Order Vinyl ~ https://orcd.co/mindyandbecky

Origin of You is a startling new collaboration between Chinese-Australian composers Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Becky Sui Zhen, forming spontaneously one wintry afternoon in Melbourne and enduring with bonds that will last longer than a lifetime.

The debut release from these two auspicious artists revolves around three images that form the basis of their musical exploration: 空 (Kōng), or Emptiness; 疼 (Téng), or Pain; 气 (Chi), sometimes known as ‘Energy’.

It is from within these motifs that the central themes of this startling collaboration emerge. As described by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 --

“This is an album about two artists who got together and formed a sisterhood. It’s about understanding life, family and ourselves. It’s about transforming from being a woman into a mother. And it’s about human connection. We are not related, but we find a connection that comforts us as much as family does.”

The record centres around a continual shift in an individual’s understanding of identity and of the self; coming to terms with who you are, where you are from, and where you will go. It is about life, death, and birth. And it is about transformation: from daughter into woman, woman into mother, from outsider into friend.

Ultimately, the album is a celebration of family, friendship and connection, grieving the irreplaceable loss of some bonds while celebrating their existence and finding joy in the creation of others. It is an album that marvels at the amazing capacity of emotion at our fingertips, the pain and joy that lie waiting at every turn of the path, the immeasurable feeling as yet undiscovered in the depths of ourselves.

Stay and listen to this one journey, and let it be a companion you carry with you on your own.

'Origin of You' is out everywhere Friday, November 10, 2023 via Music in Exile. https://musicinexile.com.au

MIE-032: Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen 'Origin of You'

Ashkan Shafiei’s forthcoming EP Hunter was recorded as part of the Artist Accelerator Program by Music in Exile — an initiative supporting immigrant artists with non-English language backgrounds to launch and grow their careers in Australia. 

For Ashkan, the program provided a powerful opportunity to redefine his musical identity within the Australian landscape. The five-track EP features four original tracks arranged for his band, alongside a heartfelt solo cover of “Chi Begam” by the legendary Marzieh. The recording process was a special one as it was his first experience recording everything live as a full ensemble — a departure from the usual studio procedure. The result is a deeply personal and sonically rich body of work that captures the raw spirit of Iranian funk through a uniquely Australian lens.

Music in Exile is a not-for-profit record label and artist services company serving Australian musicians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of displacement and diaspora. We exist to serve artists in building careers according to their own vision, so that our music industry might more accurately represent the many voices heard in our community.

Ashkan Shafiei - rubab, vocals
with
Arya Mousavi - Rhodes on Camel On Mars
Diego Contreras - percussion
Ama Kamalasuriya - bass guitar
Sam Gill - alto + tenor saxophone
Reuben Lewis - trumpet
Antonio Puglisi - drums

Written by Ashkan Shafiei
except Parandah adapted from the original by Iraj and Chi Begam originally performed by Marzieh

Production by Jonathan Boulet
Recorded at Golden Retriever Studios
Made on Gadigal Country

MIE-037: Ashkan Shafiei 'Hunter'

The Resonant Heart is a collective of international CALD and BIPOC women and female-identifying artists, who craft cross-cultural collaborations that weave their individual talents and traditions into an eclectic, multi-disciplinary fabric of music compositions, poetry, film and live performance.

This collection is their debut together, a kaleidoscope of original works crafted from individual voices, that together chart the journeys and ubiquitous intelligence of the heart. Opening with a universal prayer for humanity on ‘Mere Mola’, the narrative follows the heart who consults the ancestors on ‘Grandmother’, and falls madly in love on ‘Shah Sanaam’. It soon weeps, broken in sorrow during ‘Strepnja’, before its tears water the seeds of the “Sunflower” - the final chapter in the 5-track multi-lingual compilation.

Music in Exile is a not-for-profit record label and artist services company serving Australian musicians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of displacement and diaspora. We exist to serve artists in building careers according to their own vision, so that our music industry might more accurately represent the many voices heard in our community.

Mere Mola - traditional arr. Sarita McHarg and The Resonant Heart
Grandmother - lyrics by Lizzy Duoth, music by Kelly Dowell
Shah Sanaam - traditional arr. Vahideh Eisaei and The Resonant Heart
Strepnja - lyrics by Desanka Maksimović, music by Nela Trifković, arr. Nela Trifković and The Resonant Heart
Sunflower - music by Sarita McHarg, arranged by Sarita McHarg and The Resonant Heart

Irine Vela - laouto
Kelly Dowell - vocals, clarinet, ney flute, frame drum, koauau pongaihu (nose flute) and sea urchin spines
Lizzy Duoth - vocals, spoken word, bells, hand percussion
Nela Trifkovic - vocals, frame drum, hand percussion
Sarita McHarg - vocals, sitar, dholak
Vahideh Eisaei - vocals, qanun, hand percussion
with Elnaz Sheshgelani - dramaturgy, puppetry, stage design

Recorded and mixed by Stefan Blair and Phil Gionfriddo at York Street Recorders
Mastered by Jack Palmer
Made on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Gadigal Country

Photography by James Morris
Design by Rochelle Oh and Liz Luby

MIE-036: The Resonant Heart 'The Heart Whispers and Whirls'

KAMAND is an exploration of acculturation, the delicate and often dissonant process of merging into a host culture while honouring ancestral roots. 

