{"id":20884,"date":"2026-06-16T08:52:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=20884"},"modified":"2026-06-16T08:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:54:07","slug":"jah-wobble-tian-qiyi-unleash-psychedelic-beatles-reimagining-with-tomorrow-never-knows-first-glimpse-of-mystic-liverpool-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=20884","title":{"rendered":"Jah Wobble & Tian Qiyi unleash psychedelic Beatles reimagining with ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, first glimpse of ‘Mystic Liverpool’ album"},"content":{"rendered":"
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East London bassist and producer Jah Wobble<\/strong><\/a> and Liverpool-based ethno-psychedelic duo Tian Qiyi<\/strong><\/a> present their new single ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’<\/strong><\/a>, the first offering from the forthcoming album ‘Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles’ Psychedelic Psongbook’<\/strong><\/a>, out August 14th via Cherry Red Records<\/a> <\/strong>and Wobble’s label 30 Hertz<\/strong><\/a>. A deeply personal reimagining of The Beatles\u2019 psychedelic period, these songs are framed within a soundscape of Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ – the closing track on The Beatles’ 1966 album ‘Revolver’ – may have been penned by John Lennon<\/strong> and Paul McCartney<\/strong>, the title lifted from a phrase coined by Ringo Starr<\/strong>, but Jah Wobble (aka John Wardle) <\/strong>and his sons John T Wardle <\/strong>and Charlie Wardle<\/strong> (aka Tian Qiyi) have made this song uniquely their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jah Wobble<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>is a founding member of Public Image Ltd (PiL) and <\/strong>formed Invaders of the Heart<\/strong> in 1982. In his 50-year career, he has achieved chart success, a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a rich discography. He has collaborated with Can’s Holger Czukay<\/strong>, Jaki Liebezeit<\/strong>, U2’s The Edge <\/strong>and producer Fran\u00e7ois Kevorkian<\/strong>, in addition to Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Connor, Massive Attack, Ginger Baker, Bj\u00f6rk, Brian Eno<\/strong>, Pharoah Sanders<\/strong> and, most recently, Horace Andy<\/strong> on his ‘Timeless Roots’ album<\/strong><\/a>, Ken Boothe <\/strong>on his ‘Old Fashioned Ways’ album<\/strong><\/a>, and Jon Klein <\/strong>on the ‘Automated Paradise’<\/strong><\/a> album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tian Qiyi<\/a> <\/strong>takes their name from John T Wardle <\/strong>and Charlie Wardle<\/strong>‘s Chinese middle names, Tian Qi and Tian Yi. Meshing British, Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions, their music bridges cultures to forge a sound that also weaves in post-punk and experimental production, their sound imbued with magnetic tension between ancient tradition and dub futurism, East and West, land and spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album draws largely on Jah Wobble\u2019s signature dub bass, John T\u2019s drums, Chinese percussion and yangqin, and Charlie\u2019s erhu and vocals. Their clever rendition of \u201cStrawberry Fields Forever\u201d also sees Charlie playing morin khuur with the boys’ mother Zi Lan Liao<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>\u2014 a Royal Academy of Music\u2013trained harpist and the most recognized gu-zheng performer worldwide \u2014 joining on gu-zheng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jointly produced by Jah Wobble, John T and Charlie, this album was recorded and mixed by John T at Pagoda Studios<\/strong> in Liverpool, where Tian Qiyi is now based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Liverpool connection runs even deeper through their family. Zi Lan\u2019s father, Mr K.H. Li (Liao Gui Xiong)<\/strong>, arrived from Guangzhou in 1981 as Chinese Cultural Officer at the Pagoda and went on to establish the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra<\/strong> <\/a>\u2014 the ensemble Zi Lan (now also director of Pagoda Arts Centre<\/strong><\/a>) runs and that both her sons grew up playing in from the age of three. The record is dedicated to him; a lifelong Beatles fan, he owned everything they ever released on vinyl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe track that flipped it for me as a kid was \u2018Strawberry Fields Forever,\u2019\u201d says Jah Wobble<\/strong>. \u201cI didn\u2019t have the language for what was going on in that song \u2014 I just knew it was more than music. The words you\u2019d reach for are the ones people use about psychedelia: ego dissolution, a sense of unity, cosmic connection. I consider dub music to fit into the psychedelia genre, and John T grew up listening to dub, so Mystic Liverpool was always going to have that sensibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album moves through The Beatles\u2019 psychedelic-era songbook with Chinese instrumentation and dub-inflected mixing, treating the material as the genuinely mystical music it always was rather than as nostalgic covers. As listeners will be pleased to discover, “Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Magical Mystery Tour” are particular touchstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is out now, available from digital music platforms<\/strong><\/a>, including Apple Music<\/strong><\/a> and Spotify<\/strong><\/a>. On August 14th, the ‘Mystic Liverpool’ album – now available for pre-order<\/a> <\/strong>– <\/strong>will be released digitally and as a CD Digipack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tian Qiyi (with guest Jah Wobble) performs in Todmorden on June 18th at The Golden Lion in Fielden Square<\/strong><\/a>. Jah Wobble is touring the UK throughout 2026 with The Invaders Of The Heart, with tickets available at https:\/\/jahwobble.com\/#live<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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