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The Diplomat Project: Ritual for the Ghosts ²§ÆF²½¨å 

Organised by Lona Records & Embassy Projects
Proudly supported by Para/Site & Sonicity.org
Date: Aug-25, 2007
Time: 7 PM
Venue: Para/Site
Admission: HK$60 (include 1 CD and 1 beer)

Sound and Visuals Án­µ¤Îµø¹³:
ahshun aka bjornho + Anytone + VJ Forivermann
Edwin + Sherman + Samantha Culp
Alok + No One Pulse + domting
ZenLu + Wilson Tsang + Stella So
Nerve + Sin:Ned + Nookei + Twiggy

Installation / ¸Ë¸m¡G
Adrian Wong + Nookei

As a follow-up project for Dialogue with The Ghosts, a group of local experimental artists, in the eve of the Chinese Ghost Festival, continue to re-establish an on-going dialogue with the deceased. Through a series of multi-media art performance aiming to re-interpret and re-activate various local spiritual beliefs and rituals, we will dive into the world of the unknown and attempt to make contact with those from the other side. The ultimate aim, is to confront and acknowledge, those who had been forgotten, but still exist on the other side (or somewhere deep inside). This, we believe, is the only way through which, liberation can be attained.


All audience will receive a copy of limited edition CD (Locd36r) released by Lona Records, containing re-interpretation mix by KWC, Alok and Sin:Ned, on the sound materials of "Dialogue with the Ghosts", as recorded on 07/07/07.


§@¬°¡u²§ÆF¹ï¸Ü¡vªº©µÄò¡A¤@¸s¥»¤g¹êÅçÃÀ³N³Ð§@¤H¡A©ó¤¤°ê°­¸`«e¤i¡A³z¹L¤@¨t¦C­«·s±´°Q¥»¦aÆF²§«H¥õ¤Î²½Â§²ß«Uªº¸ó´CÅé¹êÅç³Ð§@¡A¦A¦¸¸Õ¹Ï»PÆF¹ï¸Ü¡C­±¹ï¤Î½T»{¡A§Ú­Ì¬Û«H¡A¹ï©ó¥¼¤`¤Î¤w¤`¡A¬O°ß¤@ªº¸Ñ²æ¤èªk¡C


©Ò¦³¤J³õÆ[²³¡A§¡·|ÀòÃØ¥ÑLona Records­­¶q¦L»sªºCD (Locd36r) ¤@±i¡A¤º§t 07/07/07¡u²§ÆF¹ï¸Ü¡vªº²{³õ¿ý­µ¶ì§÷¡A¨Ã¥ÑKWC, Alok ¤ÎSin:Ned­«·s³B²z²V­µ¡C

¬d¸ß:
nooknookei@yahoo.com.hk

http://www.para-site.org.hk/events/20070825ritual.htm

________________________________________________________________

Review on 6 releases on Y SIN EMBARGO magazine #12 (Barcelona)

English translation

Lona Records is a kind independent Hong Kong seal to the passages of artists of alternative and experimental music. Its careful catalogue consists of a list of composers and independent musicians coming from everywhere, specially Asia and Europe. Its particularitity is based on sending a limited edition of 50 capricious CDR of 3¡¨ (format minicd single) and DVDR of 3¡¨ of each one of the artists.


6 CDR of 3¡¨ show the potential of the Lona's catalogue:

Splinter versus Stalin
www.myspace.com/splintervsstalin

Italian. Experimental. It manipulates prerecorded and mixed and remixed voices with the roughest noise. From squeaks to routes of the trains soundtrack. It samples and it creates loops entering a confusion spiral. 50 copies, limited edition.

Kim_Nasung
www.myspace.com/kimnasung

Our already friend Matt, de Kim Nasung, creates rates based on loops of samplers muestreados of different types from noises. Of his exploration and research arise sounds that certainly seem real instruments. Poland.

"O" / Moon
www.myspace.com/theelectricmoon

Arlès, France. Closest to ambient but also it blankets of the controlled noise, it creates more musical landscapes using among others sintes and some theremin, a classic Fender Bass Jazz.

Alok
www.myspace.com/alokhk

To the purest Eastern style, that is to say, without making much noise, this Hong Kong artist invites to us from the cold night to save some lost soul with his tracks. Kind to create tension situations (something is going to happen) he says that its style is Psychedelic, Experimental and Shoegaze. I do not imagine him watching himself on the feet without watching the screen of his notebook. In this case he presents/displays a tribute to us to Schubert. Very ambient also.

Ronez
www.myspace.com/ronezzz

Zhou Pei aka. Ronez, China Can be made music with a detector of metals and a sensor of vibration? Yes. Its music is based on the mixture of all these strange noises coming from pedals, oscillating, plates of discs, electronic circuits, toys, etc. etc.

The Painful Leg Injuries
www.myspace.com/thepainfulleginjuries

The neoyorkian marriage Bill Byrne (homemade computer, voices and instruments) and Suzanne Byrne (violoncelo) perhaps is the most charismatic pair of this catalogue of Canvas. Their work seems an experiment in accumulating bases of homemade instruments creating an intense pattern in the background so that Suzanne's violoncelo can let take by such chaos and diversity.

http://ysinembargo.com/uebi/descargas/yse12/

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 GET IT LOUDER 07 - Hong Kong Homeshow - ¤jÁn®i­»´ä©@³í¨q

The Diplomat Project: Dialogue with the Ghosts ²§ÆF¹ï¸Ü

¤é´Á»P®É¶¡: 2007¦~¤C¤ë¤C¤é, ±ß¤W¤K®É
Date & Time: Jul-7, 2007, 8:00 PM

ºt¥X³õ¦a:
Embassy Projects
­»´ä·s¬É¤õ¬´¶À¦Ë¬vµó15-21¸¹
µØÁp¤u·~¤¤¤ßB®y4¼Ó19«Ç

Venue:
Embassy Projects
Unit 19, 4/F, Block B
Wah Luen Industrial Centre
15-21 Wong Chuk Yeung Street
Fo Tan, NT
Hong Kong

ºt¥X¤º®e:

°­¬O¤@ºØ«ç¼Ëªº¦s¦b¡H¬O¤@ºØ¹ï¤H¨Æ¤w¹½­Âªº¦s¦b¡H¬O¤@ºØ¤£ªÖÂ÷¥hªº¦^»õ¡H¬O¤@ºØ²§¶m¤HÁÙ¬O¤@ºØ¹L«È¡H

­»´ä¤@²³ºë­^¹êÅç³Ð§@¤H¤Î·s®ÊÁn­µÃÀ³N®a¡AÁp¦PEmbassy Projects ¡A±N³z¹LÁn­µ¡B¼v¹³¡B¸Ë¸mÃÀ³N¤Î¤¬°Ê¤âªkµ¥¦h´CÅ餸¯À¡AÁÜ½ÐÆ[²³¤@¦P±´¯Á¡B­«·sµo²{¤Î­«·sÅéÅç¤@¤Á¦³Ãö©ó°­ªº·§©À¡C¦Uºt¥XÃÀ³N®a¡A±N·|¥H¤£¦P¨¤«×¡A©Î¤Ï«ä©Î­«·s²z¸Ñ¡A®i¶}¤£¦Pªº²§ÆF¹ï¸Ü¡C¦P®É¡AÆ[²³§ó¥i©óºt¥X«á»P²³ÃÀ³N®a¶i¦æ¥æ¬y»P¤À¨É¥L­Ìªº°­¬G¨Æ¡C

«÷¦X­ì­µ¼Ö¾¹¡B¹q¤l­µ¼Ö¤ÎEmbassy Projects ¥H¦h´CÅé®i¥Üªº¾Ç°|¬£¬ã¨s¦¨ªG¡AÂǹêÅç©Êºc«ä·§©À¡A±a»âÆ[²³¥H¥æ¬y§Î¦¡±Ò¯è¡AÅéÅç¤@¦¸²`¤J¥»¤g¤å¤Æªº¯}®æ¹êÅç¡C·í±ßªº¥æ¬y¦¨ªG¡A±N·|¥Ñ Lona Records »s§@¦¨3 " CDR ¥Xª©µo¦æ¡C

´å¨«©ó¤H¶¡»P°­¬É¤§¶¡¡A³o¬O¤@­Ó¦®¦b¥´¯}¬É­­ªº¥~¥æ¨Ï©R¡AÃö©ó¤£¦P´CÅé¡B¤£¦P¨¤¦â¤Î¤£¦PªÀ¸s¡C

¡uThe Diplomat Project: ²§ÆF¹ï¸Ü¡v¤D 07 ¤jÁn®i¼s¦{¯¸¤§Án­µ¶µ¥Ø¤§¤@¡C

Performance description:

What is ghost? A fed up extistence of human life? A kind of lingering memories? Or a kind of alienation process?

