As her native Chinese audiences perceived her as “weird”; a notion which limited her enormously, Beijing-born FIFI RONG packed her bags and moved to London, where she could fully flourish with her limitless potential.
Several years passed, during which Rong has experimented with sounds and production to develop her own, mature and undisturbed genre of being a singer / songwriter of her alternative hybrid music.
Using the inherent Chinese folk style which she grew up with, coagulated with influences of her favourite acts COCTEAU TWINS and MAZZY STAR, the artist gets “bored easily” and eagerly explores anything she can derive ideas from. Her first album ‘Wrong’ in 2013 was followed by ‘Next Pursuit’ EP, a MOLOKO-esque amalgamation before she was invited by none other than Boris Blank of YELLO to collaborate with him on the tracks ‘Electrified’ and ‘Big City Grill’.
The ‘Violently Silently’ EP was “subtly vulnerable and introverted, yet extremely emotionally powerful and brutal”; a true cacophony of unusual sounds cooked in a musical melting pot, fortified with arty elements of experimentation. And now comes ‘Forbidden Desire’. Another EP, it suggests the sharp changes in Rong’s interpretation of what’s current for her, is the “snapshot of my latest development”.
The title track was mixed by Emmy Award nominee Robert L Smith, a New York engineer, who has previously worked with LADY GAGA and DAVID BOWIE. The return of Rong’s enigmatically fascinating vocals, enveloped in her signature, genre-bending electronica hybrid, is a perfect opener to this four track production. Wholesome, acquired and eerie at the same time, it’s a quintessential Rong track.
‘Holy’ follows, where she is “here to learn, here to teach”. A superbly executed down tempo electronica laced with delicate, child-like vocal; the whole thing could easily have been produced by Alan Wilder. ‘You Hurt Me’ bears strong resemblance to the works of GAZELLE TWIN, being über individual and arty. The Turnipbeet Remix of ‘Forbidden Desire’ closes the production, which John Fryer wouldn’t be ashamed of, for his BLACK NEEDLE NOISE project.
Given FIFI RONG‘s background, her friends and family would rather see her “get a real job”, but the militant artist believes that she cannot make compromises in life and her path has already been chosen. Although she doesn’t promote or release in China, the audiences there are aware of her accomplished graft and maybe one day she will be as appreciated at home as she has become in Europe and the UK.
After all, her honest, intimate communication of emotions via music is a “very individual and intimate language that I speak, with unfiltered and naked feelings of my own, for those who want to join me and listen to something real”.
If you’re looking for something fresh, unusual and superb, then look no further; the dainty Chinese princess has brought it to you on a plate.
Sarah Anna Psalti aka SARAH P. started her music career in 2010 as the frontwoman of KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS.
Working with the mysterious producer / musician RΠЯ, the pair actually did hail from the Greek capital, but sounded like they’d emerged from a frozen Fjord in Narvik. With hints of MARSHEAUX crossed with Polly Scattergood, their best track was possibly the dream laden chillwave of ‘Oostende’; it was what COCTEAU TWINS might have actually sounded like had they been a synth duo.
Called an “Electro pop Goddess” by Sound Injections, after she parted company with KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS in early 2014, she relocated to Berlin to explore a pop / R’n’B hybrid direction while collaborating with artists including THE NEW DIVISION, THE BILINDA BUTCHERS and SUN GLITTERS.
Her debut eight song mini-album ‘Free’ is an artistic diary chronicling “a couple of years that have been rough and weird”, where she was “shyly and slowly moving from the ultimate darkness towards the light”. Fully utilising her gorgeously spooky voice, the end result is somewhat more direct than her previous work, maintaining a stark beauty while remaining eerie and sinister.
Opening song ‘Dirty Sunday’ gathers together a cacophony of abstract half beats and ethereal atmospheres like Polly Scattergood collaborating with Fifi Rong. There are hints of a sparser GOLDFRAPP too with ‘You’ll Never Know’ being an obvious reference point. The following ‘Let It Go’ has haunting Bush-like mannerisms over the inflected sub-bass, while the passionate, piano marked ‘Little Soul’ is almost a declaration of anger.
