Microtonal techniques and acoustic tension meet in Cursed Month

Cursed Month (败月) is the debut full-length by Lingyuan Yang, scheduled for release on August 15, 2025 on Chaospace records in CD and digital formats. The album includes seven tracks and features Lingyuan Yang on guitar and electronics, Shinya Lin on piano, and Asher Herzog on drums. The recording was mixed and mastered by Zijie Li, and produced and edited by Lingyuan Yang, with artwork by Yang and Yiduo Liu.

Title: CUrsed Month
Artist: Lingyuan Yang
Release Date: 2025-08-15
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, Jazz, Progressive Rock
Label: Chaospace Records
Description: Lingyuan Yang’s Cursed Month arrives August 15 via Chaos Space, featuring seven tracks of avant-jazz, microtonality, and acoustic tension.

The album’s title refers to a term in Chinese astrology, in which each zodiac sign is associated with a so-called “cursed month” (败月), considered an inauspicious time to be born.

Lingyuan Yang (b. 2001) is a composer and guitarist currently based in the Netherlands. He earned a BFA from The New School, where he studied under Eric Wubbels, Christopher Otto, Ingrid Laubrock, Anna Webber, Matt Mitchell, and Peter Evans. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in composition at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. Yang has worked extensively with microtonal tuning systems and has composed works performed by JACK Quartet, including The Heart of Ge’Nyen and Interference. In April 2025, his composition Yin-Yang was premiered by the Mannes American Composers Ensemble. He has also collaborated with Joe Morris.

Shinya Lin is a pianist and composer based in New York. He is co-founder of Chaospace Records, a nonprofit focused on supporting Asian artists. Lin teaches part-time at The New School and has been active in both performance and academic contexts. His past collaborations include work with William Parker, Ingrid Laubrock, Matt Mitchell, Zoh Amba, and others. He has performed at Roulette Intermedium, The Jazz Gallery, MoMA PS1, Dizzy’s Club, and The DiMenna Center, among other venues.

Asher Herzog is a Brooklyn-based drummer. He studied at Towson University and has worked privately with Tim Berne, Tom Rainey, Ches Smith, and Kris Davis, among others. His performance credits include appearances with Wendy Eisenberg, Drew Gress, Ellery Eskelin, John Dierker, and Billy Martin.

Tracklist

1. Ritual Fire
2. Moondial
3. The Song of the Mist
4. Send Off the Ghosts
5. Spring Snow
6. Bloodstain
7. The Sound of the Mountain

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