Mixer—Rock Music that Won’t Be Pigeonholed

On September 1 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the band Mixer performed at a ceremony marking the start of their overseas tour. This was the first time MOFA had hosted a rock band performance, with Mixer’s loud music almost blowing the roof off the auditorium and their youthful passion sending young fans crazy with delight.

At the end of the show Ta­ka­shi Ha­mada, secretary-­general of Japan’s Interchange Association office in Tai­pei, asked them for their autographs. John Feng, advisor in international affairs at event sponsor the China Trust Commercial Bank, said happily, “It was worth ­every cent!” Mixer had just been awarded a Golden Melody Award for Best Band.

Government and private organizations cooperated to promote a musical exchange tour to Japan and Korea, introducing the energetic rock music of Taiwan’s youth to the world.

This year’s Golden Melody Award for Best Band generated a great deal of discussion. It’s the first time that seven bands were nominated. They included Soda­green, Fire EX., ­ChthoniC, and The Chairman, and ages ranged from young to old. Mixer, whose average age is less than 25 years, beat all competitors and won the award on their first nomination, surprising many experts and critics.

“My brain went blank,” says Sheng Hao, the band’s lead vocalist. They had had no idea that they would win the award, so they had attended in the hope of seeing some big stars. As a result, their acceptance speech was completely off the cuff.

Mixer won the award because the band exhibits all the elements of solid rock music, and lays bare its huge and pure enthusiasm. It’s an honest and very appealing style.

The seven bands nominated for Best Band in this year’s Golden Melody Awards all have strong support and their own very enthusiastic fans, but Mixer in fact came in for some serious attacks on the Internet after their win.

Mixer’s members, all red-blooded young men in their early twenties, were upset when they saw some of the harsh comments. “These criticisms made us want to prove how good we could be,” says the band’s guitarist, Z-an. Many people who criticized Mixer hadn’t actually listened to their music. “But these criticisms became a driving force for us to grow as a band.”

Rock band Mixer(from left to right: Vincent, Sheng Hao, Bosy, Z-an, Eno). Their happy yet solid style of music reflects the young generation’s feelings about society.

Z-an and Sheng Hao had known each other in junior high school. Their common love of music brought them together a lot.

Then in senior high school, they met bassist Eno, and later electric guitarist Bosy at university. Since then they have performed all over Taiwan.

In 2011 they entered National Cheng­chi University’s Golden Melody competition (not connected with the government-organized Golden Melody Awards), and won in the composition category. Back then the band was called Z-an–Sheng Hao (ZA–SH).

As ZA–SH, the band attracted the attention of a record company, and in 2011 they released their debut EP and formally entered the music scene.

“So what are we?” Bosy had asked jokingly. The name ZA–SH made it sound as if there were only two members, so guitarist Bosy and bassist Eno felt a bit left out as they regularly performed with the band.

Sheng Hao agreed that the situation was unfair to the other two, so after much discussion with the record company, they decided to rename the band—as Mixer.

The band’s name and its musical style echo each other perfectly—sometimes displaying a poetic and almost psychedelic style, at other times highlighting a distinct sense of consciousness. Their musical arrangements are based on the guitar, but with other instruments added to the mix to create a broad and deep sense of imagery.

Drummer Vincent, the group’s newest member, is a key figure in making the band’s dense, compacted creations sound more rhythmical.

Rock band Mixer(from left to right: Vincent, Sheng Hao, Bosy, Z-an, Eno). Their happy yet solid style of music reflects the young generation’s feelings about society.

Vincent is the band’s oldest member, and the only university graduate. He teaches drumming in a number of music studios.

The drummer in a rock band is often overlooked, simply because they sit at the back of the stage and are often partly hidden by the drum kit. And arrangements for the drum part are often simply a basic rhythm to support the melody. But Vincent’s drumming is brilliant, and it’s impossible not to become aware of his contribution.

The band’s music producer Terry Chou believes that Vincent’s low-profile and tranquil personality perfectly complements that of Z-an. Z-an is responsible for arrangements, assembling the individual contributions in a delicate balance to create the final work.

His musical style tends toward the bold and innovative, and he sometimes composes music that is impossible for any drummer to play. So Vincent often needs to patiently explain to Z-an what can and cannot be done in practice. They usually come to an arrangement which allows the drums to create a sense of rhythm full of vitality—the soul of Mixer’s happy and carefree, yet solid style.

