01Profile
A Yangko Photo
Yangko
Musician — Taipei
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
YANGKO, Taipei.
What do you do?
Lead singer and Bar operator.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
It’s hard to pinpoint one specific show, but as for my favourite live performance in recent years, it would probably be the Clockenflap Festival from 2015 to 2017. There was something about the Victoria Harbor sea breeze mixed with Hong Kong Island’s vibrant city atmosphere that was just so joyful and blissful.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
To tell you the truth, it’s completely different at different ages and different stages of life. If we’re not just talking purely about music, movies and anime are probably the most consistently influential, right? Even to this day, I still get inspiration from a manga dialogue, a deep or profound movie scene or a certain soundtrack I saw or listened to when I was a kid.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
A music festival in Shaoxing in late 2016. There were two stages of the same size facing each other across a large empty plot of sand. The stages were just far enough apart that their music wouldn’t affect each other. Interestingly, we were the only performers in the entire lineup that weren’t heavy metal or folk music.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
The Beatles, The Doors, Chemical Brothers, or any music band with Damon Albarn or Liam Gallagher.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Before Yoshihiro Togashi (also known as Yoshirin) paused his serialization, I’d invite him to go to a bone-setting session together and ask him if he’d be interested in going to a sweat lodge to hang out for an afternoon and shoot the shit.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Without a doubt, the sound control folks. It’s hard to imagine what a tragedy it’d be not to have trustworthy sound control. In addition, when it comes to this question, I also often think of cover designers.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Motor Rock' by Mayday. At that time I couldn’t speak Taiwanese, but I sang along with the song over and over again until I learned it, just so I could sing it at KTV (it’s also how I got to know Mayday).
A song that defines the teenage you?
It would probably be 'Spaghetti' by Gigi Leung’s song.
One record you would keep forever?
'Plastic Ono Band' by John Lennon or 'This World' by Tsai Lan-Chin.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
Many of Damien Rice’s songs will inspire me. It’s not that I attempt to write similar lyrics, but rather English is a vehicle that can form a sharp edge with just a few words. This is not easy to do in Chinese by comparison.
Best song to turn up loud?
When I’m driving: 'Hotel California' by the Eagles. When I’m taking a shower: my own songs (the importance of practising or warming up at home).
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
I don’t think there’s really any situation where I’d be surprised – when it comes to the experience of listening to music, there’s always more pleasant surprises than let-downs.
Any new music you are listening to now?
A friend introduced me to 'Garden Grooves' by Hollyspleef which I’ve fallen in love with totally unexpectedly. I don’t want to spoil the fun of the song for you, just go and listen.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
YANGKO, Taipei.
What do you do?
Lead singer and Bar operator.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
It’s hard to pinpoint one specific show, but as for my favourite live performance in recent years, it would probably be the Clockenflap Festival from 2015 to 2017. There was something about the Victoria Harbor sea breeze mixed with Hong Kong Island’s vibrant city atmosphere that was just so joyful and blissful.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
To tell you the truth, it’s completely different at different ages and different stages of life. If we’re not just talking purely about music, movies and anime are probably the most consistently influential, right? Even to this day, I still get inspiration from a manga dialogue, a deep or profound movie scene or a certain soundtrack I saw or listened to when I was a kid.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
A music festival in Shaoxing in late 2016. There were two stages of the same size facing each other across a large empty plot of sand. The stages were just far enough apart that their music wouldn’t affect each other. Interestingly, we were the only performers in the entire lineup that weren’t heavy metal or folk music.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
The Beatles, The Doors, Chemical Brothers, or any music band with Damon Albarn or Liam Gallagher.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Before Yoshihiro Togashi (also known as Yoshirin) paused his serialization, I’d invite him to go to a bone-setting session together and ask him if he’d be interested in going to a sweat lodge to hang out for an afternoon and shoot the shit.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Without a doubt, the sound control folks. It’s hard to imagine what a tragedy it’d be not to have trustworthy sound control. In addition, when it comes to this question, I also often think of cover designers.
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Motor Rock' by Mayday. At that time I couldn’t speak Taiwanese, but I sang along with the song over and over again until I learned it, just so I could sing it at KTV (it’s also how I got to know Mayday).
A song that defines the teenage you?
It would probably be 'Spaghetti' by Gigi Leung’s song.
One record you would keep forever?
'Plastic Ono Band' by John Lennon or 'This World' by Tsai Lan-Chin.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
Many of Damien Rice’s songs will inspire me. It’s not that I attempt to write similar lyrics, but rather English is a vehicle that can form a sharp edge with just a few words. This is not easy to do in Chinese by comparison.
Best song to turn up loud?
When I’m driving: 'Hotel California' by the Eagles. When I’m taking a shower: my own songs (the importance of practising or warming up at home).
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
I don’t think there’s really any situation where I’d be surprised – when it comes to the experience of listening to music, there’s always more pleasant surprises than let-downs.
Any new music you are listening to now?
A friend introduced me to 'Garden Grooves' by Hollyspleef which I’ve fallen in love with totally unexpectedly. I don’t want to spoil the fun of the song for you, just go and listen.