 |
| ASPIDISTRAFLY ©KITCHEN. LABEL |
‘ASPIDISTRAFLY’ is a Singaporean duo band that consisted of April Lee(composer/vocalist) and Ricks Ang(producer). They deliver a familiar but dim feeling by creating the impression of space with a variety of instruments and electronic sound.
Since their debut EP [The Ghost of Things] in 2004, they have released the first full-length album [i hold a wish for you] in 2008 and the 2nd album [A LITTLE FABLE] in 2011. They are currently receiving the global spotlight over Asia including Japan. In 2008, Ricks Ang of ASPIDISTRAFLY formed his own label, ‘Kitchen. Label’ which is based on Singapore and Tokyo and has released various music records. Also, he is doing a wide variety of musical activities by discovering the most talented young artists and planning collaboration works.
Last year, ASPIDISTRAFLY had a concert in the bookshop, YOUR-MIND located in Hongdae on Septamber 2. It was a mini concert but the audience totally fell into their music with a long lasting impression. This interview was conducted by e-mail later in February.
Q: What is the meaning of ‘ASPIDISTRAFLY’? How did you come up with the name?
April: ASPIDISTRAFLY is a wordplay on the novel by George Orwell “Keep The Aspidistra Flying”. The book had a considerable influence on my childhood when i was just beginning to understand art, music, society and politics. Having said so, our music has no direct relation to the contents of the novel, but we wanted a name that sounded and looked unique.
Ricks: April mentioned the book to me when we were thinking of a band name. I decided to put the words Aspidistra and Fly together and that was it. It was probably one of the easiest decisions we ever made.
April: ASPIDISTRAFLY is a wordplay on the novel by George Orwell “Keep The Aspidistra Flying”. The book had a considerable influence on my childhood when i was just beginning to understand art, music, society and politics. Having said so, our music has no direct relation to the contents of the novel, but we wanted a name that sounded and looked unique.
Ricks: April mentioned the book to me when we were thinking of a band name. I decided to put the words Aspidistra and Fly together and that was it. It was probably one of the easiest decisions we ever made.
Q: April and Ricks formed a duo ASPIDISTRAFLY in 2002. How did you guys meet for the first time and decided to play together?
April: We met through mutual friends and actually before ASPIDISTRAFLY we played in a shoegaze band together. Back then, Ricks was the drummer and band leader while i was the vocalist/guitarist.
Ricks: That band split up when the other two members left in 2001. We decided to continue doing music together as a duo. We didn’t know what to expect as there can be many unknowns in the creative process but our intentions aligned and we wanted to create something together.
April: We met through mutual friends and actually before ASPIDISTRAFLY we played in a shoegaze band together. Back then, Ricks was the drummer and band leader while i was the vocalist/guitarist.
Ricks: That band split up when the other two members left in 2001. We decided to continue doing music together as a duo. We didn’t know what to expect as there can be many unknowns in the creative process but our intentions aligned and we wanted to create something together.
Q: What inspires you to make music? What message do you try to put in a song?
April: I think inspiration can come from everywhere – it could be something hazy from a distant childhood memory. Sometimes you can’t put real words to an emotion and it becomes melody and lyrics.
Ricks: For [A Little Fable] at least, we were inspired by films like ‘Valerie and Her Week of Wonders’ and ‘The Seventh Seal’; and also our excursions into the outer reaches of Japan.
April: I think inspiration can come from everywhere – it could be something hazy from a distant childhood memory. Sometimes you can’t put real words to an emotion and it becomes melody and lyrics.
Ricks: For [A Little Fable] at least, we were inspired by films like ‘Valerie and Her Week of Wonders’ and ‘The Seventh Seal’; and also our excursions into the outer reaches of Japan.
Q: Who is your favorite or most influential artist?
April: Serge Lutens and Salvador Dali.
Ricks: The music and art of ECM.
April: Serge Lutens and Salvador Dali.
Ricks: The music and art of ECM.
Q: I like your songs, especially ‘Moonlight Shadow’, ‘Endless Dreamless’, ‘Landscape With a Fairy’. It seems that you like to sing the boundaries between daily life landscapes and illusionary images. I mainly listen to your music when I can’t sleep at dawn. I wonder if it’s intended.
April: I recorded my vocals and guitars in the witching hours when everyone was asleep so i guess listeners like yourself can somehow feel it :)
Ricks: I’d take these recordings by April and start building textures around them bit by bit. Kind of like a sound painting and it is very important for me to respect the characteristic of her lyrics so as to shape these songs into our very own sound world.
