Shueh-li Ong: A Well-oriented Misorientation

Shueh-li Ong’s new album, “MissOriented Metaphor,” once again confirms the talent of the Australian-born, Singaporean origins Nashville musician. The possible initial feeling of disorientation in front of the kaleidoscope of sensations evoked by this work is soon dispelled by the songs’ compositional solidity and the album’s internal coherence.

And here we are again talking about an old friend from Nashville (via Australia and Singapore), Shueh-li Ong.

Shueh-li plays the theremin, and she plays it very well. But she also plays many other instruments; she is a multi-instrumentalist, as they say. For example, in her latest album, MissOriented Metaphor, she plays, among others, the tin whistle; how cool is that? She has a classical education – and it shows – but one of her many artistic qualities is certainly eclecticism, in a good way, I would say very good, in the sense that she is comfortable in a spectrum of musical genres, in each of which she is perfectly at ease and transcends them in her way. And aren’t musical genres artificial constructs? There is music, and there are infinite ways to express yourself through it.

And that’s precisely what Shueh-li Ong does when she creates her music. Yes, because Shueh-li, in addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, is a talented composer and producer. One could be pedantic and detect influences of various kinds in Shueh-li Ong’s music and try to stick a label on her. But it would be a sterile, as well as useless, job. What is striking in Shueh-li’s music is the compositional solidity, which is the constant that makes the changes in genre and any influences irrelevant. You may or may not like Shueh-li Ong’s music (I do!), but intrinsic quality and originality are facts.

Another thing that Shueh-li Ong is very good at is choosing the musicians she surrounds herself with from time to time. Not only does she choose very talented musicians, but she can also direct them while leaving them free to enrich her music.

But let’s cut it out! This is not meant to be a review of Shueh-li Ong’s latest beautiful album but an interview, so let’s let Shueh-li speak.

Saggini: MissOM4 is a beautiful and courageous album. I would dare to say reckless since, in my opinion, it is not for everyone and risks arousing idiosyncratic reactions. It is also different from your previous works. Can you tell us about the genesis and motivations of this work? Who is it aimed at? And what is the meaning of the title: “MissOriented Metaphor”?

Ong: Thank you for your kind words, Valerio. Instead of “reckless” may I offer “adventurous” to describe the approach to the album? My Modus Operandi when it comes to writing has always been to jolt the listener out of their comfort zone. This deliberation is also the way I like to challenge myself in the creation of new music, new performance devices, and new delivery methods.
My YouTube channel documents a few of these experiments; one worth checking out is my use of the vocoder, harmoniser and two theremins in a one-person improv system. The video called “White-Coat Empathy” can be found in my Vlog playlist.

Since the last time we chatted, I have explored and learnt even more. And I wanted to document these lessons in new compositions that would also form new concert repertoire. So the material went through road-tests as I wrote them. I invite my fans to enjoy these new experiences and appreciate that many experiments were employed to further explore and extend the musicality of the theremin.
The theremin has mostly existed in the land of scifi/horror movies and heavy vibrato. Much emphasis has also been placed on pitch accuracy when playing the theremin, neglecting its natural inclination for glissando.
This is my humble observation, which has motivated me to offer several ideas in the playing of this instrument. And whilst other thereminists have found their own areas of interest, my approach has been to apply various effects to its voice to stretch its ability to “vocalize”. Each effect alters the approach to playing musical lines e.g. adding distortion makes the Attack crisp, adding Wah adds vowels and consonants to its voice; such as in track#1 Izeibila. Track#5 MicroTunneling is one with a microtonal-ish environment.

I have a sizable following in the prog-rock family. My supporters also include those who appreciate the genres I write in. I am most grateful for their support! I hope that everyone who listens to the album will find something musically meaningful and enjoyable. The best approach is to treat the experience like a walk through a sonic candy store; open your ears to the smells and taste of the offering.

The album is titled MissOriented Metaphor. The title plays on the word “oriental”, a term I’ve considered for some time now. Though considered old school, this term still exists in the lingo of some circles to denote an item from the East. Here it appears in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
“Disoriented” conjures up a lack in direction, while “metaphor” refers to Cassandra, the daughter of Troy in Greek mythology, who was given the gift of prophecy but cursed to have her prophecies disbelieved.

The complete title of the album was a response to well-meaning advice suggesting that I should not shape an album like a concerto or even call it one, along with opinions about how the theremin should be represented.
Like Cassandra, my creative intentions typically manifest first as vaporware – intangible and impalpable. Only I get to indulge in its fantasy. And in my mind, my 5th album was to be a concerto!
Fortunately, unlike Cassandra, I got the chance to show that these fantastic aspirations were not misguided but entirely feasible. I enjoy that feeling of empowerment when I bring these visions to life!

MissOM4 emulates a concerto by offering six movements with various sections that have mixed genres, and with motivic repetition/variation, different tempi, and solo cadenzas. It has the theremin and synths, with tin-whistle on one track, as soloists.

All my albums have been self-produced/managed, including design and photography. The 5th album could be considered a concept album that could be turned into a concept show. With that said, the tracks can be consumed as part of a whole body or independent of the album. There is no preferred method as each track has its own tale to tell and was planned that way. In fact most every track exists in several smaller sections that are of mixed genres. And though the mission was experimentation and documentation, and creating meaningful music, like all my work, I also want to entertain the listener!

Saggini: I think your modest observation is also very correct. It is not out of place to ask why a composer, for example, would consider including the theremin in his work nowadays. With the infinite possibilities offered by electronic musical instruments, these are no longer the times when Edgard Varèse had to chase after Léon Theremin to obtain the musical tools necessary to realize his ideas. It is not even a question of sound because each model of theremin has its timbre. So, while the precision of intonation is an essential condition, I believe that the immense expressive potential of the theremin is what makes it unique. Have you ever discussed this topic with other thereminists, or in general with other musicians?

Ong: I have not had the opportunity to conduct formal dialogue over the expressivity of the theremin and how to enhance its use with a thereminist. The instrument requires such special study and dedication that each thereminist must harness energy from their own instrument; as each instrument offers the musical essence that inspires its player. For those using a traditional theremin without a scale-constrain function, the study required to play musically can take years.
And articulating the conditions for optimal theremin performance and its challenges to a non-thereminist is no easy task, especially when aiming for a meaningful discussion about its expressiveness.
To respond to your Edgard Varèse-Leon Theremin story, my honest opinion is that no electronic instrument nor software plugin could truly mimic the real-life performance of the theremin or the Theremincello which Varèse did also write for. The Ondes Martenot and musical saw .. which may be easier to locate, do still require some form of performance mastery to play musically. But I get what you were going for!