Limebócx – live electronic duo
The music of Hanoi based duo Limebócx (link) can be quite difficult to define. By taking elements of modern musical genres such as drums & bass, hip-hop, beatboxing and dub and combining them with traditional Vietnamese music, folk and poetry, Limebócx has managed to create a sound that is entirely their own. As avant-garde as they are eclectic, Limebócx consists of two members, Trang Lê (aka Chuối) shares vocal duties and arranges most of the band’s string instruments. As seen while she’s performing, Lê is flanked on all sides by her guitar, bass and the traditional Vietnamese instrument known as the Đàn Tranh. While onstage, she effortlessly switches back and forth between all of them numerous times during the course of any given song. Not to be outdone, Nguyen Huy Tuan supplies the rapping and beatboxing. As the band’s percussive backbone, Tuan commands the BOSS RC-505 Loop Station, which is a small device that records snippets of the band’s performance in real-time. The sounds are then digitally repeated and layered over top of other instruments and vocals. This is what culminates together to create the band’s unique tapestry of percussion and sound.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BÓCX
“We started this band because we wanted to play together. At first, we began by using Western influences, but then Chuối started singing and adding Vietnamese poems overtop of the songs. We saw that it fit really well with our music.”
A perfect example of Limebócx’s diverse influences can be heard on their song Chiều Trù Nhật, which the band is currently in the studio recording.
Soon to be the band’s first single on their yet to be titled upcoming EP, Chiều Trù Nhật is a beat-laden track exploring Lê’s fascination with people watching on a Sunday afternoon. The song perfectly encapsulates all of Limebócx’s musicality firing on all cylinders.
The burning question still remains, however, just how did these two musicians come to discover this diverse mixture of genres?
“It just came naturally.” Tuan explains, “We started this band because we wanted to play together. At first, we began by using Western influences, but then Chuối started singing and adding Vietnamese poems overtop of the songs. We saw that it fit really well with our music.”
Besides adding spoken word elements, one can argue that of all of Limebócx’s repertoire of instruments, it is the sharp plucking of the Đàn Tranh which stands out above all else. The 16-string zither, which has been prominently used in traditional Asian folk music dating as far back as the 13th century, doesn’t seem a likely addition to Limebócx’s heavy drum and bass musical style.
“I was given an old Đàn Tranh as a gift,” Trang says, on how she came to acquire the time-honored instrument. “I wanted to learn it, but I found that it was too difficult and I ditched it for a long time. It wasn’t until I tried it out with Tuan that I got back into practice.”
When compared to other stringed instruments, such as an acoustic guitar or bass, the strings of the Đàn Tranh sounds more stringent and sharper when they are plucked. Trang, who had learned how to play the guitar before trying her hand with the Đàn Tranh, found that her previous knowledge of stringed instruments was somewhat of a detriment.
“I wanted to have formal training in the Đàn Tranh, but a friend, who was professional told me that if I practiced it as something formal, it would put my mindset in a very different state,” Trang explains. “I wouldn’t be able to think of the Đàn Tranh as an instrument for modern music and I would be spending a long time breaking out of its traditional roots again.”
“I wouldn’t be able to think of the Đàn Tranh as an instrument for modern music and I would be spending a long time breaking out of its traditional roots again.”
IN WITH THE OLD, AS WELL AS THE NEW
“It’s a northern Vietnamese traditional singing style. Much like the propaganda stuff, we see on TV, but we twist it in a funny way, to sound like our daily conversations. It’s much fresher and less…tragic.”
The Đàn Tranh is not the only element which the band uses rather unorthodoxly, the two also play very loosely with another one of Vietnam’s most traditional music genres, the old-fashioned singing style is known as Ca Trù.
Incorporating theatrics, as well as singing, traditional Ca Trù is usually performed in groups of three or more. The musical pieces use a call and response approach between the main characters and often explore timeless themes of family, war, love, and love lost.
The Ca Trù singing technique is performed using soprano and tenor registers, with soaring operatic melodies which help to convey the emotions of the characters in the story.
“It’s a northern Vietnamese traditional singing style. Much like the propaganda stuff, we see on TV, but we twist it in a funny way, to sound like our daily conversations. It’s much fresher and less…tragic.” Lê says with a pause before she looks over at Tuan with a laugh.
“Sometimes traditional Vietnamese music is just too tragic.” Lê continues. “They’re usually stories of people who can’t get together because of life, family or war. We just want to make it a little funnier, because I think pure Ca Trù might not be very approachable, but I really like the elements and I want to put it into modern music.”
Often joking to one another, the chemistry between Lê and Tuan are undeniable, at times even finishing each other’s sentences. This playfulness and joyful banter also translate directly to their stage presence and performances.
The end result of this chemistry culminates into a musical style that is like no other. Limebócx has successfully taken a series of centuries-old institutions and somehow managed to make it fun, fresh and most importantly danceable. For that, we have to give them credit, because that is not an easy feat to accomplish.
“I think pure Ca Trù might not be very approachable, but I really like the elements and I want to put it into modern music.”
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