The immediate but avant statement of ‘I’d Go’ is wonderful slice of modern pop with a great chorus. With an afflicted demeanour of optimism, she announces “I’m not afraid, why should I be? Now I’m free…”
The kooky ‘Dishes’ is delightfully odd and uptempo, a brilliantly buzzy vintage synth solo making its presence felt towards the climax. ‘Moving On’ is even more driven and dramatic, possibly a comment from SARAH P. on leaving KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS or even the economic-political situation in Greece. An incessant arpeggio dominates and with sweeping layers also joining proceedings, ‘Moving On’ is quite a captivating listen.
More subtle GOLDFRAPP references adorn ‘Golden Deer’ which is also great slice of dreamy electronic disco, before ‘Free’ closes with the off-kilter, leftfield electronica of ‘You Wouldn’t Understand’.
Varied and enticing, ‘Free’ is a vivid commentary on relationships and politics. As SARAH P. herself put it: “FREE is for all the lost souls out there. FREE is for my broken generation. FREE is for everyone who ever wished to start over. FREE is for everyone who ever felt lost. You’re not alone. We’re not alone. We have each other. And we’ll always have music!”
She has become a favourite of YELLO’s Boris Blank, she is Fifi Rong…
The Swiss musician said of her musical unique aesthetic: “She opens slowly up in her songs as a miraculous flower that does not grow in any garden, and it’s unmistakably beautiful”. Following on from ‘Next Pursuit’, the Beijing-born artist and producer has a new body of work to showcase her ever developing hyrid electronica sound.
The crowdfunded five track EP’s title ‘Violently Silently’ is a more than apt description for her music, which the songstress describes as “subtly vulnerable and introverted, yet extremely emotionally powerful and brutal”. Mixed by Lee Slater, ‘Violently Silently’ is a cohesive statement where “the same set of sound elements were sampled, crafted and re-sampled to demonstrate a set of songs that people would conventionally consider to cross several genres”.
The eerie, abstract ‘Intro’ is actually a mutant taster of the following song ‘Once’, highlighting the conceptual theme of the EP. But ‘Once’ itself takes this breathy template into some exquisite electronic pop. Uptempo but engaging varying rhythm measures, it successfully avoids the repetition that plagues most trip-hop and downtempo dance forms which Miss Rong is often associated with.
Meanwhile, her family heritage in Chinese folk and opera makes its presence felt on the lovely ‘Slow Poison’. Playing around with a beautifully traditional topline, there is the bonus of a wonderful piano cascade towards the song’s conclusion.
‘Since When’ could be pretty PORTISHEAD. It is far less claustrophobic than Beth Gibbons and co, plus a whole lot more enjoyable too. With a string quartet, some fabulous stereo imaging on the electronic percussion and an unexpected cacophony of militaristic drums, it is quite a melting pot. The ‘Violently Silently’ EP concludes with another experimental piece in the glitchy dub trip-hop of ‘Outro’, effectively a remix of ‘Since When’.
Intimate and captivating, ‘Violently Silently’ continues Fifi Rong‘s development as one of the more unique artists in modern electronica.
With a less intense release schedule than last year, it was a bit more straightforward to choose the songs of 2014.
Whereas 2013 had a short list of 45 songs, 2014 was closer to 35 although not the struggle to find 30 as was the case in 2012. So just missing out are CLIENT, KLEERUP and ToddTerje featuring Bryan Ferry, although not by much.
As usual, they are listed in alphabetical order and all have been released either in physical formats, or digitally as purchasable or free downloads during the calendar year. Thus although the excellent video for LIEBE’s ‘I Believe In You’ gained traction on MTV Europe in 2014, the song was actually released in 2013.
Tracks which are exclusive to streams, videos or DJ only promos are also not included; so QUIETER THAN SPIDERS ‘The Land Of Lost Content’ is not eligible. Limited to one song per artist moniker, here are the 30 Songs of 2014…
ANALOG ANGEL The Last Time
The transformation of Glaswegians ANALOG ANGEL in the last 18 months has been startling. From their third album ‘Trinity’, its closer ‘The Last Time’ was a big surprise, featuring a cinematic arrangement involving an orchestra cascading into an epic Pan-European journey heading eastwards. Recalling THE SISTERS OF MERCY’s ‘This Corrosion’, the virtual symphonic strings and gothic choirs gave an indication as to what OMD might have sounded like if Jim Steinman had been producing!
‘Scream’ launched Margaret Berger’s first album ‘New Religion’ since 2006’s ‘Pretty Scary Silver Fairy’ although as yet, the new opus has yet to emerge. The Norwegian Idol finalist effectively revived her career with ‘I Feed You My Love’ which came fourth in Eurovision 2013. ‘Scream’ saw her continuing the Robyn meets DEPECHE MODE template of her Eurovision smash and possessed an inherent industrialised darkness in an approach to quality pop that set itself apart.
