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Identical twins Ming & Ping were born and raised in urban Hong Kong, and are now based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2002 in San Francisco with their producer and creative director, Bao Vo. Since their 2004 debut release, the duo has been amassing a devoted following with their New-Wave inspired Electro-pop songs and copious amounts of visuals and unique brand extensions. Ming & Ping’s trusted group of collaborators has played a vital role in visualizing the twins’ electrifying music in a vivid multimedia stage show, earning the act a reputation of being more of a performance art project than just a band. Taking cues from their musical brother-in-law, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the group has recently made unique efforts to redefine the music industry as they self-release their 4th full-length, simply titled “Ming & Ping.” To support the album, the group has launched a revamped, fan-centric social networking website, a unique Asian-themed pre-sale/fundraising "festival" on www.mingping.com, branded iPhone applications like "Ming & Ping Pong," and even a bi-weekly YouTube show called "The Ming & Ping Spicy Show," with more to come.
Ming & Ping’s new album continues to show off their instinct for memorable hooks and sophisticated vocal arrangements against an electronic backdrop. For the first time, the group has incorporated live drums to keep up with the energy of their stage performances. The opening and closing numbers, “Return to Zero” and "HK/SF/LA" cap the album’s 12 tracks in gapless format to create a hyper-realistic narrative through the cities and environments that shape the twins’ retro-inspired sound. Their dramatic production, juxtaposed with an 8-bit/Nintendo aesthetic, easily makes way for brighter tracks like “Vanilla,” whose tongue-in-cheek lyrics document the twins’ recent relocation to Los Angeles and the warmer, ballad-like “Mixed Melodies,” which is kissed by the guest vocals of Mariqueen Maandig (ex-West Indian Girl.) The twins also go into more moody and ethereal places during their sonic journey with the track “After the End,” whose brooding bassline opens up to the liberated and defiant proclamation, “We will never die.”
The twins’ extravagant multimedia live show has put them on the tails of acts like Fischerspooner and Of Montreal. Starting with a visually dazzling intro themed after a Sci-Fi Cantonese Opera, the party continues with Ping appearing over a video projection, elaborate makeup and costume changes, a multi-talented stage crew called the Ming & Ping Dynasty, and a house full of manic-happy fans storming the stage. In the past few years of performing, Ming & Ping have refined their use of video, costumes and highly orchestrated audience involvement. Vo, their creative director, says about this: “In the past we’ve been very ambitious with our stage show but only after repeated performances were we able to conclude that it was most important to give the audience a one-of-a-kind experience with great dance music and not imitate our CD’s onstage.”
Ming & Ping’s sophisticated treatment of electronic-based songwriting and their attentiveness to lyricism have earned them comparisons to contemporary bands like Hot Chip and Postal Service while their youthful, melodic energy calls up dance-rockers Bloc Party and Shiny Toy Guns. Their awareness of self and environment recalls subject matter like that of pop classics Gary Numan, Pet Shop Boys or Depeche Mode while their cultural background gives them a unique perspective. 
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