April: I recorded my vocals and guitars in the witching hours when everyone was asleep so i guess listeners like yourself can somehow feel it :)
Ricks: I’d take these recordings by April and start building textures around them bit by bit. Kind of like a sound painting and it is very important for me to respect the characteristic of her lyrics so as to shape these songs into our very own sound world.
Q: What is your favorite tune among your own music?
April: ‘Twinkling Fall’ from [A Little Fable]. It was written free of any complications from the world that adults live in and is the most childlike song I’ve ever composed.
Ricks: ‘Sea of Glass’ from [A Little Fable]. I am a perfectionist and this is a one track that is the most perfect to me.
April: ‘Twinkling Fall’ from [A Little Fable]. It was written free of any complications from the world that adults live in and is the most childlike song I’ve ever composed.
Ricks: ‘Sea of Glass’ from [A Little Fable]. I am a perfectionist and this is a one track that is the most perfect to me.
 |
| ASPIDISTRAFLY is (left to right) – Ricks Ang(producer) and April Lee(composer/vocalist). They played at YOUR-MIND in Seoul last year. ©Jongkyu Kim |
Q: Let’s talk about your concert at YOUR-MIND in Seoul last year. It was an unexpected surprise! How did it come to you?
Ricks: We were actually in Seoul for a holiday and I mentioned it to Iro (YOUR-MIND store owner) before we came. I think it was a missed opportunity that we did not perform at the store in 2013 when we performed at Unlimited Edition. Iro and us wanted to make it happen despite the fact that it is a very small show. April: We’re deeply grateful to the owners of YOUR-MIND for their enthusiasm in sharing our vision among their community.
Ricks: We were actually in Seoul for a holiday and I mentioned it to Iro (YOUR-MIND store owner) before we came. I think it was a missed opportunity that we did not perform at the store in 2013 when we performed at Unlimited Edition. Iro and us wanted to make it happen despite the fact that it is a very small show. April: We’re deeply grateful to the owners of YOUR-MIND for their enthusiasm in sharing our vision among their community.
Q: It was good to hear new songs like ‘The Voice of the Flowers’, ‘Altar of the Dreams’ and old songs together in that concert. The show was special for me like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. How was the show in Seoul for you guys?
April: It was a very intimate affair and i think YOUR-MIND was the perfect venue for us. Seoul is an amazing city… the energy and youth culture continues to blow us away.
Ricks: After the show, we went to Hongdae for Korean Fried Chicken and walked up and down the street. We also witnessed a fight at one of the clubs. We love the contrast.
April: It was a very intimate affair and i think YOUR-MIND was the perfect venue for us. Seoul is an amazing city… the energy and youth culture continues to blow us away.
Ricks: After the show, we went to Hongdae for Korean Fried Chicken and walked up and down the street. We also witnessed a fight at one of the clubs. We love the contrast.
Q: I heard that you like K-POP. Do you have favorite Korean musician? Any artist you want to work with?
April: Hell yeah. I would love for Zico to collaborate on a track someday. Or sing in a Zion T track!
Ricks: I’d love to produce a duet between Oh Hyuk and April. If there is a chance, I’d be happy to have a chat with Tablo of HIGHGRND.
April: Hell yeah. I would love for Zico to collaborate on a track someday. Or sing in a Zion T track!
Ricks: I’d love to produce a duet between Oh Hyuk and April. If there is a chance, I’d be happy to have a chat with Tablo of HIGHGRND.
Q: Listening to your music, I feel that it is affected by various genres like Shoegazing, fork, ambient and etc. These are flowing organically in your music. Did you intend that from the beginning?
April: It’s not our style to be deliberately influenced by specific genres. We don’t like to be categorised… we just do what we want to do and naturally it comes out that way.
Ricks: When I first started making music, I was very interested in creating droning guitar monoliths inspired by the experiments of Andrew Chalk and Phil Niblock. Then later, I delved into techniques of making music with the laptop and sampler where I built my own collection of manipulated natural sounds and sound samples from films. The textural element is always ever present in our songs probably due to my music making approaches. However we never wanted to follow standards in shoegaze, folk or ambient because the result of our tracks is usually a sum of our many influences combined.
April: It’s not our style to be deliberately influenced by specific genres. We don’t like to be categorised… we just do what we want to do and naturally it comes out that way.
