Chen Yi

The Chen Yi Commune was founded in 1978 by about 20 women & men from London. The aim of the commune was to create a closed subsystem, a kind of subsociety and to narrow down its contact to the outside world only on very few specific actions.
The Chen Yi commune never was interested in producing records, some of the members even refused any form of release whatsoever.
In 1981 one member released a tape edition called “Hanging". The title referred to the first 3 english witches who were hanged in Chelmsford, where the commune house was located. This cassette was sent to various record companies.
John Peel saw a potential in Chen Yi which led to a recording contract in 1982/83 with CBS. About 7 tracks were produced for the first Chen Yi LP... ...More couldn't be finalised, because CBS suddenly pulled out of the contract. This left unfinished tapes of an LP.
The sound of CHEN YI is rough & brutal... electronic music, soundcollages that reminds to Throbbing Gristle or (early) SPK aswell as electro-pop-tracks & songs like early Cabaret Voltaire, Chris & Cosey, Severed Heads...