It’s sometimes said that finding the right band member is as hard as finding the right partner to marry. Finding one member is hard enough­—finding five who can work together is almost a miracle. The most admirable thing about Mixer’s five young men is that they simply never argue.

Even when they may not agree with each other’s ideas about lyrics or arrangements, they patiently listen to each other’s opinions, and then discuss the options to find the right approach.

This sense of maturity is reflected in their music too.

While their triumph at the Golden Melody Awards attracted a great deal of praise, it also brought some criticism. In response, Mixer became determined to put more effort into their performances.

“Totally unarmed / You are not lonely / Your tenacity / Is to pursue your ideal / And that’s your great burden.”

“Circus Movement” is the hit song from Mixer’s debut album of the same name. The lyric aims to wake up all tamed animals (that’s us: the people) in the circus (our society), and to remind every­one not to overlook their power and their ideals.

The music was composed by Z-an, but he didn’t have any particular lyric in mind. “We privately call it a snappy tune,” says Z-an. But while the music is very simple, Sheng Hao’s lyrics enhance the spirit and the impact of the song remarkably. The result was totally beyond Lin’s expectations.

The title was created in a group brainstorming session after the lyrics and arrangement were complete. The hit title in fact turned out to be the last song to be put down, a process that differs markedly from many bands’ common practice.

The band’s approach to composition is extremely democratic. Except for Vincent, everyone had a hand in either lyrics or arrangements on this album. And one of the songs was sung by guitarist Z-an, breaking with traditional roles.

With a free-spirited approach to songwriting, they create their own unique style of music—Mixer-style rock, a blending of Western and Japanese rhythms with touches of psychedelic and punk.

Mixer’s debut album Circus Movement won the Golden Melody Award for Best Band, suddenly making them a household name.

At the end of August 2014, Mixer returned to their hometown Kao­hsiung to perform at the Han­shin Arena Plaza, grabbing audience attention from their first moment on stage.

Drummer Vincent was the first performer to appear, showing off his brilliant drum skills and winning the hearts of the entire audience. He was followed by Z-an, Eno and Bosy, all performing solos, with each player giving entrance to the next. As the music gradually integrated into a whole, lead vocalist Sheng Hao appeared and shouted: “Are you ready?” They were more than ready for Mixer.

The lead vocalist in a rock band is often the focus of all attention, with other members in supporting roles. But in Mixer each member has his own role and an individual spot to show off his talents. Mixer is a truly democratic band.

Sheng Hao, with his long curly hair, and Bosy, with tattoos all over his arms, often present an image as wild “bad boys.” But privately, Mixer’s members are modest and very polite “good boys.” In fact, support from their respective families has played a significant role in their success.

“Our families have all provided remarkable support in our musical careers,” says Eno, who comes from a religious family. His mother was a great role model. She played the piano in church, but died earlier this year. He thinks of his Golden Melody Award as the best tribute to his mother.

Their families all attended the live performance in Kao­hsiung to provide support. For these young men, the pride in their families’ eyes was brighter and more dazzling than even the spotlights.

MOFA vice minister Vanessa Shih, promoter for the tour of Northeast Asia, praises Mixer as a band full of vitality, creativity, and theatrical charm. Shih hopes these wonderful representatives of Taiwan’s youth culture will open an international cultural exchange channel, bringing Taiwan closer to the world.

Producer Terry Chou says that this is an excellent opportunity for Mixer to develop. Their creative work doesn’t rely on a fixed formula, only on the emotions and creativity of the band’s members. But creativity needs continual renewal, so some sort of foreign musical exchange is bound to spark new ideas.

The band Mixer has integrated the ideals and goals of its individual members. Their rock story has just begun, and they are moving onto bigger stages in the future, bringing the voice of Taiwan’s youth to the world.

Rock band Mixer(from left to right: Vincent, Sheng Hao, Bosy, Z-an, Eno). Their happy yet solid style of music reflects the young generation’s feelings about society.

Rock band Mixer(from left to right: Vincent, Sheng Hao, Bosy, Z-an, Eno). Their happy yet solid style of music reflects the young generation’s feelings about society.