Free Beats: The Musical Journey of Chen Ming-chang 陳明章的音樂之旅 | Full Documentary

Описание: Folk musician Chen Ming-chang（陳明章） taught himself to play guitar while listening to the likes of Bob Dylan and The Beatles. In the closed social milieu of Martial Law throughout the 60s and 70s, freedom could only be found in music, which soon sparked his desire to become a musician. Ming-chang eventually decided to expand his repertoire with music from across Taiwan after discovering Chen Da and the mellifluous melody of the yueqin. Greater exploration of musical elements from Hakka and Indigenous peoples helped him to get a clearer picture of the events behind the 228 massacre.

By 93’ and 94’ Chen Ming-chang made a marked departure from his previous more alternative style as he wrote “Wandering Winds From the Northeast” and other huge pop hits. Hou Hsio-hsien’s (侯孝賢） desire for contemporary musicians to accompany projects like “Dust in the Wind” （戀戀風塵） also pulled him into the world of cinema. His simple approach brought the script to life with only one guitar. The Taiwanese director wasn’t known to manipulate the audience’s emotions with music. The score primarily relieved emotive tension at key moments in the film. Chen produced over an hour of materials, but only select pieces made the final cut.

Chen never really watched films, as much as listened to the score. Later projects like Tsai Ming-liang's (蔡明亮） “Moonlight on the Water” (河上的月光) or Lin Cheng-sheng‘s (林正盛) “March of Happiness” (天馬茶房) were likewise dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. The melody draws audiences into their longing for freedom and supports the visual imagery of both films. Free beats were an essential aspect of Chen’s Taiwanese folk music, encouraging the musicians to stop and start wherever they want. The actors onstage improvised in time with the music and their onscreen chemistry became a definitive element of the score. Chen’s work in everything from pop music and movies, to musicals like “Farewell to Beitou”, are now part of a soundtrack of Taiwan that spans 20 or 30 years.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Opening Credits
00:02:58 “Papa Never Drinks Alone”
00:04:55 Composing Under Martial Law
00:06:08 The Repertoire of 228
00:07:40 2019 White Terror Concert
00:08:44 Calling the Lost Souls of 228
00:10:27 Composing in the Early Nineties
00:14:52 Producing "Wandering to Tamsui”
00:18:52 Writing Pop Music
00:20:19 “Crazy Songs” in Taiwanese
00:23:26 Composing for “Dust in the Wind”
00:32:41 “Dust in the Wind” 35th Anniversary
00:34:02 “Dust in the Wind” Photography Exhibition
00:35:02 What is a Free Beat?
00:40:49 Filming “The Burdened” 2023
00:46:00 Composing Film Scores
00:47:39 “March of Happiness”
00:50:35 Advocating Taiwanese Identity
00:51:26 Chen’s Mother
00:55:39 “No Regrets”
01:00:44 “Farewell Beitou”
01:08:57 “Last Train From Suao”
01:12:39 “The Whale”
01:15:47 2022 Taitung Arts Festival True Love Concert
01:20:45 “Chase Chase Chase”
01:23:12 “Tung Flower Bride”
01:24:52 Teaching Yueqin
01:28:24 Classic Records
01:29:59 Yueqin Master Zhu
01:32:14 The Rise of Localism
01:33:46 “The Puppetmaster”
01:34:53 “Ripples of Desire”
01:37:12 2022 Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival
01:39:52 Composing Indigenous Music
01:41:48 “Princess Kavalan”
01:44:50 Closing Credits

‪@monkey24hr‬ ‪@cmcmusic888‬
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