I’ve never been a huge fan of electronic music. But occasionally I’ve come across an artist or group who has made me reconsider the genre, like The Shanghai Restoration Project. Founder Dave Liang incorporates traditional Chinese instruments with hip-hop electronica to create a unique sound that fuses influences eastern and western, traditional and modern, and that reflect his Chinese-American heritage. That sound has helped TSRP land several #1 hits on electronic charts as well as spots on major television broadcasts, including Showtime’s “The L Word” and NBC’s Oympics coverage in Beijing to name a few.
The Shanghai Restoration Project’s latest offering is a set of Christmas songs that put Liang’s signature spin on old standards such as “Auld Lang Syne” and “Deck the Halls.” TSRP has a preview of its take on these seasonal goodies, which are available for download on iTunes. (On a separate thought: Can you remember life before iTunes?) Although Liang’s musical interests and influences are diverse, I was surprised when he announced the release of “Undercover Christmas.” Christmas? It seemed kind of mundane for a guy who creates such elegant and exotic music. So I decided to contact him and find out where the inspiration for the new album originated, as well as what he has been working on in recent months. Since Dave travels frequently and I’m at the mercy of a 7-week-old toothless wonder, I thought it best to send him my questions via email. He sent his replies while riding on a bus!
My short interview with Dave Liang, as well as links to his site and recent projects follow this preview video of “Undercover Christmas.” Thanks Dave! And Happy Holidays…
Why a Christmas album?
Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved Christmas tunes and the
feelings they evoke. It doesn’t matter whether a song is sacred or
secular. If it sounds like Christmas, I’m most likely a fan.
When did you record these songs? I assume you recorded well before
the holidays, so how did you get into a Christmas mood to record them?
I actually recorded these songs in July since I wanted to release the
album in time for the holidays. Historically, most Christmas albums
are completed around this time and released in the fall (a quick
survey of various holiday album release dates on iTunes can confirm
this). To get into the mood, I listened to a lot of holiday music a
week or so leading up to recording. It was definitely a strange
experience humming these tunes while walking around in the summer
heat.
How did you choose the songs you wanted on the album?
I had a few artists in mind with which I wanted to work and chose
songs based on their voices. Di Johnston’s light and airy timbre was
the perfect fit for “Deck the Halls,” Heath Brandon’s soulfulness
transformed “Up on the Housetop” into something unexpectedly jazzy,
Michal Towber’s playful tone melded well with “Toyland,” and Corey
Frye’s pure tenor voice lead to a rather moving take on “Auld Lang
Syne.” As for “Silent Night,” I’ve always wanted play around with the
harmonies since the melody was so familiar.
No rendition of the Wham! hit, “Last Christmas.” What’s with that?
Hmmm…. not sure how I could have missed that one!
Earlier this year you did an interesting project in collaboration
with Sichuan Quake Relief to raise awareness for families affected by
the May 2008 earthquake. Are you still involved in
helping the victims?
Yes, in March of this year the American folk artist Abigail Washburn
and I went over to Sichuan, China to partner with Sichuan Quake Relief
on a musical project called Afterquake (http://afterquakemusic.com)
that would help raise awareness for those affected by the May 2008
earthquakes. We spent three weeks on the ground and visited a school
that was housing kids who had been displaced by the earthquake. We
asked a few of the children to sing songs that their parents had sung
to them growing up and ended up remixing these tunes as a part of a
seven song EP. The record features many sounds from the local
environment, including kids on the playground and in the classroom,
voices of their parents, and various construction noises from the
rebuilding of their hometown. We were very pleased with the overall
awareness the project generated (the project was featured on NPR’s All
Things Considered, NY Times, SF Chronicle, YouTube) and hope people
will continually be moved to help these folks going forward. SQR will
continue to receive distributions for as long as the project makes
money.
What’s next for The Shanghai Restoration Project?
In February, I’m headed back to Tokyo to work with a few more Japanese
artists. Then in May (around the time of the Shanghai Expo) I’ll be
releasing a project in collaboration with Neocha (an indie music site
in China) showcasing some emerging electronic music talent in China.
For continuous updates and surprises, one can always check out:
http://shanghairestorationproject.com
For more on Dave Liang and The Shanghai Restoration Project, please visit his site: The Shanghai Restoration Project. A preview of his latest album is at Undercover Christmas. More videos at UndercoverCulture, TSRP’s official YouTube Channel.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I love this music and I’m buying it.