Progressive world music combo, A Moving Sound (聲動劇場) will be giving local fans a taste of its exciting new sound in the coming weeks before jetting off in mid-September to participate at world music festivals in the US and Canada.
Founded by US national Prairie and his Taiwanese wife Mia Hsieh (謝韻雅) in New York in 2001 the art-house-style performance group first began to wow local audiences with its rich audiovisual performances, ethnic harmonies and highly distinctive and original vocal techniques in mid-2003.
Since the release of its debut album Pacu's Trip last year -- an album that was later re-released under the title Little Universe by TCM -- the combo and its highly distinctive hybrid sound has received rave reviews from some of the world's leading world music publications and critics.
Far Side Music, which is considered by many to be the top English language authority on the Asian contemporary music scene called the combo's eclectic sound "compelling stuff."
And after A Moving Sound performed at the Galapagos Art Space in New York last year the venue's art director described the show as "one of the most joyous musical experiences ... I have had the pleasure to program." This fall the group is the focus of an article in the widely read world music publication Global Rhythm.
Over the past six months Moving Sound has parted a little from its more global-oriented roots and has undergone a musical transformation.
Prairie, Hsieh, drummer Wu Cheng-chun (吳政君) and erhu player Lo Tang-hsuan (羅堂軒) have spent the past half year experimenting with and incorporating more traditional Taiwanese and Chinese music into their music.
"We've been focusing on Taiwan and the many different influences and aspects of its' music. Through this we've been able to develop and I think we've become clearer about [the music's] esthetic center," Prairie said. "As a composer I feel that the music is more sophisticated and richer."
He added the group's adoption of more localized forms of music will also be evident in the visual aspects of the group's performances. Hsieh's mesmerizing dance routines will, along with featuring elements of Chinese opera, also incorporate martial arts movements and rudiments of traditional oriental dance.
Although A Moving Sound will be giving local audiences a taste of its new audio-visual self in the coming weeks, the group is busy preparing for its upcoming festival performances in the US and Canada. It will perform at three festivals and hold a one-off performance at the New York Cultural Center. The largest of the dates is an appearance at the World Music Festival Chicago, where it will be opening for French act Nouvelle Vogue.
"It's a big deal for us. We're the first Taiwanese act to have been invited to perform at the festival," Prairie said.
A Moving Sound can be caught in the act in Dansui tomorrow afternoon when it performs at the Taiwan Colors Music mini-music festival, which will take place at Fisherman Wharf from 3pm 10pm. The group's final Taipei performance, before it jets off to the US and Canada, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the Riverside Cafe (
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