Neo folk

Folk art is reborn and rid of gift-shop mentalities, cultivating local flavours and reinterpreting its roots:

Redslim08, Manila


陈航峰 Chen Hang Feng, Shanghai


吳耿禎 Jam Wu, Taipei


范家凌 Fan Chia Ling, Taipei


I Made Palguna, Bali


Bob 'Sick' Yudhita, Jakarta


Entang Wiharso, Yogyakarta



Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Yogyakarta - Los Angeles


MC 仁, Hong Kong (寧死不屈)


For sweet nu folk sounds I recommend Iz, 刚子 and 哈雅乐团小组 Haya's tundra folk rock from Inner Mongolia,

Yat-Kha from Mongolia, the Hualampong Riddim label from Thailand, on Taiwan Color Music label the wonderful 紀曉君 Samingad, 郭明龍 Long Ge, the Nan Wang Sisters 南王姊妹花, Takaya & Tau Band's acoustic Ainu (Hokkaido)) and Taiwanese aboriginal music, 廖士賢 Sam Liao, and A Moving Sound from Taiwan.

Most folk and craft fashion is tourist-oriented, but there are some good designers putting out beautiful things: Issue's world-weary ethnic funky casuals

and Good Mixer's wild prints from Bangkok, Persimmon Lane from Cheng Du, Ranee K from Hong Kong, Coffee Tea & Me's embroidery from India, and Rizalman Ibrahim's mega mendung prints from Kuala Lumpur...