Photo: Etang Chen
Comprising Taiwanese brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi, Taipei duo Mong Tong incorporate a wild mix of influences — from vintage‑sounding psychedelic rock to haunting Taiwanese folk music — into their instrumental odysseys. Their rebellious and gritty approach to production is carried through into their blindfolded live performances. “That comes from a Taoist ritual, which says that when you wear the blindfold you can see dead people,” explains Hom Yu. “If you have grandparents who have passed away, for example. A lot of people go to the temple and do that ritual.”
“In Taiwan, a lot of people think that if you make music, you have to sing,” says Jiun Chi. “That every band has to have a singer. But we love instrumental music... And we are not good at singing!”
At the moment I can’t stop listening to
Chi: Forest Swords, who’s a producer. I’d describe his style as, like, industrial electronic music. It has this texture to it which I think is very special. I like it very much. That type of music feels... cold to me, mentally. Which I like. Taiwan is too hot!
Yu: I’d say Cold Dew, which is the band of a friend here in Taiwan. Their music is very much in that Taiwanese style; psychedelic, alternative rock, but blended with more traditional Taiwanese songs. So I like that a lot. They are on tour right now in Taiwan. Maybe in the future they’ll get to Europe, I don’t know. They sing in Taiwanese Mandarin, with a cool accent!
The artist I’d most like to collaborate with
Chi: I would say: Darkside. They make music similar to us — I mean, we make music similar to them! Dave Harrington: the way he plays guitar is so special. I’ve learned a lot from listening to him. The producer is Nicolás Jaar. And the way he worked is very special too. I could listen to the music and I immediately know it’s produced by him. It’s a very iconic sound. I’d love to collaborate with both of them.
Yu: I’d choose Glass Beams. They have become pretty famous recently, at the beginning of this year. I’ve been watching some of their live sessions and it’s pretty amazing. Not just the music, but the outfits, the whole art side of it, everything, I think, just perfectly fits. It’s just so cool. They’re actually heading to Asia for a tour. They’re going to be stopping by Taiwan at the end of this month, and we’re going to be opening for them. So I hope we can meet them! Both of our bands wear masks, so we’re both... mysterious groups!
The first thing I look for in a studio
Yu: Well, actually, the first thing is the right people. For me, when people are very serious about what they’re doing, sometimes that can make me feel like I’m under a lot of pressure. That’s one of the reasons why we produce everything ourselves: all the writing, mixing, everything by ourselves. Sometimes I’m afraid to collaborate with ‘serious’ people, people who might say ‘No, you cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ But actually, a lot of the time we’re just experimenting. And to be honest, we don’t know what the results will be. So yeah, we need to experiment like that, and maybe I’ll burn your amplifier or something. So the first thing I look for is the right people to work with.
Chi: I think I look for analogue equipment. I see if they have any analogue delays or reverbs. I just think digital can never replace analogue. It just sounds different. Especially analogue tape delays or spring reverbs. We try and use a lot of that kind of thing in our music.
Yu: I have my own spring right here! It’s kind of home‑made. Chinese factories will produce the spring component for amplifiers, but you can use them without the amplifiers and they will be way cheaper. You just need to find a way to use it. We’re really big fans of spring reverb.
The person I would consider my mentor
Yu: I have to say, my parents. They don’t understand my music, they don’t understand English, they don’t really understand art, but I’m so grateful to them for having allowed me to do whatever I wanted, ever since I was a child. They are very different to most Taiwanese parents. I hate to say it, but there is a kind of stereotype of Asian parents, where it’s like, ‘You need to be a doctor,’ or ‘You need to be a lawyer,’ and in my experience that actually does exist in Taiwan. So, I think my parents did a great job, saying, ‘Hey. You don’t need to care about that. You just need to focus on yourself.’ So, yes. They were definitely my mentors.
Chi: Mine is a Guru from India, Sadhguru. He’s been really famous for a while now. He promotes yoga for health and mental wellness, although he says it’s for all of life, not only for health. Maybe that’s too deep! I’ve learned a lot from him because he’s teaching different kinds of values, different from what a majority of people in society will say. He gives you a totally different, non‑traditional way of thinking. Another, spiritual way.
