zusi Views: Citymemo in Motion

In terms of where Citymemo is in their creative process, well, they’re right in the thick of it. Four out of eight singles completed for their upcoming album, multiple tour dates including live shows and festivals, and all the scrappiness this roughly one year old not-so-pop-rock band can muster…listen closely for a tale as old as indie music itself. 

城市被忘錄正如火如荼的準備他們的LP,已經完成的四個Single之後還要再發布四個,同時不斷地在live show和festival演出。這個一歲左右的“不很流行的流行龐克樂隊”很賣力,仔細聆聽這個樂隊的來龍去脈吧。

It all began on Facebook, responses to a simple call to form a band issued by drummer Roger, who was moving genres to rock from R&B. This attracted the attention of lead singer Katree, who with guitarists Samuel and Tangtang attended Zhongyuan University’s music program and who had an overlay of previous music experience harkening back to middle school cover bands and writing music from high school onwards.  

故事從鼓手Roger在臉書上發出想組樂隊的號召;他當時正從從R&B遷移到搖滾。這個號召由主唱Katree接單 – Katree 曾與吉他手們Samuel和Tangtang念過中原大學的音樂系,Katree更早在國中和高中年代有組樂隊跟寫歌的經驗。

The band is too pop to be punk, too emo to be pop, and not emo enough to be emo – in other words, it straddles the line between different genres while still catering to the crowd. Citymemo has performed to friends, other acts’ friends and bar regulars at Riverside in Gongguan and Revolver near CKS Memorial, both in Taipei. They’ve also graced the stage at the Taiwan Music Festival in Kenting, playing with PAPUN BAND and KST, and have performed overseas at Vancouver’s Jade Music Festival as well. 

這個樂隊說它龐克又太pop,說它pop又太emo,但是emo的話也未必夠emo – 反正扮演了很多不同的角色,不同的genre,為了讓聽眾更喜歡。城市被忘錄已在台北的Riverside和Revolver演出過,還有在墾丁的Taiwan Music Festival, (PAPUN BAND和KST也有表演的那個),另外也在溫哥華的Jade Music Festival表演過。

Touring and performances in of themselves become high risk investments: “We need to cover our own transportation, lodging and practice space fees besides often having to make a ticket sales threshold in order to make money,” Katree says, “and we hardly get a thousand [NTD] per person when we go to festivals.” 

巡演和表演本身就是高風險的投資:“我們必須cover自己的車馬,住宿和彩排的費用除外,常常還要meet一個賣live show門票的門檻,” Katree說,“而且我們去音樂祭都是一個人分一千的。”

For the singles, bassist Steven and the guitarists can record their parts at home, but specialized recording space is still needed for the drums before the band gets a break with a friend doing the mixing. Indie music is hard anywhere, but livehouses in Taipei have been going out of business “left and right” as well, due to increases in rent and the impact of COVID-19. 

對於單曲,貝斯手Steven和吉他手們可以在家裡錄製他們的部分,但在樂隊的朋友進行混音之前,鼓仍然需要專門的錄音空間。獨立音樂在任何地方都很難,但由於租金上漲和COVID-19的影響,臺北的livehouse也“左右”倒閉。

The band counts My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Blink-182 and Avril Lavigne as its main influences, with a couple stories already from their live performances. First dates gone to see Citymemo perform have resulted in multiple relationships, attributable perhaps to the band’s triste but romantic lyrics. “We’re not mainstream, but not super indie either,” says Katree, “we want to encourage everyone to believe in themselves and not be afraid.”

樂隊的主要影響者是My Chemical Romance,Paramore,Blink-182和Avril Lavigne。他們的現場表演已經有幾個故事:比如說第一次約會去看Citymemo的人常常會變成伴侶,這也許歸因於樂隊的陳詞濫調但浪漫的歌詞。“我們不是主流,但也不是超級獨立,”Katree說,“我們希望鼓勵每個人相信自己,不要害怕。

If one side of the Citymemo coin is what the band likes to sing about when they’re feeling down, the other side is warmer, sweeter, not as depressing and built for their target audience of 20-30 year olds. The band’s single “Leave, But I Will Stay” shines a light of hope in an otherwise moment of despair. When Katree performed the band’s songs at a summer camp for children, she felt validated when the kids asked how she knew about how they felt inside – going to show the universal messages inside Citymemo’s music.

