“Ping Pong” & power moves: inside GLOWBALL with founder Sonia Calico

Taiwan is easily one of Asia’s most underrated hotspots for electronic music.

While venues like Pawnshop and FINAL, and their respective festivals Organik and eel, have drawn international attention, the island’s energy on the ground—especially when it comes to festivals—is unfiltered, unapologetic and unparalleled.

Launching a new festival in Asia, especially in a country with an infant scene, is no small feat. It takes more than just a solid line-up—it demands vision, identity, and a community-first ethos that resonates from the start.

GLOWBALL, now in its second year, has quickly emerged as one to watch and has placed its efforts in all the right places.

With bold, eclectic curation, striking visual identity and ethos, and collaborative ties with the likes of HE.SHE.THEY and Mixmag Asia, the Taipei-based festival, is turning heads around the globe while staying firmly rooted in the electric local culture.

We caught up with GLOWBALL founder Sonia Calico to talk about this year’s “Ping Pong” theme, Taiwan’s evolving scene, and what it takes to build a festival that connects local communities with global conversations.

What’s the vision behind GLOWBALL, and why did you shift from DJing and producing to festival curating?

I started out as a musician—playing in bands, producing, DJing electronic music, and running club nights. Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of ideas and experiences, both from my own creative journey and from being surrounded by passionate, curious people who care deeply about music and culture.

In Taiwan, this kind of music and culture still tends to live in smaller, more niche spaces. Even after more than a decade in the scene, I find that there's still a lot of room for it to grow and reach more people. So at some point, I thought maybe I should try building something bigger. Something that could bring more people in, connect different communities, and create a platform where these sounds and ideas could be seen and heard.

That’s how GLOWBALL started. It brings together independent communities across music, dance, visual, and performance art and people who share similar aesthetics and values. I wanted to create a space where you can actually feel how dance music carries the energy of different cultures and scenes, and how it brings people together.

Of course, running a festival isn’t easy. There are definitely moments when I miss the simplicity of just making music or playing in a club. But building something bigger feels worth it and it still comes from the same love for music and the people around it.


Last year’s theme explored global club culture through sound. This year’s “Ping Pong” theme suggests collision and exchange. What cross-genre or cross-cultural highlights can we expect?

GLOWBALL has always been rooted in the global club movement, but this year we’re diving deeper into the idea of cultural exchange, treating local traditions as living, evolving material. We invited artists across disciplines to collaborate and co-create a series of "Ping Pong" special showcases, where different practices collide and spark new ideas. These are one-off performances created exclusively for GLOWBALL and you’ll only be able to experience them live, on that day, at the festival.

One of the highlights features Mong Tong, performing live with gamelan players for the first time. Their music draws from Southeast Asian folk traditions, Taiwanese mythology, religious rituals, and nakasi, a working-class style of popular music shared between Taiwan and Japan. While they’ve previously worked with these sounds through sampling and simulation, this performance brings those elements into direct, real-time exchange.

Another special showcase comes from Ponay, an Amis vocalist known for transforming pop songs through a distinct Taiwanese Indigenous karaoke practice that blends melodic ornamentation with tribal chant. At GLOWBALL, he joins forces with LaFiN, a young Amis producer whose music spans amapiano, afrobeats, and bass-heavy club sounds. Together, they’ll present a continuous, danceable live set that reimagines these reinterpretations for the club floor.

I’ll also be performing as Sonia Calico, in collaboration with U8, a new sub-group of Taiwan’s internationally renowned U-Theatre（優人神鼓. Known for blending drumming, martial arts, Buddhist ritual, and tai chi into performance, U-Theatre has never before stepped into a club context. With U8, we’ve developed a live set that merges mantra recitation with electronic production. It will be both their first appearance at an electronic dance music festival and U8’s public debut.

We went to last year’s edition, and a big stand-out was the visuals and atmosphere you created. Can you tell us a bit about what’s planned for this edition?

Visual and media art have always been central to how GLOWBALL creates atmosphere. It’s never just a backdrop since we see it as an essential part of how energy flows through the space and shapes the experience.

This year, we invited Sonic Deadhorse to collaborate with the dance duo ShihHsiangletgoYibo, who are also an interdisciplinary performing artists duo, on a brand-new performance created specially for GLOWBALL. Together, they explore the tension between physical movement and digital systems through a hybrid setup that blends live instruments, controllerism, motion sensors, and generative visuals.