Teaming up with Embassy Projects, a group of experimental artists and sound artists will invite the audience to explore, re-invent and re-experience the concept of ghost through a series of multi-media performances that incorporate sound, visual, installation and live interaction with the audience. Each artist will be presenting their interpretation on the concept of ghost, and create their own dialogue with the ghosts. Audience is invited to stay as long as they want after the performance to share their ghost stories in a chill out party.

Combining acoustic and electronic music, and the multi-media approach of Embassy Projects, this is an experimental live performance that invites the audience for direct communication and interaction. The result of this communion will be published by Lona Records in the format of a 3" CD-R.

This is a diplomatic mission of breaking boundaries, between different medium, different roles and different communities¡Xbetween the existence that we know and that from the other side.

"The Diplomat Project: Dialogue with the Ghosts" is a sound art event of GET IT LOUDER 07.

·§©À¤Îµ¦¹º (Concept & Organization): Lona Records + Embassy Projects

Án­µÃÀ³N (Sound Art): Alok / Sin:Ned / KWC / Wilson Tsang / Sherman / Edwin Lo / ahshun aka bjornho

¸Ë¸mÃÀ³N (Installation Art): Samantha Culp / Adrian Wong / Nookei / Sin:Ned

Program Rundown
1. Edwin (electronics)
2. ahshun aka bjornho (electronics)
3. Sherman (electronics) + Nookei (visual)
4. Wilson Tsang (Piano) + Alok (Electronics) + Samantha Culp (visual)
5. Sin:Ned + Alok + KWC (Radios / Tibetan Singing Bowls / Electronics) + Samantha Culp (Spoken Words & Visual)
6. Discussion with audience + overnight chill out party

°Ñ¥[¿ìªk:
§K¶O¤J³õ¡A¦ý¦]Æ[²³¦WÃB¦³­­¡A¶·¹w¥ý§â­Ó¤H¸ê®Æ (©m¦W¤ÎÁpµ¸¹q¸Ü) µo¹q¶l¨ìnooknookei@yahoo.com.hk µn°O¡C¤J³õÆ[²³¡A¥²¶·:

1. ¦Û³Æ¹q¦À¹B§@¤§¤p«¬FM¦¬­µ¾÷¤@­Ó
2. ¬ïµÛ¶Â¤Î/©Î¬õ¦â¦çªA

How to join:
Free admission. Due to limited admission, please send your name and contact number to nooknookei@yahoo.com.hk to register in advance. All audience should:

1. Bring a small battery operated FM radio
2. Dress in black and/or red

³õ¦a¤¶²Ð (About the Venue)ÃÀ³N®a¤¶²Ð (About the Artists)

__________________________________________________________________________________

Review on Alok - C on Discuss.com (HK)

By  nihilist

http://www17.discuss.com.hk/redirect.php?tid=4245718&goto=lastpost

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Review on The Yours - Abraham on Drowned In Sound (UK)

By Dom Gourlay

http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/10047

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Review on Weltraum - Traum / Trauma EP on Lunakafe.com (UK)

By Tim Clarke

http://www.lunakafe.com/moon124/it124.php

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 Review on Various Artists - Psychedelic Vol.2 (Northern Star Records) on Drowned In Sound (UK)

By Dom Gourlay

Phew! There really is no easy place to start here among the 35 tracks on offer across this two-CD package of occasionally well-known but mostly up-and-coming artists, except to say that if your existence doesn't owe some kind of patronage to the holy triumvirate of The Byrds, My Bloody Valentine or Spacemen 3, then you're not welcome here.

London-based indie label Northern Star is fast gaining a reputation alongside more established kindred spirits AC30 and Sonic Cathedral as being one of the leading exponents in unleashing new, noise-based pop onto an unsuspecting but rapidly increasing audience. Psychedelica Volume 2 is the follow-up to last year's debut release on the label, and as it gathers together bands from literally every corner of the globe (Italy, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia all find themselves represented here, as well as the UK and US), this record could even be renamed as the South By Southwest encyclopaedia of shoegazing.

Of course that wouldn't quite tell the whole story, as to merely lump each and every one of the acts here together would be about as incorrect and disserving as it gets. One is just as likely to hear space-age ambient electronica (Perfect Blue) or ¡¥60s-flavoured psyche pop (Belles Will Ring, The Lovetones) as one would feedback-drenched, white noise-fuelled drones.

Clawing together a mix of bands both new and old, Psychedelica... is actually a refreshing listen compared to the usual tried and tested compilations currently clogging up the shelves, and the propensity for discovering a host of previously unknown artists is immense, as I've found for the past few days trawling through MySpace for an insight into the backgrounds of Asteroid #4 and The Stevenson Ranch Davidians among others.

As for stand-out tracks, well there are so, so many to choose from. Cardiff's The Voices with 'The Sound Of Young America' and Hong Kong's The Yours ('Missed Call') take some beating, particularly in terms of getting the balance right between the equal sprinklings of noise and emotion that manages to conjure up a good tune.

Aside from that pair, Mancunians Air Cav and London six-piece The People's Revolutionary Choir are both names to watch out for in the coming months, as the former's visionary soundscapes are reminiscent of the likes of Dinosaur Jr. while the latter brings to mind a less hedonistic (for now) take on Spiritualized. All good, then.

And frankly, it is. For only a tenner, which works out at around 35 pence per song, can anyone honestly have any complaints over this record?

http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/9904

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 Review on Jeffrey Bützer - She Traded Her Leg on Gza Eta (Canada) m

How many musicians do you know who are capable of playing toy piano, accordion, glockenspiel, bamboo xylophone, guitars, bass, banjo, drums and ocarina within the span of one single record? I know of only one and his name if Jeffrey Bützer. In a revolutionary way, on his debut record he spans the globe for musical inspiration. His take on music is simple allow all influences from childhood on in to filter through and make the music what it is a true expression of one's self. Some melodies on this release remind me of traditional German accordion tunes one hears during Oktoberfest in Munich. "Rabbit Catcher" and "Piper Cub" both fit that category nicely. With barrelling accordions and xylophones in tow, the guy is having loads of fun. By the time we arrive at "Wooden Giraffe", the mood turns a bit more self-reflective. "The Scrivener" is a joyous, hopscotch-like piece, while "Hoodwinked" has the styling of a mid-tempo tango. Question is does Bützer ever get serious even for a second? Sure he does. On "Broken Blunderbuss", he exposes a bluesy side. Even with a ton of toy piano barrelling around, the piece ends up sounding quite "serious" [whatever that word could entail?]. The final part of the album is made up of a six part opus named "One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles". This is where the composer's interest turns towards the Far East. With heavy uses of gamelan elements, violins, autoharp, the music becomes more serene, less concerned with melodies and more attached to individual sounds. It's at this point the music truly catches my ear. This is where subtlety comes clearly into focus. "She Traded Her Leg" is one of those rare albums where the listener is actually rewarded with an immense climax at its very end. Seven minute long closer "Her Body is a Swamp" is a mish-mash of intense guitar swirls, harmonica elements and accordion riffs. While he seems to be simply doodling at the beginning of the piece, by the end you can clearly hear everything as it's put into focus. Bizarre combination of genius, madmen and melody, this album delivers the kitchen sink to those willing to take the bait.

- Tom Sekowski

http://www.gaz-eta.vivo.pl/gaz-eta/recenzje/gazeta.php?nr=53&id=s_45

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Review on FM3 /  Dou Wei - Hou Guan Yin on Gza Eta (Canada) m

The man responsible for the all important Buddha Machine from a couple of years ago, Zhang Jian is back under his FM3 moniker. This time around, with the help of a couple of other musician, he's released a real charm of an ambient record. "Hon Guan Yin" is nothing more and nothing less than a fully dignified, completely understated piece of atmospheric music. Clocking in at just over 36 minutes, each of album's 2182 seconds exudes a feeling of significance. Each moment appears to have been gruellingly prepared and thought out carefully ahead of time. While Zhang Jian plays organ, piano and electronics, Dou Wei joins in on the drums. These are often times individual strokes or beats that are pushed far into the background. When percussion does appear, it's always in a highly repetitive fashion. Christian Virant adds some light guitar scourges along with some drones. What does the album sound like, you ask? It's a textural affair, full of the quietest nuances you're bound to hear all year. Oftentimes, just bells or simple piano melodies are heard. The three musicians don't actually come in conflict with each other. Material they play is fairly even-handed in terms of tempo and texture. It's light and full of constantly shifting contrasts. Believe it or not, electronics that Jian employs are moderate in nature. There are no clicks, pops or distracting buzzes. He's fair to his partners and allows instrumentation to do most of the talking. But even when delicate melodies appear as they do near the end of the disc these are soon enough replaced by washes of sound or more percussive tinkling. In the case of this record, 36 minutes, just isn't enough. Program this release on auto-repeat to allow your body to go into full relaxation mode.