如果說Citymemo硬幣的一面是樂隊成員在情緒低落時喜歡唱的歌,那麼另一面則更溫暖,更甜蜜,沒有那麼令人沮喪,並且是為20-30歲的目標聽眾而打造的。樂隊的單曲“走吧,但我會留下”在絕望的時刻閃耀著希望之光。Katree在兒童夏令營表演樂隊的歌曲時,孩子們問她如何知道他們內心的感受時,她感到得到了認可 – 將展示Citymemo音樂中的意義。

So what’s next for the band that wants its music to be a companion to your loneliness? More touring and shows, with Citymemo eyeing international gigs after early success in Vancouver. “Follow our instagram!” Tangtang says. Roger closed out our interview with this to say: “Don’t pay attention to what other people tell you to do, do what you want to do, choose [the advice] you want to listen to.”

那麼,對於希望音樂成為你孤獨時的伴侶的樂隊來說,下一步是什麼?更多的巡演和表演,Citymemo在溫哥華取得早期成功后,著眼於國際演出。“關注我們的Instagram!”Tangtang說。Roger在結束我們的採訪時說:「不要管別人告訴你做什麼,做你想做的事情,選擇你想聽的[建議]。

zusi Views: Night and Dayday, Indie Music Life in China

This interview is about Pale Air’s Dayday: The man, his bar and his band

I first visited Ale Garden for one of the venue’s jam sessions, and later met proprietor Dayday, Shi Xiangtian. Slim of build with a coif of hair and glasses, Dayday wouldn’t look out of place in an office, which is indeed where he spends his days for income. At night, to supplement his earnings and engage his passion for music, he has for the past few years taken on the management of a medium-sized bar and live venue near Fudan University, where I now walk into to partake in Ale Garden’s five-year anniversary.


我第一次来艾尔花园是为了参加这里的即兴演奏会,后来认识了老板天天(史翔天)。他身材瘦削,流着一盘头发,戴着一副眼镜,表面上和办公室里的人并不格格不入。为了补贴平时的收入,他有一份白天的工作。到了晚上,他全身投入自己对音乐的热情。在过去几年里,他负责管理复旦大学附近的一家中型酒吧和现场演出场所。现在我走进这里,参加艾尔花园的五周年庆典。

Dayday is there in his signature glasses, sporting a collared v-neck shirt, and downs a shot of Jim Beam. Within moments he takes the stage with a vital sounding shoegaze band, a wall of sound through almost walls of people. Tonight’s performance again features indie bands Thousand Failures and Yeqiu Quan, just as these groups have performed at previous Ale Garden anniversaries. The place is about half full to start, but gradually fills to capacity of about 40-50 standing. Ale Garden needs to have events, public or private, almost every night, in order to draw the mostly student and recent graduate crowd to the bar.


天天戴着他标志性的眼镜,穿着有领子的V 领衬衫,喝下一个 Jim Beam shot。不一会儿,他就带着一支充满活力的盯鞋乐队登台了。今晚的演出再次由独立乐队千败和野球拳担纲,这两支乐队在之前的艾尔花园周年纪念演出中也有过精彩表演。演出开始时,全场只有一半人,但后来逐渐站满了约 40-50 名观众。艾尔花园几乎每晚都需要举办公共或私人活动,以吸引以学生和新毕业生为主的人群到酒吧来。


Dayday says it all started with a musically-inclined cousin, who played the guitar and piano in addition to traditional Chinese instruments guzheng and erhu. In the summer after high school, Dayday picked up his cousin’s guitar and practiced changing frets and chords while watching TV shows, learning to play Escape Plan’s Ten Thousand Sorrows. 


天天说,对于乐器最早的接触源于他爱好音乐的表姐,他的表姐除了会弹吉他和钢琴外,还会弹中国传统乐器古筝和二胡。高中毕业后的暑假,天天拿起表姐的吉他,边看电视打发时光边练习和弦变化,学会的第一首演奏是逃跑计划乐队的《一万次悲伤》。


While his college roommate was a fingerstyle virtuoso and he spent some time with Fudan University’s rock club, Dayday attributes his time in Taiwan’s Sun Yat-sen University as being most formative, since he played out the kinks in his style there and “pre-made all the mistakes he could make before getting on stage back in Shanghai.” Covering songs by Jay Chou and Metallica and watching the University’s music club put on the Southern District Rock Festival were fun, but his own performances left much to be desired in terms of tightness and professionalism.

