Bad Digestion, a four-song EP from Taiwanese hip-hop innovator/songwriter Leo Wang, is a snapshot of life in Taiwan -- or anywhere, for that matter -- in 2021.
Let's start with a familiar everyday scene: you're sitting at a table, chopsticks in one hand, phone in the other. You're shoveling down food with one hand, swiping through emotion and drama with the other.
All this grease and gripe, day in, day out, will eventually get to you. This idea inspired the reggae-driven title track, on which Leo sings: "It's emotion, it's hunger, it's fate, all pulling on me / All these mundane things in the world -- I just want to break free."
Time for a digestif, then. The Taiwanese don't agree on everything, but they agree a meal is always good with white rice, or "Baifun." This cut is Leo's ode to Taiwan's great uniter, and his backing band feeds us a generous serving, dripping with funk.
When the world's hard to swallow, one can medicate, but one can also meditate, as Leo does on the last two songs. The space jazz-rock-infused "Experienced That" reminds us of our cosmic selves, as we are constantly pushed and pulled between positive and negative forces. "Mirror" closes the EP with a morsel of common wisdom worth remembering: when we look at other people, what we actually see is a reflection of ourselves.
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Bad Digestion is a release from KAO!INC., and was produced by Jerry Li, who also contributes on electric guitar, and features Adriano Moreira on drums, Eugene Yu (UG) on bass, Tseng-Yi Tseng on keyboard, and Minyen Hsieh on saxophones.
credits
released June 24, 2021
1. Bad Digestion
Lyrics: Leo Wang
Compose: Leo Wang, Adriano Moreira
Producer: Jerry Li
Arranger: Adriano Moreira, Jerry Li
Drums: Adriano Moreira
Bass: Eugene Yu (UG)
Lead Guitar: Jerry Li
Rhythm Guitar: Adriano Moreira
Piano/B3 Organ: Mike Tseng
Synth: Jerry Li
Percussion: Jerry Li
Background Vocals: Leo Wang, Jerry Li, NOTBADYB
2. Baifun
Lyrics: Leo Wang
Compose: Leo Wang, Adriano Moreira, Eugene Yu (UG)
Producer: Jerry Li
Arranger: Adriano Moreira, Eugene Yu (UG) , Jerry Li, Yuchain Wang
Drums: Adriano Moreira
Bass: Eugene Yu (UG)
Guitar: Jerry Li
Wurlitzer: Mike Tseng
Fender Rhodes: Jerry Li
Percussion: Jerry Li
Soprano/Tenor Saxophones: Minyen Hsieh
Trombone: Brandon Lin
Background Vocals: Leo Wang, Jerry Li
3. Experienced That
Lyrics: Leo Wang
Compose: Leo Wang, Adriano Moreira, Eugene Yu (UG)
Producer: Jerry Li
Arranger: Adriano Moreira, Eugene Yu (UG), Jerry Li
Drums: Adriano Moreira
Bass: Eugene Yu (UG)
Electric/Nylon Guitars: Jerry Li
Electric Piano/Synthesizer: Mike Tseng
Soprano Saxophone: Minyen Hsieh
4. Mirror
Lyrics: Leo Wang
Compose: Leo Wang, Adriano Moreira, Eugene Yu (UG) , Mike Tseng
Producer: Jerry Li
Arranger: Eugene Yu (UG), Jerry Li
Drums: Adriano Moreira
Bass: Eugene Yu (UG)
Guitar: Jerry Li
Piano: Mike Tseng
Soprano/Tenor Saxophones: Minyen Hsieh
Trombone: Brandon Lin
Background Vocals: Jerry Li, NOTBADYB
Leo Wang got his musical start in the Taiwanese rock band Gigantic Roar. His sharp wit, spit-fire vocal delivery and keen
songwriting skills helped him transition into a hip-hop career marked by a highly original, jazz-inflected sound. Today, Leo is not only Taiwanese hip-hop’s hottest star, he’s also taken the Mandopop world by a storm, having nabbed the GMA for Best Male Vocalist in 2019....more
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