Available as a download single via iTunes Norway through Macho Records
The original first lady of cinematic electronic pop surprised everyone when she appeared on the cover of her third album ‘Where Else…’ with a guitar strapped to her back. But while the record had a folk and blues influence, the synthesized textures that Ms Brücken has been best known for were still very much part of the package. The launch single ‘Nevermind’ could be seen as a musical reply to OMD’s ‘Stay With Me’. A lovely mix of electronics and acoustic, she appears to be driven by a new artistic zest.
Available on the album ‘Where Else…’ via Cherry Red Records
DAVIDGE is best known for his work with MASSIVE ATTACK and has been involved in game and film soundtracks for many years. His first solo album ‘Slo Light’ was an impressive debut, containing many of the elements that marked his work with the Bristolian triphoppers. ‘Sleepwalking’ was a haunting number beautifully voiced by Eim Green which recalled the ethereal quality of COCTEAU TWINS’ Elizabeth Fraser and the electronically assisted Weimer Cabaret of ‘Felt Mountain’ era GOLDFRAPP.
Available on the album ‘Slo Light’ via 7Hz Recordings
Following the disappointment of 2011’s FRANKMUSIK driven ‘Tomorrow’s World’, ‘The Violet Flame’ produced by Richard X saw ERASURE express an infectious zest for the future. The songs began with pre-recorded dance grooves from Vince Clarke as represented by the euphoric opening track ‘Dead Of Night’. The best number from the package turned out to be a ballad remixed by Paul Humphreys who added some of the beautiful Synth-Werk magic that characterised OMD’s ‘English Electric’ to ‘Be The One’.
Available on the boxed set edition of ‘The Violet Flame’ via Mute Artists / Pledge Music
Released in time for their DEPECHE MODE support tour in Europe, ‘Wild Love’ was far more dance-oriented than anything FEATHERS attempted on their debut album ‘If All Now Here’. While a heavy beat dominated, the essential component of a song remained, building to a suitably epic chorus providing that euphoric lift. The gated trance elements in the second chorus were a particular highlight, especially when backed by a screeching falsetto counterpoint. But just as it got going, it faded out!
The moniker of Elizabeth Bernholz, GAZELLE TWIN has acquired an impressive host of admirers including John Foxx, Gary Numan and Clint Mansell. Her second album ‘Unflesh’ has allowed the Brighton based songstress to extract her demons with some artistic violence. One of the highlights ‘Exorcise’ was an impressively aggressive cross between PINK FLOYD’s ‘One The Run’ and KRAFTWERK’s ‘Home Computer’. Its uneasy resonance was aided by Bernholz’s harsh, deadpan commentary.
Available on the album ‘Unflesh’ via Anti-Ghost Moon Ray
This mysterious combo with their lo-fi noise and motorik beats have revealed a series of energetic singles over the past two years including ‘Jessica 6’, a frantic salvo sounding like THE PIPETTES fronting an OMD assisted JOY DIVISION. But GIRL ONE & THE GREASE GUNS revealed a much softer side with ‘No Longer Spellbound’. With its beautiful atmospheric quality smothered in icy synth strings and grainy vox samples, if ‘Twins Peaks’ had been set in The Lake District, then the theme tune might sound a like this.
Available on the download EP ‘No Longer Spellbound’ via Squirrel Records
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR feat JOHN GRANT I Try To Talk To You
Imagine Jim Morrison getting it on down at The Danceteria circa 1982! ‘I Try To Talk To You’ featuring the expansive baritone vocals of John Grant combined the best of classic New York electro disco and grand piano theatrics with an emotively soulful vocal. The courageous lyrics found Grant recalling when he discovered he was HIV positive. “I asked John to dig deep with his lyrical contribution” recalls HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR mainman Andy Butler, “I had no idea he would dig so deep”.
Available on the album ‘The Feast Of The Broken Heart’ via Moshi Moshi
‘I Can’t Figure You Out’ sounds like another product of Scandinavia but in fact, HUGH hail from South London. The captivating, naive lead vocal from Izzy Brooks states “you know just how I feel” as she makes handle with care pleas like “don’t toy with me” and “careful with my heart” while the intensity builds like a pressure cooker. And this is all before a time signature change and some frustrating despair is released with her spirited jazzy refrain of “No, I can’t figure you out!” Now, who hasn’t been here before?