 
步入大学,他的大学室友是一位指弹高手,他自己也曾在复旦大学的摇滚俱乐部呆过一段时间,但天天将在他的萌芽主要归功于台湾中山大学的时光,因为他在那里他组了第一支乐队,风格多变,一直在磨合。“在回到上海的舞台上之前,我把所有可能犯的错误都预习了一遍”。翻唱周杰伦和 Metallica 的歌曲,观看大学音乐俱乐部举办的南区摇滚音乐节,这些都很有趣,他也意识到自己的表演在紧凑性和专业性方面还有待提高。


Invigorated by his Taiwan experience, Dayday formed bands in his fourth year of college, including Joint, Red-White Dice, and Before the Mirror which only lasted for a semester each. He graduated with regret for not getting into bands earlier, but this regret propelled him to form shoegaze band Pale Air in 2017, which has continued to the present day. Pale Air being a play on words Pale Ale, a beverage which bassist Li Qingyang has a particular fondness for. The band features Xu Weiyang on drums, guitarist and vocalist Zhang Jiangnan, and guitarist Dayday, and 2017 began a carefree time when the band could “play on effects panels all day long” and “immerse [themselves] in the sea of creation.”


台湾的经历让天天感到振奋,回到大陆已经是大学四年级,他在大学四年级开始组建了 Joint、红白骰子和镜间等乐队,但每支乐队都只维持了一个学期。毕业时,他后悔没有早点玩乐队,这种后悔感促使他延迟毕业一年,也因为这个决定在 2017 年组建了shoegaze 乐队 Pale Air,并一直延续至今。Pale Air是Pale Ale的谐音,贝斯手李清扬对这种啤酒情有独钟。乐队成员包括初代鼓手徐玮良、吉他手兼主唱章江南和吉他手天天,2017 年开始了一段无忧无虑的时光,乐队可以 “整天玩效果器”,”沉浸在创作的海洋里”。


Pale Air got its start in various Fudan venues along with Neo Bar, and is now signed with renowned indie music label Shengjian Records. The band recently released a studio album, their first since beginning the project in 2019, with influences such as Slow Dive, DIIV and Ringo Deathstarr. Prolonged creation of the album came from band members going abroad along with impacts from the pandemic, and succeeded in the end with recordings done in an uncle’s basement and Mark Gardener from Ride’s studio in the UK. Mixing was done by Chi from shoegaze band DoZzz, after the last recorded bits were completed in Dirty Fingers’ studio.


淡色艾尔乐队在周边酒吧和复旦的各个场馆起步,现已签约知名独立音乐厂牌生煎唱片。乐队最近发行了一张专辑,新鼓手灯灯加入,组成了新的阵容。这也是他们自 2019 年开始这个项目以来的第一张专辑,受到了 Slow Dive、MBV、Ride、DIIV 和 Ringo Deathstarr 等乐队的影响。因为乐队成员出国以及疫情的影响,这张专辑创作得很漫长,最终在章江南舅舅的地下室和英国 Ride 乐团的 Mark Gardener 工作室完成了录音。在 Dirty Fingers 工作室完成最后的录音后,混音工作由来自 shoegaze 乐队 DoZzz 的 Chi 完成,母带工作由来自东京茶乐队和下沉广场乐队的园长完成。


For his part, Dayday wonders if he should get started on something other than Ale Garden, which he originally took on because of health reasons. It’s not hard to see him as the driving force and a leader behind Ale Garden’s success – its WeChat posts get hundreds and even thousands of views now in a steady increase from before – and Dayday has tried his hand at organizing shows as well, with mixed results. His experience speaks to the difficulty of making an income in China’s current independent music scene: “It’s hard enough to think about myself, let alone the wider environment,” he admits, but “life becomes more three-dimensional because of music, it records the present, becoming a part of memory.” Here’s hoping fans can appreciate the effort put into the music and Ale Garden before Dayday (maybe) moves on to something new. 