Ricks: When I first started making music, I was very interested in creating droning guitar monoliths inspired by the experiments of Andrew Chalk and Phil Niblock. Then later, I delved into techniques of making music with the laptop and sampler where I built my own collection of manipulated natural sounds and sound samples from films. The textural element is always ever present in our songs probably due to my music making approaches. However we never wanted to follow standards in shoegaze, folk or ambient because the result of our tracks is usually a sum of our many influences combined.
Q: I wonder indie music scene in Singapore. Please tell us about it.
Ricks: In Singapore, most artistic endeavour is necessarily government funded. In music, the musicians rarely follow a line of work within a label and they exist generally as live acts. To begin with, we do not even have an established pop scene like Korea does in K-POP. The most cliche answer is that our country is too small and too multi-cultured. Most musicians still have to venture outside of Singapore to find success.
Ricks: In Singapore, most artistic endeavour is necessarily government funded. In music, the musicians rarely follow a line of work within a label and they exist generally as live acts. To begin with, we do not even have an established pop scene like Korea does in K-POP. The most cliche answer is that our country is too small and too multi-cultured. Most musicians still have to venture outside of Singapore to find success.
Q: You have established Singapore-Tokyo based KITCHEN. LABEL. How did you start with it?
Ricks: Music and design are the most important things in my life. The two are always linked. So I started the label initially in 2004 as an imprint to release and design our own albums. The idea wasn’t to make it a full fledge music label at first but to develop it into a design studio as I spent my time designing for clients and working on things like art direction for other musicians, art projects and festivals etc.
When ASPIDISTRAFLY toured Japan for the first time in 2007, I met a few like-minded Japanese artists like haruka nakamura, FJORDNE and ironomi . I felt that there was a momentum building behind this set of new artists who are doing something completely different with a brand new sound that perhaps happen once every 5-10 years. I believed that we were at that special moment with these artists at that time and that was when I decided to start the label.
As a matter of logistics, distribution is the starting point and I managed to secure a deal with p*dis in Japan. I would produce and manufacture our releases in Singapore and p*dis handle distribution to stores as well as pre-sales and promotion in Japan. The interest for our label grew from within Japan to the rest of the world through this way. Thanks to them, our releases can be found in record shops and online stores with a continual presence. The relationship with p*dis and our artists goes beyond a working relationship. They are also good friends and play a fundamental role in KITCHEN. LABEL.
Ricks: Music and design are the most important things in my life. The two are always linked. So I started the label initially in 2004 as an imprint to release and design our own albums. The idea wasn’t to make it a full fledge music label at first but to develop it into a design studio as I spent my time designing for clients and working on things like art direction for other musicians, art projects and festivals etc.
When ASPIDISTRAFLY toured Japan for the first time in 2007, I met a few like-minded Japanese artists like haruka nakamura, FJORDNE and ironomi . I felt that there was a momentum building behind this set of new artists who are doing something completely different with a brand new sound that perhaps happen once every 5-10 years. I believed that we were at that special moment with these artists at that time and that was when I decided to start the label.
As a matter of logistics, distribution is the starting point and I managed to secure a deal with p*dis in Japan. I would produce and manufacture our releases in Singapore and p*dis handle distribution to stores as well as pre-sales and promotion in Japan. The interest for our label grew from within Japan to the rest of the world through this way. Thanks to them, our releases can be found in record shops and online stores with a continual presence. The relationship with p*dis and our artists goes beyond a working relationship. They are also good friends and play a fundamental role in KITCHEN. LABEL.
 |
| ASPIDISTRAFLY’s 2nd album [A LITTLE FABLE] ©KITCHEN. LABEL |
Q: Except for ASPIDISTRAFLY, is there any musician in your label that you want to introduce to Korean music fans?
Ricks: I managed to catch the exhibition “Think of your ears as eyes” by ECM in Seoul and was surprised that the label is well-liked by Korean music listeners. One of our artists haruka nakamura might pique the interest of Keith Jarett and Jan Garberek fans. For listeners who are curious in what music sounds like in Singapore, our other Singapore artist Hanging Up The Moon is a good representation of that with their local-centric themes and lyrics.
Ricks: I managed to catch the exhibition “Think of your ears as eyes” by ECM in Seoul and was surprised that the label is well-liked by Korean music listeners. One of our artists haruka nakamura might pique the interest of Keith Jarett and Jan Garberek fans. For listeners who are curious in what music sounds like in Singapore, our other Singapore artist Hanging Up The Moon is a good representation of that with their local-centric themes and lyrics.
