1989-12-05

LTK Commune Introduction


Widely regarded as Taiwan's most influential underground band, Loh Tsui Kwei Commune is a unique, highly controversial, ever-evolving conglomeration of musicians and hell-raisers.  They were the archetype of "taike" long before the term became popular in Taiwan.  They are true punks, not just in terms of music, but in terms of attitude and philosophy.  Their unforgettable live performances are in keeping with their anarchistic leanings, attacking the establishment and challenging societal norms through not only music but also an unbelievable variety of other things.  At LTK Commune shows, audiences get to see short theatrical performances in addition to singing, and the group makes use of beer bottles, rocks, motorcycle helmets, strap-on genitalia, fire extinguishers and more in addition to standard musical instruments.

With all their emphasis on attitude, one might think that for LTK Commune music is an afterthought; mediocre at best and unlistenable at worst.  But one listen to their latest album, Restless Good-For-Nothing(OR The Earthly Wanderer) [LTK Commune IV], proves otherwise.  Incorporating a wide variety of styles including punk, synth-pop, balladic rock, nakashi, folk, progressive rock and death metal, their latest effort is a mature-sounding collection of songs which appeals to non-fans while still containing the unique brand of satirical humor that their fans have come to expect.  For those fans who might fear that the lack of profanity and the inclusion of love songs and string ensembles mean that LTK Commune have gone mainstream, one look at their music video for the song "Joyful Ferry to the Other World(or Joyful Sailing On Lifeboat Of Salvation)" should reassure them.  For those who, on the other hand, know nothing of LTK Commune or have been frightened off by their controversial reputation their latest album is a great introduction.

1989
Thunder Bird Fourth, the precursor to LTK Commune, is formed by a group of students at The Affiliated Senior High School Of National Taiwan Normal University.

1990
LTK Commune is formed; the group participates in various protest marches and activities.

1992
The compilation album Asian Independent Compilation Vol. 1, which includes one LTK Commune song, is released.

1995
LTK Commune's first studio album, Joyous Anal-Retentive(or The Anus of Happy Desires), is released. The group begins to perform regularly, and their shows quickly acquire a reputation for wild inventiveness.

1996
Two songs by LTK Commune appear on the soundtrack album for Hou Hsiao-hsien's film Goodbye South, Goodbye.

1997
LTK Commune release a live album entitled Live at Spring Scream in the Year of the Cow containing performances from the Spring Scream music festival, and two of their songs appear on the compilation album SCUM.

1998
By this time, LTK Commune is performing regularly in various live venues and incorporating more and more theatrical elements into their shows.  Their shows attract a great deal of attention and critical praise; the extreme nature of their performances also result in permanent bans from some venues.

1999
LTK Commune's second studio album, Revenge of the Taike(or Taik's Eye for an Eye), is released.

2000
Two LTK Commune songs are included on the compilation album Anti China Invasion Live.

2001
LTK Commune's third studio album, Stinking to High Heaven(or Stinks to Death), is released, as is the compilation album Bandage Force, which includes one LTK Commune song taken from Stinking to High Heaven.
They are also featured in a documentary entitled Rotten Heads(Rot in the Skull), the very first band in Taiwan music scene that had ever been filmed as documentary.

2002
Partial members served military services in the army, the band stayed in hiatus.

2003
LTK Commune started doing gigs and live performances with new members.

2004
LTK Commune performs at the Leaf International Music Festival.

2005
LTK Commune releases its fourth studio album, Restless Good-For-Nothing(OR The Earthly Wanderer) [LTK Commune IV].

2006
LTK Commune is nominated for The Best Band and The Best Music Video in the 17th Golden Melody Award.
Gamma Records releases Say Stink to LTK Commune tribute album. LTK Commune is the first band in Taiwan that had an album dedicated to.

2008
LTK Commune releases its fifth studio album, Blue Sapphire.
Joins the Sweet Burden tribute album, dedicated to legendary Taiwanese poet Wu Shen.

2009
Joins FREE BURMA activity, recorded one song in the FREE BURMA album.

2010
To celebrate the band's 20th anniversary, LTK Commune releases an electronica and dance oriented studio album Special Project: HITS, and holds an outdoor live near a historical pier and temple with 1,000 eager fans. The show ended with a total mess on stage. Blue Sapphire album is nominated for the best rock album in the 1st Golden Indie Music Awards.

2011
20th Anniversary Live is nominated for the best live event in the 2nd Golden Indie Music Awards.

2012
LTK Commune releases its seventh studio album, Taiwan Siren Eyes.

2013
"Fire As Soon As Seeing the Shadow" of Taiwan Siren Eyes album wins the Best Rock Song in the 4th Golden Indie Music Awards

2014
Performs at the Summer Sonic 2014 music festival in Tokyo, Japan.
LTK Commune releases its eighth studio album, Country.People.Blues.,

2014
Country.People.Blues wins the Best Album, the Best Band and the Jury Award in the 6th Golden Indie Music Award and is nominated the Best Rock Album, the Best Rock Song (Making Money, Stay in Taixi), the Best Stylish Song (Na Cha The Great), and the Best Music Player (Li-ping Jiang, the bass player of LTK).

2017
LTK Commune releases its ninth studio album, Asia Impact

《Album》
肛門樂慾期作品集(1995 友善的狗)台客的復仇(1999 喜樂音)臭死了(2001 水晶)
天涯棄逃人(2005 角頭)藍寶石(2008喜馬拉雅)20年特別企畫:熱門勁歌-HITS(2010喜馬拉雅)
鬼島社會檔案(2012有料音樂)
鄉土‧人民‧勃魯斯(2014 禾廣娛樂)
亞洲衝擊(2017 禾廣娛樂)

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