Percussionist Ying Hsueh Chen writes of her new album, Raw Elegance: “The recurring theme of my performances and projects is bringing people from all walks of life and of all ages back to the source of life- myster, through any styles of music, and with this album, primordial contemporary music. For me, being in touch with mystic powers is the key to bringing out fully the groove and universality in contemporary music, as mystery transcends polarities, time, and physical dimensions. The title Raw Elegance came from my many years of fascination with and exploration of different combinations of polarities. Raw Elegance is one such polarity which was inherent in me but became more and more pronounced as I gradually found peace with the extremes in myself over the years, as part of my journey towards maturity. Raw Elegance sums up the general polarities in my personal style and taste on stage: I am a woman percussionist with a slim physique, yet by nature I perform with primitive power, intuition, and speed. Here, I present three timeless European contemporary works: Xenakis’s ‘Rebonds,’ Billone’s ‘Mani.Matta,’ and Odin’s ‘Maskine;’ skin, wood, and metal. This album is a trilogy in itself. These three architectural works bring people in trance in their own unique ways, and I believe the originality and universality of the works will one day make them a tradition.”