Across the album, Maryam navigates improvisation and identity through santur, voice and kamancheh, supported by an ensemble of boundary-pushing collaborators: Rosalie Cocchiaro (flamenco rhythm), David Moran (cello), Sebastian Collen (piano, electronics) and Gustavo Quintino (double bass).

Each track is grounded in the Persian classical repertoire or inspired by poetry, particularly the words of 13th and 14th century mystics, Saadi Shirazi and Hafez. Yet the album resists tradition-as-orthodoxy, instead reimagining ancient forms through experimental structures, spontaneous composition and cross-cultural conversation.

Maryam says on her debut album: “I think my first album shows how much I grabbed into my Iranian culture and how, at the same time, I am trying to integrate. Even music vice I don’t see it successful in making a new language, I think they are still two different languages “trying” to make connection to each other and have a mutual understanding.”

Maryam Rahmani - santur, kamancheh, voice
with
Rosalie Cocchiaro - flamenco rhythm on 2 and 6
Sebastian Collen - piano and electronics on 1 and 7
David Moran - cello on 3, 4, 5 and 8
Gustavo Quintino - double bass on 3 and 8

Improvised by Maryam Rahmani and collaborators
Translated from classical Iranian repertoire and compositions

Recorded and mixed by Tom Spall at Milestone Records
Mastered by Jack Palmer
Made on Kaurna and Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Country

Cover Image by Kaspar Schmidt Mumm
Calligraphy by Sajjad Kashef

MIE-038: Maryam Rahmani 'Kamand'

Pre-Order Vinyl ~ https://orcd.co/redsands

"It was really nice to work with Allysha Joy, and to collaborate with her. I am surrounded by so many amazing people, my whole band. Thank you to Music in Exile for doing this. Thanks to Joe Alexander, John Lee, and to James Mannix. And thank you most of all to my band. They are really amazing people.

This is what we need from music - to break down differences between us. To collaborate, to work together. Music is universal. If you preach to people, they won’t listen, but if you just play music, people will follow.

I want to thank you all for supporting my music over the years.  There is no way I would have done it without your support.  Thank you to my amazing, dedicated band."

- Ajak Kwai, Melbourne, Australia. March 2021

Ajak Kwai's 'Red Sands' EP is out Friday, November 12 via Music in Exile / Above Board (UK/EU) / Polyvinyl (USA/CAN). 

https://musicinexile.com.au

Ajak Kwai is a name well known to the airwaves, stage, and broader Australian music community for her powerful performances and strong messages that call for inclusion and celebration of the diversity found throughout Australian society. Originally hailing from a small town of Bor (pronounced ‘bohr’) on the Upper Nile in what is now South Sudan, music has always been part of her life.

Alongside sharing political messages through her music, Ajak Kwai is also a radio broadcaster in Melbourne on both PBS and 3CR. Her shows give a voice to the local African community so that they can tell their stories through music and spoken word, and her music selections focus on songs that have changed the world in a positive way. She challenges bias in our society and reminds politicians to be accountable for their language and actions.

Performing in English, Arabic, and her native language, Dinka, Ajak Kwai’s music draws upon South Sudanese funk and blues influences and brings together elements of traditional music alongside more contemporary gestures. The result is something notably unique and powerful.
credits
releases November 12, 2021

All compositions written by Ajak Mabia Kwai. Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by John Lee at Phaedra Studios in Melbourne, Australia, 2021.

Ajak Kwai - vocals
Matthew Erickson - bass
Gabriela Georges - keys, vocal
Kanyakumar Shome - guitar
Maria Moles - drums
Boubacar Gaye - percussion
Allysha Joy - vocal on ‘Arrows’

Cover photo by Luke Byrne. Back cover photo by Nick Mckk. Design by Rochelle Oh & Joëlle Thomas.

All compositions property of the artist under exclusive license to Music in Exile (2021). Welcome those around you with open arms and an open heart.
license
all rights reserved

EP release date:
12 November 2021

Ajak Kwai - Arrows (feat. Allysha Joy)

This week for Music in Exile selects, resident DJ Kgomotso Sekhu shares a very special mix made with Detroit native Marcellus Pittman.

After a show at Melbourne's 24 Moons, Pittman and Sekhu stayed up until the early hours of the morning talking life, love, and the mysterious lessons that we never seem to learn. Whilst talking, the pair dove deep into a dusty box of funk, soul and spiritual jazz, and noted down some favourites to revisit the morning after. The result is this mix. 