We’re also excited to present KIRARA from South Korea, an artist whose music always fills me with joy the moment I hear it. She’ll bring a vibrant A/V performance that pairs big beats with glitch-heavy, expressive visuals. Her set moves fluidly between tension and release, precision and chaos. These contrasts aren’t just stylistic but also reflect their personal journey as a transgender artist navigating South Korea’s music scene, giving her work a rare emotional depth and power.

A/V live sets will also come from Max Dahlhaus (Berlin) and Taiwan’s XTRUX, both performing on the Over My Body co-curation stage. Their shows are immersive and high-intensity, designed to overwhelm the senses and challenge perception through tightly fused sound and visuals.

It’s all part of how we imagine the dance floor as a space for both sensory immersion and new creative possibilities.


How do you spotlight local scenes and connect Taiwan with the rest of Asia through the festival?

From the first edition, we’ve curated and highlighted DJs and creators from across Taiwan. This year, we took it further by inviting two of our longtime allies in the local electronic music scene—Over My Body and Formosa Sound System—to join the curatorial process. Rather than just giving them a spotlight, we see it as a way to reflect the real, ongoing conversations happening within the local scene.

Together with Over My Body, we invite TYO GQOM, a Tokyo-based label that shares our love for Pan-African and percussive club music. Formosa Sound System also brought in Japanese electronic reggae riddim pioneer 1TA, deepening the cultural dialogue through dub-infused sound system culture.

These connections weren’t made for the sake of internationalism but happened organically. When you’re passionate about something niche, and you find others in neighbouring countries who feel the same, there’s an instant sense of mutual respect and solidarity.

Beyond local electronic music, we also have a deep love for dance and voguing culture and its scenes. Last year, we hosted a ball at the festival, and this year, as part of our warm-up events, we invited Queecendo, a ballroom organiser based in Taiwan, to lead a free voguing workshop in Taipei, opening up a space for people to learn, move, and connect through the language of dance.

These ongoing exchanges, whether with local crews or regional collaborators, are all part of how we build bridges through culture. For us, GLOWBALL is not just about showcasing artists, but creating a space where local and regional communities can grow together, side by side.


What are the biggest challenges of running an electronic music festival in Taiwan?

Funding is always uncertain. We try to keep ticket prices accessible, but that naturally limits how far we can go in terms of production scale. There’s also still a persistent misunderstanding of what electronic music actually represents. Some people associate it with flashy, bottle-service club culture, while others see it as too niche or hard to engage with.

In some countries, dance music receives support from cultural institutions or brands. In Taiwan, sponsorship models tend to focus more on celebrity-driven events and influencer marketing, which makes it harder for underground scenes to gain visibility. That’s why we’ve chosen to build things slowly and intentionally from the ground up, and rely on close networks, shared values, and community support. It takes time, but it feels real, and it’s sustainable.

Having the Taipei Music Center, a semi-official and well-equipped venue, as our festival site helped us a lot. It gave us more credibility when speaking to potential partners, and helped the broader public see that dance music belongs in public spaces and cultural discourse. It opened up new possibilities for how electronic music can exist as a form of contemporary expression and artistic practice.

We know the process takes time, and we’re okay with that. We’re just doing what we believe in and trying to create a space that feels honest and lasting.

Taiwan's electronic music scene often flies under the radar in Asia. What is something the world doesn’t know about the country’s scene and sound?

I only began to truly appreciate the depth and diversity of Taiwan’s electronic music scene after I started organising events on a larger scale. It gave me the chance to step outside my usual circles and discover just how many fascinating micro scenes exist and how rare and precious they are.

Beyond internationally recognised venues and communities like Pawnshop and FINAL, there are also crews dedicated to high-speed and harder-edged sounds, such as The Cave Records and Ravefun Taiwan (瑞芳台灣). Their events have a strong draw, consistently attracting younger crowds and cultivating tightly knit communities of their own.

And it’s not just happening in Taipei. In Taichung, the label and venue Dao released an exciting compilation earlier this year featuring producers from both Taipei and Seoul. Down south in Tainan, Formosa Sound System, who also contributed to this year’s GLOWBALL curation, have built their own custom sound system to spread their passion for dub and bass music across different spaces.

