Glow Curve 发光曲线

Glow Curve talks to Loreli about dirty Beijing and utilizing fragments to construct song lyrics at Live Beijing Music's Winter Pitch Music Fest way back in January at DDC.

Posted April 28, 2016

Bilingual Transcript of Interview:

 Amy: OK, can you introduce yourselves?

Xue Ran: I’m Xue Ran, the guitar player of Glow Curve

Yu Mo: I’m drummer Yu Mo.

Wang Zhenni: I’m bass, Wang Zhenni.

*guitar player Xing Jianbo (邢江波) was not present during this interview.

Amy:你们自我介绍一下吧。

薛染: 我是薛染，发光曲线的吉他手。

雨墨：鼓手雨墨

王甄妮：贝斯，王甄妮

*吉他手邢江波没有参加此次采访

Amy: How long have you been around?

Glow Curve: 4 years.

Amy: 你们做这个乐队有多久了？

发光曲线：四年了

Amy: How did you meet each other?

Glow Curve: I first met our guitar player Bobo. Zhenni is my wife; she joined the band because we initially didn’t have a bass player. We all live in Tongzhou.

Amy: 你们怎么认识的？

发光曲线：我先认识的吉他手波波，然后甄妮是我老婆。我们没有贝斯手，她就来了。我们都住在通州。

Amy: What are your influences? Your music is very unique.

Glow Curve: We’re influenced by lots of things, not just limited to music but movies and everything that goes on around us. Even hearing a pop song on the street can affect us. Humans are heavily influenced by their environment. Music wise, we like Radiohead, The Turtles, Nirvana… a lot of stuff.

Amy: 你们的音乐影响来自哪里？平时听什么音乐？你们的音乐很特别。

发光曲线: 受太多的影响了。也不只是音乐，包括电影啊身边发生的一切都会造成影响。偶然间在街上听到一个流行歌可能也会影响我。人是环境动物，都会受影响。音乐方面的话我们喜欢Radiohead, Turtles, Nirvana… 太多了。

Amy: What kind of lyrics do you write? What’s the subject of your lyrics?

Glow Curve: Our lyrics are like fragmented poetry, vignettes or snapshots of moments. We utilize the countless fragments to construct our language. This is rare, even in Chinese poetry. That’s the gist. This type of writing uses a lot of imagery and and symbolization. Our lyrics invite you to generate images in your brain, but it doesn’t do more than that. That is what we offer: a visceral experience. It doesn’t necessarily tell you anything.. . the stories have to come from yourself and your experiences.

Amy:你们的歌词是什么类型的？你们的歌词的对象或主题是什么？

发光曲线：歌词是碎片化的诗，片段。我们运用无数的碎片的语言。在中文，包括诗里面很少有这样的东西。以此类推吧。这是意象化的东西。我们的歌词让你能够看到后在脑海里产生一些画面，这个就是我们给你的东西。但不一定会告诉你任何事情，这些事情需要你自己去体验。

Amy: Is your audience mostly Chinese or foreigners?

Glow Curve: Both. There are a lot of foreigners who listen to our music.

Amy: 你们的听众大部分是中国人嘛？还是外国人？

发光曲线：都有。也有特别多的外国人。

Amy: You’re under the Mondernsky record label now? How do you like being on the record label?

Glow Curve: Yep. The label doesn’t get in the way, especially when it comes to music. We have the freedom to write and record whatever we want, including our ideas, exhibitions we’d like to do, etc. They’re supportive. The only catch is we have to attend certain events, like music festivals… you have to be there.

Amy:你们现在是签在摩登天空这儿，你们喜欢和唱片公司合作吗？

发光曲线： 是的。公司不会管。特别是音乐，音乐是我们自由创作的。我们想做什么样的音乐，包括我们想做的事情，展览，他们都会支持。唯一的约束就是一些演出，比如音乐节，你必须去演。

Amy: How do you find the music scene in China and in Beijing? And Why?

Glow Curve: Very chaotic. Everything’s dirty. We came to Beijing with expectations and hope and all that… but when we actually got here we found that a lot of things were different from our imaginations. There are good times and bad times, there’s everything. It has a certain grim and callous aspect to it. It’s a ruthless place. This is a normal phenomenon. In Chinese philosophy, yin cannot exist without yang. You have to actively face this reality. We’ve done this vigorously. To live here, you gotta be a little humorous about the paradox.

Amy:你觉得北京，或者中国的音乐环境怎么样？

发光曲线：乱七八糟。 所有的东西都脏。我们最早来到北京就是充满了向往，带着希望或者什么的。但你来到之后发生的东西和你想象中是不一样的。当然有开心的也有不开心的，什么东西都有。它有很多冷的一面。它是冷酷的地方。这是很正常的现象。在中国哲学里有阳面也有阴面。你要积极去面对这个事实。我们都是积极的人。但是你要在这儿生活你得有一些幽默感，逆向思维也好悖论也好。

Amy: Do you find that the scene here collaborative or lonely?

Glow Curve: Both. The process of realizing an idea is very lonesome, especially conceptual idea about music. But for external events like putting on shows and that, friends are always there to help, because most of the time that’s the only thing they can do. If you want to explore a new concept or idea, your friends may or may not give you some inspiration. Other than that, we get a lot of external help. You choose your friends.