Music in Exile is a not-for-profit record label & artist services company servicing Australian musicians from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and striving for equal opportunity in the Australian music industry. 

https://musicinexile.com.au

Music in Exile selects: Kgomotso Sekhu & Marcellus Pittman

" 'River Nile’ was a revelation, a turning point which led me to understand who I truly am. I had been so weak, fighting a battle that was never mine. This song came about after I learnt how to strategically use the power within. I journeyed with this song to find a place of rest. I reached a level where I no longer had to work. Instead, I used the forces around me to gain altitude. The moment I found it, it was game over for everyone else.” - Elsy Wameyo

Written, produced, arranged & performed by Elsy Wameyo.

Mixed by Mario Spate at Danger Deer Recording Studios,Adelaide, SA.

Mastered by Joseph Buchan.

Artwork by Pierre Mukeba. Designed by Elsy Wameyo & Pierre Mukeba.

All compositions property of the artist under exclusive license to Music in Exile (2022). Welcome those around you with open arms and an open heart.

https://musicinexile.com.au

Elsy Wameyo - River Nile

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 is recognised as a world leading contemporary guzheng artist. With a vision to bring the guzheng into modern musical contexts, Mindy’s work redefines musical traditions whilst strengthening cultural connections globally. Mindy’s versatility and compositional talents have brought about collaborations with contemporary and classical artists including the Gorillaz, Regurgitator, Paul Grabowski and Deborah Cheetham, as well as performances across Europe, Asia, and Australia. 
 
Tim Shiel is Naarm/Melbourne born and bred, and his production style blends samples and found sounds with contributions from a seemingly endless pool of close collaborators.  His many musical lives include a stint of global touring in Gotye’s band, a series of award-winning indie game soundtracks, and studio credits on releases by Flight Facilities and Hachiku. His latest solo album “Distractions One” features a vast team of collaborators including Genesis Owusu, Braille Face and Kaitlin Keegan and was recently nominated for the Australian Music Prize. Tim is also known for his on-air radio roles at triple j and Double J, and remains the driving force behind artist-run music collective Spirit Level.

'Nervous Energy 一 触即发 (Remixes)' is out everywhere Friday, September 30. https://musicinexile.com.au

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Tim Shiel - Hidden Qi 隐.气 (Tzekin Remix)

Order Vinyl ~ https://thekrui3ers.bandcamp.com/album/rebel-child

The Krui3ers are an original four-piece rock band from the Mowanjum Community in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, made up of members Kallum Mungulu (acoustic guitar, lead vocal), Derek Oobagooma (drum kit/vocal), Edmund Jungine (bass/vocal) and Cassius Bear (lead guitar). The band play high-energy country rock with melodic choruses and distinctive guitar lines. 

As direct descendants of legendary Mowanjum band Gulingi Nunga, they continue to perform the music of their people, while also bringing their own distinct style to the strong musical culture found within the community. 

Says lead vocalist Mungulu of their connection to Guilingi Nunga, and the history of music in the Mowanjum area - 

“We learned music from Gulingi Nunga, they are our family and mob, we call them our uncles, the lot of us. Their music is important to the Mowanjum Community, they share stories from our old people, and we carry that on. Our bands are a representation of our community. The bands and community are not separate things; even the name ‘Gulingi Nunga’ (rain coming) was given by the old people. For us and for other bands, members come and go, but the band is the community identity.”

The Krui3ers sing of their connection to Country, or Worrorra, and share their understanding of life passed on from the old people, as well as their experiences of being forced to move no less than five times onto new Country. Their music contrasts life growing up in Mowanjum (a word which translates as “settled at last”) and the comfort of going back to visit their ancestral Country on the coast of what is now Western Australia. The numeral ‘3’ in  The Krui3ers represents the three language groups found within the Mowanjum Community - Worrorra, Ngarynin and Wunumbal.   

Munugulu elaborates on the songwriting process, and the meaning behind selections found on ‘Rebel Child’ - 

“We sing about the same things, they (Guilingi Nunga) sing about their era and we sing about ours. ‘Broken Glass’ is about mob drinking, looking at the backstreet drinking, glass shattered. Gulingi Numga sang about thinking things over, reflecting and looking back. Most of our songs were written out bush. We got inspiration for all our songs from Yaloon, our Country, saltwater country. I feel there is more to write about our own Country rather than Mowanjum, but there are still songs about Mowanjum. ‘Settled at Last’ is about how we were moved; our old people were moved five times from our Country in the early 1900s. Mowanjum means ‘settled at last’ in Worrorra language.”

Growing up in Mowanjum, Kallem Mungulu, Edmund Jungine, Derek Oobagooma and Cassius Bear were exposed to music as an important part of daily life. Says Mungulu - 

“Music means everything, we grew up listening to music…we knew music from overseas before we knew the music of our people. 

There was a lot of live music growing up, more than today…the festivals were bigger….all of our experiences are from live music. Music was in our everyday life growing up, everybody knew the words to Gulingi Nunga, they were the biggest band in the Kimberley.  We knew how to play before we went to school, but school gave us extra help, like the name of the chords.”

