“We’re Afraid of Ghosts”: A Chat with Taiwanese Psychedelic Experimental Duo ‘Mong Tong’

By Ben Liew  •  04 Apr 2024 in Interview

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Mong Tong are a Taiwanese duo who make art rock influenced by the spookier side of their culture. Think Chinese funeral music and electronica paired with guitars and bass and you’re not far off. Citing the fear of ghosts alongside Nicolas Jaar as sources of inspiration, the band of brothers, Jiun Chi and Hom Yu, are quickly gaining fame in the West and about to go on their first US tour.

JUICE spoke to them recently before their set at Joyland Festival Bali 2024 about their humble rise to fame, politics, and playing on boats…

JUICE: How’s Bali been so far?

It’s our first time in Bali and the weather is really hot. Right now, it’s winter in Taiwan so we were coming from that.

JUICE: What’s your origin story?

We’re actually blood brothers. Mong Tong is like our reunion because before Mong Tong we lived in different cities. After 2017, we moved to Taipei and lived together, and thought why not make music together because we’ve been separated for many years.

JUICE: Were you playing in different bands?

Jiun Chi: I have played in a metal band called Mutation and now I am in another band called Dope Purple, playing psychedelic rock.

Hom Yu: My previous band is called Prairie WWWW. It’s like an art rock experimental band.

JUICE: Your music has been described as hypnotic and spiritual. How would you describe your own music?

Spooky? Not spiritual but spooky. We’re actually very afraid of ghosts.

JUICE: That’s such an Asian thing!

Yeah! We think it’s a good way to promote Asian music to Westerners. To show that this is a part of our life, a part of our music. We’re trying to provide Westerners with a newer point-of-view to get into our music.

JUICE: What are your influences?

We would say like traditional Taiwanese music, and as a band we are trying to update traditional music, combining it with experimental electronic music.

JUICE: What’s the most interesting venue you’ve played at?

Hamburg! We once played on a venue on a ship, and we stayed there for one night. It was so cold like zero degrees. It was like an old fishing ship.

JUICE: Did you grow up listening to a lot of traditional Taiwanese music?

Like funerals in Taiwan, we participated in many. After forming this band, we realised that this tradition is in our minds and childhoods so we’re trying to culturally dig out what actually influences us. We don’t think we actively listen to that kind of spiritual music but it’s around our lives.

JUICE: Taiwan is a progressive, liberal country. As rebellious young people who are in the arts scene, how do you feel about reunification with China?

Well, erm…

JUICE: Sorry for the heavy question!

No no… it’s actually quite a common question we get. We think that’s one of the reasons why we are trying to make this kind of music, to tell people that we’re in such a status quo. It’s still hard to talk about reunification especially when we are trying to tour in China or even in the world.

We think most of the younger generations in Taiwan are aware of the situation and trying to change this kind of politics. We have a lot of different political parties in Taiwan and we just voted on our new President. Things are getting tough for us.

It’s always stressful, it might be 40 years away, but we’re getting used to it. We think that’s one of the reasons why Taiwanese people are optimistic and expressive. We are trying to earn the respect of the world.

JUICE: What would be your dream collaboration?

Dave Harrington and Nicolas Jaar’s Darkside!

JUICE: What’s next for the band?

Next week we’re heading to SXSW, then we’ll be on our US tour and a label called No Gold will be releasing our latest EP called Epigraphy. We might go to Europe for another tour, then Thailand, Korea, Japan, and China.

JUICE: It seems as though you’ve suddenly gotten famous coming from a relatively obscure scene. Is there a particular turning point?

Our first four albums were released on an Amsterdam label which focused on promoting Asian music in Europe. The boss is actually Japanese. But I think that’s why we got popular. In Europe they have a lot of ‘Asian Fever’. So we gradually became popular as we grew our audience in Europe.

JUICE: How do you feel about your new found fame?

Actually after shows we usually go to the merch area to chat with fans. We think people are the same. We are not stars. We’re just regular people from Taiwan so we’re trying to talk to our fans equally.

We don’t know if that’s underground spirit, but as a person, we just like to talk to people that way.

JUICE: What can people expect from your show tonight at Joyland Festival Bali?

We hope everything goes smoothly. No rain! We were sweating during soundcheck… so we hope all goes well and everyone enjoys the show. There’s a beach besides the stage, it’s a beautiful venue. We hope everyone feels trippy.

Here’s hoping Mong Tong makes it to Malaysian shores soon. To keep up with the duo, follow them on Instagram, Facebook and X. Listen to them on Spotify.

Joyland Festival Bali 2024 went down on 1 – 3 March. Read our review of the fest here.