Golden-Dawn of Indie Music: Raymond Hu’s Foray with his Album “Stay, Nomad”
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REV, a ravishing new talent on the music scene, encapsulates the profound idiosyncrasies of 26-year-old Raymond Hu, hailing from the cultural melting pot of Chongqing in southwest China. This city, renowned for its commanding hip-hop music, set the stage for the young Hu to dip his feet into the mesmerizing world of music. Yet, the conventional hip-hop narrative wasn’t enough for him. The traditional role of a vocalist or ensnaring a rapper seemed to fall short of the essence he sought. His music fosters an altogether unique imprint of building his own music, through restructuring, cutting up, and remixing mostly female pop vocals. This musical game of chance amalgamates the uncanny with the familiar, resulting in a sound that is both unsettling and unconventional.
A jovially peculiar story reveals itself concerning the alias, “REV.” Among his friends, Hu is endearingly referred to as “Lai Fu (来福),” which translates to the word “Rev” in Mandarin, symbolizing “Get Lucky.” Coupled with that, “REV” is both an abbreviation for “Reverse,” and a testament to Hu’s music editing technique. He tends to play something backward, blending the sounds of the familiar and unusual in a peculiar dance-off.
His first tantalising venture with Planet Mu, presenting his debut album, “Stay, Nomad,” in 2025, explores the path less trodden. The allure of the album lies in its minimalistic yet deeply moving composition; crafted with such an exquisite flair for space and weightlessness that it leaves the listener captivated. The astonishing interplay of melody, rhythms, effects and reverb wraps the sound design in an ethereal mist while the vocals play a ghostly harmonious prosecution.
REV’s musical voyage sets sail with the audacious ‘Mind Game,’ a piece already acknowledged in the Planet Mu 30 compilation. This beautiful testament to innovation debuts with a singular piano, gradually unfurling into a mesmerizing array of hauntingly disembodied vocals draped across dub-like phrases. This radiates and fades out akin to majestic fireworks.
However, REV does not confine himself to a singular narrative. ‘Stutter,’ the lead single of the album, takes an offbeat turn. Through a choir-like crescendo of vocals and snippets of chipmunked vocals, it fabricates fantastical forms over the fuzzy piano. The melody’s serenity is interrupted midway, as edgy drums weigh in, instilling an electrifying sense of anxiety.
Wandering through the labyrinth of this experimental album brings artists like Aphex Twin and Burial to mind. However, REV’s unique mastery leaves an indelible imprint distinctly his own. Through his ‘Stay, Nomad’ EP, Hu delivered a sound that transcends the traditional bounds of music, offering listeners a sensory journey unlike any other. This exceptional work stands as a testament to REV’s innate capacity to blend different musical elements, promising a bright future in the world of experimental/ambient music.
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