This past year has seen The Krui3ers record and release their first studio album, Rebel Child, named for vocalist Mungulu’s mischievous daughter Celeste, who is pictured on the album’s cover. The album was co-produced by The Krui3ers and Nicholas Allbrook, vocalist and guitarist of legendary West Coast favourites POND, and was recorded by Bill Hart at 6DBY Studio in Derby, Western Australia.

Rebel Child

The Krui3ers - Broken Glass

The Krui3ers - She's Gone

The Krui3ers - He'll Be Riding

Watch the video ~ https://youtu.be/KM-ZjqR8qE0
Save on the platform of your choice ~ https://orcd.co/mirrorflower

Mirror Flower 镜花水月 is the return single from Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Tim Shiel, their first new music as a duo since their breakout debut 2021 EP Nervous Energy 一 触​即​发. 

The Chinese phrase 镜花水月 (jing hua shui yue) means "Mirror Flower Water Moon" or literally "flowers in the mirror, moon reflected on the water."   It is similar to the Western idiom of looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses - that beauty can be illusory, or fleeting, like reflections on the water.

Mindy says: "As we were making this song, I felt immediately like the melody we so pretty, that it was almost too pretty to be true.  So this Chinese phrase, "mirror flower water moon" came to my mind, because it describes those kind of things that too good to be true: a beautiful illlusion like the moon reflecting in the water, a flower reflecting in the mirror.  Beautiful things can sometimes make you feel sad because they remind you that beauty can't always last."

The new song is accompanied by a video filmed by Nick Mckk (Julia Jacklin, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever), featuring Malaysian-Australian dancer Tony Yap, whose improvised approach to movement is informed by Asian shamanistic practice.

Mindy continues: "Tony's practice is mainly in trance dance - he improvises his movement, reflecting on his feelings and thoughts in that moment.  In this video, it was fascinating to see his reflection in movement to our music.  His dance is so captivating and has that same quality of 镜花水月 - it only happens in that moment, it blossoms in the moment, and he can never revisit that same exact thing again.

Tony migrated to Australia from Malaysia many years ago, and even though we both live here and we love Australia, we hold onto the roots of the culture that we grew up within.  Our Asian families nurtured us, and when we share our memories, we talk about the special smell of Asian food and about the special communities we group up in.  When we both go into trance in our work, Tony and I are very likely to go to a similar place - those childhood memories of Asian communities we grew up in."

Mirror Flower 镜花水月 is out everywhere April 27, 2023 via Music in Exile. 
https://musicinexile.com.au

MIE-033: Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Tim Shiel 'Mirror Flower 镜花水月'

Order CD ~ https://muluubaqqalaa.bandcamp.com/album/damaa-shoolee-kiyyaa

Muluu Baqqalaa is an Oromo songwriter and vocalist born in the town of Lemen, Qarsa Malima, a small settlement sixty kilometres from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Born to a working class family in Oromia, Mulu and her siblings were sent to school at an early age and imbued with a spirit of hard work, spiritual practice, and hope. Living in an unstable political and social environment led Mulu to seek expression in the arts. Of her tumultuous childhood, she says - 

“I was raised in an environment where my people, the Oromo, have been victimised and subjected to gross human rights violations by different Ethiopian regimes. In front of myself and other children of my age, my family members, neighbours, and other relatives were subjected to torture and sadly put to death. These challenges led me to express the traumatic experiences of my childhood through the arts. I started singing for the freedom of my people, became consistently fascinated by the arts, and eventually realised that I had become completely engrossed in the world of music.”

She left her studies at the age of nineteen, and began recording her first album, Damaa Shoolee Kiyaa, with producer Ibrahim Saide and engineer Dawit Yusuf Sammamish. The album is a collection of recordings, ranging from love songs, protest songs, and spiritual anthems. Mulu speaks of the process of establishing herself as a prominent artist in Ethiopia, refining her practice into an exploration of the boundaries between politics, culture, and love.
 
“I began my career as a singer in 2007 with the release of my debut single, "Damma Shoolee". This song was well received by the Oromo community and helped me gain recognition as a vocalist. I performed this song both locally and internationally, and it earned me a lot of praise and a solid reputation. Since then, I have released 22 singles. My songs are classified into three kinds: advocating for human rights, promoting Oromo culture, and portraying love. I have a passion for songwriting, both in terms of lyrics and poems.”

She continues - “It was a difficult time. I am a student, I don’t have any clothes, I don’t have work. When you become an artist, you have to find money for studio costs, recording, everything. It was very difficult. If you don't have talent, it's very difficult. It’s always hard.”

In 2017, Mulu was invited by the Oromo community to perform in Australia. Whilst performing to gatherings of Oromo diaspora across the country, Mulu learnt of increased violence and hardship at home. Says a close friend of Mulu, speaking over the phone in Melbourne, Australia: 

“There was plenty of fear. Mulu sings political things - she came to Australia to sing, but when she tried to go back it was very dangerous, a lot of her friends were in jail. They were hiding.” 

