好奇 Curiosity by Zaliva-D

For fans of Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle, traditional Chinese folk music, and the human soul’s continuous struggle against the systems of industrial production, 好奇 Curiosity by Zaliva-D molds the cyclical psychedelia of folk traditions into the mechanical shapes of modern life, leaving us with a work that inspires historical continuity while refusing to live in denial of the present. Electronic percussion forms the foundation of each track, all operating in heavy tones and arranged in consistent rhythms, establishing that industrial ethos which lends this album so much aesthetic interest. From here, traditional Chinese instrumentation enters the work as an extension of this choppy, regimented percussion, with tiny snippets of these iconic acoustic instruments serving as something halfway between melodic centerpieces and auxiliary percussion. As these tracks build into each emotional climax, distorted forms of traditional melodies and timbres layer overtop this rhythmic concoction, finally giving the soul a chance to partially break from the machine and show its face in all its relatable glory, successfully subverting the power of the factory into a tool for the production of meaning.