(A jam session at Ale Garden)
对于天天来说,他不知道自己是否应该开始做一些其他的事情。如果最初不是因为健康原因选择不工作而接手了艾尔花园,现在的生活又会是怎样的呢?不难看出,他是艾尔花园成功背后的推动者和领导者–现在艾尔花园微信公众号的浏览量已经达到数百甚至数千,比以前稳步上升。他的经历说明了在中国目前的独立音乐场景中赚取收入的难度: 他坦言:”考虑自己已经很困难了,更不用说考虑大环境,但 “因为音乐,生活变得更加立体,音乐作为一种载体记录了当下,成为记忆的一部分。“ 希望乐迷们能在天天(或许)转向新的领域之前,欣赏到他为音乐和艾尔花园所付出的努力。

zusi Views: Lakipak – An Experiment of Musical Particles

Lakipak: 音乐粒子的实验

When guitarist Nick Aliev asked a veteran Shanghai bassist if he wanted to jam to some of Aliev’s songs, he didn’t expect the answer to be yes. That’s how the backbone of Lakipak was founded in pre-pandemic China, with the group is slated to perform four nights at the Shanghai Lincoln Center jazz club starting in late April. 

吉他手Nick Aliev在疫情前问资深上海贝斯手Fred要不要谈谈他写的歌的时候,“Yes”是出乎他预料的回答。如今Lakipak 会在4/30开始在上海Lincoln Center演出。

Aliev describes Lakipak as a musical experiment: Put experienced musicians together with the outline or “skeleton” of one of his songs, and pretty soon the mostly classical, jazz and gospel-trained members are going to fill out a bass line here or a hook there on their own. Aliev defines the genre solely as jazz/R&B, but listeners of Lakipak – of which there are thousands on Spotify – probably don’t need to pay much attention to labels to enjoy the show, and neither should you. Six singles so far – with more coming soon – feature a whopping four lead singers, which speaks to the inventiveness of the ensemble and its diverse styles, although Veronica will be the crooner taking the stage come April 30th along with keyboardist Chad Higgenbottom, bassist Francis Akwasi and drummer Pascal Naigom.

Lakipak是一个音乐的实验:把经验丰富的音乐家与Aliev的歌结合,原本受古典和爵士乐教育的成员顿时开始演唱Jazz/R&B这么一个东西。别担心-六个single马上会变多,但是四个主唱应该不会了,短时间内以后都由Veronica主唱。

“The goal is to surround myself with better musicians than I am,” Aliev laughed, noting that “there must be something in the water in Mauritius,” where bassist Fred is from, given how many good musicians come from there. Aliev’s own music background is a winning combination of classical and metal, and he describes Lakipak as not for the “casual listener,” due to the group’s music having complexity mixed with a little pop simplicity. The trained ear will hear complex breakdowns with countervailing but at times soaring melodies, bringing a fusion genre to bear in a process that Aliev describes as “just do stuff…it’s more valuable to experiment” at this point in the group’s formation than be tied to any particular style or formula. 

“目的是要找一些比我厉害的乐手,” 包含毛里求斯来的Fred,又是一个那个国家来的音乐奇才。Aliev 自己是古典音乐和重金属的结合品,使得Lakipak在某种程度上不是随便听的音乐,颇有剧情和复杂度,时而反切时而高昂的旋律值得分析,也很值得听进它们的pop内容。这种制作过程被形容为“just do stuff”。

On Lakipak’s signature “Groovin’,” cozy visual cues from Silk Sonic’s pandemic-inspired in-studio music videos mix with decidedly jazzy chords in an R&B style. Anti-war “Without a Gun” reflects the Eastern European origins of some of Lakipak’s members, while the pandemic also saw some musicians stranded in exotic locales for a time or leaving China entirely, although without too much effect on the ultimate composition of the band. 

虽然有乐手在国外待了一阵子,甚至离开中国,疫情并没有重度影响Lakipak的进度,推出视觉上虽受Silk Sonic影响的”Groovin’”,音乐上确属于完全不同的阵地。

“Shanghai is still the capital of Eastern music, with the possible exception of Jakarta or Tokyo – definitely for the Chinese scene, which is starting to get into the spotlight with new performances and artists going abroad,” Aliev describes. Many of the new generation of musicians were trained by a previous generation, which goes to show how Shanghai’s music scene in particular is very welcoming, with people being largely non-judgmental and willing to greet and help out newcomers. 

“上海仍是东方音乐的首都之一,特别是对于中国本土音乐,新上演及出国巡演的艺人多的是,” Aliev说。很多当代的音乐人是被上一代教导的,大家都是互相鼓励的一群人,上海就是这种音乐人人情味特别重的一个地方,对于新手也是。

He has an additional message for readers, delivered with his classic deadpan and laugh: “Come to our show!” 

