Due for release in January 2026, MADLANDS marks the PENTATONE debut of pianist and composer Yang Bao, offering a stunningly beautiful and audacious journey into what it means to be human amid the rising tides of artificial intelligence and ecological upheaval. Written for piano, six strings, and a palette of analog synthesizers – including the Korg PS-3300 and MiniMoog – Bao’s eleven compositions reimagine identity and belonging in a world where human, machine, and nature co-exist in delicate, suspenseful symbiosis.
“The title MADLANDS originates from my solo exhibition at the Long Museum in Shanghai in 2024, which explored the connection and tension between the human and nonhuman worlds through sound sculptures and mixed-media works. Within these sculptures—such as Superstar—a chance-based matrix of my compositions, Infinity Music, multiplied and echoed unpredictably through space, forming a living symphony: at times discordant, at times harmonious. To me, it felt like listening to the universe itself.
I’ve long been fascinated by how sound moves through time, reshaping our sense of space, memory, and emotion. With MADLANDS, I reimagine sound as something tangible and immersive, a force that traverses boundaries and alters perception.
Trained as a classical pianist, I often begin with a vision of sound and expand it into physical form—sculptures, videos, and paintings that invite introspection and echo the immediacy of live performance. Guided by instinct, I follow what I hear and give it shape.
This album grew from that same impulse. Each piece reflects a moment I wanted to hold onto. For me, MADLANDS is more than an album; it is a way of making sense of the world through sound.“
Yang Bao
MADLANDS is an album for the future – a contemplative, bold, and deeply human exploration of consciousness, connection, and the fragile beauty of a world in flux.
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: 2 January 2026
PHYSICAL RELEASE DATE: January 2026
