Music of China

Music of China refers to the music of the Chinese people, which may be the music of the Han Chinese as well as other ethnic minorities within mainland China. It also includes music produced by people of Chinese origin in some territories outside mainland China using traditional Chinese instruments or in the Chinese language. It covers a highly diverse range of music from the traditional to the modern.

Different types of music have been recorded in historical Chinese documents from the early periods of Chinese civilization which, together with archaeological artifacts discovered, provided evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 256 BC). These further developed into various forms of music through succeeding dynasties, producing the rich heritage of music that is part of the Chinese cultural landscape today. Chinese music however continues to evolve in the modern times, and more contemporary forms have also emerged.

History

According to legends, the founder of music in Chinese mythology was Ling Lun at the time of the Yellow Emperor, who made bamboo pipes tuned to the sounds of birds including the phoenix. A twelve-tone musical system was created based on the pitches of the bamboo pipes, and the first of these pipes produced the "yellow bell" (黃鐘) pitch, and set of tune bells were then created from the pipes.

Folk music

Folk music includes both traditional music and the genre that evolved from it during the 20th century folk revival. The term originated in the 19th century but is often applied to music that is older than that. Some types of folk music are also called world music.

Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted orally, or as music with unknown composers. It has been contrasted with commercial and classical styles. One meaning often given is that of old songs, with no known composers; another is music that has been transmitted and evolved by a process of oral transmission or performed by custom over a long period of time.

Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from traditional folk music. This process and period is called the (second) folk revival and reached a zenith in the 1960s. This form of music is sometimes called contemporary folk music or folk revival music to distinguish it from earlier folk forms. Smaller similar revivals have occurred elsewhere in the world at other times, but the term folk music has typically not been applied to the new music created during those revivals. This type of folk music also includes fusion genres such as folk rock, folk metal, electric folk, and others. While contemporary folk music is a genre generally distinct from traditional folk music, in English it shares the same name, and it often shares the same performers and venues as traditional folk music. Even individual songs may be a blend of the two.

Folk Music (album)

Folk Music is the seventh studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. After the successes of their 1996 Royal Albert Hall performance and their subsequent album Dark Fields (1997), the duo decided to record a limited edition album featuring the duo's renditions of traditional folk music. It was recorded in September 1998 as a project to connect the band to their roots.

It was released as a limited edition release in late 1998 on the band's own label Hands on Music. It was only released via postal order and at the band's concerts and was not reviewed by music press. It was out of print for many years before being re-released in 2015 as a free download to those on the duo's mailing list.

Background and content

After Show of Hands performed an unexpectedly highly successful performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1996, they released the concert as a live album entitled Live at the Royal Albert Hall, which became the duo's best-selling album.Steve Knightley of the duo noted that as a result of the success of the performance, "it's easier to get in local papers. But we now need to replace that with a story about the music. That's the dilemma." The duo followed the success with Dark Fields (1997), an album which the duo had intended to build on their success. Whilst very much a critical success, the single released from the album, "Crazy Boy", commercially underperformed.

Far East Movement

Far East Movement (stylized as Far★East Movement or abbreviated FM) is an American hip hop-EDM group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), J-Splif (Jae Choung), and DJ Virman (Virman Coquia). Their single "Like a G6" featuring pop-rap duo The Cataracs and singer Dev hit number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and on iTunes in late October 2010, making them the first Asian-American group to earn a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The 2012 remix song "Get Up (Rattle)" by the Bingo Players, on which they were featured, was also a worldwide hit.

Their song "Round Round" was featured in the 2006 film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and its subsequent soundtrack, video game and DVD. Since "Round Round", the group has been featured on various network shows including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Entourage, Gossip Girl, and Finishing the Game (a featured film at Sundance 2007).

Musical career

2003–2007: Folk Music