”来看我们的演出吧!“

zusi Views: Waidiren’s Last Debut?

Waidiren’s front man Will Kemp has been here before – the bands, the music, the eccentric underground art events in subterranean digs – which is why Waidiren’s debut EP album is about the third or fourth thing on the agenda as we meet in one of Shanghai’s swanky, tasty yet decidedly nondescript luxury Thai restaurants for “curry shrimp” and Cab-Sauvs.

外地人的Will Kemp早已见识过了:乐队,音乐,地下室里的诡异艺术。所以我们边吃咖喱虾这个玩意儿边交谈的三四个话题里,外地人的第一张EP反而不是最关键的议题。

“It’s whatever this economic death machine we’re building ourselves, it’s the kind of dialogue that I would feel a pat on the back on playing this game on the toilet of my corporate office.”

“这是经济的自讨苦吃,这种对话会让我边上厕所边打手机游戏的时候有一种被认同的感觉。”

Yes, we’ve all felt the shadowpat-on-the-back before, the quiet conviction of quiet quitting, the “I might as well shit on company dime,” the nagging angst that despite what the corporation is wont to say, you are part of the problem, not the solution.

是的,我们都曾体验过这个感觉,努力躺平的阴影,安静的接受边上班边拉屎的节奏,还有就是觉得所有事情都无药可救了,虽然公司的意见是我们在解决问题,但是很明显的我们自己就是问题。

Will finds meaning in his work now, which somewhat complicates the whole angst of performance rock itself. He simultaneously helps run KAOS in the Underground, an arts, culture and local crafts showcase that puts on monthly performances and mini-festivals in a well-known underground bar in Shanghai. All from tattoo artists to animal rescuers and budding musical talent make an appearance, so Mr. Kemp finds balance, from corporate to underground administration to music-making and performances, although there haven’t been many of those going on recently.

Will 在工作里找到了意义;这稍微与表演艺术/摇滚乐里的无奈产生了一种矛盾。他是KAOS的主办人,一个邀请音乐人,纹身师和救救小动物的爱好者共同努力的活动。Kemp先生在繁忙的工作和兴趣和音乐里找到平衡。

The band’s EP is a whimsical mix of material from Will’s early music in the UK, where he is originally from, and other more recent fare such as “Wake up in Pudong,” another shadowpat everybody can enjoy. Other songs are about his father, who passed away earlier in Will’s life. The music sounds tight and the songs are catchy, so you’ll have to see them for yourself live to garner the full experience of the bilingual quips and gift of the gab that Will holds the audience’s attention with. Make no mistake, their performances are exciting. However a lack of venues due to obvious reasons and changes in band lineup due to other reasons has made it difficult, but not impossible for Waidiren to find their sweet spot.

说到EP,是个环绕着Will早期在老家UK写的音乐和像“我在浦东醒来,”较为近代的作品的风趣创作。其他歌曲写到Will早年去世的父亲。节奏感,韵律十足的歌值得各位在现场聆听,并且享受Will自己研发出来的一套双/三语相声,是从英国,重庆还有在上海学来的各种方言演变出来的。演出是精彩的,但是最近因为标准原因所以变得比较少。

Waidiren performs at C’s Saturday night, possibly to ring in the New Year, which better not be a repeat of 2022.

外地人明天晚上在C’s表演, 可能是半夜跨年时演奏的的乐队。2023年,请对我们好一点。

rgry’s Afternoon Tea / rgry 的下午茶

Randolph the Grey still moves slowly, but the vapes flitting between the table and his fingers give him a less solemn air. It’s an afternoon of pouring rain in September, owing to a hurricane passing north of Taipei. rgry wave-introduces his wife and points out his two infant sons before pulling me into his production cave for some peace and quiet.

灰衣Randolph动作还是挺慢的,但是从他手指里跟桌上之间舞动的vape让他显得不那么老气。今天下午,台北九月刮台风,下大雨。rgry挥手介绍他的太太,指向自己的两个小男婴,方才把我带进他安静的的production cave。

Reaper – rgry’s DAW of choice – is open on an expensive custom rig, along with a simple microphone and keyboard setup. But the award-winning producer tells me he only needs to make use of tools in Reaper to make chords and beats now, which he proceeds to do with startling speed.

