Wu Tiao Ren: Hot Hits

“The pandemic affected everyone,” Wu Tiao Ren vocalist and accordionist Renke tells Apple Music. “Us too. We had lots of shows cancelled.” Yet while the Minnan dialect folk-rock/indie band couldn’t see the world, they were still able to explore music from every corner. Their New Year’s playlist features tracks from artists based in Japan, Germany, Nigeria and even Tuva, a southern Siberian republic. Many of Renke’s picks, which take up the first half of the playlist, have personal backstories, like “Moving On” from Taiwanese folk hero Sheng Xiang & Band: “One time we opened for him [Lin Sheng Xiang] at a gig in Guangzhou,” he says. “He sang in the Hakka dialect, and the way they arranged [the song] was so interesting.” And in the second half of the playlist, co-vocalist and guitarist Ah Mao’s diverse selections featuring everything from Frank Zappa to Ice Cube and the ’60s-’70s psychedelic band Gong, along with their own songs “爛尾樓” (“Unfinished Building”) and “Dreamy Lisa Salon”.

Next year holds more promise for everyone—including Wu Tiao Ren: Following up their 2020 single, fittingly titled “The Globe”, the band plans to release a new album as stylistically daring as their playlist. “We wish everyone joy and a happy Lunar New Year,” Renke says. “For the new year, the thing I’m saying the most is ‘I hope everything goes smoothly,’” says Ah Mao.