So it’s supposed to be the Chinese century, but let’s be honest, when it comes to important matters like music, how much can you say you really know about China? If you’re like me, then not a great deal. But that may change if producer Dave Liang has his way. In the Shanghai Restoration Project he’s aiming to enlighten us Western heathens about Chinese music by fusing it with the styles of electronica and hip-hop. Running since 2006 and inspired by the 1930s Shanghai jazz bands, which combined the Western art of jazz with traditional Chinese culture and lyrics, Liang’s been working with a range of Chinese artists and musicians in an attempt to further broaden our musical tastes.Since 2006 he’s produced a variety of albums exploring different musical styles, which incorporate the rich musical traditions and emerging scenes that diversify Chinese music. Afterquake remixes traditional Chinese folk songs with sounds from the environments of the children singing them in Sichuan, China a year after the May 2008 earthquakes. While a ten-track compilation, called eXpo, features leading independent Chinese electronic artists, who may be unfamiliar to Western ears.What’s also interesting is Liang’s method of production. By utilizing technology and the web in all stages of the process—from making, producing, and marketing the music—he’s able to realize the project without resorting to expensive studios, instead creating professional standard music from his home as an indie outfit. Living the dream, basically. This allows him to have complete creative control, meaning he can embrace variety, from working with Chinese kids’ choirs in Toronto to Japanese pop acts, anything’s fair game for Liang. In the recently released video interview above, he explains more about this musical melting pot.
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Culture Jamming: East Meets West Via Hip-Hop And Electronica
Shanghai Restoration Project is bringing music from China to your ears.