Manhu: one of the most impressive of the new voices emerging among a new generation of Chinese
LOST IN CHINA: Off the Beaten Track from Beijing to Xinjiang
Various Artists
Riverboat Records
From the bustling chaos of Beijing to the deserts of Xinjiang, Lost In China celebrates a new generation of artists who, united by their desire to explore and at times confound local traditions, have not previously been heard outside their homeland.
The ethnic and cultural diversity of the world’s most populous country is often overlooked in an age where media images of grey conformity, polluted cities and military parades dominate our impressions. However, music—like almost nothing else—has the power to capture the imagination and promise a different world beyond these images. Lost In China is a compilation of music that blows away stereotypes of what Chinese music can be, revealing the ethnic patchwork that lies quietly below the surface of the national narrative and leaving us wondering if we really know anything about this country at all.
Manhu, from the Stone Forest area of China’s Yunnan province, perform ‘Moon’
As a new generation of Chinese struggles to define itself in the modern age, a determined new voice is emerging. It can barely be heard over brash punk rock, electronica and mandopop, but if you listen carefully—the tinkle of a lute, lilting and mesmerizing, is quiet yet persistent.
‘Incantation,’ Wild Children, ‘who walked out of the deserts of Gansu in the ’90s to capture the imagination of the generation and help lay the foundation of Chinese alternative music,’ from Lost in China.
‘Good Girl,’ South City Second Brother, ‘capturing the spirit of Beijing’s street opera,’ from Lost in China
A small but growingly influential group of artists are reviving folk traditions, rediscovering what is lost or dying, and most of all making a statement that this music has relevance despite Chinese culture’s relentless tilt towards modernity. For many of them it has been a hard road, an uphill struggle against social ambivalence and financial uncertainty. This struggle, in turn, now defines the genre. From the steppes of Inner Mongolia to the deserts of Xinjiang and Central China, the bustling chaos of Beijing to the remote mountains of Yunnan the voices are different but the message is the same – ‘Don’t forget who you are!’
‘Ashima,’ Manhu, ‘who’ve rarely been seen outside of their Stone Forest enclave in Yunnan,’ from Lost in China
‘Sisters’ Zhuangkua (Bump and Fall) Dance, The Herdsmen, from Lost in China
‘Boom Bur Jaan,’ Horse Radio, Mongolian band featured on Lost in China. ‘They aren’t trying to be rock stars,’ says Will Griffith in LiveBeijingMusic’s Best Bands of 2014 feature. ‘It’s relatable, accessible, genuine and, most importantly, full of life.’
This album features artists that are seminal in this movement alongside undiscovered gems, barely known even in China. From the best-known to the least, none have been heard overseas before, from the Wild Children, who walked out of the deserts of Gansu in the ‘90s to capture the imagination of the generation and help lay the foundation of Chinese alternative music, to the shy folk ensemble Manhu, who’ve rarely been seen outside of their Stone Forest enclave in Yunnan. Whether it is South City Second Brother, capturing the spirit of Beijing’s street opera or Kox, a group of professional Kazakh musicians playing traditional music in their spare time that they never thought anyone would be interested in hearing, these are artists who have been waiting to redefine China’s musical relationship with the world.
So prepared to be bewildered and intrigued. Forget everything you thought you knew. Throw out the roadmap and get Lost in China.
Courtesy World Music Network
