Lin Sheng Xiang is a singer-songwriter, composer, and producer from Meinong, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Deeply rooted in Hakka culture, his music combines the poetic spirit of traditional narrative folk songs with a profound concern for society, history, and the land. Drawing inspiration from musical traditions across Europe, North America, Okinawa, Cuba, and West Africa, he has developed a unique musical language centered around the self-designed “Six-String Yueqin,” an innovative adaptation of traditional Chinese instruments such as the yueqin and sanxian.
As the frontman and principal songwriter of the legendary Taiwanese band The Labor Exchange Band, Lin played a pivotal role in shaping Taiwan’s contemporary folk music scene. In 2012, he reformed his ensemble as Sheng-Xiang & Band, bringing together acclaimed Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake, bassist Toru Hayakawa, and drummer Noriaki Fukushima, alongside Taiwanese percussionist Wu Cheng-Chun and suona player Huang Po-Yu. Together, they have forged a distinctive musical language and performance style that transcends genres, cultures, and borders.
The Great Buddha+ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack marks Lin Sheng Xiang’s first venture into film scoring. Produced and composed by Lin (with Tracks 3 and 8 composed by Toru Hayakawa), the album features core members of Sheng-Xiang & Band and vividly captures the atmosphere, characters, and emotional landscape of the award-winning film.
Yet this is far more than a conventional soundtrack album. Heard outside the context of the film, it stands as a remarkable musical work in its own right. While rooted in folk and jazz, the album seamlessly weaves together Taiwanese folk melodies, Japanese enka, Southeast Asian flavors, Caribbean rhythms, and even surf music. Such stylistic diversity is rarely found in Lin’s previous works, showcasing the ensemble’s extraordinary creativity, musicianship, and compositional depth.
Each track unfolds like a miniature story, rich in imagery and cinematic detail. The album’s bold fusion of genres mirrors the film’s unique blend of absurdity, dark humor, loneliness, and humanity, while revealing new dimensions of Lin Sheng Xiang’s artistry. Both adventurous and deeply evocative, The Great Buddha+ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack stands as one of the most distinctive works in his catalog.
