Dalai Mongol

Snowflower

Delicate echoes, empty mind, graceful touch. Solo guitar explorations, electric and acoustic. Exquisite, meditative structures born of ambient sound and intuitive gesture. Levi Chen's debut album gracefully introduces the themes of his singular sound: huge expanses of space, intimate guitar touch, innate flavors of East Asia, and a masterful calm.

The passing of Levi's father inspires an album with full orchestral arrangement. Moods shift from the brooding Memory (DNA) to the majesty of Ceremony. Susan Dumett of Vox Vespertinus makes a vocal cameo on Sound and Recent Sorrow.

Anthem (...And Them )

Ceremony

Acoustic guitar takes Levi Chen back to a more resonant mode with eleven original songs and renditions of four timeless melodies. Featuring flutes and upright bass, composition comes to the forefront. The title track, Alhambra, and Flutterbye are among the most beloved in Levi's repertoire.

Alhambra (Radio Edit)

Sensuous, muscular grooves set the stage for Levi Chen's signature sound: crystalline, echoey guitar and the delicate weeping of the gu zheng. A supporting cast of top LA musicians feature on drums, bass, vibes, flute, banjo, tamboura and percussion against some of Levi's most classic compositions.

Ascension (Radio Edit)

China (Radio Edit)

Jade (Radio Edit)

Lasiana (Radio Edit)

Leo Rising (Radio Edit)

Tsunami (Radio Edit)

Aqua LG8___ Edit _130 bpm-1

Aixx_edit

Sol Yol LG6_ Edit 88 bpm

Levi Chen's unique musical voice combines ambient electric guitar textures with traditional instruments from around the world, forming a sound that is simultaneously private, passionate, and expansive.

A prolific composer and producer, Levi has released eight albums with sounds ranging from the spare solo guitar of Tao to the abundant washes and gu zheng layers of Haiku Moon. Meditation of My Soul focused on the interplay of ambient guitar and Chinese harp; Liquid Gardens explored a band format; Alhambra marked the evolution of Levi's solo sound and the return to his acoustic origins.

Levi's eighth record, Devocean, spanned the two years after his father's death in 2005. The album generated an award-winning music video, "Sound and Recent Sorrow (SARS)," and earned Levi recognition as 2007's Best Instrumental Artist (Los Angeles Music Awards).

The upcoming Dalai Mongol, three years in the making, is Levi's most ambitious project to date. In conjunction with the album comes a feature film shot entirely in the Mongolian wilderness over the course of twenty days. The music of Dalai Mongol was recorded in both Ulanbaatar and Los Angeles and features Jonon, a traditional folk music ensemble. The album is set for release in the summer of 2012.

Levi Chen | Liquid Gardens

Popular tracks