MoShang

Electronica / Ambient / World

Taichung, Taiwan

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About

MoShang is the Chinese moniker of Jean Marais, who began as a choral singer in the early 1980s in Cape Town, South Africa - at which time he acquired his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20. It would take some time, however, for his love of music and computers to find its ideal expression. Marais first earned acclaim as lead singer/frontman of the South African art-rock band Duusman and as saxophonist for the group Tsunami; he also served as producer on three award-winning albums honoring poet Breyten Breytenbach and formed half of the Afrikaans pop duo 12Hz. He garnered South Africa's prestigious Avanti Award for his score to the short film "Angels in a Cage." Most recently, his music was selected for the HDTV Discovery Channel production "Hong Kong Festival."

Marais relocated to the Taiwanese city of Taichung three years ago; his first release as MoShang, "Made in Taiwan," was released on his Onse Plate (Afrikaans for "Our Records") imprint in 2004. "I've always been fascinated by Asia, and Taiwan, with its vast Chinese musical heritage, seemed the perfect place for me," he says. "I've fallen in love with Taiwan and its people; this country has truly reinvigorated my creative process. After more than three years here, I am as excited about the musical possibilities as the day I arrived." His second full-length album, "Chill Dynasty" followed in 2006 and the artist will be releasing "Asian Variations", a collection of remixes done for other musicians, later in 2007.