Jazzing it up (2)

Shanghai Restoration Project is Liang's attempt to recapture that spirit, combining nostalgia for old Shanghai not with the sounds of bygone eras but au courant Western genres of hip-hop and electronica.

"One thing I was really aware of growing up as a Chinese-American was that most of the types of music that are popular here did not originate in China," says Liang, who was born to immigrant parents in Kansas and grew up in New York State.

"When I heard Shanghai jazz, that was the first time I felt that there was music that could speak to both my Chinese and Western backgrounds.

"Then when I started composing music myself, I was searching for music that reflected parts of me. As someone who never felt like I fully fit in with any one demographic, this was a way for me to tell all the stories I had stored up, probably subconsciously in a way that spoke best to me."

Shanghai Restoration's self-titled 2006 album, which incorporated traditional Chinese instruments, rose to the top 10 on Amazon.com, iTunes and MSN Music electronic charts.

In the years since, Liang has leased his music to Louis Vuitton's Kenzo Parfums, and worked with China Record Corp to restore and remix 1930s Chinese classics.

We recommend:
Those Xiaorenshu we read in childhood	Trip planner: four-day trip to S China	Wonderful snapshots of flying buzzards
Forever Shangri-la: China's heaven on earth	Top 10 ever-victorious generals in history	Dreamy log cabins among woods
Top 10 best airports in China 2012	Mysterious Zhongnanhai in Beijing	Top 10 Chinese 'Kung Fu Kings' in Minguo period