epic

I first heard about Asa-Chang & Junray with the song Hana a few years ago. This was a radically different music than the Western conception of music. Tabla was used like the Indian tabla masters, creating syllables that matched with Asa-Chang’s singing, however the music and the lyrics were Japanese, a strange hybrid.

It’s so interesting that the Western and Eastern cultures have this radical difference between their worldviews, perhaps because of the differences in their language system or their music or the climate, I don’t know. One thing I know is Hana was an epic song, with an irrational rhythmic structure (in Western musicology), vocals matching syllables created with tabla, over melancholic and cinematic strings. It wasn’t easy listening, but it was rewarding for sure. It was a journey to an unknown territory, not marked by the rational western culture..

Now today I present you Parlor, a song more easily conceived, but surely with the trademark Asa-Chang & Junray sound; an incredible ancient Eastern motif on frantic tablawork. Guaranteed to take you to a trip to a past life in the Eastern hemisphere, where you could really understand what this music meant.

And also thanks to the nice guys at Leaf, here is the video to Hana, which started it all for me. A must see!

Milkfactory review : As challenging a listening experience as it is, Jun Ray Song Chang is ultimately a beautiful and imaginative record, bringing an entire new dimension to anyone who has the curiosity to open their mind enough.