Available on the download EP ‘I Can’t Figure You Out’ via Hughlovehugh
IAMAMIWHOAMI, the electronic multimedia project fronted by Jonna Lee and produced by Claes Björklund returned with their second opus ‘Blue’. ‘Hunting For Pearls’ featured wonderfully pulsing sequences and trancey atmospheres, coupled with a beautifully rich vocal from Lee. With a mysterious falsetto reach, the air may be cold outside but inside, things are warm. If Kate Bush made a modern electronic dance record at ABBA’s Polar Studios, it would probably sound like this.
Available on the album ‘Blue’ via towhomitmayconcern
Deep from within the Adirondack Mountains comes the beautifully gentle electronica of I AM SNOW ANGEL. The self-produced vehicle of singer / songwriter Julie Kathryn, the music evokes images of icy landscapes and crystalline hydro basins. The best track from her debut EP, ‘Let Me Go’ is rich in understatement and a Nordic styled tour de force swathed in melancholy, full of dreamy escapism. The full length album ‘Crocodile’ released in the Autumn did not disappoint either with its quietly subversive nature.
Available on the download EP ‘I Am Snow Angel’ via Amazon
With a breathier, more continental direction towards cinematic pop, The Kid effectively grew up with her second album ‘1888’. KID MOXIE’s widescreen soundscapes and dreamy demeanour saw a much more focussed work. ‘Lacuna’ means “an empty space” yet this song is filled with an enigmatic mystery as Elena Charbila applied some of the je nais se quoi first piloted on 2008’s ‘La Romance D’Hiver’ to the drifting, almost abstract electronic soundscape… and then there’s the pretty isolated piano ending!
Available on the download album ‘1888’ via Undo Records
Having delivered one of the best synth based debut albums in recent years, any new Kleerup recording now lives with a high degree of expectation. ‘Let Me In’ featuring Susanne Sundfør, who voiced several tracks on RÖYKSOPP’s ‘The Inevitable End’ album, came over like Karin Park if she had joined latter day ROXY MUSIC. Retaining the original appeal of Kleerup’s debut, ‘Let Me In’ was brilliantly classic and yet modern with its more organic template and even funky template.
Available on the download EP ‘As If We Never Won’ via Warner Music
MACHINISTA’s pairing of John Lindqwister and Richard Flow specialise in synthpop with a rock’n’roll edge. Their best offering from their debut album ‘Xenoglossy’ was the schaffel propelled ‘Pushing The Angels Astray’. Despite discussing the spectre of immortality, the sombre aura was balanced with a marvellous melodic line and fabulous chorus like ALPHAVILLE in their prime. The Nordic region continually shows how electronic music is done and many could do a lot worse than to observe how MACHINISTA go about their craft.
Available on the download album ‘Xenoglossy’ via Juggernaut Music Group
Released in the week of the Scottish Independence Referendum, MARNIE’s ‘Wolves’ was an appropriately soaring anthem “for anyone that doesn’t believe in sticking with the status quo, for anyone who has the heart to try and make a difference”. Certainly, the positive response she received for her debut long player ‘Crystal World’ and a return to her homeland has no doubt inspired her own independence. But with MARNIE due to release a second solo album in 2015, what does this all mean for LADYTRON?
Available as a download single via Les Disques du Crépuscule
‘Trans Europe Express’ 21st Century style as Belgium’s favourite passengers METROLAND embarked on a maroon coloured rail journey through France and Germany via the Benelux basin on ‘Thalys’. The full length 11 minute version rhythmitised metal on metal while there were also London, Paris and Düsseldorf edits in this musical tie-in with the Thalys high speed train operator.
Available on the download EP ‘Thalys (London)’ via Alfa Matrix
Frisky vocalist Emily Kavanaugh and moody producer Mark Brooks began writing songs as NIGHT CLUB with the goal of creating dark – yet commercially accessible – synthpop. Developing on the Britney gone electro goth sound of their glorious 2013 single ‘Poisonous’, ‘She Wants To Play With Fire’ treaded on the darker, sleazy side of life and dysfunctional relationships with Kavanaugh out to take on her demented love rival.
