ON the first Saturday of the fringe, I saw Plastic, a performance by solo artist Minyoung Kim (⭑⭑⭑⭑☆) who incorporates jeongga, a classical vocal style, with the geomungo, a large zither-like instrument that traces its lineage back centuries.

It’s a performance in which Korean musical tradition is repurposed, fusing old instruments with new notes and melodies and styles and across the performance, Kim moves through a variety of genres that range from meditative ambience, to techno and rock. As she notes, this fusion may not always have gone over well with the musical purists in her home country, but for those of in attendance, it was a thrilling performance, with psychedelic visuals immersing us in an entirely new soundscape.

If there’s a criticism to be made, it’s that I felt some of the later rock songs relied a little too heavy on the backing track, which at times came to overwhelm the geomungo in the overall mix. A unique collection of songs that pushes sonic boundaries and certainly worth the time for those who want genuinely new music.  

Fiona Soe Paing’s Sand Silt Flint (⭑⭑⭑⭑☆), works with traditional music from the other direction, bringing old songs and styles in creative contact with new arrangements and modern instruments. With a wonderfully curated video projection of coastal and country landscapes behind her, this performance of old Scottish ballads and new compositions is an immersive experience, the sort that gives you nostalgia for a time you never knew, but that feels so familiar.

Soe Paing, wearing a costume of branches, fishing nets and leaves is our spirit guide embodying the Scottish landscape, her voice opening up a passage between our world and the past. The modern arrangements of the ballads and the style are unobtrusive, with electronic sounds used sparingly, which maintains the organic effect of the performance, although it would be interesting to see if the soundscape could be pushed further in this direction.

Plastic runs until August 31 at Summerhall. Tickets: summerhallarts.co.uk.

Sand, Silt, Flint runs at Jade Studio at Greenside until August 22. Tickets: edfringe.com.