Outlet Dfrift, an independent band, comes from an aboriginal tribe on the east coast of Taiwan. It is good at using elements of traditional ancient tunes to compose.
The first album “Reverse Tour” was released in 2015. The recording location of the album was chosen to go back to my hometown, a thatched house in Dulan Mountain. In the song, the chirping of insects and birds in the small natural environment can be heard, which forms a strong contrast with the remake rhythm of the song, is a suitable recording method for the orchestra to express the content of the song. The album “Reverse Tour” was nominated for the Best Rock Album at the 2015 Golden Sound Awards. The second album “O Fafahiyan No Riyar 海女” was released in October 2018, Outlet Drift began to prepare for the drifting sound-finding project. The Drifting Sound Project means recording 12 songs (whole album) in five different spaces. 12 songs, the entire album is recorded simultaneously with instruments. Its purpose is to record the creator’s heartbeat, melody, emotion and energy. Song selection is based on the most suitable timbre and tension space as the direction of selection. The music production process, from song writing, group practice, collection of traditional Amis instruments, exploration of instrument timbre, determination of the number of musical instrument tracks, recording in five recording studios, song version selection, vocal recording, mixing, and mastering, lasted nearly two years. In 2020, Outlet Drift finally made this piece of music.
The theme of this work is related to our marine cultural life. We are tribal children born in the information age, and the traditional living culture has been changing from us over time. Although it is difficult for us to reconstruct the past, what remains unchanged is that we still have our mother tongue (language), and we use the best way – music to express our breath and power of the Ami marine culture. With modern technology, human beings know far less about the sea than they do about the universe. Exploring life never stops, and we enjoy it all together. Homage to the sea, the mother who gave birth to us and pushed us into the future. This album was also shortlisted for Best Aboriginal Language Album and Best Orchestra in the 32nd Golden Melody Awards.
The members of the orchestra are all from the Ami aborigines in Taitung. Wushang Bihai and Budala Bihai are brother and sister from Bixili Bank, and their cousin drummer Lincoln is from Dulan. Following the work of their parents since childhood, they studied and grew up in other counties and cities. They are what people call urban aborigines. The group name of Outlef Drift comes from the band’s identification with ethnic culture and identity. Looking for an exit, holding hope for life, and walking on the road of self-seeking. The live performances at Outlet Drift are full of explosive power, and they often perform in traditional Ami costumes. The bright colors of the clothes and the remake music fit the sensory experience of being born fierce and mysterious, and the performance has a strong sense of improvisation. Keys, variations, and “unexpected live interactions” that often occur. Outlef Drift, which is difficult to define, has distinctive band characteristics and claims to be a “folk experimental rock band” of the Ami ethnic group in Taitung.
This is a band that blends traditional Indigenous Taiwanese tunes with experimental folk, grunge, psychedelic and metal. Clad in traditional Amis indigenous garb their live shows are an audio visual experience not soon forgotten.