Available on the download EP ‘Black Leather Heart’ via Gato Blanco
Issued as a trailer for her new album ‘Apocalypse Pop’, ‘Look What You’ve Done’ is a feisty development of ‘Restless’ from Karin Park’s previous album ‘Highwire Poetry’. Wrestling within a fiery glam schaffel and a catchy chorus like an angry GOLDFRAPP, with THE KNIFE venturing into more uncompromising climes, the ‘other’ Karin ably fills the void now left vacant by the Drejers in avant pop. ‘Look What You’ve Done’ is a fine example of the Swede’s ambition to fit into both pop and experimental worlds.
Available as a download single via State Of The Eye Recordings
With LITTLE BOOTS having gone dance and LA ROUX veering away from synthpop, there is now a vacancy for a new kooky homegrown female synth talent. One of the possible candidates is PAWWS, otherwise known on her passport as Lucy Taylor. She has labelled her music “upsetting disco” and ‘Give You Love’ lives up to that description. Certainly those who prefer their music with rough edges and are averse to female fronted synthpop will have their touch paper lit even further with this exquisite pop number.
Available on the download EP ‘Sugar’ via Best Fit Recordings
Since playing with John Foxx, Hannah Peel’s own music has used more electronics alongside her beloved violin, musicbox, piano and trombone. ‘Fabricstate’ starts as a beautiful understated number before being bolstered by an unexpected but amazing whirring synth solo around a series of percussive clusters. When the warmth of the synthesizer is exploited and coupled with a classically trained background, the hybrid can result in a quietly subversive organic and technological fusion.
Available on the download EP ‘Fabricstate’ via My Own Pleasure
One musician taking electronic music into some intriguing fusions is Beijing born Fifi Rong. ‘Next Pursuit’ crosses the vocal mystery of Kelli Ali and the quirkiness of MOLOKO while throwing in a touch of Lana Del Rey and MAZZY STAR too. Crucially, the intriguingly soulful ‘Next Pursuit’ also adds in rhythmical variation as the rhythms click into action during the higher register vocal refrains while the verses are held together with a smokey allure.
Available on the download EP ‘Next Pursuit’ via Ditto Music
ROBYN & RÖYKSOPP Monument (The Inevitable End Version)
Edited and rethought for ‘The Inevitable End’ album, ‘Monument’ was originally a spacey 10 minute epic now tightened to a more bite size and dare one say it, more enjoyable format sans saxophone over a hypnotic two chord structure. As usual, Robyn’s vocals are edgy and nonchalant while RÖYKSOPP’s electronic soundtrack ably hit the spot with its energized octave-jumping bassline.
Available on the album ‘The Inevitable End’ via Dog Triumph / Cooking Vinyl
With their third album in as many years, Finnish duo SIN COS TAN went the concept album route for ‘Blown Away’, a midlife crisis story of a man who becomes a drug courier and goes on a journey of excess, fast money and hedonism. First single ‘Love Sees No Colour’ dressed NEW ORDER’s love technique in an OMD stylee with the result being a kaleidoscopic tune that managed to mix sunshine with melancholy.
Available on the album ‘Blown Away’ via Solina Records
The Nordic vocalist of the moment has to be Susanne Sundfør who has worked with M83 and Kleerup. But she is probably best known for her work with fellow Norwegians RÖYKSOPP. Propelled by a pulsing electronic backbone, ‘Fade Away’ from Sundfør’s forthcoming album ‘Ten Love Songs’ sees her in rousing form with a tune that at times sounds almost like Scandinavian gospel. Meanwhile, a fabulous synth solo gets thrown into the bargain too.
Available as a download single via Sonnet Sound / Kobalt
One act establishing themselves in 2014 were TRUST from Toronto. Led by the polarising “Eeyore gone goth” moodiness of Robert Alfons, the ironically titled ‘Joyland’ was a excellent second album that captured the sleazy nature of a 21st Century SOFT CELL and attached it to the grumpiness of LEONARD COHEN. ‘Peer Pressure’ was a frantic but funky uptempo number featuring Alfon’s trademark vocal pitch shift technique that proved misery and dancing could actually go together.
Available on the album ‘Joyland’ via Arts & Crafts
Touchingly melancholic with classic Weimar Cabaret melodies and vibrant Kling Klang interplay, TWINS NATALIA conjured up memories of holiday romances with pretty German frauleins and flirty French mademoiselles. Debut long player ‘The Destiny Room’ was many years in the making and did not disappoint. With the PET SHOP BOYS styled neo-orchestrated statement of ‘Set Love Free’, the song theatrically climaxed like a pomped up ‘Rent’ as a wonderful slice of joie de vivre to finish the main act.
