The Obsidian Turtle Governs the North

Dispatch from Taiwan. Read the full post.Tonight's installment is bookended by two tracks from an all-time favorite album that’s been keeping me company on this trip: Atom Heart & Tetsu Inoue's Flowerhead, a drowsy low-end opus that comforted me thirty years ago and still delights me today. Along the way, there are some newer songs drenched in fuzz and streaked with Taiwanese ballads from the mid-twentieth century before winding down with a chant I recorded at Songshan Ciyou Temple. This mixtape is tailored for headphones, ideally while walking down a rainy street filled with people carrying clear plastic umbrellas.Datacide - FlowerheadFlowerhead | Rather Interesting, 1995 | BandcampCivilistjävel! - XVIFöljd | Felt, 2025 | BandcampMatchess - Of the LivingSacracorpa | Trouble in Mind, 2018 | BandcampLeyland Kirby - They Are All Dead, There Are No Skip At AllEager to Tear Apart the Stars | History Always Favours the Winners, 2011 | BandcampDatacide - Deep ChairFlowerhead | Rather Interesting, 1995 | BandcampInterspersed with sections from:美黛 (Mei Tai) - Unforgettable MemoriesTaiwan | Union Records, 1965 | MoreZhen Hui-Ling - Ice PointTaiwan, 1960s姚蘇蓉 (Yao Su-jung) - 負心的人Taiwan, 1967 | MoreUnknown - Lighthouse in the Night FogTaiwan, 1960s紀露霞 (Chi Lu-hsia) - 黃昏嶺 (Sunset Ridge)Taiwan, 1957 | More胡美紅 (Hu Mei-Hong) - Autumn Wind, Night Rain / Three SighsTaiwan | ATS, 1967 | MoreRecording from Songshan Ciyou TempleMarch 13, 2025 | MoreThe request lines are open.Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.