The song Silk Road is a celebration of the cultural, economic, and religious exchanges between East and West that date back thousands of years and connects the Qin Dynasty to ancient Rome. And like travelers before them, Prairie and Hsieh see themselves following in this ancient tradition.
As the album’s title suggests, the music, as a form of expression, takes precedence over the lyrics. Only three songs on the album use spoken words.
Having studied under some pioneering experimental improvisational vocalists, including Meredith Monk in New York, Hsieh applies avant-garde techniques to her songs. Reflecting the roots of her past, the song Ku Chin is sung in an ancient Taiwanese dialect and in Ghost Lake she sings in an Aboriginal dialect.
“When people hear my voice they think it’s [a combination of] ancient and avant-garde,” says Hsieh.
The couple spent two years getting this project off the ground. With their first album their sights were set on the local market. But as their musical range has become more focused on Asian musical styles, they are trying to move beyond the local market and into the realm of World Music.
“Our sights are on the international market,” Prairie said.
And what about the approach record companies in Taiwan take towards independent music?
“Lets just say that the scene in is evolving,” Prairie said. “The CD companies only helped us with distribution.
“As the producers of the CD, we paid the money for everything. We printed them. We paid all the money for recording, design; we produced everything.”
Hsieh added: “Independent production is becoming more [common]. I think the whole environment of record companies is very hard. And with all this recording skill and technique and computers — it helps people to do it themselves. It’s the same in Taiwan.”
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