- Tom Sekowski

http://www.gaz-eta.vivo.pl/gaz-eta/recenzje/gazeta.php?nr=53&id=s_11

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We Play Neo Sound!a

¡X¡X²`´ä¹êÅç­µ¼Ö¶°ÅéÄ̺[WePlay Records­º±i°Û¤ùµo¦æ

ºt¥X®É¶¡¡G2007¦~03¤ë25¤é(¬P´Á¤Ñ)¡@20:30-23:30

ºt¥X¦aÂI¡G¾¥«ÈªÅ¶¡¤@´ç°ó

ºt¥X¦a§}¡GµØ¹´«°³Ð·N¤å¤Æ¶éF3´É¾¥«ÈªÅ¶¡(¤¤°ê²`¦`µØ¹´«°®¦¥­µó¡P±d¨Î¥_300¦Ì)

F3 Block, Mooka Space,Enping RoadOversea Chinese Town, Shenzhen CHINA

²¼»ù¡G20RMB(«e50¦WÁʲ¼ªÌ¥iÀòÃØ neo sound¥Zª«¤@¥»)

Ápô¹q¸Ü¡G+86-755 83452586
¡@

°ÑºtÃÀ³N®a¡G

Dickson Dee(Hong Kong)

Alok (Hong Kong)

Wilson Tsang(Hong Kong)

Sin:Ned(Hong Kong)

No One Pulse(Hong Kong)

ZenLu(Shenzhen)

Huang Jian(Shenzhen)

Abai(Shenzhen)

§ó¦h¸ê°T½Ð¬d¸ß¡G

www.weplayrec.cn

neosound.blogbus.com

¹êÅç­µ¼Ö©MÁn­µÃÀ³N³Ìªñ´X¦~¦b°ê¤º¶}©l¹ñÅSÀY¨¤¡A³vº¥¶i¤JªÀ·|Ãöª`ªºµø³¥¡C³oºØ«e½ÃÃÀ³N³vº¥³Q¤H­Ì»{ª¾©M±µ¨ü¡A¥H«e©Ò¥¼¦³ªº«e½Ã«ººA¡A¶i¤J«á²{¥N¤å¤Æªº»â°ì¡C¨ü¨ì¼vÅTªº·s¥Í¤O¶q³vº¥§ë¤J³Ð§@»â°ì¡A¤@¨Ç¿W¥ßªº¹êÅç¼tµP¯É¯É¦¨¥ß¡A¤@¨Çºt¥X³õ¦a©MÃÀ³N®iÄý¶}©l±µ¯Ç³o¨Ç¹ñ·sªºÁn­µ¡A¤@¨Ç®iÄý±NÁn­µÃÀ³N¯Ç¬°­«­n³¡¤À¤§¤@¡A¦P®É¤]µ¹¦h´CÅéÃÀ³N®É¥N¶î©Ù¤W¹ñ·sªºÃC¦â¡C¦P®É¡A¨Ó¦Û¥@¬É¦U¦aªºÁn­µ¹êÅç¼Ö¤â±j¶Õ¶i¤J¤¤°ê¡Aºt¥X¡B¥æ¬y¡B¦X§@¥Xª©°Û¤ù¡A¥_¨Ê¡B¤W®ü¡BªC¦{¡B¼s¦{³o¨Ç«°¥«¦¨¬°¤¤°ê·í«e³Ì¬°­«­nªº¹êÅç­µ¼Ö­«Âí¡A¦Ó²`¦`§@¬°¤å¤Æ¶}©ñ¨«¦b°ê¤º«eªuªº«°¥«¡Aªñ¨â¦~¤]¦b³o­Ó»â°ìùØ¡A¶}©l¬¡ÅD°_¨Ó¡C3¤ë25¤é±ß8:30-11:30¡A¤@³õ¥Ñ²`¦`·s®Ê¹êÅç­µ¼Ö¼tµPWe Play¡I©MNeo Sound(Â÷ÄÌ)ÃÀ³N¹ÎÅéµo°_ªº¥DÃD¬°¡§We Paly Neo Sound¡I¡¨¹êÅç­µ¼Ö·|±N¦bOCT-LOFT¤ºªº¾¥«ÈªÅ¶¡Á|¦æ¡A¥D¿ì¤è±NÁܽФ­¦ì­»´ä¹êÅç­µ¼Ö¼Ö¤â/Án­µÃÀ³N®a¡AÁp¦X¤T¦ì²`¦`¥»¤g¼Ö¤â¦@¦P¥X®u¡C³o¤]¬O­»´ä¹êÅç­µ¼Ö²Ä¤@¦¸¦b°ê¤º¶°Åé«G¬Û¡A°£¤F¤j®a¼ôª¾ªºDickson Dee¤§¥~¡A¦³Lona Records¥D«ùAlok¡A¦h­«ÃÀ³N¨­¥÷ªºWilson Tsang¡AMCB¼g¤â¡B²{§ë¨­Án­µ³Ð§@ªºSin:Ned¥H¤Î¥Lªº·s¹ÎÅéNo One Pulse¡F²`¦`¤T¦ì¥»¤g¼Ö¤â¤À§O¬O¹êÅç¹q¤l¼Ö¤â¡BWe Play!³Ð¿ì¤H³°¥¿¡A¦Û¥ÑÃÀ³N®aªü¥Õ©M¹êÅç¦N¥L¤â¶À°·¡C·í±ßªº­µ¼Ö·|¤]¬OWe Play!­º±i°Û¤ù<over a foul line,simple questions>ªº­ºµoºt¥X¡A²{³õ±N¦³Án­µµ²¦X¼v¹³¡A°£¤F¼Ö¤â­Ó¤Hªíºt¤§¥~¡AÁÙ·|¦³¤£¦P¼Ö¤â¤§¶¡ªº¦Û¥Ñ§Y¿³¡C

We Play!¬O¥Ñ¹êÅç¼Ö¤âZenLu¥D«ù³Ð¿ìªº¿W¥ß­µ¼Ö¼tµP¡A®Ú´Ó©ó²`¦`¡A±Mª`©ó¥Xª©µo¦æ°ê¤º¥~Àu¨qªº¹êÅç­µ¼Ö§@«~¡C

We Play! is an independent label rooted in Shenzhen, hosted and founded by experimental musician ZenLu. It specializes in publishing and distributing quality experimental music works from China and overseas.

www.weplayrec.cn  

info@weplayrec.cn

Neo Sound(Â÷ÄÌ)¬O¤@­Ó²Ï®Ú©ó²`¦`ªº¦~»´ÃÀ³N¹ÎÅé ¡CNeo Sound¥H³Ð§@¬°¥D(À¸¼@/­µ¼Ö/Äá¼v/¼v¹³ÃÀ³N)¡A¯A¤Î¥Xª©©Mµ¦®i¡A¦P®É°í«ù¦Y¨ì¦R¡B³Ü¨ì¦º¡C

neo sound is a young artistic group based in Shenzhen. neo sound includes: composing (drama,music,photography,video art) /publishing/exhitition planning,and persist in eatting (until vomit) and drinking (until die).
neosound.blogbus.com                                  

neosounds@gmail.com

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Listen up: When the Plug is ONa

¦h´CÅéÃÀ³N®iÄý¡]2007¦~3¤ë1¤é¦Ü14¤é¡^¡G

¥Ñ­»´ä¿W¥ß­µ¼Ö¼tµPLona RecordsÄw¿ìªºListen up: When the Plug is ON

¦h´CÅéÃÀ³N®iÄý¡Aµ²¶°¥»¦a¦U¬Éªº³Ð§@¤H¡A¤À§O¥HÁn­µ¸Ë¸m¡BÄá¼v¿ý¹³¤Î¬ü³N§@«~ªº§Î¦¡¡A¦X¦@Àç³y¤@­Ó¥O¤H¦Õ¥Ø¤@·sªºµøÅ¥Àô¹Ò¡A®i²{¨ä¿W¾ð¤@¼mªº¹êÅç¬ü¾Ç¡C¬O¦¸®iÄý¤¤ªº©Ò¦³®i«~¤Î°Ó«~¡A¬Ò¥Ñ­µ¼Ö¥Xµo¡B¥H­µ¼Ö¬°ÃD¡A±´¯Á¥Ñ­µ¼Ö©µ¦ù¦Ü¨ä¥LÃÀ³N§Î¦¡ªº¥i¯à©Ê¡C

