Dreaming in Stereo #30 - China/Taiwan/Philippines Shoegaze

Sometimes there are easy themes that readily and obviously present themselves, and sometimes you have to go working for it. So, while this episode's Second Hour Spotlight theme may not seem obvious it's very definitely something I threw together at the last minute part of a larger project I plan on tackling throughout the year.

One of the cool (to me) aspects of music is seeing a particular style or genre migrate from the geographical/social/political/whatever group that created it to people and places far and wide. There's something about seeing German hip-hop heads or Japanese jazz obsessives that is just cool to me; it's a testament to the power of the music.

On that note, throughout the year I'll be focusing on shoegaze/dreampop bands from across the globe; I've heard enough groups from enough different countries that I can put the UK and US off til the end and still have plenty to choose from.

I'm not exactly sure why I started with China, but it seemed as good a place as any. I've also covered Taiwan, and was trying to find another China-related country to pull from, but there don't appear to be any Tibet-based bands, and I was able to find mention of one Mongolia-based group. So, the Philippines seemed a good place to go from there. It was great to see so many active bands in the respective countries, and to see how they take the form and make it their own. There are at least a couple of bands I'll be revisiting in shows to come.

And, credit where it's due: big thanks to NoiseArtists.net for doing a lot of the leg work with their articles on the scenes in China and Taiwan. In fact, they've done some good research on a number of countries, so give them a look if you want a deeper dive into global gaze.

There's also a mini-theme set in the first half, which should be pretty obvious when you see/hear it. It was just one of those things that came together, and I'm a sucker for a good through-line.

So without further ado:

(Originally aired Jan. 10, 2019)

goth dad - Blackout - Fade EP
dogma 95 - illbeback - dogma 95 EP
The Telescopes - All a Dreams - Celeste single - Creation
Lycia - The Emptiness of Airports - Droneuary - Silber Records
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Swan Dive - Fly Toward the Sun - Fly Toward the Sun
Shallowdive - Sunrise - Shallowdive EP
Slowdive - When the Sun Hits - Souvlaki - Creation
Dive - Tones of Sun - Early Sonic June
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Holy Fawn - Vespertine - Death Spells - Holy Roar
Nostalgist - Smoldering Amber - Disaffection
Experimental Aircraft - Upper East Side - Third Transmission - Graveface
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Chestnut Bakery - I Love You Mr. Snowball - Diaries - Sango Records
City Flanker - Lane - Sound Without Time - Akasaka Music
RUBUR - Suffer - True Bypass EP
Hedgehog - Money is Everything - Sound of Life Towards... - Ruby Eye Records
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U.TA - Three - Highway Cruising
TuT - Send Me - You Got Me When I Stare At You
Manic Sheep - Eve of Destruction - Brooklyn
DoZzz - Wandering - Poem of Love <> Poem of Sadness
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Sugar Hiccup - Saturnine Nevermore - Closure - D Chord Records
Narcloudia - Colour Wheel - Day-Blind Stars
GYHT - Moving Parts - Maybe in Another Universe I Deserve You
Beast Jesus - Double Tuck - In Various States of Disassembly
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The Rave Tapes - Pale as Crimson (demo)