|
Breaking into a genre that has seldom seen the likes of
their skin color, Far East Movement (FM) delivers
colorful "LA Rhymes" and collaborates with creativity
matching the caliber of platinum holders. Refuting
the stereotypes, these artists are able to develop a
sound that appeals to more than just their cultural
following. Working on the basis of fusion and
collaboration for "Audio Bio", FM hopes to join in the
separate sounds of many Asian ethnicities and unite them
under one "movement."
Comprised of J-Splif, Prohgress, and Kev Nish, FM united
and began their journey by tapping into the
resources of the internet. By posting clips and
sound bites, the word of mouth fueled fans to CD singles
only available online. Performances at Asian
American events throughout the West Coast only
solidified their niche following. And while the
multifaceted sound aims to embrace their Asian heritage,
it cannot be defined by it.
With
the release of the promotional collection "Audio Bio" in
January of 2005, the group continues a rigorous
performance schedule until the fall. They will
then return to the studio to place finishing touches on
their debut album. Slated to be released in winter
2005/2006, FM's debut album promises to deliver a
creative mix of sounds that include tracks with Ruff
Ryder's Jin, punk rock's Nemo, and east coast rapper,
Snacky Chan.
Dubbed
"Audio Bio" for its autobiographical (and comical)
interludes that reveal FM's history, identity and music,
the CD follows in the growth of mixtape culture and
trend for pre-album releases. Simple backbeats
open the collection, leading the way from FM's old
school homage to the collaborations in Funk (Mary Jane)
and Acoustic Rock (Ken Oak). Tracks with DJ Honda,
Hi-Tek and Jin round out "Audio Bio", mixing in familiar
hip-hop with their own FM flavor. Weathering
through rejections that have been fueled by an
"un-marketability" of non-Black hip-hop faces, FM has
marked a following that is pushing them to shape the
role of Asian American artists. As leaders in the
Asian American subculture movement, their music both
defines and transcends their ethnicity.

BUY |