¶}¹õªíºt¡]2007¦~3¤ë3¤é¡^¡G

³o¦¸¶}¹õªíºt½Ð¨Ó¤F¦h¦ì¤jÁx³Ð·s¡B·N©À¿W¯Sªº¥tÃþ¡þ¹êÅç­µ¼Ö¤H¡A¥]¬ASin:Ned¡BWilson Tsang¡B¹êÅç¹q­µ¼Ö¹ÎNo One Pulse©M¨Ó¦Û¤¤°ê¤º¦aªº¯S§O¹Å»«ZenLu¡A¬°¤j®a±a¨Ó¤Ö¦³±µÄ²ªº¥tÃþÁn­µ¡X¡X±q²`¨I¼~Ñ¥ªº¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö¨ì²¬ù·L¼Ò©Îµ²ºcÄY±Kªº®ðª^¤Æ¹q­µ¡A¥L­Ì±N¥H¨ä¿W¤@µL¤GªºÁnÅT³Ð§@°nµo¥X¹qªi¬y«ªºµL­­ÆF·P¡C¦¹¥~¡A§Ú­Ì¥ç¦³©¯Áܱo¸ê²`­µ¼Ö¤H¡þDJ¶À§Ó²F¾á¥ô·í¤éªº¥q»ö¡A§@¬°Æ[²³³Ì¿Ë¤Á¦X¾Aªº­µ¼Ö¸Ñ»¡¤H¡C

Video Here:

The Exhibition (1 March ¡V 14 March 2007):

¡§Listen up: When the Plug is ON¡¨ is the very first multi-media exhibition organised by Lona Records. This two-week exhibition at LOG-ON (Festival Walk) will showcase creative works including sound installation, videos and paintings by local independent artists, all of which are centered around the theme of music.

Prick up your ears and keep your eyes wide open once you step into our eye-dazzling exhibition zone¡Xyou are walking toward a new aesthetics of experimentalism.

The Opening Show (3 March 2007, 3pm-5pm):

On 3 March 2007, four idiosyncratic experimental artists¡XSin:Ned, Wilson Tsang, No One Pulse (aka Sin:Ned and Chau Kin-wai) and our special guest from the mainland China, ZenLu will take us on a two-hour sonic journey. From melancholic piano tunes to minimal or sophisticated atmospheric electronic sounds, they are bound to make an ordinary Saturday afternoon in a bustling shopping mall sparkle with a stream of unique airwaves. (MC: Wong Chi Chung)

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The Yours' "Missed Call" on Northern Star Records' (UK) Compilation <Psychedelica Volume 2>a

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The tracklisting is as follows:

CD1:
BELLES WILL RING ¡V The Coldest Heart
THE QUARTER AFTER ¡V Too Much To Think About
THE DEATHS ¡V May Queen
THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT ¡V What's That Sound?
THE BLACK ANGELS - Young Men Dead
MAINLINE ¡V Black Honey
THE PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY CHOIR - Elevate
THE NOVA SAINTS ¡V Sugar Coated
THE HISS ¡V Your Old Eyes
HEROES OF SWITZERLAND - Why
THE STRANGE FLOWERS ¡V Mars Behind Our Eyes
THE STEVENSON RANCH DAVIDIANS ¡V Nature Boy
DUST ¡V The Desert Hell
THE PANDAS ¡V Crystal Highway
THE LOVETONES ¡V The Sound & The Fury
HEADQUARTERS ¡V Electric Sensation
LUMINOL ¡V Natural World
ASTEROID #4 ¡V Find My Way Back Home

CD2:
THE DECEMBER SOUND ¡V Kill Me
THE VOICES ¡V The Sound of Young America
THE DAYSLEEPERS - Threnody
SUNSPLIT ¡V All I Want
GOLDRUSH ¡V There's A World
FLOORIAN - Heavium
FLOWERS OF HELL ¡V Compound Fractures
PERFECT BLUE ¡V Empty Dreams
MOON - Dopamine
HOPEWELL ¡V Hello Radio
THE YOURS ¡V Missed Call
AIR CAV ¡V Alliance
RIFF RANDOM ¡V Dead Eyes
SATSANGI - Iodine
SOFT HEARTED SCIENTISTS ¡V Brother Sister
SAY JANSFIELD ¡V The Lonely Piano
THEIR HEARTS WERE FULL OF SPRING ¡V Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind


Buy CD >>
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Review on Jeffrey Bützer ¡V She Traded Her Leg on brainwashed.coma

Written by Duncan Edwards

22 February 2007

Some uncompromising records of good quality seem predestined for neglect or obscurity. So it is with this taut and melodic release; an interesting mix of jaunty minimalism, baroque abstraction and a smidgen of the kind of understated, introspective instrumentation that is to myths of the American Old West as beer foam is to a glass.

On his debut release, Jeffrey Bützer plays piano, toy piano, electric piano, accordion, toy accordion, melodica, glockenspiel, reed organ, banjo, harmonica, guitars, bass, autoharp, ocarina, tongue drum, drums & percussion. Regardless of whether or not we need a Jeffrey Bützer action figure to play those toy instruments, the result is most definitely an album, since it bears repeated listening from start to finish, thanks to a vigorous breadth and subtle development. The odd title track has an almost ska-like opening rhythm. The wheezing melancholy of "Wooden Giraffe" might be an out-take from The Draughtsman's Contract, while there is much darker avant-expressionism on "Her Body is a Swamp." The record carries an endemic quasi-gamelan pulse and has a physicality that sporadically twitches like the leg of a dreamer. Bützer knows the value of repetitive phrases but is brave enough to allow a surprising element of decay and breakdown to emerge, which, of course, in hindsight seems entirely natural. Either that or he ran out of ideas.

Who is she and what did she get in exchange for her leg? Someone's hand upon it? A brief or lasting freedom? Regret? Does the title (as if Hans Christian Andersen's little mermaid in reverse) refer to the trading of some physical mobility to gain the means by which to articulate expression? Was it sacrifice, or gain?  A life spared?  Season tickets to Old Trafford? Is the leg of flesh or wood? We can enjoy this record and keep the mystery of speculation.

"Tarred and Feathered" sounds less like an experience of violent retribution than a pleasant afternoon spent by the river, having tea and cakes with the vicar's daughters.The pretty sounds on "Carbonated Sewing Machine" don't appear to be derived from a device for stitching. Actually, such sounds embroider "Valse 1" instead, as if figures in a tapestry wandered over to the next scene for a relaxing interlude. The track "Broken Blunderbuss, One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles" has the feeling of an epic journey beginning, a sense which, apart from a see-sawing lull on "Part 2", is more-or-less maintained throughout it's following 6 parts. At times like this a reference to El Topo is unavoidable.

On the final track, "Her Body is a Swamp,"  Bützer shows a willingness to dissolve compositional structure and also to incorporate a raw, noisier dynamic. Images of a motorcycle traversing sand dunes came to my mind, trying to avoid getting stuck; along with a vague sense of memory clinging to skin. It would be a stretch to wonder whether or not Jeffrey Bützer will follow a more minimalist path forged by such luminaries as Terry Riley, maybe choose to add words and singing to his work, perhaps veer whole-heartedly into a 21st Century folk dance music, or (more likely) plot another course entirely. She Traded Her Leg has enough pure listening pleasure and signposts for future projects that, either way lies intrigue and, most probably, reward.

http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5955&Itemid=64

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Review on Jeffrey Bützer ¡V She Traded Her Leg on audiversity.coma

Jeffrey Bützer's debut release for Hong Kong-based Lona Records is an interesting blend of street performer waltzes, minimal avant-garde doodling and soundtrack-like ditties. Influenced by the deceptively simple and subtly moving film scores by minimalist composer Michael Nyman (The Piano) and Fellini sideman Nino Rota, Bützer's songs, which typically clock in at about the two-and-a-half minute mark, sound as if specifically composed for a series short films. The album is split into two distinct halves; the first 14 tracks reminiscing of the French pop of Yann Tiersen (best known to us Americans for the Amélie soundtrack) and the second half featuring two longer songs (on of which is broken into six parts) that drift into instrumental experimentation. The first, more appealing half finds Bützer mostly arranging bright melodic percussive instruments like xylophone, glockenspiel, piano and ocarina over elastic accordion waltzes. The tracks are short enough to not wear on your nerves and frequently conjure images of French street performers and the colorful circus acts of the 40s. 'One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles' and 'Her Body is a Swamp' on the other hand rarely find any sort of recognizable melody as Bützer strums hauntingly on his autoharp over meandering xylophone totters and heavily reverberating something or another. She Traded Her Leg is definitely an interesting album for those of you that like to dig under the surface for odd fissures in pop music.

http://audiversity.com/

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  Take Off the Headphone and Turn to 10 - Review on Discuss.com.hk

Reviewed by: nihilist

Photos

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Little Sound [ls010]

Alok & L W T V
"Amidst The Boredom, They Gather Forces¡]22"56'¡^"