There are also many inspiring queer-fronted collectives that deserve recognition. Nectar (瓊漿玉液) is known for blending performative art into its DJ parties, while HomoPleasure Collective runs the well-loved Qoo Pa (酷趴踢). Another standout is Queer Trash, a party series celebrated for its playful and humorous themes. Together, these parties represent some of the most vibrant, inclusive, and creatively charged aspects of Taiwan’s scene.

Every time I attend these events, I’m struck by their vitality and creative energy. Even though these genres are more niche compared to mainstream techno or house, they’re steadily expanding and connecting with a new generation of underground listeners. Each of these scenes has its own sonic identity, but they all share a strong spirit of mutual support and collaboration. We all hope that one day, the sounds we love will reach and resonate with more listeners across Taiwan.

I also have to mention Toha Radio, a Taipei-based community radio station that launched just last year. I’ve always believed it’s essential for any city to have a safe, welcoming platform where musicians can gather and DJs can share their music. And while I understand how difficult it is to keep a community radio running, I deeply admire what Toha has built. They’ve become a vital hub for Taipei’s underground electronic scene. We also recorded a special GLOWBALL Festival episode with them, and I really hope more people tune in and support what they’re doing.

HE.SHE.THEY. is making its Asia debut at GLOWBALL. How did the collaboration happen, and what values do you share?

One of the most unforgettable moments from last year’s GLOWBALL happened during our headliner set with Lady Shaka. Performers, voguers, and the audience flowed toward the stage. We opened it up and let everyone join in and it quickly turned into a spontaneous, joyful dance explosion. Lady Shaka jumped in with the crowd, and for a few minutes, there were no boundaries between stage and floor. It was just bodies, rhythm, and shared energy.

While preparing for this year’s edition, we got in touch with the HE.SHE.THEY. team and I was genuinely excited. From our very first conversation, it was clear we shared the same values. We both care about creating spaces where DJs, dancers, drag artists, and voguers all belong without labels or hierarchy.

Queer and femme culture has always been a part of me, and I’ve been constantly inspired by the people and communities around me who embody that spirit. That’s why this collaboration came together so organically with mutual trust, and a shared commitment to celebrating difference through dance, sound, and togetherness.

For this co-curated segment with HE.SHE.THEY., we’ve put together a lineup that truly reflects that shared vision. We’re bringing in LIGRYE, the South African DJ who tore it up at Boiler Room Seoul, alongside Taipei Popcorn & The Haus of Dimensions, known for their bold and bizarre drag queen performances, paired with Pawnshop regular Gemnital’s DJ set. We’ve also invited voguers from Kiki House of Vase, featuring a DJ set by Debbie with an ‘S’, who is also a member of the house alongside many more incredible performers. Together, they’ll bring a vibrant mix of identities, styles, and energy to the stage.


⁠What can we expect from GLOWBALL moving forward?

We’ve always known that launching a relatively avant-garde festival like GLOWBALL, especially in Taiwan, would come with challenges like limited resources, a long road to recognition, and the need to grow gradually. That’s why from the very beginning, we committed to building this as a multi-year project.

This year marks the second edition of GLOWBALL, and while many aspects are still evolving, the festival has already grown significantly compared to last year. We’ve introduced more interdisciplinary showcases as mentioned earlier, and developed unique programs that further define GLOWBALL’s identity. We’re deeply grateful to the community of artists and collaborators who believe in the vision and have generously contributed their time and energy to help it grow.

Looking ahead, we hope to gradually extend the festival from a single day to a full weekend experience. Beyond just parties and performances, we want GLOWBALL to become a platform where artists, thinkers, and creatives from different fields can come together to exchange ideas and spark new collaborations. We envision hosting talks, workshops, exhibitions, and inviting more diverse creators to join us and turn the festival space into something much more than a stage.

When I first started organising parties in my early 20s, the idea was simply to gather great DJs and play the music we love. That core intention hasn’t changed. Now, with the festival, it’s about bringing together an even broader mix of artists and creators to cook up something vibrant and powerful, and serve it to a bigger, curious audience.

Follow GLOWBALL on Instagram here and get your tickets to the event this weekend here.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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