KVR Audio

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:34 pm

Now you might think, is Tricky gone crazy, doesn't he live in Bavaria?

Yes, but I like listening to the music of the whole world. The previous weeks I listened to Indian music, and now I decided to listen to Chinese music for a week or two.

But I've only found boring mando/canto/c-pop music which sounds similar to our pop music... I listened to Bianca Wu - dead boring, I nearly felt asleep. Then I've listened to Joey Yung, a bit better, but still not what I'm searching...

Maybe someone could recommend me a great Chinese band or singer with modern Chinese music with traditional elements? Or even some older Chinese singers...

robotmonkey · Post by **robotmonkey** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:16 pm

Not technically Chinese but Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub Orchestra is quite sweet.

ravasb · Post by **ravasb** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:20 pm

Tan Dun. Brilliant composer.

popmoney · Post by **popmoney** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:34 pm

Abend

A bit of chinese a bit of japanese , some Laos and all dubbed up.
Modern and traditional at the same time .Enjoy.

mellotronaut · Post by **mellotronaut** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:46 pm

ravasb wrote:Tan Dun. Brilliant composer.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:08 pm

Thanks for the suggestion of Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub Orchestra!

Pretty good stuff, waked me up again after I nearly felt asleep listening to Joey Yung who sounds like a singing fabric softener advertisement...

SODDI · Post by **SODDI** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:16 am

I don't know. Canto-Pop is really kind of milky and overly glossy. Maybe Anita Mui and Sally Yeh, but they are firmly in that glossy Canto-Pop mold. I have a few good recordings of Chinese classical music, but they are instrument-specific (guquin and er-hu) and even on the er-hu CD the inescapable DX-7 rears its head. That's one of the problems I've run into, "sweetened" traditional recordings. As I've said before, I head to YouTube and catch what I can, usually searching on instruments.

It's not exactly Chinese, but Tuvan (Mongolian) music is wonderful. Huun Huur Tu is a good band. Cowboy music - if you mean by cowboy the descendants of Geghis Khan's hordes.

Also the late great Kongar-ol Ondar.

bronxsound · Post by **bronxsound** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:36 am

Recently I had an opportunity to watch MTV China and I must say I was really surprised. In a good way.
I cant recall any particular names but it was a well balanced mixture of western A class pop with eastern touches. What surprised me the most is how melodic and singable Chinese language is.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:42 pm

@ SODDI

Mongolian music is great, too, especially this overtone-singing. And I love Mongolian music videos with mountains and treeless, endless steppe (but I hate their icy weather at the moment!)...

Regarding, c-pop, I couldn't stand more than a few songs from Bianca Mu, for example. Such boring pop songs I've never heard in my life. Sounds like washed-out American pop music...

---------------

My impression is that the Chinese songwriters are perfect in copying Western style to 100 % but they don't have any traditional roots anymore...

I hope there will be few more suggestions except Tan Dun (who makes really great soundtracks)?

Zombie Queen · Post by **Zombie Queen** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:14 pm

Mongolia is not a part of China yet, so Tuvian music doesn't count, same with Japanese dub. It is a good question, it was bugging me too. Any non-classical, interesting music from China? It is a big country. I wonder what's the catch, maybe non-mainstream artists, can't emerge there? Is there any underground music in China? Punk, Noise, Underground-Rap, Experimental, anything that goes up the stream - not classical, not emigrant, not folk?

Here's someone published by Tzadik: www.bunchinglam.com
But she lives in Paris and NY, so doesn't really count.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:26 pm

Zombie Queen wrote:Is there any underground music in China? Punk, Noise, Underground-Rap, Experimental, anything that goes up the stream - not classical, not emigrant, not folk?

Indeed there is Chinese rap, rock, punk and metal. But it all sounds like Western music.

I'm looking for modern Chinese music WITH A TOUCH OF CHINESE INSTRUMENTS.

Even in Arabia I found loads of Arabic dance, rap, pop, rock etc. WITH ARABIC INSTRUMENTS. But everything modern from China sounds like washed-out, 100 % copied Western mainstream music, the "Chinese" lyrics are the only difference.

If there aren't any other suggestions, I have to quit my musical China journey too soon...

I'm disappointed. Such a great culture with a history of thousands of years. And such boring mainstream music!

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:49 pm

Okay, to escape all these fabric softener Mandicanto-pop-songs, I'm listening to MC Hot Dog now and will try Kelly Chan's "Kellylicious" later...

(But I cannot hear any Chinese or Hongkongonese instruments...

)

SODDI · Post by **SODDI** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:15 pm

Tricky-Loops wrote:I'm looking for modern Chinese music WITH A TOUCH OF CHINESE INSTRUMENTS.

Even in Arabia I found loads of Arabic dance, rap, pop, rock etc. WITH ARABIC INSTRUMENTS. But everything modern from China sounds like washed-out, 100 % copied Western mainstream music, the "Chinese" lyrics are the only difference.

If there aren't any other suggestions, I have to quit my musical China journey too soon...

I'm disappointed. Such a great culture with a history of thousands of years. And such boring mainstream music!

You may need to make some on-line Chinese friends for this quest.

The funny thing is, particularly in the KVR forums, that the Chinese pop industry adapted itself to emulations/versions of traditional Chinese instruments by using the DX7 in the 80s and 90s and more advanced synths going forward. It is so widespread it is almost unbearable - you can't escape it.

FM synthesis really caught the "pluck" and resonance of instruments like the pipa and the gu quin, and in terms of recording it's probably a lot cheaper than setting up a live session with a master-class gu qin player. (There must be some sysex patches out there programmed by Chinese DX7 users.)

Right now, Chinese pop music is some of the most overly-polished electronic pop you'll find.

But thanks for the reminder - I've been having fun listening to some traditional stuff. Starts in at 9 min:

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:23 pm

Listening to "Ethno Lounge from China" by Yeskim now...

Good composed, typical lounge music of the late 90ies (the original songs are mostly from 1997) but still delivers some Chinese vibes here and there...

Something like that with more traditional Chinese instruments would be great...

SODDI · Post by **SODDI** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:53 pm

From "2002 Chinese Odyssey", movie version - and some traditional instruments. The soundtrack is great - like some Chinese T-Bone Burnette.

He thinks she's a man.

Faye Wong also sings Chinese opera as well as Canto-pop.

Who knows some GREAT modern Chinese music?