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Live at ­»´ä¤EÀs¶í®û·|¤j¾Ç®Õ, 2006¦~10¤ë25¤é
(3″cdr limited copies 50)
Releases Date: December 20,2006

Buy Here:
http://shop34096725.taobao.com/

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Review on The Yours - Abraham on Music Emissions (US)a

Rating:  4.5 / 5
Reviewed by:
Mike Wood

The Yours are a Hong Kong band that has been paying attention to international music. This debut is a crunching droning monster that equally evokes early 90's shoegazing and fuzz-toned post-rock. The sound is BIG, going to eleven while still being melodic and catchy. The Yours put the Power in Power Pop. "Another Teen" kicks off the record with a burst of pure joy, like the one you got when you heard the first Matthew Sweet single in the middle of a shitty music season. The title track, the huge "Missed Call", and "Cigarette to Start The Day" are rough, Dolls-esque rock, driven the twin guitar attack of Jack and Nic (single names only for these guys, thanks). The rhythm section of Azia on bass and Ho on drums complete the lineup of those about to rock. This is what The Strokes promised and never delievered.

http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?artist_id=3682&album_id=4832

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Review on The Yours - Abraham on HK Magazine (HK)a

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Review on The Yours - Abraham on MCB-online (HK)a

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Åý§Ú­Ì¥ý¨ÓťťThe Yoursªº­º±iEP¥X«~Abraham§a¡CAnother Teen§@¬°°Û¤ùªº§Ç¹õ¡AThe House of Love¦¡ªº·nºu¡Aªº½TºÙ¾¦a¥´ÅT¤FÀY°}¡CLight A Cigarette to Start a Day¤¤«h¬OMBV¦¡ªºµ²¥L­µÀð¡A¥þ¦±±a¦³¤@ºØµL°Ê©ó°Jªº²¨Â÷·P¡Cµ§ªÌ³Ì¬°³ßÅwªº¬OTasteless»PMissed Call¡C«eªÌªºµ²¥L¾¸­µ¾ã²z¥O¤HÁp·Q¨ì¡u¦¬ÀĤFªº«e´ÁªºThe Creation¡v¡A«áªÌ«h«O¯d¤FPost-Punkªº§C¨I¦Ó¼h¦¸¤«µMªº¯S½è¡A«á¬qªº¬yºZµ²¥L¿W«µ«h±a¦³Bloc Partyªº¨ý¹D¡C¥DÃD¼Ö¦±Abraham¬O¬°¤@¦ìªB¤Í¦Ó§@ªº¡A¦bHoªº¤p­x¹ª¦¡¥´ªk»PJack¤ºÀĪººtö¤¤¡Aºq¦±º¥º¥±À¶i¡A·P¬V¤O¥çÀH¤§³v¨B¥[±j¡C

¡u¯uªº«Ü¦hÁ¼tµP¤è­±¦p¦¹¤ä«ù§Ú­Ìªº­µ¼Ö¬¡°Ê¡C¯S§O­n¦hÁªº¬OAlok¡BElf Fatimaªº¤p³¹»Pºû´ä°Û¤ùªºªüªQ¡C¡vªº½T¡A«Ü¤Ö¿W¥ß¼Ö¶¤·|·Ç³Æ¤@³s¦êªº­µ¼Ö¬¡°Ê¡A¦ÓThe Yours´N¬O¦³³o¥÷¨M¤ß¡G¡u¯uªº¨M¤ß­n§¹¦¨¤@¥ó¨Æ¡A¦Ó³o¥ó¨Æ·í¤¤ªº¦U¶µ²Ó¸`¤]¬O­nInterlinkingªº¡A¯uªº¡A°Û¤ù»Plive show¬O¤£¥i¤À³Îªº¡C¡v

µ§ªÌ¦b³X°Ý³Ì«á°Ý¨ì¥|¤l¦³¨S¦³»¡¸Ü­n¸ò¼Ö°g»¡¡AThe Yours¥u¯d¤U¤F³o¤@¥y¡G¡u¦hÂI¤W§Ú­ÌªºMySpace¡AÅ¥§Ú­Ìªººq¡C¡v

The YoursÄY¿ï¤­±i³Ì·R±M¿è¡G
Joy Division ¡mHeart And Soul¡n
My Bloody Valentine ¡mLoveless¡n
Ride ¡mSmile EP¡n
The Jesus And Mary Chain ¡mPsycho Candy¡n
The Cure ¡mBoys Don't Cry¡n


http://www.mcb.com.hk/online2/article/article.php?did=2&aid=370

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Review on Perfect Blue on MCB-online (HK)a

Text : °K´¼Áo
Post Date : 2006-10-31


Perfect Blue³o±iSunshine EP¬OLona Records¤§3¡¨CD³æ¦±¨t¦CºX¤Uªº­º¶¤­^°ê¼Ö¶¤¥X«~¡A¼tµP¥D¤HAlok¹ï¦¹¥X«~Åã±oÃB¥~³¶ÅD¡A¦]¬°¥L¬O­^°êShoegazer¼Ö¹ÎThe Telescopesªº©¾¹ê¾ÖÄ»¡A¦ÓPerfect Blue«h¬OThe Telescopesªº°é¤¤¦n¤Í¡C

Perfect Blue¬Ý¦ü¨º¨Ç´e³J²M·sµ²¥L¼Ö¶¤¦W¦r¡A¹ê±¡¥L­Ì¬O°g¤Û¼Ö¹ÎThe Electric Mainline¦¨­ûScott Causer©MRob Allen¡A¥H¤ÎNisei23ªºMaria Navarra©Ò²Õ¦¨¡A¨ú¦W¦Û¤@Äդ饻°Êµe¦WºÙ¡C¦ÓPerfect Blue¬O¥L­Ì´Â¦V¹êÅç©Ê­µ¼Ö±´°QªºProject¡C

¦bSunshine EP¤º¡A¥L­Ì¥´³y¥X¬O¤@ºØ²`Âã¦Óª^³ò¤Æªºµ²¥LAmbient­µ¼Ö(¾Úª¾¥L­Ì¨Ã¨S¦³±Ä¥Î¹q¤l¦X¦¨¾¹§@ºt«µ)¡AÅýÅ¥ªÌ¹£Áþ¦b¨äSoundscape¤§¶¡¡A¦n¤ñ´¿´X¦ó®ÉªºSeefeel¡B«á¨ÓªºWindy & Carl¬Æ¦ÜMy Bloody Valentine¦bLoveless®É´ÁªºÀRÁĦ±¥Ø¡C

¥L­Ì©ÒÀç³yªº©_ÄR¹Ú¤ÛAmbient·N¹Ò¡A¦b¥DÃD¦±Sunshine¸Ì¤wªíÅSµL¿ò¡AµM¦Ó¨º§C­~ªº¤HÁnChanting¡A¥H¤Î±aÂI¤u·~¨ýªº§N§Nîî¶Âª^³ò¡A«o¬°¼Ö¦±¾®»E¥X¤@ªÑ¯«¯µ²§¦â¡C¥ú©ú»P¶Â·t§Ï©»¦@¦s¦b¦P¤@ªÅ¶¡¤º¡C

In Fear Of Fear¨ºªiÄi§§Áï¦Ó±aÂI«á®öº©¦¡´d§§ªºª^³ò¡A´NÄà¤H¤ß¾z±o²ª½¦n¤ñ¼w°ê¹q¤l¤j®vKlaus SchulzeªºSynthesizer Music¯ë¡C¦ÓThe Destruction Of Time¥çµS¦p¦­¦~¬fªLªºº©¤ÑµL»Ú¡B¯«¯µ²ö´ú¤ÓªÅ¹q¤l­µ¼Ö©O¡C
¡@

http://www.mcb.com.hk/online2/article/article.php?did=3&aid=371

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Review on The Yours on BC Magazine (HK)a

Mandobeat : A Matter of Taste

Words: Hamish McKenzie


Sick of the same old shouted rock?
Well, young post-punkers The Yours might just have the Cure for you.

Sunday afternoon at Rockit. Four impeccably dressed young men are on the main stage. Twenty-one-year-old Nicholas Wong ¡V a mushroom of black hair, lily-pad dark glasses ¡V wails into the microphone as if he¡¦s The Cure¡¦s Robert Smith. The post-punk music is fresh, quirky, and a cool change from the usual shout-your-innards-out fare many local ¡¥indie¡¦ bands churn out. But the crowd don¡¦t seem to get it, and a cock-up with the marquee means Rockit is running behind schedule. Wong and his band The Yours are shuffled off stage prematurely. The band¡¦s other singer, Jack Leung, 23 ¡V wispy dyed blonde hair, straight black suit ¡V only has time to finish his song The Decent, to some enthusiastic applause, before he¡¦s asked to make way for the next band, to accommodate the organisers¡¦ blunder. He takes it well, despite looking ready to launch into the next number; despite already being made to wait half an hour to take the stage. He laughs nervously, smiles, and leans into the microphone: ¡§Thanks ¡V we¡¦ve really enjoyed it.¡¨

The Yours have done well to make it to Rockit, but they aren¡¦t suited to an outdoor festival. They ought to be experienced up close in the dark and smoky climes of small bars, where sounds reflect off the walls and wrap the audience like a blanket. They¡¦re not to be roared for, or moshed to; they¡¦re not to be screamed at, or sung along with ¡V they¡¦re to be looked at and listened to. And if you listen closely enough, you¡¦ll hear a band rough round the edges but sure to rise quickly through the ranks of the indie scene.