Available on the album ‘The Destiny Room’ via Anna Logue Records
While the romantically uptempo ‘Become’ was inevitably the focal point of Midge Ure’s ‘Fragile’ album, there were other songs that were easily its equal. The most notable of these was ‘Dark, Dark Night’, an online collaboration with Moby. Though derived from ‘Rockets’ on Moby’s ‘Destroyed’ opus, Ure exploited the original’s rich symphonic string sounds and chilled vibes. Building to an amazing climax with melodic screeches and a tremendous guitar solo from Ure, this was a partnership made in heaven.
Available on the album ‘Fragile’ via Hypertension Music
VILE ELECTRODES capitalised on their profile from supporting OMD’s German tour in 2013 by snaring prestigious Schallwelle Awards for Best International Act and Best International Album for their debut ‘The future through a lens’. ‘Pandora’s Box’ was an excellent previously unreleased song full of wobbling analogue vigour that initially came with the lavish ‘Pack Of Wolves’ three CD package and set the scene for a much anticipated follow-up long player.
WRANGLER’s manifesto is to harness “lost technology to make new themes for the modern world”. And their signature track is ‘Lava Land’, a superb cross between CABARET VOLTAIRE and prime ‘Metamatic’ era John Foxx but with a modern twist. Stephen Mallinder’s voice manipulations range from demonic gargoyle to stern drowning robot. The frantic pace is strangely danceable, but the mood is distinctly unsettling and dystopian when the screeching steam powered Logan string machine kicks in.
One musician taking electronic music into some intriguing fusions is Beijing born Fifi Rong.
Now resident in London, she first came to prominence as a member of THE TENORIONS but has since embarked on a journey which has involved collaborations with Tricky and releasing her first album ‘Wrong’ in 2013.
With influences such as COCTEAU TWINS and MAZZY STAR, Fifi Rong’s development of her own traditionally inspired brand of crisp electronica has resulted in her most impressive body of work to date.
The six track ‘Next Pursuit’ EP combines the vocal mystery of Kelli Ali and the quirkiness of MOLOKO with an exotic beauty. The title track is a particular highlight but there is much more. The eerie ‘Intimacy’ plays with a sparse backbone and comes over like a less intimidating PORTISHEAD while ‘Breathless’ sees Miss Rong play with her native Mandarin language for a unique, downtempo culture blend.
‘Wishes Fault’ ups the tempo and melodically references the more traditional aspects of the Far East with a hypnotic resonance. The windy acoustic excursion ‘Cold In You’ is an interesting diversion in the manner of Lana Del Rey that showcases Fifi Rong’s versatility before the closer ‘Equality’ which takes a spacey R’n’B template and adding the vocal menace of Róisín Murphy.
Fifi Rong has manifested her own dream laden template with her hypnotic vocals as a focal point. With the release of a new EP ‘Next Pursuit RMX’ and an upcoming show at The Barfly in London’s Camden, she kindly spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about her career so far plus her upcoming collaboration with YELLO.
Since arriving in the UK, you have undergone an artistic journey of several years to reach your ‘Next Pursuit’?
Yes. In fact I had undergone a whole life journey to reach my life purpose i.e. music right now. However, the journey is not as rollercoaster-ish as before. Now, it’s a momentum of constantly reaching for better production skills, new ideas and more authentic ways of capturing my current thoughts and philosophy. Music should mature as the artist matures, and I demand growth as an artist.
What first fascinated you about the approach to music here compared with what you may have been accustomed to?
The UK embraces all kinds of experimentations in music genres. There’s a sense of freedom here, and I never felt any limitations of what I can or what I can’t. That matches my personality really well.
If it’s not new or it’s been done before, I’m not interested, and that sense of freedom to create is important to me. I was never really apart of the Chinese group, so I was not accustomed to anything. They thought I was weird.
When you first become known in the UK, you were using the Yamaha Tenorion. What interested you about using electronically derived sounds and processes for your music?
I get bored of traditional sounding genres easily. I would be learning an instrument, and get bored before getting good at it, and plus I don’t find the idea of playing someone else’s awesome composition with my own interpretation very attractive. The space to create in a given genre or an instrument is a lot narrower than what the computer can offer, unless one imposes limitation on him or herself.
MAZZY STAR appear to have been a strong influence on you, has there been anyone else?
