“There’s a rustic beauty to the music the expansive troupe creates on their debut (...), one that never dips into gimmick or appropriation” - Will Griffith
— Live China Music
Bagedai
Stomping fun wazu reggae
Bagedai are one of the latest signings to Sea of Wood Records. Hailing from one of China's most remote counties, Ximeng, homeland of the Wa people, one of the most charismatic and culturally unique of all of Yunnan's many ethnic groups. This homeland is limited to two remote forested enclaves divided by the separatist Wa State in northern Myanmar. For a hunter-gatherer community that was still practicing head-hunting within living memory, the Wa have embraced modernity in fine fashion and stamped their identity on the Chinese music scene with a reputation for excellent musicianship, exuberant performance, and a string of successful bands that have been highly influential in the Chinese Reggae scene and beyond. At the heart of this success lie the robustly melodic and infectious traditional songs of the Wa people. This is what Bagedai present - no more no less - modern, danceable arrangements of one stompingly good tune after another. Fronted by five female lead singers/dancers backed by some of the most experienced Wa musicians, Bagedai are guaranteed to bring the house down at every show they play.
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