ALBUM REVIEW: Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang – The Endless Dance

Real World Records

Released: 22.05.26

Beibei Wang adds naturalistic and distinctive rhythms to Hannah Peel’s customary electronic wizardry to compose a joyfully spiritual representation of the Chinese calendar. Wild Geese Arrive is the opening track that stylishly weaves percussive inventiveness together with lush melodies and is one of the strongest tunes on the album, closely followed by Awaken The Insects, where the natural rhythms are largely made up of Beibie’s sampled voice rapping Chinese tongue twisters with increasing intensity sitting quite perfectly in Peel’s western dance sophistication.

Mantis Vs Horse has a driving marimba beat which led me to imagine a newly upbeat soundtrack to modern Japan much like, and yet in sharp contrast to, Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s evocative dystopian sounds for the influential sci-fi anime Akira back in the 80’s. Grain Rain is lushly tied together with simultaneously delicate and massive synth lines distorted deep bass and angelic voice work and some fabulous running up that hill beats. Tiger Sex, Feed The Fireflies and Offerings To The Beast will get the feet shuffling and then it all winds down with two wonderful closing tracks, Limit of Heat for reflection and the experimental abstraction of Thunder Begins to soften the experience. This is most certainly an album for the headphones, first rate!