In the winter of 2019, the Vancouver-based Chinese musician Yu Su traveled from Qingdao on the west coast of the Yellow Sea to Xining, the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. During this tour, which corresponded to both ends of the Yellow River, she encountered musical artists and enthusiasts at the foreground of the explosive leftfield electronic scene across China and was inspired to participate and contribute.
Yellow River Blue, Yu Su's open-ended response to this experience, is a smooth and emotionally charged listen. Drawing on her own rich listening experience and a keen awareness of personal experiences, Yu Su's compositions contain a complex quality that transcends all genres, her own cultural roots and living environments. The tranquil musical landscape is not only a result of her intimate relationship with nature but also a scenery curated for reflecting her personal emotions.
Through the carefully chosen symbols and imageries in Yu Su's music, you can see her intention to disturb the boundaries of "traditional and modern", "central and peripheral", and "self and other", as well as her gentle and clear self-portrait. Sailing a light boat in an increasingly turbulent current, Yu Su raises an ancient canvas with a sense of ease, to guide a new direction for herself and for the chaotic winds of the world.
