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

Hani from Yunnan China – Hani Polyphonic Singing in Yunnan China

From our friends at Sublime Frequencies: “Mystic choral beauty drifting far into the outer cosmos, this other worldly traditional music ensemble creates a contemporary-sounding avant-garde vocal fusion combined with strange instrumental accompaniment. The HANI are linguistically derived from the YI branch of the Tibeto-Burmese and number a million and a Continue Reading

Zhaoze (沼澤) – No Answer Blowin’ in the Wind (没​有​答​案​风​中​飘)

If you can imagine 1969-era King Crimson played on Chinese traditional instruments and a more relaxed feel, you would have this new album by the Guangzho-based band Zhaoze.  The music is definitely progressive, touching upon art-rock, but so solidly based in traditional Chinese music that one can call this a Continue Reading

若潭 ruò tán – 石 Stone

ruò tán are China’s more organic answer to old post-Industrial/cassette-culture bands like Germany’s Cranioclast.  The music is eerie, yet so utterly engaging.  Probably the best reference to this music is for those of you who remember not only the aforementioned band but the early works of projects like O Yuki Continue Reading