Mulu decided to settle in Australia, and to attempt to pursue her career and speak out for the rights of the Oromo community from her new home in Fitzroy, Victoria. It has been a difficult journey and one fraught with compromise and challenge, particularly for a single woman writing and performing in a language completely foreign to her new community. 

Ultimately, Mulu sees herself as a performer, a vehicle for the advancement of culture and representation of her people. 

“Being a singer, I help my people. When I sing I give a voice to my people, I share my culture, I write a story. I write my language. I share my culture to another community. I practice good things - the language of the majority here is English, but it’s my goal to be build a steady career. I hope to make an album that reaches a wider audience.”

“My people, hats off to you! Today, I am here because of your support, and I am trying to fulfil your expectations."

Muluu Baqqalaa 
Melbourne, Australia 
February 2023

Muluu Baqqalaa - Siin Obsuu

Mohamed Camara is a Guinean-born, Melbourne-based percussionist, songwriter and vocalist, writing and recording in both the Malinke and Susu languages of West Africa. Together with his wife Anna Camara, the pair stand at the helm of contemporary afro-jazz ensemble Jarabi Band, a group formed to act as a vehicle for exploring stories of contemporary African and Australian musical culture, and how these two identities intersect.

Put simply, ‘Jarabi’ means love, and love resonates throughout everything the band do. Led by a husband and wife duo, the focus of the band is to share stories of love, connection and relationships, both an individual’s relationship to their surrounding world and environment, and between the players and their musical craft.

Formed in 2013, when the Camaras met guitarist David Tweedie at Woodford Folk Festival, the band have been active ever since, making regular visits back to Camara’s native Guinea to reconnect with traditional music and culture. After a first visit to Guinea in 2013, the trio were quickly joined by bassist Georgia Frey, who joined them on a second trip to West Africa in 2015. More recently, the band has incorporated two mainstays in the Melbourne jazz scene, Maddison Carter and Flora Carbo. In 2021, the group recorded their debut album with producer Stefan Blair (Good Morning, Way Dynamic), tracked over four short days in a cramped studio in Preston before being mixed by John Lee and mastered by Joseph Buchan.

‘Duniama’ is a word in the Susu language meaning ‘in this world’, and it seeks to quite literally encompass everything the band stands for. Lead vocalist, djembe, and kora player Mohamed Camara describes the album as “my personal journey of life, loss, and love. Each song tells a story.”

This idea of ‘Duniama - in this world’, has a strong meaning for the members of Jarabi Band. It can be taken to mean an individual’s relationship to their surrounding world and environment, marking their place in this complex and fast-moving world. Or it can mean connection, a relationship between an individual and our fellow human beings; our society and our community. Yet again, it can mean the relationship that exists between the players and their musical craft, a way for them to

In this way, music to the Jarabi Band becomes more than just a form of expression and a vehicle for storytelling, it becomes a way of saying ‘I am’. An expression of the self, an understanding of our place in the world, and a celebration of the act of living. Says Camara - “The term ‘Duniama’ signifies connection, relationships and the quality of life with music.”

Jarabi Band 'Duniama' is out everywhere Friday, September 8 via Music in Exile.
https://musicinexile.com.au

Jarabi Band - Sabui

Jarabi Band - Kolon Kuma

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen - Watch My Mum Dance

Pre-order vinyl ~ https://orcd.co/mindyandbecky

This week, Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Sui Zhen return with a second offering from their debut collaborative album, Origin of You.

Exploring the first of three major themes that appear throughout the album, 空 Kōng, translated here as Emptiness, is the opening track from this startling debut. Ambitious for a single, the track clocks in at over ten minutes, but the slow, meditative nature of the piece leaves listeners wanting more long after the last note fades. 

The track sets the tone for the album to come, with Sui Zhen’s spoken word repeated in an eerie, echo-drenched Mandarin by Meng Wang. Gentle synths swell to lap at the edges of Wang’s painfully reflective guzheng improvisation, as layers of vocals build to create a swirling effect which drags listeners deeper into the composition. 

The track plateaus with Sui Zhen repeating ‘I know / I have arrived / This is my home’, as a slow, gentle gong resonates throughout. The layers of sound drop to reveal Sui Zhen’s final vocal run, and the piece slowly fades into a warm hiss of tape noise and organ drone. 

The track is significant in that it outlines one of the three major themes of the record, and the basis for Meng Wang & Sui Zhen’s first friendship and collaboration. Having each suffered the recent loss of a family member, the pair connected deeply within an hour of their first meeting, and the bulk of the material found on Origin of You was recorded that same afternoon.

It is an album about loss, pain, and rebirth; as well as spiritual connection and the healing power of friendships. Says Wang - “It’s about understanding life, family and ourselves. It’s about the transformation from being a woman into a mother. And it’s about human connection. We are not related, but we find a connection that comforts us as much as family does.” 

