the twelve-tone composition method, cleverly arranging “COVID-19” into a concealed musical sequence within the piece.
“When words Fail, Morse code enables Communication. Each song in the album not only represents a symbol but also reflects our way of perceiving the world and life.” — Go Go Machine Orchestra
Crafting an Immersive Sensory Feast with Sounds, Space and People
“We aim to engage our audience more deeply in our musical performances through the conveyance of visual elements. Our aspiration is to provide an immersive experience for the audience, allowing them to deeply sense the fusion of music and visuals.”
As accomplished sound artists who combine visual and auditory elements, they highlighted the challenges they face. “The seamless fusion of both elements proves to be the most demanding aspect. The band’s intricate compositions, featuring irregular beats and rhythms, pose a considerable challenge for visual design and lighting engineers during live performances. Achieving uniformity and a cohesive presentation requires numerous revisions and rehearsals, especially for meticulously designed segments, transitions, and focal points.”
Their meticulous approach to live performances has earned them a nomination for Best Live Performance at the 14th Golden Melody Awards this year. Moreover, they’re actively focusing on developing their presence in Asia, aiming to acquaint more “neighbors” with their music. Through their instrumental performance without linguistic limitations, they are proactively expanding into other overseas markets.
Immersive live concert “Illusion Fantasy” which combined magic imagining with stereophonic sound effects / 2022 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Behind the Music: Coexistence, Mutual Existence, and Prosperity
“In this small global village, humanity stands as a dominant and extensive population. However, the truth is that all life, elements, phenomena, communities... they all exist in interdependence and mutual prosperity. Human dominance has unfortunately compressed the survival rights of other species. Though this is an inevitable stage in evolution, the hope is that all Earth's inhabitants can establish an agreement: to preserve ample space for other species to thrive and to maintain environmental control for the Earth’s balance.
Similar to our music, which comprises numerous small elements, each small screw maintaining its function while achieving equilibrium with many others, the arrangement and combination create a microcosm. ‘Achieving balance’ is what we aim to express through our music.”
Go Go Machine Orchestra constructs its own universe rooted in minimalism, guiding the audience into an alternate dimension where sight and sound converge to touch the soul. Within this enchanting realm, entwined with digital elements and a musical journey, we ultimately discover the essence of human emotions and vitality.
Go Go Machine Orchestra at 2023WMFT
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