PRICE:
$23.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
HeXieFu
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
FM3 001CD FM3 001CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
12/6/2011

"As a response to China's astonishing economic progress over the last ten years, it's often claimed that the country still lacks a 'global brand.' Well, it may not have the same visibility as Coke© or Nike© just yet, but in the past few years, the FM3 Buddha Machine has become a 'lifestyle product' of choice throughout the world. From its humble origins, the Buddha launched with a happy synchronicity coinciding with early patronages from Mr. Ambient, Brian Eno, and the wildly enthusiastic Alan Bishop of Seattle's ground-breaking Sublime Frequencies organization. Progress was rapid as the Buddha Machine moved through into more advanced versions, even a hyper-rare edition made of Pu'er tea. It became the meditative tool of choice amongst the intercontinental super-hip and a ceremonial plaything for those in the know. Now, co-conspirators Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian have brought their baby back home, opening up its embedded loops for remix, re-making and reversioning by the cream of China's contemporary musicians, from their old friend superstar Dou Wei, to the 8bit wunderkind Sulumi aka Sun Dawei through to the legendary Huan Qing, Sichuanese instrument-maker, field recordist and maverick musician. The result is a delightful kaleidoscope of what is best in the approach of Chinese musicians today, the notion of re-use of elements is integral to the Chinese culture and this shines through in this marvellous new collection." --Steve Barker, BBC On The Wire & The Wire magazine) HeXieFu comes as a worldwide limited edition of 2,000 copies featuring a re-usable and re-sealable gold foil package, commemorative FM3 coin, a series of individually-numbered FM3 "VIP" cards and gold metallic FM3 sticker. The packing, design and even name of HeXieFu continues FM3's guiding design principle of using items from daily life and repurposing them for the music and art world. "HeXie" means "Harmony" and "Fu" is one of the most-used characters in the Chinese vocabulary. It means "good fortune" or "luck" and Fu stickers are placed on doors and walls across the land during the Chinese Lunar New Year. The gold foil packaging is normally used for storing one of China's greatest joys: Oolong tea. Our commemorative coins are cast in metal from the very same factory that makes belt buckles, rings, necklaces and other metal items for the world's leading fashion labels. Your coin could have been a Gucci! And our plastic, members-only "VIP" cards -- ubiquitous in status-conscious modern China -- pay tribute to the colors of the original Buddha Machines.