DIFANG - ELDERS DRINKING SONG

Many may not be familiar with his name, but millions across the globe will recognise this Taiwanese traditional singer's voice. A sample of his plaintive Elder's Drinking Song chant was used by Michael Cretu as the backbone for Enigma's Return to Innocence which went on to become one of Enigma's biggest selling singles. However Cretu had not obtained Difang's permission prior to using the chant which prompted a court-case in 1996 that saw the two settle out of court three years later with Difang being compensated. The controversy around the case propelled Difang into the international spotlight, and Dan Lacksman (whose most famous project had been the first Deep Forest album) approached him to produce an album together. Released by Rock Records Japan in 1998 Circle of Life is a mesmerising combination of Lacksman's usual electronic drumloops, ambient synths and sounds carefully constructed so as not to interfere with Difang's heart-felt singing based on traditional Taiwanese songs of love, work and celebration. Slower, more laid-back beats support songs like Visiting Song and the contemplative Fully Laden with Riches with its tinkling piano instrumentation and Difang's characteristic yodelling calls. However the more upbeat tracks like Love Song (with Deep Forest style lead synth-flute) and Working Song (with its dark string theme) are the real highlights of the album. As an obvious reference to the court-case with Enigma, Lacksman made his own, gentler modernisation of Elder's Drinking Song as well as including the original version of the chant unaccompanied on the CD. With the layered and more reverential sound of Circle of Life we see Lacksman mature as a world music producer, in comparison to his previous outings such as Pangea. Difang was a prominent producer and supporter of Taiwanese aboriginal artists. His last work was to be the solo-outing Across the Yellow Earth in 2001, sadly just as Difang was gaining much-deserved international acclaim, he passed away (blood poisoning due to a centipede bite) in March 2002 at the age of 82. His wife who, whose vocals accompanied Difang's chants, passed away a month later.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• difang
• circle
• of
• life
• enigma
• return
• to
• innocence
• new
• age
• world
• music
• amis
• tribe
• taiwan

[Tidfall1]

I can almost feel pain in this song, i wonder if they knew oneday the White Man would steal yet again something that could have made their lives easier. God bless the innocent and hardworking.

[Tenchcnet]

FOUND IT!!

[obi0peco]

@aminohnedich the song Return To Innocence by Enigma

[aminohnedich]

this song reminds me of something when i was a kid but i just can't remember i think it was a movie .....

[AlightBULLDOG]

@Tidfall1 Dont want to hear about stealing when it comes to music. Music is for people of all races, and ethnicity's to express the heart and soul. Enigma found it enchantingly beautiful, and wished to express it in his version. You can bet that if it wasn't for Enigma you or I would have never experienced this beautiful chant.

Don't hate on Enigma because they weren't the first to play the song, and Difang was given compensation for the use of his voice, so it did make there lives easier.

[purespirit9]

Beautiful...circle of life from one Taiwanese to Navajo and so on, were all connected some way or another. If you observe and look at life you'll notice it.

[FELIPE3802]

En respuesta a estas demandas, un representante local de Taiwan industria discográfica, de la Asociación de titulares de los derechos de grabación, dijo que la música popular estaba en el dominio público y la población aborigen que ha realizado o dispuesto que no podía reclamar ningún derecho de autor sobre ella

[FELIPE3802]

@goldbluntz LO QUE MASOMENOS te entendi es que cretu no pago por la muestra por que estaba en el dominio publico , pues te equivocas!!! el si pago por ella ! aunque una obra se encuentre en el dominio publico hay que pagar a la disquera por usarla!!!!! cuando van a entender que esta version no es la original!!!!!! la muestra original del coro la tiene enigma!!!!! esta es una copia mal hecha de Dan Lacksman , es una version folclorica y la de enigma es mas moderna, y original!!!!!.

[FELIPE3802]

@goldbluntz AMIGO NO LE ENTIENDO LO QUE ESCRIBIO , PERO SI NO SABES BIEN LA HISTORIA DETRAS DE TODO ESTO MEJOR NO HABLES OK . BYE!!!!

[goldbluntz]

@FELIPE3802 if the tune was in the sphere of public domain, why didn't cretu just rerecord someone else singing it? the answer is simple, because he liked difangs version, but just not enough to pay him for it. SIN LETRAS!? music without words is more than capable of expressing, oh, I don't know, let's sayy love, devotion, feeling, and yeah, emotion too, all without words!

[FELIPE3802]

no me extrañaria que el que esta detras del desprestigio a ENIGMA sea Dan Lacksman , el debe tener mucha envidia por que CRETU descubrio primero que el ese coro, y gracias a DIOS fue asi , por que si lo primero que muchos hubieramos conocido hubiera sido el circulo de la vida no nos hubiera gustado y seguro ese tipo lo hubiera utilizado para DEEP FOREST , GRACIAS A DIOS CRETU LO DESCUBRIO PRIMERO QUE DAN LACKSMAN . HUBIERA SIDO UN TOTAL DESPERDICIO!!!!!

[MyNameIsKit3k]

Why is everyone so fast to get mad at Enigma? Sure at first I raged, but then I realized that I would have never taken to time to listen to a Taiwanese man incoherently chant jibber-jabber otherwise. Try to end ignorance, not start hate.