Sounds of Ж
Entre the sound window and be vocally bathed...
Bathed in the reverberated lush hum of the human voice and peculiar instruments, hear the music of Xxhe in a style you have never heard.
Hear vocal works in many different languages including Mandarin, Latin, old slavonic and an invented alien language which can only be sung called "R'ovsces". Performed by professional vocalists in a highly unusual setting, we aim to create an unforgettable sonance.
Inspired by "Singing in Tunnels with Strangers & Sisters", an album created by Xxhe from improvised recordings of them and other feminine beings in tunnels singing, hear new compositions and old.
The venue in near pitch darkness, under lowlight and dancers around you moving, allow your senses to become diminished, all except your ears and eyes.
Zàng Hūa Yín (葬花吟) is a famous Chinese song composed by
Wáng Lìpíng (王立平). The lyrics are driectly grafted from the Dream of the Red Chamber, an 18th-century novel authored by Cáo Xǔeqín (曹雪芹).
It is considered to be one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature alongside Journey to the West and others. Set to music for th
Zàng Hūa Yín (葬花吟) is a famous Chinese song composed by
Wáng Lìpíng (王立平). The lyrics are driectly grafted from the Dream of the Red Chamber, an 18th-century novel authored by Cáo Xǔeqín (曹雪芹).
It is considered to be one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature alongside Journey to the West and others. Set to music for the 1987 TV series, the song is sung by a woman as she buries flowers and contemplates the impermanence of fleeting emotions and life itself.
View the lyrics and translation here.
The Agni Parthene is a hymn composed in Greek by St. Nectarios of Aegina in the 19th century. The lyrics honor the "Mother of God." According to legend, the virgin Mary herself appeared before Nectarios and "requested that he record on paper a particular hymn the angelic choirs were about to sing." The rendition sung before you is sung in
The Agni Parthene is a hymn composed in Greek by St. Nectarios of Aegina in the 19th century. The lyrics honor the "Mother of God." According to legend, the virgin Mary herself appeared before Nectarios and "requested that he record on paper a particular hymn the angelic choirs were about to sing." The rendition sung before you is sung in Old Slavonic.
Old Slavonic or Old Church Slavonic, an ancient slavic language used in the ninth century by missionaries. It is the first slavic literary language and has had significant influence on modern slavic languages especially literary Russian which was developed from a compromise style.
View the lyrics and English translation here.
Cum Dederit, is a work by Antonio Vivaldi. It is from the 4th movement of Vivaldi’s setting of Psalm 127 in the Bible, Nisi Dominus. It was composed between 1713 and 1707. Alongside a host of other lesser known sacred songs during his time as a violin master and teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice.
Sung in
Cum Dederit, is a work by Antonio Vivaldi. It is from the 4th movement of Vivaldi’s setting of Psalm 127 in the Bible, Nisi Dominus. It was composed between 1713 and 1707. Alongside a host of other lesser known sacred songs during his time as a violin master and teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice.
Sung in Latin, the words translate to:
"When He grants sleep to His beloved"
Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum
Nisi Dominus, the title of the piece as a whole, means “without God."
Latin, the common ancestor to all romance languages and considered a common root to western thought, it is to this day in use in sacred music both old and new.
"R'ovsces", an unspeechable language. The song, "i won't say won't say no i won't say no i won't say i love you", displaying small lines of the sung-speech, follows a simple repeated melody decorated lightly by subtle percussion, round voices and a delicate alien language.
The repetitive style was called on in this composition while recor
"R'ovsces", an unspeechable language. The song, "i won't say won't say no i won't say no i won't say i love you", displaying small lines of the sung-speech, follows a simple repeated melody decorated lightly by subtle percussion, round voices and a delicate alien language.
The repetitive style was called on in this composition while recording vocals solo aimlessly one late night at the Convent Arthouse. The title is a mystery.
Listen to the piece here.
"I haven't eaten in days", composed by Xxhe, and an emotional song. The lyrics could not be more literal than themself as if spoke.
