longing for _, the debut album of Toronto-based percussionist Yang Chen manages to do the unthinakable: showcase their audacious eclecticism, sharp curatorial sensibility, and exceptional skill all at the same time. As such, Chen is right at home on the celebrated cross-border imprint People Places Records, a label known for embracing young, vibrant artists operating loosely within the bounds of contemporary composition.

longing for _ includes collaborations with one of People Places’ head honchos, guitarist-composer Andrew Noseworthy alongside other respected (and largely emerging) talent such as Yaz Lancaster, Connie Li, Jason Doell, Sara Constant, Sarian Sankoh, Stephanie Orlando and Charles Lutvak. On it, Chen performs on everything from bicycle to steel pan evoking styles that span elegiac R&B to full-on electroacoustic abstraction.