What does Paul Cheneour & Zhuyang Liu sound like?

Experimental guzheng and flute arrangements.

The review of ‘Fire Serpent’ by Paul Ceneour & Zhuyang Liu

Zhuyang Liu is an artist who usually mixes electronic experimentalism with her bombastic guzheng playing. Known for creating art installations that fuse her music with visual scenes, ‘Fire Serpent’ is a more acoustic-focused departure for her. Teaming up with long-time collaborator, flautist and composer Paul Cheneour, the pair created ‘Fire Serpent’, a collection of semi-improvisational pieces.

Across the 71 minutes of music, the 12 tracks contain different moods but similar approaches. Liu’s guzheng performances range from tender moments of reflection (‘Crying Out’ and ‘Levitate’), to peppy moments of tradition (‘Moon Calendar’), to cinematic intrigue and emotional conflict (‘Resolving’). Along the way, Cheneour switches to a new type of flute to match the mood for each track, and the pair play like coils wrapped around each other. When Liu unfurls in cascades, Cheneour flutters and peaks. When a solemnly bent twang is left lingering, a breathy sigh from the wind instruments sends a cool panoramic sigh across the speakers. The two have worked together across multiple projects and know exactly how to complement each other well.

Whilst this album is far less jazzy or experimental than their previous collaborations, moments of electronica or surprise still emerge. ‘Green Dragon’ has a new age glassy synth underpinning the piece, and occasional synths and percussive gongs pop up in more tonally led pieces like ‘Open Lotus’. The latter track has a superb string-bending frenzy for a finale, letting moments of experimental fun spill out. However, this album is by far the most immediate and approachable that Zhuyang Liu has released, and the reason why is the acoustic-first approach. It keeps even the most meandering of pieces from feeling too obscure, as the performances are so stately and relaxing.

If you are looking for an hour of complex and sumptuous guzheng and flute originals, ‘Fire Serpent’ is a beautiful collection of tracks. With nods to traditional melodies hiding underneath emotive and expressive original music and improvisation, each listen sounds like an intimate royal performance. This is one of my favourite random discoveries of 2026, and will be a great gateway into the more jazz fusion styled approach the duo have performed up until now.

Recommended track: Moon Calendar

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