Sui Zhen affirms this, speaking of her first connection with Mindy: “The feeling of trust was very important. The collaboration took me by surprise. It was both a friendship and musical relationship I didn’t know I needed, but it has been so healing for me. We both felt emotional afterward, it was a feeling of relief. We knew we would be friends for a long time.” 

Partly adapted from great Chinese poet Li Bai’s work 静夜思 Quiet Night Thought, this piece is sure to soundtrack personal reflection and meditation for listeners around the world. Sit back, sink in, and let the gentle tones of 空 Kōng wash over you, as you prepare to be taken on a deeply personal, introspective and inspirational journey. 

Origin of You is out everywhere Friday, November 10, 2023 via Music in Exile. https://musicinexile.com.au

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen - 空 | Kong | Emptiness

Pre-order vinyl ~ https://orcd.co/mindyandbecky

Origin of You is a startling new collaboration between Chinese-Australian composers Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Becky Sui Zhen, forming spontaneously one wintry afternoon in Melbourne and enduring with bonds that will last longer than a lifetime. 

The debut release from these two auspicious artists revolves around three images that form the basis of their musical exploration: 空 (Kōng), or Emptiness; 疼 (Téng), or Pain; 气 (Chi), sometimes known as ‘Energy’. 

It is from within these motifs that the central themes of this startling collaboration emerge. As described by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌  -- 

“This is an album about two artists who got together and formed a sisterhood. It’s about understanding life, family and ourselves. It’s about transforming from being a woman into a mother. And it’s about human connection. We are not related, but we find a connection that comforts us as much as family does.” 

The record centres around a continual shift in an individual’s understanding of identity and of the self; coming to terms with who you are, where you are from, and where you will go. It is about life, death, and birth. And it is about transformation: from daughter into woman, woman into mother, from outsider into friend.

 Ultimately, the album is a celebration of family, friendship and connection, grieving the irreplaceable loss of some bonds while celebrating their existence and finding joy in the creation of others. It is an album that marvels at the amazing capacity of emotion at our fingertips, the pain and joy that lie waiting at every turn of the path, the immeasurable feeling as yet undiscovered in the depths of ourselves. 

Stay and listen to this one journey, and let it be a companion you carry with you on your own. 

'Origin of You' is out everywhere Friday, November 10, 2023 via Music in Exile. https://musicinexile.com.au

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen - 气 | Chi | Energy

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen - I Don't Speak Your Language

Pre-Order/Save: https://orcd.co/dakarbamako

In late 2022, Boubacar Gaye and Bassdi Koné, members of the Melbourne-based Afro-Cuban ensemble Ausecuma Beats, returned to West Africa in the culmination of an idea that had been brewing since the world first went into lockdown in early 2020. The pair wanted to return to their homes in Dakar and Bamako respectively, to be reunited with family, friends, country, and with the vibrant music communities in those cities they had left behind when emigrating to Australia.

More than this, they had a vision of bringing their three home cities - Melbourne, Australia; Dakar, Senegal; and Bamako, Mali -  together in an album that celebrated the intense creative energy coursing through the streets of these three places. 

Ausecuma Beats’ third studio album, Dakar Bamako, features a total of fourteen musicians from three cities around the world, coming together in a true cross-cultural collaboration that celebrates stories of migration, cooperation and the unifying power of music and dance as a force to bring humanity together.

‘Dakar Bamako’ will be available everywhere from Friday, February 2 via Music in Exile. 

Music in Exile is a not-for-profit record label and artist services company that supports Australian musicians with lived experience of displacement and diaspora. https://musicinexile.com.au

Ausecuma Beats - Farafina

Ashakan Shafiei - Hunter

Ashakan Shafiei - Madhouche

Ashakan Shafiei - Parandeh

Ashakan Shafiei - Camel on Mars

Ashakan Shafiei - Chi Begam

Mere Mola

Grandmother

Shah Sanaam

Strepnja

Sunflower

Maryam Rahmani - Khayyam

Maryam Rahmani -  Encanto

Alcides Neto - Amuleto

Pre-Order your copy now! http://orcd.co/ginoli 

Legendary South Sudanese star Gordon Koang teams up with Ginoli (a.k.a James Ireland, Perth-based producer and drummer of POND) to release the latest remix of his classic single, 'Mal Mi Goa'. 

The newest release from the Music in Exile REMIXED series traverses cultures and genres featuring danceable, swelling synths alongside Koang’s joyful voice and thom (an East African stringed instrument that Koang has modified to suit his unique style of playing).  

This single is the first drop from an upcoming Music in Exile REMIXED 12" EP, including exclusive B-sides from Ginoli featuring Nicholas Albrook and Mei Sariswati, out June 5, 2020. 

Order your copy now ~ http://orcd.co/ginoli 

http://musicinexile.com.au

Gordon Koang x Ginoli - Mal Mi Goa (Ginoli Remix)

Order vinyl ~ http://musicinexile.com.au/news/gordon-koang-unity-album

"We don’t have a problem with anyone! Music is the friend of everyone in the world.  We are doing it with happiness, we love people, we love our audience and we know our audience loves us.  We don't have any problem!"

