by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
Back in the eighties, Michael Zilkha's Ze Records and Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound were two of the labels that were spearheading no holds barred innovation in modern music, with some brilliant artists, quite a few of which never got the recognition they deserved. Today, Hong Kong born British artist mui zyu (aka Eva Liu) recalls that spirit of musical innovation presented in part by the two above-mentioned record labels with Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, her first fully fledged solo album (she released an EP back in 2021) . mui zyu doesn’t recall just some artists that recorded for them, she recalls all of them.
Throughout the album, Liu combines intricate electronic soundscapes, chopped and diced up then amalgamated in seemingly no particular order, together with softly sung delicate vocals, the two musical parts serving as a counter point to each other. This concept is audible from the get-go and the first track, “Rotten Bun,” and becomes fully developed as the album progresses, creating some mesmerizing tracks like “Mother's Tongue” and “Dusty,” somewhere in the middle of the album.
Liu doesn't let up the musical tension she creates at any point on the album, something she credits to exploring her Hong Kong roots and Chinese heritage more. She explains, “I'm Chinese and I'm owning it. Before I would resent it." This approach seems to have given her an additional insight, as she tries to explore the combination of a love for video games and film music scores and traditional Chinese instruments, seamlessly and subtly integrated throughout. Rotten Bun For An Eggless Century is of the more original albums so far this year.