Ian Chang has been working as a member of Son Lux and Landlady for years now, but he will be releasing his debut solo album 属 Belonging on April 24 and today he has shared the album’s opening track, “舞狮 Lion Dance”. Chang says about the track:
“The initial inspiration came from the lilting rhythms of a drummer on a Chinese New Year Lion Dance video I found on youtube. His playing is so driving yet fluid and relaxed, so I based the rhythmic backbone of this song on that. The instrumentation was also inspired by Lion Dance music, which usually consists of a percussion ensemble called 锣鼓 playing drums and gongs. I started to feel a sonic kinship between this and Swarm (a track on the album consisting completely of drum samples melodically tuned), so I ended up sampling short drum bursts from Swarm to bring this one to life. The result sounds like a choir of drums cascading freely from every beat, blurring the line between rhythm and melody.”
A luminous and fidgeting track, “舞狮 Lion Dance” immediately transports you to a bustling city festival, where smiling faces and shifting bodies are aglow in neon lights. Unusual and intriguing, “舞狮 Lion Dance” has no trouble increasing our excitement for what’s to come on the record. Listen to the song below.
Ian Chang’s album 属 Belonging comes out digitally on April 24 and physically on May 29 through City Slang. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
