The two releases shown above constitute a wonderful archive of ethnographic recordings of the Nanai people who populate parts of Russia’s Far East and Northeast China, where they are known as the Hezhen.
China
Athak – Best Off Era 17 – 22
Athak is a group from Hong Kong that carries the spirit of the Zeuhl genre into the modern age. It’s perhaps quieter than Magma or Zao, but just as intricate.
Zhaoze – In Snow Storm, Yet Not Back Home | 风雪未归人
Good news from Guangdong, China! From Zaoze’s Bandcamp site: “Finally, it’s here—a new release from Zhaoze. A small EP featuring just two tracks. One is a brief piece under two minutes, a reimagined version of a previous work; the other, a substantial mid-length track clocking in at six and a Continue Reading
Dou Wei; Chao Jian (竇唯;朝簡) – 安神符
Instrumentalists Dou Wei and Chao Jian are names I came across last year thanks to my former student Ben, who did me the honor of pointing me to their new album. The record features two long instrumental pieces that sound like ethno-ambient music and like what you would have found Continue Reading
Dou Wei (窦唯) – Black Dream (黑梦)
Thanks to my student Ben back in Beijing for turning me on to Dou Wei, whose work is inspired by ancient Chinese text as well as New Wave and post-punk music.
Tassi 水树 / Kesys – Sky Asset 天道酬勤
From Tassi’s Bandcamp site: “This album was born from a rare collaboration with Jeff Grimal (ex-The Great Old Ones, Prisme, etc.). For me, it is more than a meeting of artists—it is a dialogue between two dreamlike worlds, French and Chinese, a cosmic exchange where music carries mysticism, subtlety, and Continue Reading
underlyn – gwr. 240110
This release comes from the Xian Liam label in China and is described as a mixtape. It features a pleasantly drone-laden and hazy sound.
No Posts Today – Traveling to Tbilisi
The Chinese chapter of my life is now complete. I’m off to Tbilisi to set up shop there!
Li Song / Zhao Cong / Zhu Wenbo – Tangerine and the Invisible
Though I will be leaving China in a week from yesterday, I will not stop exploring what the country has to offer musically. From traditional and pop music to jazz, classical and avant-garde, there’s something for every taste here, and it’s generally done quite well. From the Ftarri Bandcamp site: Continue Reading
No Post Today – Wrapping Up Business in Beijing
No posts today, folks. I will be leaving China in about two weeks, so I have a large amount of paperwork to review. We’ll see you tomorrow!