Stream French Concession's New EP 'At Knifepoint' (UTR Preview)

French_concession started life in Shanghai in 2009 as a collaborative venture, but over time has evolved to be the solo recording project of Christchurch-based artist Ella Chau Yin Chi. Under the moniker, Ella spins beautiful electronic gems that find parallels with the genre-bending music of artists such as Grimes and ethereal local duo Purple Pilgrims. A prolific bedroom producer, At Knifepoint is French_concession's fourth EP offering, and finds her adopting what she describes as a "harsher" sound as she draws inspiration from cult manga series Ghost In The Shell.

We've been lucky enough to get our hands on At Knifepoint to share with you ahead of it's official release tomorrow. Soak it up below while you read our wee interview with Ella...

Can you please tell us a bit about the French_concession project and how it all started?

The French_concession project started in the former French Concession of Shanghai in 2009. The project happened accidentally and organically. My friend, Sam and I were experimenting with DAW [Digital Audio Workstation] for a year without any plans, and after a while we had a few interested tracks in hand that could be put into an EP, and so we needed a name for the release. Sam and I were together only for the first EP.

Why did you choose the name French Concession?

French Concession was where the magic happened!

At Knifepoint is your fourth EP, how did you record it and what were you hoping to achieve sonically?

I recorded it all in my Waikuku Beach home studio. The sound is slightly "harsher" from my previous EP, and I wanted that Ghost in the Shell like vibe to it as it suits the content.

What’s happening for French Concession moving forward?? Any plans for a full-length release?

Music video will be up next! Music videos are proper French_concession projects where I do the producing, directing and editing. They require as much work as mixing an EP. A full-length album might manifest at some point, but I think it is important for me to build a base of listeners first before unleashing one.

French_concession, Instant Fantasy and Othersun have lined up four shows around the country for next month, here's the details...

Friday 7th October, The Auricle, Christchurch
Saturday 8th October, Golden Dawn, Auckland
Saturday 22nd October, None Gallery, Dunedin
Friday 28 October, Caroline, Wellington