Altered Zones

Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong (Little Red, Small Little Red) is a Beijing-based duo comprised of Zhao Cong and Zhu Wenbo. Wenbo is a prime mover among the younger generation of experimental musicians in Beijing. He organizes a weekly Tuesday-night noise showcase called Zoomin' Night where a small but dedicated scene of college students and recent graduates experiment with no wave and modernist minimalism.

Like several of the Zoomin bands, Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong derives much of its aesthetic from the more minimal end of the krautrock spectrum-- sparse synth "beats" and basic chordal structures pulled into repetitive lulls. "Tomorrow," from their newly self-released cd Black Sheep, is characteristic of their approach. Zhu Wenbo establishes a careful, swelling background while Zhao Cong sings distantly and indeterminately into a contact mic. Towards the end of the track the atmosphere is disturbed by loose guitar stabs and a feedback crescendo. "Tomorrow" is the last track on Black Sheep, ending the disk with an ellipsis, or a coda leading naturally back to the feedback opening of opening track, "Tai Li." --Josh Feola, International Tapes via Pangbianr

MP3: Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong: "Tomorrow"

Reach out to Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong for a copy of Black Sheep. You can also find "Tomorrow" was also featured on the pangbianr underground b-sides compilation.