My go‑to reference track or album
Chi: My go to reference album is actually not an album, it’s a soundtrack. From a ’90s video game called Streets Of Rage 2. Not 1, not 3, not 4: 2. The music is by Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima. We have played that game since we were children. But then once we had grown up and we went back to it, listening to the music, we were like, holy shit! The music is so great. Most of its style is techno or house. The melodies are beautiful. It’s all in 16‑bit.
Yu: It’s still really, really awesome. Even though it’s from the Sega Mega Drive, a 16‑bit console with this kind of 16‑bit chiptune... I don’t know how to describe it. Just check it out. As for me, I don’t personally have a go‑to reference album, but maybe 10 years ago, I was listening to Echoes by Pink Floyd all the time! Which is interesting because Pink Floyd aren’t really famous in Taiwan. Which is pretty weird.
My secret weapon in the studio
Yu: Mine is a spring reverb taken from a Crate guitar amp. A small amplifier, and I removed the cabinet. It’s got this spring reverb inside, which I think is pretty cool because I can use the EQ on top of the reverb. It’s almost more like a saturation and a spring reverb. It’s pretty useful. I like the sound I get from the way I use it. We’ve owned this amplifier for more than 10 years. But recently I removed the cab and it turned into a spring unit!
Chi: The Waldorf Streichfett string synthesizer, from Germany. They’ve got bunch of pretty good synthesizers and this one I strongly recommend. We’ve used it on many tracks and in live shows — although my one is currently broken! You can hear it on our last album, Tau Fire. Particularly on a song called ‘Cold Earth’, although to be honest, it’s in there with a lot of different layers!
The studio session I wish I’d witnessed
Yu: You know, maybe something by someone like Robert Johnson. Some really old blues. The legend says he had a deal with the devil... I want to see the devil!
Chi: Maybe, Jimi Hendrix. Or Pink Floyd.
Yu: No, you only get one!
Chi: Only one? OK, I choose Jimi Hendrix. All of his albums. Just seeing his passion.
The producer I’d most like to work with
Chi: Nicolás Jaar. The way he produces percussion is very clear. And clean. But also very organic, it sounds very wide — very wild. I don’t know how he does that. Percussion in our music is very important. The groove, the percussion, the drums. So I’d like to learn how he produces percussion like that.
Yu: For me, maybe Dr Dre. In fact, no: Kanye West! Just because I think he’s a madman. So I’d want to see his creative process. You know, not how exactly he produces things — but how he thinks. How he became, you know, a racist or whatever. But to be honest, he is controversial. I’m not sure if he’s, like, crazy or a genius. So I need to check that. So yes, Kanye West. Maybe not as a producer, just as a guy!
Jiun Chi: I learned a lot the first time I went into a traditional studio. I discovered I don’t like traditional studios!
The studio experience that taught me the most
Yu: I think it’s the first time I went into a studio, when I was a student. And I learned a lot. I was so nervous! I played bass at that time, but in that moment, I just couldn’t play. And I think that was quite shocking to me. And I still don’t like studios, to be honest. So that’s why we have our own.
Chi: We’ve built our own studio, a small one.
Yu: Yeah, I really hate going into other studios. I find them too stressful. Especially if you can’t communicate with the people there, if they don’t know what you are doing. On top of being Taiwanese, we have a hard time communicating with musicians most of the time, in most situations. So I learned a lot the first time I went into a traditional studio. I discovered I don’t like traditional studios!
Chi: I played in a thrash metal band before Mong Tong. I think when I was first recording something like guitar, and I saw others playing, recording their instruments, the thing I learned the most is that either you have to practise a lot, or you have to use what technology you have. If you don’t play well, just use the computer to edit it! If you don’t want to use the computer, you have to play very well. So many people I’ve seen don’t play well, but don’t want to use editing, either. And it takes a long time to get good. Don’t pretend to be a guitar hero if you are not one. Studio time is expensive. Don’t waste time recording something that you haven’t practised. In that metal band our skill level wasn’t very high, but we didn’t use editing. And it felt meaningless.
The advice I’d give myself of 10 years ago
Chi: Nothing! I think the me of 10 years ago did his best. I’d just say, ‘Go ahead, keep going!’
Yu: I would tell him that life is like a big detour, you know? You’re not always able to go straight to the thing you’re thinking of. And sometimes you learn something accidentally, so don’t be afraid of learning new stuff. Life is always a challenge, so just don’t be afraid. Just keep learning. Everything is worth it. Everything has its own meaning. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose your faith.