Wong, Leung, bass-player Azia Chou (21), and drummer Chin Ho Chan (20), are no musical whizzes. Aside from Leung, who had three months¡¦ guitar tutelage, they¡¦re all self-taught. In fact, Chou joined the band without even really knowing his way round a bass ¡V but that¡¦s not what he told them at the time. ¡§I just tried my best to jam with them,¡¨ Chou says with a laugh, a week after a performance at Underground 32, that had a crowd of about 100 hollering for more. Chan, whom Leung conscripted by ICQ, doesn¡¦t even own his own set of drums ¡V he practises on pillows in his room. But the four do hold one vital key for success: a strong work ethic. Three nights a week, they can be found in a bandroom in Kwai Fong, practising from early evening until the wee hours ¡V sometimes 4am. Now, a year and a half after forming, the band has just released an EP through Lona Records, and are working on an LP, set for release early next year.

The two releases are arranged according to style. For the EP, you can expect easy-listening, melodic ¡V but still noisy ¡V fare inspired by the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Ride. For the LP, still in the pipeline, brace yourself for heavier stuff marked by loud drums and strident bass. The divergent works on the two albums at least show The Yours¡¦ versatility ¡V which was also on display at that successful Underground gig. Stuck for an unexpected encore after underestimating their popularity, the boys were left wondering what to do. They¡¦d only prepared their set list, and were fresh out of material to offer the hungry new fans. Not to be fazed, they launched into a free jam to finish the night. Asked afterwards what it was, they simply explained it was a ¡§new song¡¨.

Their other songs are somewhat less spontaneous. They say their music is actually quite structured, even if their philosophy to writing starts with, ¡§We always just pick up a guitar and play.¡¨ Lyrics ¡V written mostly by Wong and Leung ¡V are observational, wry, and not without a healthy dose of attitude. Another Teen, for example, speaks of the band¡¦s drive to be something out of the ordinary ¡V not just another band off the pop conveyor belt.

¡§We wanted to make something different; make something unique; something special. We don¡¦t want to be just normal teens,¡¨ explains Leung.

Of course, they don¡¦t expect to be to everyone¡¦s taste, but they don¡¦t much care either. That¡¦s why they wrote Tasteless, Leung¡¦s favourite song. ¡§When I wrote the song I was sad at the time because someone was leaving me. I was just saying, if the person didn¡¦t choose me, they are tasteless,¡¨ he says. ¡§And for the band, if people don¡¦t like us, or they don¡¦t listen to us, they are tasteless.¡¨ A laugh follows, but he only half means it.

http://hk.bcmagazine.net/hk.bcmagazine.issues/bcmagazine_webissue219/08mandobeat.html

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Review on The Yours - Abraham on Indie Eye (Italy)a

Abraham è l¡¦ep di debutto degli hongkonghesi The Yours, a giorni in uscita per la notevole Lona Records, l¡¦etichetta cinese che distribuisce, tra i tanti, artisti come 1605munro e FM3, recentemente usciti con uno splendido lavoro di avant-ambient-folk intitolato Hou Guan Yin e realizzato insieme a Dou Wei, musicista noto alla nostra stampa intelligente solo per aver devastato (a ragione, secondo noi) la redazione di un giornale in seguito a gossip non gradito. The yours probabilmente sono tra le uscite meno sperimentali ed estreme in casa Lona, e giocano con l¡¦amore per My Bloody Valentine senza troppi misteri e trucchi cosi da essersi guadagnati il rispetto come una delle migliori band live di Hong Kong. Ascolti presso il profilo myspace ufficiale.

http://www.indie-eye.it/recensore/2006/10/15/the-yours-abraham-ep/

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on Cokemachine Glow

Rating: 72%

Let¡¦s start here: if you don¡¦t already have a Buddha Machine (the object) get one, because Buddha Machine (the album) is phenomenal, even despite the fact that the relative success of the machine is probably, at least in part, based on the novel concept. A little box that can play nine loops (each one for as long as the batteries of the machine might last), the behind-the-curve 2006 hullabaloo surrounding the 2005 object made FM3 a household name (well, a geeky household name).

Okay, but that¡¦s Eno¡¦s wet dream; this is a boring old 20th century Compact Disc-format album. Well, ¡§boring¡¨ only because of the format, since while the tracks of Hou Guan Yin may not be able to spiral into Buddha Machine infinity, FM3 and guest Dou Wei are spinning into another orbit entirely. It¡¦s kind of like chess: the FM3 duo (Zhang Jian and Christiaan Virant) lull you in early on, playing with foreboding drone patterns and bailing water from leaky hulls, but eventually drummer Dou Wei grabs fistfuls of FM3¡¦s sonic tapestries and rips them to shreds. Well, sort of, I guess, because there¡¦s a lot of castleling going on. This album is about building bulwarks, and it¡¦s not quite as simple as quiet drones and loud drumming, in part because Jian and Virant are playing keyboards and guitars both in the lap top and more traditional senses, and in part because this band orientation of sounds seems to rephrase the ambient textures FM3 excel at as forays into the land of Sunburned Hand of the Man and Wooden Wand. It works, I think, because the sense of restraint the duo has gained as ambient musicians makes this trio¡¦s (well, quartet really, since noise master Yan Jun is creeping around backstage) brand of freak explorations far stronger -- or at least more consistent -- than those two bands.

But what is really striking about this album is how readily it bridges the gap between early seventies prog (like, the experimental kind, and not the more popular formalized version of Yes and ELO) and present day electronic music. Xhol Caravan, Agitation Free, Area, Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Battiato -- their fingerprints are all over this thing, which isn¡¦t entirely shocking, since some of the roots of electronic music exist in that cluster anyway, but insofar as the intent is to draw the soothing and sore together, I haven¡¦t heard an album that is so evocative of that nexus of noise in a while. Like those bands, FM3 understand that vibrant tremors exist in all sorts of contexts, groupings, and tempos, and that an album doesn¡¦t have to be a collection of ideas, but rather it can be the idea, and that its parts can simply explain the narrative through moods. Hou Guan Yin swells and breaks, and from the cover to the clanging percussion employed by Dou Wei it¡¦s an incredibly watery album. It poles between straightforward post-rock patterns (without the expected eruptions) and obtuse sound experiments, but the focus on overall tone ties these excursions together. Which is exactly how something like Xhol Caravan¡¦s Motherfuckers Ghmb (1972) worked -- bits and pieces carefully folded into an overall piece, so that while there are tracks, those tracks are more like movements in one coherent idea. Which -- and, I mean, the lack of titles for most of the tracks here makes it obvious -- is exactly what¡¦s going on here.

Which makes it hard to talk about individual tracks, since most of the time we¡¦re simply fading in and out between specific ideas. Often, the basic FM3 format stays fairly intact, throwing a blushing powder of opaque sound over the palette and then playing with the results. Other tracks swarm around specific movement, lobbing Dou Wei¡¦s percussion through the inertia. And when all three connect, when the group is done foraging for ambient textures and new overlaps in avant-garde music, they let out the steam in grand style (on tracks 6 and 10, for example), and the result is beautiful. 10 especially makes the noodling explorations of Sunburned and Wooden Wand look amateurish by comparison, simultaneously funky and completely off the map.

This isn¡¦t an album you¡¦d want to cherry pick from -- it¡¦s a coherent statement, and some of the experiments fall a bit flat out of context -- but the overall quality maintains FM3¡¦s status as one of the most important avant-garde groups we have working today, both for their fantastic compositional skills and their commitment to constant experimentation. Hell, Eno bought like eight of those Buddha Machines, and maybe we can hope that the act is some sort of prophecy. Maybe in a few years FM3 will be invited to produce all sorts of indie albums, and we¡¦ll get some Lamb Lies Down on Broadways (1974) and Remain in the Lights (1980) for our generation. Or maybe FM3 will just continue on knocking out some of the greatest experimental music ever. I know I¡¦ll be happy either way.

