Southeast of Rain (东南有雨) is an experimental/electro-acoustic duo formed by Sophia Shen and Lemon Guo, two composers and sound artists who work in the interstices of multiple genres. They create otherworldly soundscapes with the shimmering textures of Sophia Shen’s pipa (a Chinese string instrument), evocative cores of Lemon Guo’s vocals, and immersive electronics whimsically processed out of field recordings. Their work travels freely yet subtly between intimate acoustic improvisations, ambient atmospheres, and elaborate sonic explorations with epic arcs while paying homage to the affinity with nature found in traditional Chinese music.
Originally from Fujian, a southeastern province in China, and currently based respectively in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, Sophia and Lemon began their first musical collaboration in the summer of 2013, when they traveled to Alaska to capture soundscapes with the EcoSono Institute. They recorded orcas and humpback whales underwater with hydrophones, witnessed an earth-shattering glacier calving event, and then composed new ecoacoustic works with the field recordings. These works were featured in the EcoSono Alaska Concert at Alaska Pacific University in 2013, the EcoSono Environmental Music And Sound Art Festival in 2017, and the Computer Music Journal of the MIT Press in 2018. Since then, they have collaborated on many more field recording projects and concert tours in China, Japan, and the United States. The duo is committed to an interdisciplinary approach, frequently collaborating with dancers, filmmakers, and visual artists from different cultures and backgrounds, guided by a deep sensitivity to sounds and their environments.
“Weaving magic from the mundane” (Songlines Magazine), Southeast of Rain released their self-produced debut album 42 Days in January 2021 to critical acclaim. It was hailed as “a collaborative gem and a highlight among this year’s new releases... inspires a sort of breathless introspection–a meditation on the perception of time and space in sound” (I Care If You Listen). 42 Days has been featured on BBC Radio 3, BBC Sound, NTS Radio, Montez Press Radio, Framework Radio, International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), Broadway World, Tone Glow, New York Music Daily, amongst others.