Scattered Purgatory

**Scattered Purgatory** is an experimental music project from Taipei, Taiwan, formed in 2013 by core members Lu Li-Yang and Lu Jiachi. The band's name comes from a Taoist ritual that releases souls from a state between life and death. Drawing inspiration from the dense humidity, population density, and urban rhythm of their hometown, Scattered Purgatory crafts a distinctive sound that sits at the intersection of drone, ambient, psychedelic folk, and doom metal—blending influences from Krautrock legends like Popol Vuh with minimalist electronic music and heavy drone traditions. Their early work, including *Lost Ethnography of the Miscanthus Ocean* (2014) and subsequent releases, became known for longform compositions built from improvisational guitar, ambient textures, and atmospheric production that felt like sonic field recordings of emotional and geographic landscapes.

After a pandemic-related hiatus, the band returned with *Post Purgatory* (2022), marking a shift toward tighter structures and deliberate studio choices while maintaining their experimental DNA. The expanded lineup—now including guests like saxophonist Minyen Hsieh and drummer White Wu—brought fresh collaborations that deepened their palette, blending trip-hop patience, digital precision, and hints of Hokkien and Mando pop influences with their signature doom-laden electronics. Throughout their evolution, Scattered Purgatory has remained firmly grounded in Taiwanese geography and culture, resisting easy genre categorization while building a reputation as one of the island's most adventurous and culturally rooted experimental acts.