Li Yilei – Nonage

Sometimes experimental music can produce either dour listening or tie itself to miserable cover art showing the worst of humanity in some sort of fetishistic way.  Not so with this release!  London-based Chinese composer Li Yilei’s album concentrates more of a happy, carefree childhood, where, as she puts it, “…learn[ed] Continue Reading

Senyawa – Istana (Live)

Today is a workday for us in Beijing, so there is no review today, but I did want to point you to an Indonesian band called Senyawa, who is featured on Rafaelle Pezzella’s incredible Unexplained Sounds Group‘s digipak retrospective called the Far East Music Collection.  It is a reissue of Continue Reading

Daulet Halek (达吾列提·哈勒克) – Daulet Halek: Dombra Solo (达​吾​列​提​·​哈​勒​克​演​奏​的​冬​不​拉​曲)

This release honors the memory of Chinese Kazakh composer Daulet Halek who passed away in 2008. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Producer’s Note: This album has its genesis in a precious reel-to-reel tape recording which we discovered in a radio station. It is unfortunate that the tape itself does not Continue Reading