Louis Luk is founder and CEO of LAVA MUSIC, which was founded in 2013 by Louis in the campus of Musicians Institute Hollywood. It builds instruments and education services with the integration of software, hardware and humanity. LAVA released the world’s first unibody carbon fiber guitar LAVA ME in 2017, and reinvented it as the world’s first smart guitar in 2021. Now, LAVA is the world’s largest carbon fiber guitar manufacture. It has obtained over 100 patents, won 7 international design awards, and served musicians in 90+ countries.

Show notes:

4:00 Why there hasn’t been any innovation in guitar design for so long.

7:00 How redesigning the tools impact creativity

9:00 Louis’ background story and how the company began

10:20 Original aspirations in music

13:45 How the concept to redesign the guitar came about

14:15 Stories of trail and error, and how material science brought LAVA to the next level

19:30 Future potential of new material ‘Air Sonic’

21:20 Thoughts on the term ’Made in China’

26:00 The difficulties of incorporating touchscreen and software into newest design

34:00 Thoughts on how technology will change the future of music

Kev Nish and James Roh are members of Far East Movement, one of the earliest Asian American hip hop groups and the first Asian American group to earn a #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2010 with their hit ‘Like a G6’ and now work with artists in Asia and the West through their own agency Transparent Arts.

Show notes:

3:00 The differences for a hip hop group trying to make it now vs back in the early 2000s

5:00 Some of the biggest challenges and keys to their success

8:45 Negative stereotypes in hip hop and how they approached their music differently.

11:00 The double edged sword of being labelled as the ‘Asian’ rap group

14:00 Whether at the time they had any idea that their 2010 hit “Like a G6” would be a global success

16:00 The motivation behind working with more international artists

19:30 The surprising success of K-pop in the West

25:40 How important is it for Asian artist to gain recognition in Western or English speaking countries

31:20 Thoughts on the narrative in the US about how China’s influence is in some way negatively impacting some of the American entertainment industry, be it Hollywood, the NBA, or even music.

33:00 Working with more artists from China and other parts of Asia in the future

Frank Yao is CEO of Zrou, which is owned by YouKuai Group International of which Yao is also founder and CEO. Founded in Shanghai in 2019, Zrou is a plant-based protein company that aims to create a holistic plant-based food and beverage ecosystem in China. The brand often collaborates with famous chefs to create versions of traditional Chinese dishes made without animal meat.

Show notes:

3:00 Thoughts on Joe Rogan and many other Western medias reflection of China
5:15 On Frank’s family background and upbringing in Hong Kong and Canada
13:00 University life at Yale and how many Chinese American kids choose their major with direction from their parents
16:45 How meditation and buddhism led to the idea to start Zrou
23:10 The realization that China has the talent to build its own brands to serve its people and the world
25:15 How while living his best life, seeing his Toronto Raptors win the NBA title and feeling the highs and lows of competing in the World Series of Poker, brought him to the realization it was time to start something new
29:00 On buddhism, vegetarianism and flexitarianism
35:00 Health, ethical, and environmental reasons of consuming less meat and thoughts on hierarchy of consciousness
39:00 How offering better choices as a company is the way to get closer to a solution
41:40 China’s history of poverty and how scarcity of the past influences on a modern Chinese society that now consumes more meat than any other country.
49:20 Thoughts on lab grown meat
56:40 Further possibilities with plant based meat
61:40 Zrou as an international food brand