Reaper在一个昂贵的MacBook上准备就绪,房间里还有简单的mic和keyboard。但是得过台湾金曲奖的rgry说他现在都只需要Reaper里的脚本就可以写chords跟beats了,而且特别迅速。

“One radio show said we [rgry and his collaborators] must really like music, if we were so deep into the industry. But I told him, I don’t like music, I was never into music, you know, like other people who were trained in it, grew up in it.”

“有广播电台主播问我跟我的collaborators一定很喜欢音乐吧,不然怎么会这么深入这个industry。但是我跟他讲,我不喜欢音乐,我没有那么into音乐,你知道吗,不像那些其他从小就跟音乐长大,受过音乐教育跟训练的人。”

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1GW411B7c3/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click

The host was pretty taken aback by that. But it’s not about the enjoyment for rgry, it’s about the act – other people send him music or artists, he listens and mostly finds them to be garbage.

主播吃了一惊。但是对rgry来说,音乐不是享受的事,是一种表现出来的样子 – 别人把音乐或歌手发给他听,他会听一听然后断定说这些大部分是垃圾。

“But not like garbage, garbage, just that the rap scene is not all that good here. I have to stay involved in the pop stuff,” by adding lighter riffs here and there to survive and working with more pop-focused artists. rgry thinks Mainland rap is better, more competitive, and, like its audiences, more open to new ideas.

“我不是讲他真的是垃圾,就是这里的rap不是特别好。我必须不断在我的音乐里加pop的成分,” 才能存活下来,比方说跟pop类型的歌手合作。rgry说他觉得大陆的rap比较有竞争性,让后跟那里的观众一样,比较接受新的思想。

It sounds like an act, because Taiwan just doesn’t have as big a market or as many artists to generate a critical mass of content and experimentation. Plus, you can tell how dedicated rgry is to the rappers he mentors. But he says it’s more than that: “No one wants to experiment or go out of line to get creative. I was only lucky to have gotten along with the right people who were breaking out with material at the right time.”

听起来还是有点像表面功夫呢,因为台湾本来就没有跟大陆一样大的市场或者那么多艺人,比较不可能会创造出一个让内容和实验性泛滥的critical mass。rgry是很关心他旗下的rapper的。但是确实 “没有人想要实验或者是体现跨线的创意。我自己是因为刚好跟对的人对接了,那些人也刚好开始上来了,才幸运的有今天的成果。”

He now serves as creative director for NXWV (pronounced Nextwave), a rap combine of sorts that also sells designer clothing. It’s true that a lot of rap I’ve heard in Taiwan sounds the same, and much the same as its counterparts in the US, which is why I was fascinated by rgry’s FINX-182 and NXWV Ciphers. This time, there was no turning away from the experiment.

rgry现在是NXWV的creative director,一个既推广rapper又卖高级服饰的公司。我所听过的台湾rap都是满类似的,也很像美国的饶舌。所以我对rgry的 FINX-182 和 NXWV ciphers 很感兴趣。这次,就没有办法不实验了。

“We were sitting in the studio and started throwing hooks around, things that popped into our head. Pretty soon we had a clip of entirely hooks, and we made those into songs.” rgry played the original studio recording that started everything with hooks like “Street Fighter 2,” “Tom Hanks out the Plane” and “I ain’t even play chess” auto-tuned in time with an echoing backdrop.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15r4y1h7do/?spm_id_from=333.788

“我们反正就坐在studio里丢hook,任何想到的就说唱。很快的我们有了一整首都是hook的录音,然后把那个编成了歌。” rgry 开始播放了当天启发了这一切的录音,hook都是什么“street fighter 2” “汤姆汉克斯出飞机” 之类的恶搞。

“The first time we went up to do it, we did the songs the whole way through. You could see a few people wildin’ out but most people were just like what…the fuck.”

“我们第一次上去就唱整首歌。观众里有些人反应不错,其他人都在想。。。这什么鬼。”

Experimental rap is not exactly the mainstay of Taiwan’s musical output, but hooks like “shipment on the deep” are catchy and very millennial-friendly (hint: it’s a Castaway reference). So how do you branch out from the mainstream? Like rgry, you have to assume everything is garbage. Only the freshest beat and illest vibe will suffice in a sea of imposters, posers and haters.

实验性的rap不是台湾最热门的音乐,但是凡事看过Castaway的80,90后都会appreciate这些hook。究竟要如何与现实的俗气脱节呢?学rgry,否认所有垃圾。只有最fresh的beat跟最ill的vibe才会让你在众多的复制品里脱茧而出。