I wouldn’t say MAZZY STAR is a strong influence as much as Martina Topley-Bird or COCTEAU TWINS. I would say Chinese folk/traditional style is an inherent element, and then there was Brit rock, R’n’ B, neo-soul and dub reggae, UK garage… now I’m digging MOUNT KIMBIE, BURIAL, FLYING LOTUS types of sounds. As I said, I get bored easily.
How would you prefer your music to be described?
Hmm! Maybe new / hybrid / alternative singer-songwriter / producer… I know this is not the most satisfying answer, it’s arguable whether singer/songwriter is a genre, but without it, my music can be misunderstood as just music with no songs. But that is untrue.
Your own recording of your Tricky collaboration ‘Only If I Knew’ pointed to a crisper, less claustrophobic approach?
Yes, it’s one of my approaches or varieties, but it doesn’t mean I won’t go back to my earlier sound. I just do whatever feels right for the track at hand.
One fascinating aspect of your music is how you use Chinese harmonic interplay within your melodies and vocals to provide quite a unique sound alongside the Western and African derived dance styles. How challenging is it to mix it all together to produce a coherent piece of work?
There’s no challenge at all. It’s like asking me how challenging is to speak English with a little Chinese accent? It’s natural to me, both my music and my accent.
Can you remember when you first had a dream in English and what it was all about?
Yes, when I was a little kid I had a dream speaking English fluently and living in a Western country while I didn’t know a word of English. And when I woke up I was utterly disappointed. However the good thing is, my dream always comes true 🙂
‘Next Pursuit’ is a brilliant track with sections of tempo and rhythm variation. What inspired that?
It’s a co-production with Sadsic, the tempo is the original 140bpm I did, but the rhythm variation is thanks to Sadsic’s addition.
What is ‘Next Pursuit’ is about?
There are more conformists in the world who will tell you to be realistic and do what you should with the best intention than that tiny percentage of people who are living their dreams and tell you yes go for it.
‘Next Pursuit’ is essentially about the attitude of not settling for less and making compromises in life and be honest with myself. There are pressures from both sides, family, friends and people in general thought the music path is almost an impossible one, unrealistic, and I should get a real job in return of years of education. Then there are people in music attempting to influence me towards their ways. It is a tougher problem as sometimes I can’t tell if it’s good or bad straight away, more commercial doesn’t mean worse, but whether I’m comfortable with it, it will take a long time until I realise.
Videos are a part of your artistic ethos. How important is it for you to present a visual aspect of your art to compliment the music?
I would walk around all day thinking about music but I not how I look. I’m essentially just a music maker who spends most time in my home studio. Now my music has integrated into live performance so I have to wear those additional hats you see. So I need to think about what you see, some of the time.
Your music has had a positive response in the UK and Europe. But has there been much reaction to what you are doing back in China at all?
Yes, interestingly as I haven’t promoted or released there. In China, most social networks here are blocked, but they always get their ways around to find the music and upload it on their equivalent Chinese social sites.
You were spotted at the launch party for Boris Blank’s ‘Electrified’ box set and are now working with YELLO. How did your collaboration come about?
Yes, we are collaborating on the songs ‘Electrified’, ‘Big City Grill’ and one more track hopefully. Boris Blank reached out to me by email and said he really liked my music and the way I do my harmonies in my tracks. And that’s about it! 😉
Where would you like to take your music next for your second album?
More to my current music tastes I think. I don’t know until I start making it. It will be a documentary of where I am right now. Sometimes it’s not good to think too much… music and intention don’t go well together, for me at least.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Fifi Rong
Fifi Rong plays The Barfly in London’s Camden on WEDNESDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2014, tickets are available from www.mamacolive.com/thebarfly
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As her native Chinese audiences perceived her as “weird”; a notion which limited her enormously, Beijing-born FIFI RONG packed her bags and moved to London, where she could fully flourish with her limitless potential.
Given FIFI RONG‘s background, her friends and family would rather see her “get a real job”, but the militant artist believes that she cannot make compromises in life and her path has already been chosen. Although she doesn’t promote or release in China, the audiences there are aware of her accomplished graft and maybe one day she will be as appreciated at home as she has become in Europe and the UK.
is an artistic diary chronicling “a couple of years that have been rough and weird”, where she was “shyly and slowly moving from the ultimate darkness towards the light”. Fully utilising her gorgeously spooky voice, the end result is somewhat more direct than her previous work, maintaining a stark beauty while remaining eerie and sinister.
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