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A dynamic fusion of Chinese and electric violins and electronics C H I 2 perform their inimitable Eastern-tinged contemporary electro-acoustic style to stunning effect. Recently described as "double violin assault specialists (Singapore method)" C H I 2 are Chinese British-born violinists/composers Liz Chi Yen & Sarah Chi Shang Liew.
Drawing on inspiration from their recent tours of South-East Asia, their love of Chinese cinema and their genepool, C H I 2 dish up a charismatic blend of East meets West rhythms and melodies. Their music is a melting pot of style and influences and improvisations with a plethora of weird noises and the odd sprinkling of live effects, coupled with keyboard wizardry and angelic vocals. Their music is harsh and pulsating one minute and lyrical and beautiful the next, interspersed with textural fragments and snippets of musical conversation, as they communicate in their sisterly language. Combined with specially commissioned visuals, they present a visual and aural feast when they perform live.
With their solid technical grounding and improvisational abilities they have become a much in-demand session duo, and they have toured with Moby ('18' and 'Play' world tours), pop sensation Anastacia (Europe/ UK), electronic duo Lamb (Europe/UK) and have played/recorded with diverse artists such as Boy George, The Orb/KLF project, Nelly Furtado, Goldfrapp, Barry Adamson, Cyndi Lauper, Uriah Heep to name a few. Says Liz, "As session musicians we've been really privileged to have worked with a range of diverse and talented artists and musicians."
They have just launched their show MONKEY KING - A MODERN BEIJING OPERA. Fusing the worlds of electro-acoustic music, film-making, theatre performance and one of the world’s most ancient artforms, the Beijing Opera, Monkey King bursts with colour, drama, energy and vibrancy. Drawing on the classic Beijing Opera art form for inspiration they have composed an original soundtrack to complement the filmic interpretation of the storyline by Michele Rosaus and Steve Teers, whilst award winning composer Tom E. Morrison has produced the score. The drama both aurally and visually, is enhanced by actor Tom Wu, as he employs spoken word, narration and his expertise in martial arts to convey the thrill-seeking adventures of the storyline. Their live show features Chinese drums, exotic instruments, costumes by Mao Couture and a stunning light show by Niall Hannell (Gnarls Barkley, Marc Almond).
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