Travelling into the mountains of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, we joined producers from across the country to learn from the Indigenous Truku community and shape those encounters into new sounds.
Flavor Hualien is a cultural collective from Eastern Taiwan passionate about hip hop, lo-fi music and location creation. Through community-driven music and sound projects, they bring Hualien's unique voices, traditions and soundscapes to life.
Indigenous Artist Piteyru Ukah outside a traditional Truku peoples home in Hualien | Photo by @yunyunyun_li_
"From Hualien to the world, we're building a sound culture where local rhythms fuel contemporary expression – global music rooted in community and deep cultural connection." Shane, Founder of Flavour Hualien
Tumun Pitayru playing the Qawqaw (mouth-harp) at Ketusan Studio, Hualien | Photo by @yunyunyun_li_
Together with Studio Monkey Shoulder, Flavor Hualien invited beat makers from across Taiwan including Taipei's hip hop collective NOD TOWN to join workshops, jam sessions and field recordings with local indigenous artists to spark cultural exchange and intergenerational collaboration.
Flavor Hualien & Collective NOD TOWN jamming with local instruments & 404 samplers | Photo by @yunyunyun_li_
Across two weekend programmes curated by founder Shane, we explored the musical traditions of the Truku and Pangcha peoples, played traditional instruments such as the Qawqaw (mouth harp), Pgagu (flute), and Tatuk (xylophone), recorded and sampled local sounds, and jammed on 404 beat samplers.
The result of these programmes is collaborative EASTSIDE SAMPLES – a music compilation capturing the unique sounds of Taiwan's indigenous communities.
Each track blends field recordings, oral histories and traditional instruments with contemporary hip hop beats – preserving local culture whilst reimagining for global audiences. You can purchase a copy of the digital album on Bandcamp here.
Local producers playing with Qawqaw (moutharp) & Pgagu (flute) on Hualien beach | Photo by @yunyunyun_li_
“I love how this meeting of Taiwanese indigenous tradition and contemporary hip hop production come together in such a unique and authentic way. Can’t wait to hear this album and how the sounds of Hualien have been reimagined.” Gilles Peterson
Watch this video here to see how Flavor Hualien brings musicians together to rediscover Taiwan’s roots — preserving tradition while inspiring the evolution of new Taiwanese sounds.
This project is part of Studio Monkey Shoulder – a music initiative by Worldwide FM and Monkey Shoulder Whisky dedicated to empowering and celebrating innovate grassroots music communities around the world.