Chinese/Canadian Duo Gong Gong Gong Ready Debut Album

'Phantom Rhythm 幽靈節奏' arrives this fall

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jul 18, 2019

Four years after forming in Beijing, Chinese/Canadian duo Gong Gong Gong have detailed their debut full-length album.

The duo — comprising Hong Kong-born guitarist/vocalist Tom Ng and Montreal-born bassist Joshua Frank — will release 10-track debut Phantom Rhythm 幽靈節奏 on October 4 through Wharf Cat Records.

Drawing inspiration from Bo Diddley, Cantonese opera, West African desert blues, drone and electronic music, the duo use percussive playing techniques and repetition to create "phantom rhythms" between instruments, while Ng sings in Cantonese. A first single titled "Notes Underground 地下日記" arrives alongside the album news, and can be heard below.

As Frank explained to Stereogum, the song was one of the first they had written for the group "before we even had a band name":

Generally speaking, the lyrics are about a relationship gone wrong. If I remember correctly, this was the first song that we recorded in the studio working on this album. It's a very direct, energetic song, with something about it that feels very natural to our band. We spent time during the recording and mixing process to bring out the percussiveness of Tom's guitar. That included using a contact mic on the wood of his archtop guitar, which gives his guitar tone a banjo-like element.

Phantom Rhythm 幽靈節奏 is now available for pre-order.

Phantom Rhythm 幽靈節奏:

1. The Last Note 最後的音符
2. Notes Underground 地下日記
3. Ride Your Horse 騎你的馬
4. Moonshadows 月後殘影
5. Inner Reaches II 慾望的暗角二
6. Gong Gong Gong Blues 工工工布魯斯
7. Wei Wei Wei 喂喂喂
8. Some Kind of Demon 某一種惡魔
9. Night's Colour (Chongqing) 夜色(重慶)
10. Sound of Love 愛歌

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