Going to be playing a lil catch up this month with releases – from jams that flew under my radar back in spring, to some of the gems that have been touring on my playlist since they first dropped – it’s an diverse batch so find your summer soulmate and don’t let go – here’s the latest from Siyunge, Miche, and ZHI16.
Siyunge – Channels
Si Yunge is the solo project from the now defunct Beijing surf rock duo The Dyne (how I miss those two). While organizing various sound projects such as ‘Rubber Phonograph Needle’ and ‘Xiaoxiang Wu Gao’, Si Yunge was hard at work on his solo debut Channels – a exploratory album with rich ambience and texture, and one that finds a home for Si Yunge’s 60s tinged guitar work which couples nicely with the dense electronic layering. With guest spots from singer Yanyer and Da Bang drummer Li Nan, it’s a fully realized passion project full of surprises.
Xiami: http://www.xiami.com/album/2102737811
Bandcamp: https://siyunge.bandcamp.com/album/channels
Miche弥澈 – Goodbye, Humpback Whale 再见，座头鲸
The southern province of Guizhou continues making some noise with Miche, the indie rock outfit out of Guiyang, whose EP debut Goodbye, Humpback Whale再见，座头鲸 is an assured atmospheric indie rock album that truly feels like a hidden gem. With everything from shoegaze to post punk making it’s way into the four tracks (plus one track played backwards for good measure) there’s straight-faced conviction to their reverb-drenched sound, one that immediately makes me what to seek them out in the flesh. Hell of a debut.
Bandcamp: https://micheyuedui.bandcamp.com/album/-
Xiami: http://www.xiami.com/album/nndZ8G68786
ZHI16 – 5PM
Quite possibly the slyest electronic release to emerge this year, 5PM from Beijing-based electronica artist ZHI16 is an lush, serene, sonically smooth sampling of electronica that goes down like a glass of champagne. Full of intoxicating flourishes, from old Chinese ballads to jazzy brass samples, it’s electropop that’s made to chill out to. While the trend of bold abrasive electronic music has taken up a lot of the scene in Beijing, there’s something refreshing about ZHI16’s funk-driven glistening output.
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zhi16/sets/5pm
Xiami: http://www.xiami.com/album/2102751798
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