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Beijing's Shenggy is one of the new generation of avant-garde representatives in China.

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biography

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She started her music career in 1998 as a drummer when she was 15 years old, Until 2006, she was the drummer in Beijing legends Hang On The Box, but since 2003, her work has increasingly demonstrated her own unique form of cosmic industrial sound.

last gig with Hangonthebox Beijing 2006

Her father works for the Chinese government's space programme so she grew up in the middle of Beijing's astronomic and scientific community; as such she was influenced by dreams of the cosmos since she was a young girl with an ambition to become the first woman on the moon; that dream still stands, but now she wants not only to land on the moon, but to play her music there too.

In Nov. 2005 she formed a new unit, White, with Xiao Wang of Carsick Cars, with the aim of developing a form of cosmic industrialism.

She is also currently working on a solo performance project that is focused on creating sonic universes with Korg MS-20 synth and a handful of samples with analog sound.

Selected Timeline

2006 saw successful collaborations with visiting New York avant-garde legend Elliott Sharp, electronic pioneer Alvin Curran and recorded (as part of White) under the patronage of Einsturzende Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld in Beijing.

In May 2007 Shenggy recorded (as part of White) at Einsturzende Neubauten studios with Blixa Bargeld. The results of this collaboration with be released in 2008. In May 2008, White supported Neubauten for part of their EU tour.

philosophy

Sun Ra once said that a musician's soul should be lit by happiness and freedom. This is the spirit I hope radiates from my work. Freedom independence from all things is very important to me. It takes a really strong person to be independent, and I see this as necessary for creating meaningful art. It works the other way, too, in that the process of creation is liberating in itself.

I see independence as a kind of ability to control and examine yourself without flinching. What people think of me and what I do is not important. It all about self-realisation, which itself is a kind of endurance test. To me, achieving something in this way is far more satisfying than to have woken up one day with a magical talent. True enlightenment is hard work. It requires bravery and determination, but the ultimate reward is to be discarded by the world, left in peace to float freely along your own path. My work is the product of this continuing struggle. It is the sound of my journey towards the lonely bliss of the cosmos.

About part of my work

Cosmic Shenggy plays at V&A museum London

WHITE

WHITE 2006 Beijing