Xxhe, having spent their childhood and adult life battling a severe eating disorder, composed this song reflecting on the experience.
This song has not been released and the lyrics are not yet available.
Xxhe, Ж, 梅玄元繠 or öö Ixxhe n’a Ręal Zi.ud ursprung livsblod Myt’thol is an ice composer, serrulate sonancer, vocalist, bending shape dancer, poet, language birther, martial artist, experimental opera borner, sound mother, and firekeeper at the Dialect Halls of Ж.
Known for writing an arctic opera at the age of seventeen using the sounds of wind, ice, orchestral insturments, the human voice, and poetta-bizarre, Xxhe styled a new genre and continues to invent new ways to write music.
While experimenting, Xxhe has created several genres each of which with their own unique sound. Strange-tundra a mode that weaves with the sounds of ice, Voca Shaden with only vocal recordings and Serrulate Sonance with with soft serrated edges of unlikely instrument pairs.
A multi-modal artist with experience as a classically trained soprano, fusion belly dancer, photographer, writer, and art model. Her creative praxis explores the interplay of voice, storytelling, movement, and visual imagery, inviting audiences into intimate moments of resonance and reflection. She also ardently champions new music works and the Bay Area underground arts scene.
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Daniel Lee is a versatile musician and performer whose journey spans multiple disciplines and instruments. Beginning with piano at the age of 7, Daniel developed a strong foundation in music, continuing the instrument until the age of 12. Daniel’s instrumental journey shifted from the piano to the trumpet. During his high school years at the renowned LaGuardia High School for Music & Art, Daniel honed his musical skills, expanding into trumpet performance, and also adding in the tuba, which he continued through the end of high school.
In addition to instrumental music, Daniel is passionate about vocal performance. He began singing as a toddler. Daniel’s mother often states, “Daniel would sing himself to sleep as a child”. Singing continued through church, as well as high school. In recent years, Daniel was a member of the Chabot College Choir during the spring of 2023. As of Fall 2023, Daniel has been an active member of Pacific Edge Voices, further refining his vocal abilities while contributing to the group’s dynamic sound.
Outside of music, Daniel finds balance and creativity in yoga and cosplay, both of which serve as outlets for personal expression and artistic exploration. With a broad range of interests and talents, Daniel continues to evolve as an artist, embracing both the discipline and joy that music and movement bring to his life.
Ài Yīn is a biracial artist of Chinese and European descent. Born in Hong Kong, raised in Shanghai and Taipei, she moved to San Francisco for college where she graduated with honors from her major in Dance and Social Justice.
She is currently a freelance dancer, dance teacher, and pilates instructor based in San Francisco. Despite having training in numerous dance forms, she identifies as a Contemporary dancer. At the moment, she is focused on learning vertical dance and apparatus based dancing.
Her non-dance related movement history includes: getting her black belt in taekwondo at age 14 and ski instructors license at 19. She has worked with For You Productions, Detour Dance, PUSH Dance, pateldanceworks, Kinetech Arts, and Flyaway Productions. She hopes to continue to learn and grow as a human and as an artist– to establish herself as a performer, choreographer, and visual artist.
Maxine Flasher-Düzgüneş is a Turkish-American poet, dance artist, and filmmaker engaging with the disciplines of choreography and visual art as tools for grasping poetic language.
She has received residencies from Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Center at Eagle Hill, Surel’s Place, Tofte Lake Center, and iMPACt Center for the Arts & Dance, and has been commissioned by Sadler's Wells and The Place (UK) for her dance writing and by World Stage Design (Canada), 92NY’s Future Dance Festival (New York), and FACT/SF Summer Dance Festival (San Francisco) for her choreography.
Her dance films have received official selection from festivals including Millennium Film Workshop, ESTIA Day Fest, and Move to Change Dance Festival (New York), kNOwBOX Dance Film Festival (Texas, South Korea & Mexico), Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema (Colorado), and SzólóDuó International Dance Festival (Hungary).
website Photo by Emma Olds.
listen with ears the evening via som by collected sound painting
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