MADLANDS:
The Riddle
Baby Beast
Hold Your Breath;Madlands
Human and I
Cyborg
Red Crescendo
First Run
Leap
Infinity Tower
No One’s Game

MADLANDS marks the PENTATONE debut of pianist and composer Yang Bao, offering a stunningly beautiful and audacious journey into what it means to be human amid the rising tides of artificial intelligence and ecological upheaval. Written for piano, six strings, and a palette of analog synthesizers – including the Korg PS-3300 and MiniMoog – Bao’s eleven compositions reimagine identity and belonging in a world where human, machine, and nature co-exist in delicate, suspenseful symbiosis. The album opens with a powerful trilogy – The Riddle, Baby Beast, and Hold Your Breath – where classical form meets electronic sound, creating a visceral, futuristic landscape. Across works such as Human and I and First Run, Bao blurs the boundaries between organic and artificial, past and future, transforming music into an immersive, living environment. Drawing on his visual art practice, Bao pairs this sonic vision with his striking artwork, reflecting the duality between the visible and the invisible. MADLANDS is an album for the future – a contemplative, bold, and deeply human exploration of consciousness, connection, and the fragile beauty of a world in flux.

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This album was recorded at San Francisco Conservatory between 8-11 January 2025