The first single from Gordon Koang's forthcoming album resounds with the sentiment for which the South Sudanese self-styled 'King of Music' has become known. Ringing with love, acceptance, and a desire for all people to join together in harmony, the infectious melody of his first single is a perfect entry point into the king's eleventh full-length album. 

Aptly-titled Unity, the new album from Koang is his first recorded since seeking asylum in Australia in 2013. Already in the country to perform for expatriates of the Nuer community, one of South Sudan's largest ethnic groups, Koang and his cousin Paul Biel Kueth heard of yet another renewed and increasingly dangerous conflict in their home country. In a difficult and heartbreaking decision, they decided to stay on, applying for asylum in Australia in the hope that they would be able to bring their families to join them with due haste.

Five years later, after living on the outskirts of Melbourne and in the margins of society, Koang and his cousin were finally awarded permanent residency status in Australia, and were finally able to move forward with the next stage of their family's applications. 

Join us, then, in celebrating Unity, Gordon's first album recorded in Australia and his eleventh full-length effort. Recorded by Stefan Blair (Good Morning) and James Mannix in various locations around Melbourne, the album was tracked in community halls and rehearsal spaces with the help of regulars from the Melbourne music scene, before being mixed and mastered by John Lee at Phaedra Studios. 

As Gordon says, “If you have a problem, like all the crises in the world, these songs can comfort you and you will be calm. I am a blind person, my mind is talking from peace, love and unity.  My mind is talking peace, my mind is talking love, and also peace among all communities. Love other people, other communities. I need you to love one another.”

http://musicinexile.com.au

Gordon Koang - Tiel E Nei Nywal Ke Ran (We Don't Have a Problem with Anyone)

Isobel from Hexdebt talks contemporary Malaysian punk.

This takes place on land stolen from the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation. MIE acknowledges the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung People as the rightful owners of the land we live on, and pays respect to their elders, past, present, and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

Sigmun / In the Horizon 
Shark Move / Evil War 
Roziah Latiff and the Jayhawkers / Aku Kechewa 
No Kontrol / Kondisi 
Akar Umbi / Raja Perahu 
Senyawa / Terbertaktilah Tanah Inhi 
Kathakali / World Library of Folk Music : India
Akar Umbi / Sungai Makao 

https://hexdebt.bandcamp.com/

Graphics by Rick Milovanovic
Photograph by Louis Oliver Roach

Presented by babyxxan.

Episode 7 : Isobel D'Cruz Barnes

Keleh is song about power, and how the misuse of power can affect individuals and society. The word is of the Maninka language, spoken by the Malinke people of Guinea in West Africa. It speaks about how power and riches, represented by gold and silver, can change people, dividing one person from another. Vocalist Yusupha Gnum, who is a Wolof man from Gambia, laments that those who seek material wealth are causing war, inspiring people to kill one another in the name of money and power. 

Ausecuma Beats span multiple language and ethnic groups, with members originating from more than six different countries around the world. They are more a philosophical approach than a band, continually rotating members and celebrating the unique individual stories of each member through music and song. They hope to tell the stories of people from around the world, and in doing so highlight the fact that we as individuals are able to come together in peace and harmony, celebrating our unique identities and sharing these strengths with each other.

http://musicinexile.com.au
hi@musicinexile.com.au

Ausecuma Beats - Keleh (River Yarra's Situationist Rework)

Pre-order here ~ http://bit.ly/timmindysc

After the release of their debut collaborative single,“Sleeping Tiger On The Bund 蓄势待发”, Mindy Meng Wang 王萌, and Tim Shiel return today with their latest single & video, “Hidden Qi 隐.气”. Released via not-for-profit label, Music In Exile, the track brings audiences one step closer to their newly announced collaborative EP, Nervous Energy 一触即发, due March 12.

Introduced with a calming drone melody, “Hidden Qi 隐.气” opens up a dreamlike soundscape, fuelled by looped guzheng tones, steady beats and psychedelic guitar licks. Premiered via Gorilla vs. Bear the video is similarly hypnotising, finding the perfect meeting point between traditional and contemporary to showcase the harmonious existence of these disparate contexts and influences. Directed by Athina Wilson and produced by Yang Chen (Eye To Eye), the visual showcases Mindy’s traditional performance, further developing the ongoing narrative of how the East and West can intersect or collide with one another.

Mindy on the release: “‘Hidden Qi 隐.气’ is filled with powerful, firm but flexible energy. Like the inner strength - Qi of a Kung Fu master in the legend, the Qi hidden flows in his body is free but controlled, like the qualities of mountains, rocks, stars, and rivers...The whole song takes people to a dreamland surrounded by clouds and mist, as if you are floating in the clouds and you saw a martial arts master practising from afar. He jumps so light and moves so fast and sometimes disappears in the trees, the energy wave of his Qi shocked petals off the flower...flying in the sky...”.

