Current Projects - Matthew Lien

Watch this page for updated information as new projects are initiated, developed and released.

Updated December 1, 2008
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Matthew's latest CD released with three Taiwan Emmy-award nominations!

Matthew's latest CD "Adventures in the Hakka Heartland" was recently released to the news of three award nominations.

The CD is the re-mixed and re-mastered original music which Matthew's created for the TV series "Ha-Fun Taiwan," which was aired on Taiwan's Hakka TV channel under the Public Television system.

The series was co-created and co-hosted by Matthew, with each episode venturing into remote regions to discover unknown musicians -- both young and old -- of the Hakka minority ethnic group.

Field recordings in the homes, local tea fields and temples of Hakka musicians were later produced with additional arrangements, and presented at the end of each episode as a recap of that episodes people and stories.

The hope was to raise more awareness of this important ethnic group.

News of the three Golden Bell nominations (Taiwan's Emmy-equivalent) was a welcome and joyous surprise. The nominated categories are Best Sound and Music, Best Crossover Series, and Best Director.

NOW AVAILABLE! - Matthew Lien's "Arctic Refuge" SACD

Matthew's long-awaited new album Arctic Refuge has been released as a Hybrid SACD.

During recording sessions at Bryan Adam's Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC, Arctic Refuge was produced in the high-resolution stereo and the 5.1 surround-sound DSD formats, which have been manufactured as a hybrid stereo/multi-channel SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) compatible with all standard CD players (playback on standard CD players is in stereo only).

Arctic Refuge is Matthew's music and sound exploration of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and Canada's north-western range of the Porcupine River caribou herd which calve in the refuge.

This composition and sound-design accomplishment represents several years of composing and the field recording of rare natural sounds, during his numerous expeditions to these remote areas. The album has already enjoyed an enthusiastic release in southeast Asia in the stereo-CD format while final preparations were being made for its multi-channel high-resolution SACD debut.

Visit "The Music" section of this website for more information, and to order Arctic Refuge online.

"Bleeding Wolves" released as a re-mastered CD, and a 5.1 SACD

Matthew's album "Bleeding Wolves" celebrated its 10th birthday as a re-mastered special edition CD re-release, and a new 5.1 surround sound SACD release.

The CD features improved sound quality resulting from re-mastering, and new artwork design.

The Hybrid SACD edition features a high-resolution DSD stereo program derived from the original half-inch master tapes, and a 5.1 surround-sound program resulting from a complete re-mixing of the album. The re-mixed 5.1 program also includes sound effects and instruments not included in the original CD version.

A standard "red book" CD layer is also included, making the disc compatible with normal CD players (but in stereo only).

Matthew re-mixed the album into 5.1 with his engineer Michael Harris in February 2005 at Signature Sound. The stereo and 5.1 programs were mastered with Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

This special 10th anniversary edition of Bleeding Wolves has enjoyed an entirely new promotion campaign, exposing the music to a new generation of music lovers. Proving to be a successful promotion, the album reached the 10,000 unit mark within weeks of its re-release.

"An Island Called Earth"

In the words of Matthew Lien:

Long-considered, I now feel prepared to embark on the project An Island Called Earth. The project will endeavour to present the human and environmental conditions of the world, from the wealthy to the fatally impoverished; from the pursuits of unwise energy policies to the destruction and decimation of natural environments (which includes our own "human habitat," lest we forget...). The project is inspired by the crises which exist in the world today, and which do have solutions should we choose to prioritize.

Somewhere, a child is starving to death, while somewhere else there is decadence, luxury and wealth beyond comprehension.
Somewhere, glorious natural habitats are dying as a result rising global temperatures, while somewhere else companies and governments are obsessing over continued oil development.
Somewhere, a nation is using military might to bring another to its knees, while someplace else millions live in peace.

This project will result in a CD, a 5.1 SACD, a DVD Video, and a concert tour which will use extensive video projection to emphasize these stark realities. I am very excited about this project, and plan to involve humanitarian and environmental groups who are aiding those in need.