Chants of the old

The following for ancient Chinese music may be witnessing a decline, but Liu Sola, a pioneering musician, finds it contemporary. Chen Nan reports.

When The Heaven & Earth Totem/China Beat concert opens on Oct 19 in Beijing's popular bar area of Sanlitun, the audience will experience something which is more like a shamanic ritual.

"I hope our post-ancient rhythms can lead our audiences into a trance. Ideally, it's a concert for a stand-up audience, so you can walk, dance, jump and shout. That's the energy we spread through our music," says Liu Sola, one of the country's pioneering musicians, who will perform with the Liu Sola & Friends Ensemble at the 18th Beijing Music Festival, which runs through Oct 24.