If Brian Eno were Chinese and had come of age in the era of digital sampling rather than the era of analog tape manipulation, it's very likely that his music would have ended up sounding quite a bit like that of FM3, an avant ambient collective based in China that is expanded, for this recording, by guest drummer Dou Wei, guitarist Christiaan Virant, and electronica artist Yan Jun. The music they make on Hou Gan Yin is a gorgeous fusion of traditional Chinese sounds, abstract noise, faux-natural sound effects (synthesized insect chirps, dripping water, etc.), and floating wisps of harmonically minimalist piano and synthesizer chords. There are no songs as such, and hardly even any tracks, really -- most of the tracks on the program are simply numbered, though a handful of them are rather bewilderingly titled "Wu." Not that it matters: this isn't the type of album that will lead listeners to say "Hey, go back and play that third track again." It's the kind of album that will lead listeners to sit back deeply into the couch and close their eyes for 36 minutes -- and at the end they'll wish it would go on for at least 36 more. Of course, one nice thing about an album like this is that you can set the player on "repeat" and no one will ever notice the repetition. Recommended strongly to anyone who owns at least three Harold Budd albums. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide