The Beijing Gang, a collective of high-profile Chinese classical musicians, have announced that their brand new album 'Tan Qi' will hit shelves on August 27th.
'Tan Qi' is the first album from’The Beijing Gang’ which consists of a number of high profile Chinese classical musicians and producer/composer Chris Bemand. Chris has released many innovative electronic albums since his early days with acid jazzsters Marden Hill and filmic chill-out group 45 Dip.
As well as a large discography, Chris has written and produced countless scores for all kinds of TV shows including mainstream cartoon series, Bafta nominated Skunk Fu! and King Arthur's Disasters. He’s also known for writing choral stings for top shows including the X-Factor and Top Gear.
The Beijing Gang are a clever, quirky fusion of classical Chinese instruments paired with contemporary beats. Chris recorded in Beijing with a handful of virtuoso musicians from the Peking Opera and the resulting blend is an original and unique blend of music that classical fans simply must lay their ears on. The first EP from the album – the 'Dongdan EP' - was released early in 2012 and drew a wide cross section of praise as can be seen from the above quotes.
Bemand explains ‘I was in Beijing and found the most vibrant club scene, but they were playing generic Western music. I couldn’t understand why no home grown music was being played in the clubs and bars so I decided to experiment.”
The composer then set up a studio in Beijing and put his huge experience and creativity to the task of creating something modern, danceable and interesting whilst keeping the integrity of the Far Eastern flavour of the music intact.
“All the musicians on the album are at the top of their game but most had never played on Western Music before and couldn’t imagine a fusion of the two styles,” commented Chris. “They were all knocked out with the finished tracks. The album is intricate but cool, a real feast for the aural senses."
You can check out some previews of the album below.
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