Tonal Unity / South Korea / 2019
This is an album about consciousness expanding toward awareness of self. Focusing on a single point for long enough that you dive into it and come out on the other side, tapping yourself on the shoulder from behind. Think of it as circumnavigating your reality and washing up on a foreign shore that is familiar, yet entirely new. That has been this artist’s voyage as she made her way through her musical evolution, and this record is that foreign shore.
Emerging as a leading experimental Daegeum (Korean transverse bamboo flute) artist, Seungmin Cha has trained in traditional music and its discourse from a young age. She has completed multiple residencies in New York City, and was a recipient of the Asian Cultural Council fellowship in 2016. Devouring jazz, new music, and improvisational performance and collaboration during her time abroad, Ms. Cha has since developed her career as a solo artist and composer for Daegeum and voice. Her one-of-a-kind live performance incorporates traditional styles with an experimental approach, utilizing a loop-station and an array of fx pedals to layer sounds in the moment. From gut-rumbling bass to soaring highs, she expertly covers the frequency range in a meditative state, dancing barefoot on the line between beauty and chaos.
We are proud to present Seungmin Cha’s first solo release “Nuunmuun”, which translates to “Eye Gate”. Step through the portal and into the parallel universe of this singular artist.