Song Title: “Rita” 《丽塔》
Artist: Ucho Kika 《宇宙企划》
Album: "Cosmic Planning" 《宇宙企划》
Release Date: May 28, 2020
Listening to Chinese duo Ucho Kika is a psychedelic experience akin to looking through a telescope, that’s just how vast and nebulous their music is. The band was formed in 2016 and is composed of the members Bo Xuan and Zhou Yinlu who are both active musicians in the Chinese indie music industry. It's no wonder that they’ve been selected by KEXP, a well-known music channel based in Seattle, to record a live session as the very first Chinese band.
Boxuan (on the sitar, which he learnt to play from some of the biggest masters) and Yanlo (synths) plus their musical backup on stage (machines, bass, drums), bridge the sound between the unique traditional Indian raga music and contemporary electronic beats. It's perceived by listeners as music filled with giddy bliss - and sounds unheard by artists before. In 2017, UchoKika made their worldwide debut show on Transmusicales Festival in Rennes, France.
And their journey was just beginning.
Although the band was only recently formed, the two are not newbies in the indie music scene. Bo Xuan was a bassist in classic indie bands such as the Catcher in the Rye, Hedgehog, the Gar, and many others. He is now a bassist and guitarist for Maggie Cheung's personal band, Nova Heart. He has successively learned bass performance and folk music from famous bass player Liu Wentai and learned Zhong Ruan from Zhao Yue of the Central National Orchestra.
Their newest release, the song “Rita,” uses the sitar and a mysterious sounding synth that paints a picture of oriental art in the modern world. The album features many different musical styles, such as oriental, psychedelic, electronic and others. In addition to the sitar, the album also uses many traditional Chinese instruments including the Zhong Ruan, Xiao Ruan, and Mandolin.
Learning from Indian music masters, Yinlu used the sitar instrument to explore the history and future of oriental music. He utilizes minimalist and electronic dance music to explore modern day music. As Yinlu was originally an indie musician and a documentary director who worked on film festivals, he also draws his inspiration from the world around him.
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