Amy:你觉得这的音乐氛围促进合作吗？还是有些孤山一脚？

发光曲线：都有都有。我觉得在音乐理念或者概念上，从有想法到去实施的过程中你是很孤独的。但是当然外在的东西，要是想演出，总有朋友会愿意帮助你，他们只能帮助你这些。你如果想探索新的东西，朋友也可能能给你一些灵感，也可能没有。其他的话，外在的帮助太多了，出门儿靠朋友。

Streets Kill Strange Animals

Streets Kill Strange Animals talk to Loreli at Live Beijing Music's Schoolhouse Rock Vol 1. at School Bar about their upcoming album and how they got started.

Posted April 21, 2016

Miao 庙

Miao talks to Loreli about their 13 years as a band and their upcoming album at Live Beijing Music's Winter Pitch Music Fest way back in January at DDC.

Posted April 13, 2016

Bilingual Transcript of Interview:

Amy: Let’s start by introducing yourselves.

Li Qun: I’m the lead vocals and guitar, Li Qun

Liu Ning: I’m on the guitar, Liu Ning

Da Hong: Drums, Da Hong

Bass: I’m on bass, Huan Feng

Amy: 大家可以自我介绍一下吗？

李群：我是庙的主唱兼吉他，李群

刘宁：我是吉他，刘宁

大宏：我是鼓手，大宏

贝斯：我是贝斯，郇峰

Amy: What’s the name of the band?

Miao: Temple – Miao

Amy: 乐队的名字是什么？

庙：Temple - 庙

Amy：How long have you guys been playing?

Miao: Thirteen, fourteen years? More than ten years. Since we were in school together

Amy: 你们一起弹多久了？

庙：十三，十四。从上学那时候开始的

Amy: Did you guys meet in university?

Miao: We met when we were in middle school.

Amy: 你们是在大学认识的吗？

庙：中学之后

Amy: Wow, really! You guys have known each other for a long time.

Miao: Fucking around from 20 all the way to 40!

Amy:哇，真的吗？那你们认识很久了！

庙:从20岁一直混到40岁。

Amy: So how have you seen the music scene change in 13 years?

Miao: Not as good as before. It seems.. slightly more commercial now, without the rock ‘n roll atmosphere that we had when we were just starting out. I guess now pop music and TV music shows are doing much better. In terms of rock music, it’s going down.

Amy:你们觉得这十几年北京的音乐环境都经过了什么改变？

庙:没有以前好。现在有点商业了，没有刚开始那几年的摇滚氛围好。现在流行，电视节目比较好。摇滚乐好像没有以前那种感觉。

Amy: Why do you think your band lasted this long?

Miao: Because we have our own stuff that we and the audience both like. Even people who have not listened to our music might enjoy it.. it’s just that they haven’t had a chance to listen to it. I want to last till the day they get to hear our music. If they don’t like it, fair enough. Not enough people are listening nowadays, they simply don’t know. We should be working harder to at least get our music heard. It’s not their problem.

Amy:你觉得为什么你们坚持了这么久？

庙:因为我们有自己的东西，也喜欢。也知道很多人也会喜欢，只不过他们没听到。我们希望能做到他们听到的那一天。要是没什么作用的话，那再说。但现在人们听得太少了，根本都不知道。是我们做得不够，并不是他们的问题。

Amy: What is success for you?

Miao: Success… eh… hard to say. Everyone has different ideas. The process is more important. Your philosophy and faith are key here.

Amy:成功对你的定义是什么？

庙:成功。。这个。。。不太好说。每个人想的都不一样。过程最重要吧。信念和信仰很重要。

Amy: What is your process for making music?

Miao: Hanging out, rehearsing, drinking together, fucking around, .. It’s the accumulation of all these things.

Amy: Is there a fixed process?

Miao: I guess, but that’s more secondary. For example you write a song and present a motive. One guy nominates it to the other three. If the three of us think, “Ok, this can work,” if we all see it, if we’re all content with it, then the song can come out very quickly. Write the music, write the lyrics, add in a guitar, a bass line, put it all together: done.

Amy:那，可以描述一下你的写作过程吗？

庙：大家在一块儿，排练，玩儿。平时在一块喝酒啊，过程中积累吧。

Amy:所以没有一个固定的方式？

庙：也有,但是那个算是辅助。比如说你创作一首新歌，有一个动机。有一个人想出来，另外三个觉得，“诶，可以玩儿。”都觉得可以玩，都觉得比较满意，就很快就能做出来。先把歌写好，整个歌词有了，然后有大概的一个吉他，再有一个底层的一个线，一块弹，完事儿。

Amy: What’s the future after thirteen years? What’s the next step?

Miao: We just finished recording an album that’s set to come out next year. Lots of activities coming up! Everyone’s welcome to tag along and join in. The preparations should be finished next year.

Amy:下一步有什么打算呢？

庙：专辑刚录完，明年就发了。活动比较多，大家有兴趣的话可以过来参与，捧场也可以。明年就搞定啦。

Amy: What’s the album called and when is it coming out?

Miao: We’ve finished the recording process. The album is in post right now, mixing and all that. It should be out in the first half of 2016. The name will be Dual Personality. It’s very emotional.

Amy: 专辑叫什么？什么时候发行？

庙：已经录完了，现在在做后期。明年上半年吧。起了一个名字，“双重人格”。比较情绪化，双重人格。

Storytelling at The Lit Fest: Kabu Okai-Davies and Lieve Joris

Belgian writer Lieve Joris and Australian writer from Ghana, Kabu Okai-Davies share their stories for Beijing Storytellers at The Bookworm's Literary Festival.

Posted April 4, 2016