Mark Abraham
October 24, 2006
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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on Giant Robot

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on Foxy Digitalis  

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on Billboard

If Brian Eno were Chinese and had come of age in the era of digital sampling rather than the era of analog tape manipulation, it's very likely that his music would have ended up sounding quite a bit like that of FM3, an avant ambient collective based in China that is expanded, for this recording, by guest drummer Dou Wei, guitarist Christiaan Virant, and electronica artist Yan Jun. The music they make on Hou Gan Yin is a gorgeous fusion of traditional Chinese sounds, abstract noise, faux-natural sound effects (synthesized insect chirps, dripping water, etc.), and floating wisps of harmonically minimalist piano and synthesizer chords. There are no songs as such, and hardly even any tracks, really -- most of the tracks on the program are simply numbered, though a handful of them are rather bewilderingly titled "Wu." Not that it matters: this isn't the type of album that will lead listeners to say "Hey, go back and play that third track again." It's the kind of album that will lead listeners to sit back deeply into the couch and close their eyes for 36 minutes -- and at the end they'll wish it would go on for at least 36 more. Of course, one nice thing about an album like this is that you can set the player on "repeat" and no one will ever notice the repetition. Recommended strongly to anyone who owns at least three Harold Budd albums. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on Boomkat

On Hou Guan Yin, the team that brought you the now seminal Buddha Machine have expanded upon the looping microsound aesthetic that established their name internationally and have made a welcome return to a more conventional format. The group¡¦s founding members, Zhang Jian and Christiaan Virant are joined by Chinese experimental artist, Yan Jun and the rock singer/musician, Dou Wei, who provide additional electronics and drums, respectively. The idea of FM3 incorporating drums into their sound might sound entirely at odds with the ambient minimalism the Buddha Machine is associated with, but while that contraption¡¦s technology made economy and reduction a necessity ¡V constricting FM3¡¦s sound palette into thirty-second loops ¡V the CD facilitates a conceptually very different side of their work, allowing for an altogether freer, more ornate music. The eleven sound pieces that make up Hou Guan Yin function as a series of heavily layered vignettes composed from environmental sound materials, treated live instruments and digital synthesis. Switching effortlessly between the fax machine lullaby of ¡¥?¡¦ to the other-worldly post-rock of ¡¥?¡¦, complete with guitar, beats and clipped vocal interjections, FM3 have produced an album that not only follows up on the Buddha Machine¡¦s promise as a calling card for an innovative sound design team, but successfully marries Western pop structures with Eastern harmony and ambience. Brian Eno would do well to buy eight of these too.
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http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=23921

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 Review on Perfect Blue - Sunshine on Kitten Painting

Related to those psychedelic explorers at Northern Star records, Perfect Blue tread an elegantly drawn line between quivering dreampop and floating-on-the-ceiling ambient. The four tracks here blend into one another, a miasma of sound that stretches and spirals, taking its time, building into total immersion trip music. The subtle shifting and shading of musical mood is suggestive of and complementary to a spot of journeying into the mind¡¦s eye, whiting out in a thousand yard stare space.


Track one, 'Sunshine' and the thump of blood pumping in your ears pulses a beat across a delicate, trickling almost-melody, like a gentle come-down cousin to My Bloody Valentine¡¦s ¡¥All I Need¡¦. Then the heartbeat drifts away to leave an eerie, soothing soundscape of hovering, humming bliss which waxes and warps its way across the grooves (or whatever CDs have), allowing you to meander and drift, lapped by sound. The E.P.¡¦s fourth track, ¡¥The Destruction of Time¡¦ (there¡¦s nothing like tackling the big issues eh?) brings things to a sinister, ticking end. A bell tolls in a ¡¥seeing your own funeral¡¦ way, a chill wind blows and suggestions of Loop¡¦s ¡¥Shot Like A Diamond¡¦ swaddled in cotton-wool and Valium creep in unbidden. A twenty-four minute technicolour dream.

R.R.R.G: Existential honey bamboo

http://www.kittenpainting.co.uk/recordreviews/perfectblue.html

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 Review on Perfect Blue - Sunshine on Diskant

With a name like that, I was expecting an MOR indie band with their eyes on the major label stardom prize, for some reason. Turns out, to my immeasurable joy, that Perfect Blue are in fact creators of abstract, blissed-out soundscapes that recall the less beat-y moments of Seefeel, the floating repetition of Pink Floyd's 'Live at Pompeii' set and the subtle, intricately textured layers of Main.

The four tracks here shift in and out to form a blurred whole; multilayered planes of sound building up a many-frequencied core that's reinforced by occasional, muted beats and vaguely human sounds. At times it threatens to go full-blown into 'Loveless'-style lysergic overload, especially on 'In Fear of Fear' which twists up the tension rating a notch with carefully looped sounds of (perhaps) heavily treated strings or feedback.

Just staying on the right side of lame chill-out blandness, Perfect Blue inject enough darkness into their relatively sedate music - sinister echoed tubular bell sounds here, shifting bass sounds there - to maintain the attention. Like some of the finest music for relaxing to, it relaxes you in a way that's slightly frightening and intimidating.
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http://www.diskant.net/reviews/2006/09/perfect-blue-sunshine-ep-cd.htm

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#271 September 2006

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µin the August issue  of chinese Rolling Stone / ­µ¹³¥@¬É 

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Review on FM3 + Dou Wei Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ in HK Magazine from Hong Kong

HK Issue 639
By Estella Hung
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FM3 is the creation of Chinese rock-godfathers Zhang Jian, Dou Wei (famously Faye Wong¡¦s ex-husband and her baby¡¦s daddy) and Christian Virant. The album marks the rise of the Chinese sound-art movement and is happily far, far removed from the soulless, cookie-cutter world of Cantopop music. Most tracks sound like they¡¦ve been recorded in a forest somewhere in China, what with all the gushing water, breeze and chirping birds in the background. On the whole, the sound is very abstract, quiet and meditative and will appeal to Buddhists and space cadets alike. It blends traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu with electronic blitzes, beats and blips. The artists themselves have called this "unique audio poetry." But like all modern art, it is not easy to understand and can be a little more "zone-out" than "chill-out." Maybe it¡¦s more than my simple mind can comprehend, but I¡¦ll applaud these guys anyway for the revolutionary music movement they¡¦re leading in the mainland. ¡V NL

http://www.asia-city.com/index.php

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Review  on  Alok - Stalement EP in HK Magazine from Hong Kong

HK Issue 639
By Estella Hung
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If you think your player is broken, don¡¦t worry, it¡¦s just Alok¡¦s second mini-album, "Stalemate." Its first and most interesting track, "Stalemate Re-configured" pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the cute, three-inch CD: it¡¦s one sustained experiment with electronic interference; "click-electronica," ¡V and it sounds like the random blips of impending doom. And no, Alok, a local boy, is not Scandinavian. The first track opens with monotone piano pounding interrupted irregularly by the sounds of a dangerously defunct machine; later it breaks into a runaway piano sequence while the sounds of electronic death push on. The track ends with clicking and odd electronic complaints continuing in isolation. There¡¦s a weird modern piano track, "Digital Dweller," before the rest of the album continuous on its meandering explorations of noise and more noise. Obviously, it¡¦s no party album. But listening to the waves of drone, you can¡¦t help but start focusing your mind in on itself. If that¡¦s not your thing, that¡¦s OK: You¡¦re probably in Joe Bananas anyway.

http://www.asia-city.com/index.php

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 Review  on  Perfect Blue - The Sunshine EP on STNT from France

Perfect Blue est un des nombreux projets auxquels participe le prolifique Scott Causer (touche-à-tout qui est aussi à la tête d¡¦un label de psychédélique et qui écrit pour divers webzines)¡K J¡¦avais déjà eu l¡¦occasion de parler de lui pour sa participation à la compilation « Psychedelia Volume I » avec The Electric Mainline¡K Ici, point n¡¦est question des Cure ! Non, pas la moindre ligne de chant (enfin si, un tout petit peu sur le premier morceau) ni de guitare dans la musique de Perfect Blue (un nom assez évocateur pour ce qui est du climat général ¡V Perfect Blue ou une certaine idée de la sérénité¡K)¡K normal pour de l¡¦ambient, non ? Bon, de l¡¦ambient par moments teinté de techno (particulièrement sur le premier titre) et d¡¦electro (sur le troisième morceau)¡K On reste dans des termes génériques qui recouvrent pas mal de réalités différentes. Il faut donc faire appel à l¡¦habituel cortège d¡¦adjectifs si on veut être un poil plus précis : musique douce et sombre, chaude, assez éloignée des dance floors, même quand elle se technoïse ; les beats ne sont jamais agressifs et ce sont surtout des nappes dronisantes qui font le travail (Brian Eno a laissé des traces !). Le premier morceau me rappelle un peu le Plastikman de Consumed, mais sans le côté oppressant ; référence qui est un peu plus pertinente sur le dernier titre, qui est aussi le plus sombre. Ce mini (qui fait partie d¡¦une série de CDs 8cm réalisée par le label Lona Records) ne révolutionnera pas le monde de la musique, mais on sent qu¡¦il a été fait avec amour ¡V il est très agréable à écouter. Evidemment, quatre titres c¡¦est un peu court pour juger de l¡¦homogénéité du style de Perfect Blue¡K Conclusion : on attend la suite ! --- Yann (31/07/2006)

http://www.stnt.org/chronique.php?i=1717

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#271 September 2006

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 Review on FM3 + Äu°ß - Hou Guan Yin ¦ZÆ[­µ on MCB on-line

