Journey to the West is the soundtrack to the stage musical Monkey: Journey to the West and is composed by English musician Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) with the UK Chinese Ensemble, the soundtrack itself is only based upon, but not a direct recording of the musical. The album was released as a download, CD, and double vinyl LP in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2008 by XL Recordings
Journey To The West (LP, Album, Dlx, Ltd + LP, Album, Dlx, Ltd). It is housed in a black cloth-bound box, and the artwork on the record sleeve features a light brown Monkey King. Reply Notify me Helpful. i'd like to have a record party with you. ) Reply Notify me Helpful.
In 2007 a theater adaption of one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West (also known simply as Monkey) premiered in Manchester, England.
Albarn relies heavily on Chinese instrumentation and harmony on Journey to the West but the score, as a whole, is considerably less explicitly worldbeat than Mali Music, as Albarn weaves in many familiar motifs from his oeuvre, including stiff pre-programmed two-step drum loops, post-punk synths, waves of dreamy textures, circular carnivalesque chords, and the occasional blast of cathartic noise.
URB echoed these thoughts, stating that "Monkey: Journey to the West is a testament to Albarn's versatility as a musician and his melodies' ability to avoid becoming losing their power in translation.
Monkey: Journey To The W. .has been added to your Basket. The show itself is an explosive 90-minute circus featuring Chinese acrobats, martial arts experts and contortionists, though the album condenses the experience into 22 songs lasting an hour or so. Recorded in London and Beijing with a mix of European and Chinese musicians, Monkey. is a genuine attempt at East-West fusion.
A short film for "Monkey Bee" was directed by Jamie Hewlett and released on YouTube. Instrumental version of the album was distributed by Chrysalis Music as CD Promo and US Double CD-R Promo. "Monkey Bee (Nosaj Thing Remix)" was downloadable from Lincoln Center's SoundCloud in July 2013.