Q: What is your future goal as a musician?
April: I just want to keep exploring the notion of sound, in any form. It can even be an ugly ’90s hihat sample. I want to make it cool and sing over it.
Ricks: The goal has always been the same, that is to produce a kind of music that only ASPIDISTRAFLY could do.
April: I just want to keep exploring the notion of sound, in any form. It can even be an ugly ’90s hihat sample. I want to make it cool and sing over it.
Ricks: The goal has always been the same, that is to produce a kind of music that only ASPIDISTRAFLY could do.
Q: How would you describe your life in 10 years?
April: My life 10 years ago was very different, so i can’t predict what will happen in the next decade. I think i would just like to happy, whatever that may entail.
Ricks: I am pretty contented to be able to do what I love as a day job. In the next 10 years, I would love to see it bring me to more countries.
April: My life 10 years ago was very different, so i can’t predict what will happen in the next decade. I think i would just like to happy, whatever that may entail.
Ricks: I am pretty contented to be able to do what I love as a day job. In the next 10 years, I would love to see it bring me to more countries.
Q: Please tell us how you are getting along.
April: Our schedule is pretty crazy but life is going great! Apart from making music for ASPIDISTRAFLY late in the night, in the day i’m an creative director and my work mainly revolves around direction for fashion editorials and creative strategies.
Ricks: As I have mentioned earlier, I manage KITCHEN. LABEL on my own. Currently, I’m working with my artists haruka nakamura, Hior Chronik and FJORDNE on future releases. Recently, I have also signed a new female singer-songwriter from Singapore. In March, I’m working with the people from Piano Day and p*dis on a show in Tokyo. And then this May, I will be organising a label concert featuring haruka nakamura PIANO ENSEMBLE and ASPIDISTRAFLY to be held in Singapore. In the midst of all that is happening, I’m also recording and mixing ASPIDISTRAFLY’s next album.
April: Our schedule is pretty crazy but life is going great! Apart from making music for ASPIDISTRAFLY late in the night, in the day i’m an creative director and my work mainly revolves around direction for fashion editorials and creative strategies.
Ricks: As I have mentioned earlier, I manage KITCHEN. LABEL on my own. Currently, I’m working with my artists haruka nakamura, Hior Chronik and FJORDNE on future releases. Recently, I have also signed a new female singer-songwriter from Singapore. In March, I’m working with the people from Piano Day and p*dis on a show in Tokyo. And then this May, I will be organising a label concert featuring haruka nakamura PIANO ENSEMBLE and ASPIDISTRAFLY to be held in Singapore. In the midst of all that is happening, I’m also recording and mixing ASPIDISTRAFLY’s next album.
Q: I would like to know more about your new album. Would you tell us about the new album briefly?
April: It’s probably going to very different from [A Little Fable]. We’re exploring instruments that we’ve never before explored, and it’s going to get a lot darker…
Ricks: As with all our previous albums, it’s going to be different. It bores us if we had to repeat doing the same things all over.
April: It’s probably going to very different from [A Little Fable]. We’re exploring instruments that we’ve never before explored, and it’s going to get a lot darker…
Ricks: As with all our previous albums, it’s going to be different. It bores us if we had to repeat doing the same things all over.
Q: Is there any plan to play in Korea in the near future? I would like to see your concert in the bigger venue than the previous one, so more people can come over.
April: Me too! I want to play at Gayo Daejun alongside Zico.
Ricks: We’ll definitely make Korea a stop for our next album promotions.
April: Me too! I want to play at Gayo Daejun alongside Zico.
Ricks: We’ll definitely make Korea a stop for our next album promotions.
Q: Is there anything you want to say to your fans and Korean readers?
April: NOMU NOMU SARANGHAE!
Ricks: *making a heart shape with his two fingers.
April: NOMU NOMU SARANGHAE!
Ricks: *making a heart shape with his two fingers.
ASPIDISTRAFLY
Official Homepage: http://www.aspidistrafly.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aspidistrafly
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/aspidistrafly
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspidistrafly/
Official Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aspidistrafly
KITCHEN. LABEL
Official Homepage: http://www.kitchen-label.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kitchenlabel/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/kitchen_label
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitchen_label/
Official Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kitchen-label
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기