By Sin:Ned

FM3³o­Ó´Ó®Ú¥_¨Ê¡A¥ÑChristiaan Virant¤Î±iÂ˲զ¨ªº¤G¤HÁnÅTÃÀ³N¼Ö¹Î¡AÄ~Buddha Machine¤§«á¡A¦A¦¸±a¨Ó¥t¤@¯«¨Ó¤§µ§¡G¦ZÆ[­µ¡C

¤´µM¬O¥Rº¡µÛ¯}®æ©M¶W¶V·N¨ýªº·§©ÀÂà¤Æ¡C³æ¬Oºt«µ°}®e¡A¤w¨¬¥H¥s¤H²´«e¤@«G¡CFM3¥[¤WÄu°ß¡Aµ´¹ï¬O­Ó¥Rº¡¯}®æ©Êªº¦X§@¡CÁÙ¦³¨­­Ý¸Ö¤H¡B¼Öµû¤H¡B¹êÅçºt«µ®a¤Î¦a¤U­µ¼Ö±À¤âªºÃC®m§@Án­µ§U¿³¡C¦Ó­t³d¥Xª©¦ZÆ[­µ³o±i±M¿èªº¡A¤S¬O¥ÑAlok (Slow Tech Riddim) ©Òµ¦¹ºªº­»´ä¹êÅç¼tµPLona Records¡C³o¤@¤Á¡A³£¥s¤H¹ïFM3+Äu°ß³o±i·s±M¿è¸U¤À´Á«Ý¡C

»P§Ú­Ì©Ò¨£ºDªºªñ¦~¨º¨Ç¤wÅܦ¨³¯µÄÀݽդν§²Lªº©Ò¿×¡¨Crossover¡¨¤£¦P¡A¦ZÆ[­µ¬O¤@¦¸·¥²`¼hªº¦h¦V©Ê¿Ä¦X¡C

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http://www.mcb.com.hk

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#269 July 2006

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 FM3 : Christiaan Virant & Zhang Jian

"The Chinese electronica duo have gone into overdrive to       meet the demand for their Buddha Machine."

Interview by Marcus Boon

Click here to watch their new video

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HK Magazine # 628 ( Sound Of The City) - Interview

By Alexandra Carroll and Adam White. Photos by Debby Hung.

Loud and Loving It

We talk to artists inspired by the sounds of our city.
Of course, not everyone thinks the city is too noisy. In fact, there are many people who revel in the soundscape of Hong Kong. Sebastian Seidel is the Artistic Administrator of Videotage, a new-media art collective operating out of the Cattle Depot in To Kwa Wan. Videotage supports new-media artists (film makers, digital animators and sound artists) by hosting exhibitions and performances. Its informal Friday night gatherings, The Rec Room series, have this month been focusing on sound artists and electronic musicians. With everything from the psychotic synthetic pop of Rainbowtron to improvisational performances by sound artists such as Magdalen Wong, Videotage has been loud and proud about Hong Kong noisemakers. Does Hong Kong make better sound artists because we have, well, so much more sound? ¡§I guess it¡¦s because we¡¦re over-saturated,¡¨ says Seidel. ¡§This place is so heavy with sounds and sights ¡V people are used to having a multi-sensory experience.¡¨

Alok Leung runs independent music label, Lona Records. Leung defines himself as a ¡§real musician who just wanted to do something more experimental.¡¨ His last album, ¡§Stalemate,¡¨ is a composition of quotidian sounds Leung recorded around his house (the hum of the air-conditioner, the sound of the fridge door opening) and mixed into tracks. Leung was inspired by the experimental music scene of Hong Kong in the 80s and early 90s when legends like Dickson Dee (who now runs the SoundAsia music label) and PNF were just getting started; ¡§PNF were great ¡V doing analogue stuff on their computers and then things like drilling into cans, hammering metal ¡V all this really noisy stuff,¡¨ says Leung. ¡§The didn¡¦t worry about needing an audience. They just went out and made their music.¡¨ Leung¡¦s three-year-old record label has already released nine CDs and has attracted experimental artists from the US, UK and Italy. Vince Li is one of the artists attached to Lona Records. Li does droning ¡V holding notes together for a sustained period of time so that you can hear the harmonics. ¡§When it lasts for a long time it gets you into this really weird headspace,¡¨ says Li. ¡§You don¡¦t need to take drugs because it¡¦s a drug itself with its own energy and everything.¡¨ Li admits he found the noise of Hong Kong a bit overwhelming when he returned last year,

¡§It¡¦s weird because you are overloaded with noise and it¡¦s hard to distinguish different sounds,¡¨ says Li. ¡§That¡¦s the sound I¡¦ve been trying to make with my droning¡V no matter where you are, the city throws back this drone sound at you.¡¨

Sound artist and founder of experimental label Moneme, Cedric Maridet, won an award at last year¡¦s Hong Kong Art Biennial for his sound and video installation, ¡§Huangpu.¡¨ Consequently, he¡¦s been asked by the Visual Arts Centre to run an open workshop starting in July, teaching students to become critical listeners as well as contributors to Hong Kong¡¦s soundscape. Participants will go on soundwalks, a guided listening activity, and in the end, they¡¦ll all make their own podcasts of their individual ¡§acoustic ecologies¡¨ ¡V their world in sound. ¡§You can actually train your ear to listen better,¡¨ says Maridet. ¡§Just go outside, focus on individual sounds, and you¡¦ll hear things you¡¦ve never noticed before.¡¨ While doing just that experiment with a friend in deep Wan Chai, Maridet was surprised to hear a church bell peeling above the hum of Johnston Road, ¡§It¡¦s more of an attitude of listening that you have to develop.¡¨ For the really brave and experimental, Videotage¡¦s Seidel suggests a more dangerous but certainly more effective method: ¡§I¡¦m sure that if you close your eyes, you could find your way through this city just by listening ¡V by acoustic orientation.¡¨ Give it a go. A few near-fatal accidents should sharpen your senses pretty quickly.

http://www.asia-city.com


 Review on Monitors' Buller on STNT (Sans Tambour Ni Trompette) from France

Les Monitors¡K je n¡¦ai pas trouvé de jeu de mots intelligent pour introduire ces américains. Du coup, comment m¡¦y prendre ? Sans doute ferais-je mieux de parler directement de Buller, quatre titres sorti sur un petit label de Hong Kong ¡V in media res ! Sauf que ce détour géographique symbolise assez bien la démarche de ce mini ¡V il réussit le tour de force (en quatre titres, je l¡¦ai déjà dit, non ?) de faire voyager l¡¦auditeur, de le mener de surprise en surprise. Ca commence par un titre rock, noise rock teinté de math rock pour se risquer à l¡¦exercice périlleux de la classification (Note : n¡¦étant pas une grande biologiste, je ne garantis pas mes classifications). Un titre péchu, efficace, avec des voix maîtrisées (je veux dire : matures, et qui apportent quelque chose, un côté décalé, punk, jamais prétentieux), qui me rappelle un peu Jesus Lizard. Avec le deuxième morceau, on passe à quelque chose de plus directement math rock : toujours des guitares noise, mais aussi pas mal de mesures « boiteuses », nombreux breaks, dissonances, et plus de voix. D¡¦ailleurs, c¡¦est fini, il n¡¦y a plus de voix jusqu¡¦à la fin du disque. Conduction, le troisième morceau constitue une sorte de transition avec le bien nommé Improvisation. En presque dix minutes, on passe de diverses formes de musiques contemporaines (musique concrète par exemple ; impossible de ne pas penser à John Cage, à Franck Zappa) à des bribes de rock, le tout animé par le tourbillon d¡¦une improvisation parfaite. Les Monitors brouillent les pistes à merveille. Et si Buller n¡¦est pour eux qu¡¦un exercice de style(s), ils excellent dans tous ces styles qu¡¦ils abordent. Apparemment, ils n¡¦existent que depuis 2004¡K l¡¦apogée n¡¦est certainement pas encore atteinte (ils ont le potentiel de forger un nouveau style), et le meilleur est à attendre ! --- Gaelle (20/03/06)

http://www.stnt.org/UneChroniqueDeDisque.php3?i=1085


 HK Magazine - The Best Of Local Music 2005