Music Student Builds Counterfeit Virtuoso: The End of the Musician as We Know It?

Music student builds 'virtual musician in pure software: fools serious music world with his invention. Experts tripping over themselves to authenticate Chinese virtuoso who is said to be fugitive from Chinese authorities.

(PRWEB) August 25, 2004 -- Weve all heard of hackers. Weve all heard of forgers. Now a kid has managed to build a 'virtual musician in pure software and has fooled the serious music world with his invention. Experts from all over the world are tripping over themselves to authenticate a Chinese virtuoso named Yang Li who is said to be 'on the lam from the Chinese authorities and hiding in the cultural backwaters of Glasgow, Scotland.

This is the premise of a new book by Francis Ellen called The Samplist. Ellen has not only written the book, but actually recorded the music of Yang Li on an accompanying CD and made it available on his publishers website (www.ronak-publishing.com) for free download.

Ellen has written the story as a novel (although he claims -- way off the record -- that it actually happened, but Id rather not get sued") and its a great read. Its funny, its sexy, it draws a completely new angle on serious music and the fusion (or re-integration" as Ellen prefers to call it) of art and science. Its part of the new renaissance thats currently underway," he says. The world is more violent and awful than its ever been. But hidden away from the headlines a revolution is happening. Theres a coming together, a melding, a fusion taking place quietly. We cant see it too well because its being drowned out by idiot politicians bent on murdering each others populations, but when the smoke clears people will become aware of something quite wonderful. The Samplist is my contribution to a little corner of the future where computer science and music and literature are indistinguishable."

Writer creates characters create character creates music," said a spokesperson for Ronak Publishing. Publishing is due for a shake-up. The big boys are asleep. Theyre cranking out celebrity dollar-harvesters on narrow bandwidth. The industry is wide open. Its stale and boring. It looks like popular music before punk and new wave hit. Great writers are falling from the sky 'cause the big guns only want 'certainties. Weve found a gem in Ellen. Hes done something quite new and vital. This is the funniest book Ive read since Catch-22, and I dont know where Ellen gets the music but its beyond belief. He didnt even submit to big publishing houses. He wanted creative control and we gave it to him. Hes already written some very successful things under various pseudonyms. He has a very playful and refreshing approach and a writing style unlike anything Ive ever seen, its like easy-to-read literary fiction, its poetic but gritty, its elegant but streetwise. Ellen demanded that we form a new imprint to launch the book. Ronak Publishing is dedicated to innovation and entertainment in writing. We have some interesting things in the pipeline."

Francis Ellen has worked as an editor, feature writer and columnist in London and Mexico City, and as a technical writer in Silicon Valley. He has a degree in music and a masters degree awarded by the department of mathematics and computing science at Stirling University. He lives in Glasgow with his wife and son.