I don’t do top-ten lists, and I don’t ever plan on doing that in the future, but things can change at any moment. Still, if I had to nominate a favorite record label at this moment, there’s no doubt it would be Italy’s Unexplained Sounds Group. Each compilation is a Continue Reading
China
Kawabata Makoto and Baisong Wu – Rivers And Mountains
Though there are heavy tensions at the moment between the governments of Japan and the People’s Republic of China (sic), this compilation proves that there is peace through psych. Psychedelic music is the medium both the legendary guitarist of Acid Mothers Temple, Kawabata Makoto and Chinese acid-folk musician Baisong Wu, Continue Reading
虚极 (Bliss-Illusion) – 森罗万象 (Shinrabansho)
虚极 (Bliss-Illusion) are a band based in China who have caused quite a sensation all across the world of Black Metal. The music is a combination of the aforementioned Black Metal but adding a twist by mixing post-rock, straight-ahead metal, elements of doom, shoegaze and what they term to be Continue Reading
Yu Su – Yellow River Blue
Chinese-Canadian composer Yu Su produces an album that left me pleasantly surprised by. Though I found this download under “ambient” music, it turns out that it may have more to do with the motorik music of Neu! quietly subdued by elements of dub, dance music and wee touches of Chinese Continue Reading
Li Daiguo (李帶菓) – Xiao Gong (笑功)
French label WV Sorcerer Productions 巫唱片 offers up a quiet, pulsating drone album from American-Taiwanese-Chinese composer Li Daiguo. As far as experimental music goes, this is dark and foreboding in a far more organized way that what I’m used to hearing. Quite a fine effort.
Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra – Letters From Afar
This release by Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra is a joint Chinese-American project. The back story is rather interesting. From the Bandcamp website: In early 2020, we found ourselves separated and stuck at home. Even though four of us were in Beijing, COVID19 control measures prevented us from meeting face to face. Continue Reading
Erkin Sadykov & Abdugheni Abdurusul – Secret of the world. Archival recordings of Uyghur music from Kyrgyzstan
There is little information available on Uyghur musicians Erkin Sadykov (vocal, dutar) and Abdugheni Abdurusul (tambur), but the quality of these recordings show a warm, sensitive interpretation of music we’re watching disintegrate before our eyes. Thankfully, Kyrgyzstan allows their Uyghur minority to live and protect their traditions in peace.