Having been stunned by Shugorei‘s live performance at the birthday bash of their esteemed label 4000 Records way back in 2021 and premiered their single ‘Meet The Sun’ this time last year, it is with great excitement that we can report their next move will be a one-off live performance in Meanjin/Brisbane entitled ‘The Sounds of Chow Gar’, accompanied by a limited release CD. This is a collaboration with the Black Square String Quartet.
‘The Sounds of Chow Gar’ is a cinematic portrayal of traditional Chinese solo kung fu forms, set to original music for percussion, strings and electronics. Forms are kung fu solo exercises similar to kata in Karate. These are used as physical exercises, movement drilling, meditation, and fight training.
The cinema is accompanied by musicians live on stage, matching the performer’s movements and visuals with meticulous timing. Sounds of practitioners’ breathing, heartbeats and footwork combine with painstakingly produced original compositions by award-winning composer Thomas Green to tell the story of a Meanjin (Brisbane) family who, across generations, up hold an ancient Chinese tradition in their community and beyond.
The live performance takes place on 16 February 2024, with the CD available at the concert and released on-line on 20 February 2024. This will be something quite spectacular.
As a taste of what is to come, the due have released a short video to introduce the thumping percussive sounds that make Shugorei such an exciting duo along with some stunning visuals:
Tickets to the performance and pre-orders are available here.
The name Shugoerei translates as Guardian Spirit – of which Green (the electronic half of the due) notes:
…in English, both the sound of the word Shugorei, as well as the concept of it, feels cool, whereas in Japanese I’ve come to understand there’s a kind of spooky characteristic to it, which Noz was initially worried might put people off, but she seems to have come to like it, in spite of curious reactions.
Shugorei are:
Nozomi Omote – vibraphone, percussion, bricolage, electronics, vocals
Thomas Green – composition, electronics, vocals
