Taiwan's Organik Festival has always considered its surroundings as carefully as its sonic curation. From initial beginnings on the Island's East Coast, where black sands drape alongside the Pacific, to now Secret Island, a hidden escape neighbouring the Shichisei mountain. This verdant new home was our weekend utopia away from concrete jungles, where we witnessed a harmonic coming together of nature, people and Taiwanese club culture.
Organik Festival is the brainchild of the subliminal podcast, events program, and label, Smoke Machine. With the likes of DJ Nobu, Efdemin, and Prince of Denmark having graced the mix series, it's no surprise the festival has built a reputation for showcasing the purest forms of techno. However, Organik's careful curation encompasses more than four-to-floor rhythms. It considers how nature and music intersect to enhance experiences, and has equally become known for creating a much-loved space for ambient-style music.
For the festival's tenth birthday, the Smoke Machine crew thoughtfully prepared a three-day, auditory 51-hour journey, showcasing Taiwan's ever-evolving scene, with the beauty of the East Asian island as its backdrop. Magic soon ensued.
The Smoke Machine crew remains faithful to the initial connection between ambient and techno
We arrive at Organik's new home in Baisha on Friday evening, escaping the bustling metropolis of Taipei. The ever-green setting sits on a peninsular beneath a kaleidoscope of mountains along the Taiwan Strait, where streams race down into the ocean, and mile-long beaches hug the coastline. The island’s nature is breathtaking.
Around two-thirds of Taiwan is covered in these densely forested mountains. And it's this abundance of nature that inspired Diskonnected to begin Organik ten years ago. At that time, Taiwan's scene was relatively small, but a community formed around the Smoke Machine events he had been co-running with Josh Dartz since 2009. Later, artists such as Andy Chiu joined the team. The crew found an open-mindedness for the deep, psychedelic techno they were pushing, so when an opportunity arose on Taiwan's east coast to merge the island's beauty with the genre's transcendental powers; Organik festival was born.
Opening waves
As we wander along a treelined path to the festival, the sounds of Dutch DJ and producer Oceanic performing a live set penetrate the air. Everyone quickens their pace in anticipation of the weekend. Making our way through the entrance, we follow a weathered path to a small hillside at the festival's far end. At the top, the grounds open up below into an amphitheatre-like arena, where the Organik Stage perches tenderly in front of a cliffside.
The sea stretches out behind the stage, with waves crashing over shoreline rocks and sloping stone bleachers shaping the dancefloor. The evening light breaks through the clouds, where down below, Oceanic fiddles with a melody of modular synths, warming up a group of early revellers.
As evening fades, DJ and producer Sunju Hargun appears behind the plant-lined booth. Soon tripped-out, hypnotic, and psychedelic sounds, synonymous with his Siamese Twins label, transfix the ever-growing crowd. The white canvas stage is now a red mystical enclave, with dancers moving in unison to Sunju's dubby syncopations. In the distance, lights glimmer along the sea-lined peninsula, somehow framing the entire scene. Even something so incidental seems meticulously well-planned.
Sounds of the home-grown
In Saturday's early hours, oscillating silhouettes and purple hues radiate from the Red Pillars stage. This sea-weathered hall showcased local talents like Toumingren and Yoshi Nori, who are at the forefront of Taipei's underground and helped kickstart the scene through the now-defunct club, Korner.
The sea stretches out behind the stage, with waves crashing over shoreline rocks and sloping stone bleachers shaping the dancefloor. The evening light breaks through the clouds, where down below, Oceanic fiddles with a melody of modular synths, warming up a group of early revellers.
As evening fades, DJ and producer Sunju Hargun appears behind the plant-lined booth. Soon tripped-out, hypnotic, and psychedelic sounds, synonymous with his Siamese Twins label, transfix the ever-growing crowd. The white canvas stage is now a red mystical enclave, with dancers moving in unison to Sunju's dubby syncopations. In the distance, lights glimmer along the sea-lined peninsula, somehow framing the entire scene. Even something so incidental seems meticulously well-planned.
Sounds of the home-grown
In Saturday's early hours, oscillating silhouettes and purple hues radiate from the Red Pillars stage. This sea-weathered hall showcased local talents like Toumingren and Yoshi Nori, who are at the forefront of Taipei's underground and helped kickstart the scene through the now-defunct club, Korner.
Opened a decade ago, Korner was once the city's electronic heartbeat, with nights like Smoke Machine, Bass Kitchen, and Adult Game Club, bringing the city's diverse interests together in one place. The club became a melting pot for like-minded individuals, where collectives had complete creative freedom to push their sounds. Artists like Al Burro, Andy Chui and Toska, who all played over the weekend, were regular features, with the club helping put Taipei on the electronic music map.
When Korner closed, many collectives took the initiative to establish a place of their own. The Smoke Machine crew started Pawnshop to continue their pursuit of techno, whilst Hsu Chieh, a promoter and DJ for Korner created Final, a place for deconstructed club, mandopop and anything in between. These clubs, along with other intimate venues like 23 Music Room, GREY AREA, and Studio 9 are shaping a dynamic and diverse local scene, which has, to borrow a phrase, grown 'organically’, in line with Organik’s reputation.
The festival and its evolving scene have even served as a 'saving grace'. Robert Yang, the Taiwanese-American artist known as Bezier, shared with DJ Mag that after losing his father, Taiwan helped him rekindle his passion for music and allowed him to discover more about his identity. So seeing him behind jungle-like foliage at the Red Pillars stage Saturday morning, facing out towards a sea of faces lost in his selections, felt like a true full-circle moment and captured the strength of Taiwanese club culture.
Ambient harmony
With sunrise almost upon us, we headed to the aptly named Golden Arc; a hidden greenhouse overlooking the ocean and the arching peninsula. Its seclusion from the other stages added to its intimacy. People lay eyes closed on the verge outside and within, partygoers cosy up, sitting on pillows, or softly falling asleep. This was Organik's dedicated ambient stage which felt like the weekend's best-kept secret.
Throughout the three days, we were treated to an exploration of the genre by the very best. From Chris SSG to Richard Akingbehin, the Golden Arch served as a vital sanctuary, offering a precious space to recharge or immerse into dreamlike soundscapes. Even as the festival reached peak momentum on Saturday night, the intimate space remained full, with Magambo captivating and drawing listeners in with an enigmatic five-hour hybrid set.
This clearly emphasises the necessity of establishing dedicated "chill-out" areas at festivals. While some may have forgotten, ambient music has always been the complementary force to techno ever since the inception of chill-out rooms in the '90s free-rave scene. At that time, event organisers realised the need to create places to unwind away from the intensity of the mainroom. However, as house clubs crossed over into the mainstream, the idea of a dedicated chill-out room was seen as an unprofitable venture.
Years later, we still feel the impact as clubrooms often divide between house and techno, leaving little room for ambient experiences. But thankfully, the Smoke Machine crew remains faithful to the initial connection between ambient and techno, providing a stage that became our, as well as others, blissful getaway throughout the weekend.
Heading home
Leaving on Sunday, we felt like Secret Island sparked a new beginning for Organik. After being forced out from previous locations, the long search for a place to call home had seemingly ended, and in our newfound paradise, all the elements harmonically came together. From the nature and music to the feel and atmosphere, there was a symbiotic interconnection that reverberated long after the final track played.
