"Afterquake" EP marks anniversary of massive China earthquake

It's been a year since China was rocked by an earthquake.

More than 5 million people were left homeless and had to relocate; more than 88,000 were killed.

To spread awareness about victims still in need, Chinese-American producer Dave Liang teamed up with folk artist Abigail Washburn to create an EP with the sounds of Sichuan, the province at the quake's center.

Washburn, who taught American traditional folk music at Sichuan University, came up with the idea after performing for kids in relocated schools. She then contacted Liang (the two had worked together with the acoustic group Sparrow Quartet).

So in March, Liang and Washburn, with a videographer and photographer, traveled to China. For two and a half weeks, they worked with students at Wenchuan Shuimou Middle School. Liang — whose primary work is on the Shanghai Restoration Project, a band that mixes 1930s Shanghai jazz with electronica and hip-hop — recorded the students singing traditional songs. He overlaid their songs with modern beats.

Many of these students stayed at the relocated school and had not seen their parents for months.

"The children completely opened up to us and went out of their way to show us how they lived and passed the time," said Liang, who lives in New York but was in Shanghai at the time of the quake. "I even got to play basketball with a few of them while Abby performed for them and learned basic hand-clap games."

The result is heartbreaking music, particularly "Song for Mama," in which 14-year-old Chen Honglin sings a traditional Tibetan song about missing his mother. Mixed into the beat are sounds of the family laying bricks down for a house, which crumbled during the earthquake. His mom's words are laid on top. She tells him to study hard, that he will always have her support.

"It was the most rewarding musical experience I've had to date, and working with the children was one of the primary reasons," said Liang, who has produced for a variety of labels, including Bad Boy and Universal.

Check out their music and videos at www.afterquakemusic.com. The EP, "Afterquake," came out on Tuesday, the actual anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake; it's available as a disc or MP3 at iTunes and Amazon.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com