Tim on the release: “‘Hidden Qi 隐.气’ introduces a sound that I love that feels unique to the guzheng - which is the sound of a slowly evolving drone, that shifts and squeaks with a beautifully organic quality.  I was led by Mindy's technique for this song perhaps most of all, trying to supplement her sound with a simple boom-bap inspired beat and psychedelic guitar flourishes.  Midway through the song, it shifts into a cinematic space recalling the 70s film soundtracks of John Barry, Janko Nilovic or even Morricone”.

“Hidden Qi 隐.气” is the second taster of the collaborators’ forthcoming EP, Nervous Energy一触即发, arriving on March 12. Just last month, the world was introduced to the pairing through their debut single together, “Sleeping Tiger On The Bund 蓄势待发”. Premiered on Double J, the single saw nationwide acclaim across the airwaves, with additions from FBi, RTR, 2SER and SYN, as well as online love from NME, Deafen County and a premiere from Purple Sneakers.

 Over the course of 2020, the duo worked ceaselessly on developing new material in spite of ever changing COVID restrictions. First recorded by Mindy on her 21-string traditional guzheng and then shared with Tim via the internet to be reworked, the result is something neither had imagined possible. What developed was a collection of tracks that oscillate from breakbeat to minimal house influences and laid-back dub and pop sounds, underpinned throughout by an acoustic instrument almost two metres long and thousands of years old.

Mindy Meng Wang and Tim Shiel 'Nervous Energy 一触即发' out March 12th, 2021 via Music in Exile and Above Board (UK/EU).
https://musicinexile.com.au

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 x Tim Shiel - Hidden Qi 隐.气

Order Vinyl ~ https://musicinexile.com.au/shop 

Early in 2020, the music community was forced to close its doors, not only to the outside world, but to each other. Creative partnerships were lost, performances cancelled, studio time scrapped. 

In response to these limitations, as is often the case, innovation and cooperation blossomed. Melbourne’s Music in Exile label, a not-for-profit aimed at profiling musicians from refugee and migrant backgrounds that give the city its world-class reputation in the arts, kick started the new Building Bridges series, aimed at keeping individuals connected and inspired during lockdown.

Nervous Energy, a collaborative effort between Chinese/Australian avant-garde composer Mindy Meng Wang 王萌, and  her Melbourne-based contemporary Tim Shiel, is the first product of this series. Over the course of the year, as COVID restrictions ebbed and flowed, Tim & Mindy worked ceaselessly on developing new material, first recorded by Mindy on her 21-string traditional guzheng, and then shared with Tim via the internet to be reworked into something neither had imagined possible. 

The result is four compositions that oscillate from breakbeat to minimal house influences and laid-back dub and pop sounds, underpinned throughout by an acoustic instrument almost two metres long and thousands of years old. It is a hymn to the world Mindy inhabits, a place where tradition is forced to adapt with changing values and different cultures. 

Throughout the record, Mindy’s strong association with visual imagery and traditional Chinese storytelling prevails, conjuring images of “eastern power and beauty” and “a dreamland surrounded by clouds and mist, as if you are floating in the cloud.”

As Mindy says, “Tim’s music made my blood surge immediately, and I couldn’t help holding my breath; my muscles tightened, like a wild leopard about to jump out from the dark, or balancing on a string up high in the sky. I used the guzheng to create a meditation of tranquility in the chaos, to try calm my emotions and fast heartbeat. The gentle melody brings rational control and pulls everything back to a perfect balance.“
 
Sleeping Tiger on the Bund 蓄势待发, the duo’s first single, references the juxtaposition of Shanghai’s Bund district, where the city’s ultra-modern and ceaseless pace of life meets protected heritage sites. It symbolised a constant struggle in Mindy’s creative process; inspiration drawn from ancient traditions trying to find context in a modern world. The Tiger references the Western world’s view of China, as a sleeping threat which may at any moment awaken. As Mindy again says, “There is a special and complex feeling of power and strength in this song. It is clean and thorough, strong yet soft; decisive and delicate. It is full of a dynamic and urgent sense of time.”

Sleeping Tiger on the Bund 蓄势待发 is the first single from Nervous Energy, a collaborative EP from Tim Shiel and Mindy Meng Wang 王萌. The EP will be available digitally + on limited edition vinyl through Music in Exile / Above Board (UK) on March 12th, 2021.

https://musicinexile.com.au
https://aboveboarddist.co.uk/

Mindy Meng Wang, 王萌 x Tim Shiel - Sleeping Tiger On The Bund 蓄势待发

Music in Exile is a not-for-profit record label & artist services company that champions Australian musicians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of displacement or diaspora. Our organisation is artist-led, working collaboratively with individual artists to build viable and sustainable career opportunities in the Australian music industry, and in doing so to highlight the invisible barriers that exist for these artists and to work toward a more accessible and equitable Australian music industry.

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