| Eta Label | 2013

“It was the time of the Chinese New Year 2013 when I returned to my hometown. It is a small city called Zongyang located in the Yangtze River in Anhui province, China. I went to see the mighty river which gave so much for the people of China. Actually, I was afraid of the river when I was a kid. It has always been so mysterious, deep and full of unknown dangers. I was standing at the river bank for a long time and decided to take some field recordings. I think that moment was so beautiful and also a little bit sad. Now I live far away from the “River” but it is an indispensable part of my memory. ” (text/ Zen Lu)
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ETA LABEL has just released the EP “River” by Chinese artist Zen Lu, which he himself recently mentioned. As is often the case with mini-albums, it’s a kind of warm-up before a larger work. This material is filled with a long, over twenty-minute composition. The album is available on CD (limited to 50 copies) and, be warned, on cassette – in a very beautiful sleeve – only 10 copies! This is the first ETA LABEL release to be released simultaneously on tape. The cassette is still available on Bandcamp.

On the EP “River,” Zen Lu takes us to the Yangtze River region, specifically to his hometown of Zongyang. “I was actually afraid of this river when I was a child. It’s always been a mysterious and profound place, with unknown dangers,” Lu wrote.

The music on “River” is full of dark and untamed sensations. The first ten minutes of this EP are the Chinese artist’s excellent nod to classical music. This part of the recording strongly reminds me of the kind of minimalism that appeared in the work of Terry Riley, among others. I’m referring to the synthesizer sound Riley introduced. On “River,” single strands of sound flowing from the synthesizer interestingly imitate the landscape of the Yangtze River as seen through the artist’s eyes. It’s clear that Zen Lu is increasingly boldly stepping outside the confines of his (sometimes dark ambient) aesthetic known from previous albums.

But the next ten minutes of this composition force us to forget about the synthesizers and strive to bring to life in our ears the sonic sensations Zen Lu recorded on the Yangtze River. Will you be captivated by this musical vortex? I was completely captivated. I floated, even drifted, on Lu’s laptop drones. You can hear the sound of rippling water, the occasional fragmented sound of everyday objects, and sounds echoing Chinese traditions. The way Lu conveys emotion on “River” only speaks volumes about his compositional maturity.

I hope the artist continues in the direction he chose on “River.” What he created on this EP allows you to truly experience the terror of the Yangtze River, while simultaneously exuding the tranquility that emanates from his music. You can hear the water sloshing beneath Zen Lu’s laptop keyboard.（text/ Łukasz Komła）