Sosun Suh X Rise Ashen – Konvergence

In the summer of 2023, Ottawa-based Korean-Canadian house dancer Tangent started working on a piece called Konvergence with her Korean collaborator, dancer Dr. Yeonji Hong.  As a Korean-Canadian, Tangent had a vision for creating a collaborative piece which would allow her to exchange with a traditional Korean dancer, delving into the roots of Korean dance and finding common ground with her urban dance vocabulary.  She commissioned a traditional Korean composer and performer Sosun Suh and Canadian dancefloor mixologist Rise Ashen to create a soundtrack for her. 

The music for the show was in three parts. Part 1 was a traditional Korean piece featuring Gayageum (a large korean plucked zither), Ahjang (a large korean bowed zither), Haegeum (a vertical fiddle with 2 strings), Janggu drums, Jing (a large gong) and many other percussion bowls.  The timing of the piece was human and the feeling classical and dramatic.  Part 2 was a beat that Rise Ashen created in the same key but in machine time.  For Part 3, Rise lined up the first piece to a machine grid and played both pieces 1 and 2 together.  We included a slightly edited version which is the 12-inch mix, better suited for the dancefloor.

We hope you enjoy this refreshing and rare soundscape, a fusion of ancient and modern, East and West, Korea and Canada.