Internationally acclaimed guzheng artist, emerging guqin performer, and composer Bei Bei joins forces with London-based composer and producer Paul Elliott on Two Moons, a transcendent new album blending ancient strings with futuristic soundscapes. This contemporary global ambient fusion dissolves the boundaries between past and future, East and West, and tradition and innovation.
ARTIST: Bei Bei
TITLE: Two Moons
RELEASE DATE: February 20th 2026
GENRE: Contemporary Instrumental / Global Electronica
Listening Links
Album Reviews
Bei Bei’s “Two Moons” illuminates lunar elegance with modern depth – Earmilk
The impeccable zither playing is blended with cinematic soundscapes, synth basslines and mid-tempo beats, evoking night-time cityscapes and mid-autumn twilight. – Songlines
This completely stands as a rare fusion of past and present done with humility and vision. It’s not just a celebration of heritage or innovation, but proof that when treated with care, both can coexist beautifully. Without a doubt it’ll be one of the more unique records you’ve heard in a while… – WeWriteAboutMusic
Thoroughly successful in its bridging of classical elements with modern electronic savvy, Two Moons is a lovely listening experience from Bei Bei. – ObsureSound
The Silver Medal at the Global Music Awards was, if anything, modest recognition. *Two Moons* is one of the more quietly essential records of recent vintage — the kind of album that takes several listens to fully reveal itself, and repays that patience handsomely. – IndieDockMusicBlogUK
Two Moons: A calm yet ahead of, the, time fusion of music that allows tradition to be the leading of the future. – ProjectTimbre
At once intimate and expansive, Two Moons is a cinematic ambient-fusion work rooted in the 2,500-year-old lineage of Chinese string instruments while embracing contemporary electronic sound design. Across seven immersive compositions, the luminous voices of the guzheng and guqin intertwine with atmospheric synthesis, analog textures, and modern rhythmic undercurrent—creating a sound world that feels ancient, modern, and timeless all at once.
Based in Los Angeles, Bei Bei brings her signature artistry—renowned for its emotional depth, technical mastery, and cross-cultural fluency—into dialogue with Paul Elliott’s meticulously sculpted electronic compositions. Rather than leaning toward the polished sheen of mainstream electronic production, Two Moons embraces a warmer, more tactile sonic language: rounded edges, tape saturation, analog dustiness, and a distinctly human feel. The result is a form of retro-futurism—nostalgic yet forward-looking—that stands apart from contemporary high-gloss, hi-fi electronic music.
From the outset, Bei Bei and Elliott shared a mutual fascination with lo-fi and analog-leaning electronic music—sounds that feel lived-in, imperfect, and emotionally resonant. That shared aesthetic became the foundation of the album. Elliott committed fully to an analog workflow, using vintage synthesizers and drum machines synced and programmed as living systems, often overdubbing and triggering sounds and effects live as sequences were recorded. Delays and reverbs were printed in real time, allowing the music to evolve organically in the moment rather than being endlessly refined after the fact.
“This way of working might feel like a compromise to contemporary engineers”, Elliott explains, “but for me it was incredibly freeing. It’s how these machines were meant to be used—and it allowed the music to breathe”.
A central challenge—and creative triumph—of Two Moons lies in how the traditional instruments are treated within this electronic framework. The guzheng, in particular, occupies a wide frequency range, and the instinct in a Western production context might be to reshape or restrain its sound. Elliott chose the opposite approach.
“Changing the character of the guzheng to make it more ‘Western-friendly’ would have diluted its emotion”, say Bei Bei and Paul. “Instead, we wove the electronic elements around the instrument—and sometimes let the instrument shape the electronics”.
That philosophy allowed Bei Bei’s playing to remain fully intact—expressive, dynamic, and deeply personal—while merging seamlessly with the analog electronic environment. The album becomes not a hybrid of competing elements, but a unified sonic ecosystem where tradition and technology enhance one another.
Awards
Two Moons received the Silver Medal for World Fusion Album at the Global Music Awards on October 17, 2025.
About Bei Bei (Beibei Monter, 荷蓓蓓)
Based in Los Angeles, Bei Bei is one of the world’s leading guzheng performers — celebrated for her innovative artistry that bridges the ancient and the contemporary. Her evocative playing can be heard on major film and game soundtracks, including Disney’s Mulan, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4, League of Legends, and Civilization VII, for which she also served as Chinese Music Consultant. She has collaborated with global icons such as Christina Aguilera, appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with Will Smith, and performed as a soloist several times with the Pacific Symphony.
Since her 2006 debut, she has released multiple critically acclaimed original albums — Into the Wind (Ubiquity Records), Heart of China (Universal Music), Year of the Funky (Légère Recordings), and Rhythm of China (Hatch for Sleep). Her work has also been featured in the American college textbook World Music: Tradition and Innovation.
Through her collaborations with renowned international artists including Fingazz and Shawn Lee (with whom her music appears in the acclaimed game Sleeping Dogs), Bei Bei continues to expand the global reach of traditional Chinese instruments — transforming them into vehicles for universal emotion and modern expression.
Album Press Coverage
旅美古筝演奏家荷蓓蓓新专辑《双月》正式发布 – 中国新闻网 (ChinaNews.com)
荷蓓蓓新专輯《Two Moons》（双月）千年弦音在电子语境中自然呼吸 – 华人头条 (HuaRenTouTiao)
旅美古箏演奏家荷蓓蓓南加州巡演 展現民樂現代表達 – 美新社
筝弦渡双月 古乐赴新生 东方筝者荷蓓蓓的音乐追梦之旅 – 美华杂志 (MeiHua Magazine)
Guzheng Master Strumming World’s Heartstrings – Women of China Magazine (中国女性杂志）