New Music: YADAE, YePeng, ZHI16

YADAE 鸭打鹅 – AI (Love) 爱

Duck Fight Goose (or Yadae) once again reinvent themselves on their lush and moody EP, out on Merrier Records. Dwindling down to its core duo of power couple Han Han and Wu Shanmin, who in recent years have taken their sonic explorations on the dance floor to exotic new territory, the four-track release, is as pure and straightforward as they come – a punch-drunk love letter to letting yourself go on the dancefloor. Exposing the emotional-ripe synth-pop heart that’s been lurking under the forward-thinking electronic rock band for nearly a decade, it’s woozy sensual house music that finds the frontman unabashedly crooning over exquisite piano-laced slow-burning melodies, packed to the gills with soul. Both timeless and of the moment, equally tender and banging, Duck Fight Goose continue to surprise.

Bandcamp: https://merrierecord.bandcamp.com/album/ai-love

Netease: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=83044201

YePeng 也朋 – Naked Tributaries 裸露的支流

Hailing from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, YePeng swim in the deep end of the psychedelic musical spectrum, ratcheting up the tension and dank vibes on their fever dream of a debut, Naked Tributaries, out on Ruby Eyes Records. A delirious blend of ethnic beats and rustic sounds, folkloric stories and drug-induced unease – there’s an air of menace and mystery that hangs over the sound collage that YePeng has put together here. It’s a Grimm fairytale depicting the collision of modern and ancient; an odyssey infused with philosophical ambition and sonic exploration – a head trip that isn’t afraid to have a little anarchic fun on the way toward nirvana.

Bandcamp: https://yepeng.bandcamp.com/album/naked-tributaries

Netease: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=83660423

ZHI16 – ILLUSION 

Beijing electronic producer ZHI16, veers deep into sci-fi territory on his latest sonically ambitious ILLUSION, out on Babel Records, sculpting his smooth, funk-driven sound into something darker and intergalactic. Meant to paint a ‘cold, selfish and human future world,’ ZHI16 creates a dense atmosphere of dread, wonder, and technological tenacity that sounds for better or worse, authentic. Flushed with details, a keen sense of grandeur sound design that manages to retain (and sharpen) its edge and club floor audacity, ZHI16 is reaching for the stars here and delivers through and through. More importantly, it hints at a world where some of China’s finest electronic producers between some of the film world’s finest composers.

Xiami: https://www.xiami.com/album/9cLrHpeb931

Netease: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=83707995