［专栏］入耳 In My Ears #1: 李剑鸿的超弦

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关于国内独立音乐人的介绍侧写或者是演出回顾，大家其实也都经常看到，但是来自于一个活跃于北京地下音乐圈多年的资深老外的观点一定显得更加特别。Josh Feola（赵识）住在北京，他既以乐手身份参与及组织摇滚乐和实验音乐演出，同时也是一位优秀的撰稿人，独立运营着音乐网站 pangbianr.com。在以后每周的专栏［入耳 In My Ears］里，Josh 会以他的独特视角，讲述独立音乐场景中的种种故事，也许还会展示出音乐人更加不为人知的一面。本期专栏故事的主角，是国内著名吉他手/实验音乐人李剑鸿。

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李剑鸿在山洞里的演出

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李剑鸿性格安静，不太爱说话。在迷走神经排练的时候，他会用“仪式感”“祭祀”“末日”这样的词引导音乐的走向。他也喜爱自然，身边的各种声音都会对他带来影响。在他发行的唱片中，我最爱的一张是《在这里》，那是一系列环境即兴录音，有些段落是在浙江安徽交界的清凉峰录制的；另一张是《山海经》，由日本传奇厂牌PSF 2009年发行，展现了李剑鸿的电吉他美学。

《在这里》： https://cfimusic.bandcamp.com/album/here-is-it

对于外行而言，吉他噪音——从 Sunn0))) 的长音到 PSF 艺人如 High Rise 的高能量噪音即兴——是对效果器的过分依赖：失真与延迟，八度与合唱，门限与压缩，相位与镶边，还有各种法兹……李剑鸿当然也用这些，不过他的使用更像一位舞者，而不仅金是乐手——随着脚步的移动，仪式进程逐步展开。他的吉他、音箱、效果器，有时还要包括一起演奏的合作者，都成为了他的乐器。对于他的表演，看和听同样重要。

不过听也已经很好了。《1969》是 WV Sorcerer Productions 的国际发行，在中国由 TATPE Recordings 代理分销，后者是北京噪音乐手丁晨晨的最新厂牌。

关于作者

Josh Feola 是一位音乐人/撰稿人，现居北京。自2010年起，他通过自己的平台“旁边儿”（pangbianr）组织音乐、艺术、电影活动，并先后担任D-22与XP的演出经理。他的长期项目有撒丽不跳舞实验音乐节（Sally Can't Dance）与北京电子乐偶遇（BEME）。他为以下出版机构撰写过关于音乐、艺术的文章：The Wire，Leap 艺术界，Sixth Tone，Tiny Mix Tapes，他也是纽约观察者报 Gulou View 观点专栏的共同作者之一。作为音乐人，他曾在北京乐队吹万担任鼓手，参与首张专辑《白夜》的录音与巡演；目前他是乐队Subs、迷走神经的鼓手，也化名 Charm 录音、演出。

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IN MY EARS #1: Li Jianhong's Superstrings

In My Ears is a weekly music column by Josh Feola 赵识, Beijing-based writer and musician and founder of pangbianr.com

Release：Li Jianhong - "1969"

One day recently I was walking to practice with Vagus Nerve, a band I play drums in with Li Jianhong on guitar and Weiwei (Vavabond) on laptop and synth. While speed-walking the riverside greenway north of the 2nd ring road between Yonghegong and Andingmen, I was listening to "1969", recordings that Li Jianhong made in Hangzhou in 2008. These were recently released online and on cassette via the WV Sorcerer Productions label, run by Ruotan in Paris. I still had my earbuds in when I walked into the practice room, where Li was already testing his guitar. Taking off my headphones was like coming up for air after being submerged under water, but instead of atmosphere my head was plunged into another, deeper water. Different pool, same vibrations.

Li Jianhong's sound is its own Universe. It lives between his ears and sometimes ours, when he commits it to recording or performs for an audience. It's transcendental, cosmic. He doesn't play songs, just notes, a melodic and chaotic symphony for other dimensions, whether they're listening or not. When he plays it's a heavy sound ritual, like trying to start a dialogue on a super-human wavelength.

Li was among the first generation of homegrown experimental musicians in China, improvising noise since the late '90s. His 2pi (二皮/"second skin") record label and festival were extremely influential for China's early underground music avant-garde, rallying artists from around the country to Li's home province of Zhejiang. Li and Weiwei moved to Beijing in 2011, and that year founded the label and event series China Free Improvisation (CFI). Since moving, they have been a constant on Beijing's experimental music scene, with countless performances logged at D-22, 2Kolegas, XP, Zajia Lab, and more remote locations like a fossil-rich cave in Huiyu Village on the outskirts of Beijing.

In the Cave - Here It Is Series#3

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In person, Li Jianhong is quiet, a man of few words. During Vagus Nerve rehearsals, he uses words like "ritual", "sacrifice", and "apocalypse" to guide the music. He also loves nature, interacting with whatever sounds surround him. Among his releases, one of my favorites is "在这里/Here Is It", a series of environmental improvisations partially recorded on Qingliang Peak, straddling the border between Zhejiang and Anhui. I also love "山海経/Classic Of The Mountains And Seas", released by Tokyo label PSF in 2009, showcasing Li Jianhong's plugged-in aesthetic.

Li Jianhong: Here is it

At the amateur level, "guitar noise" — a genre sprawling from the drone of Sunn0))) to the hyper-noise improvisations of PSF artists like High Rise — is too dependent on electronic effects pedals: distortions and delays, octaves and choruses, gates and envelopes, phasers and flangers and fuzzes and many more. Li Jianhong uses a lot of these as well, but plays them more like a dancer than a musician, stomping through course-changes as his ritual unfolds. His guitar, and amp, and pedals, and sometimes co-performers work together as his instrument, and seeing him play is almost as important as hearing it.

But hearing it is also good. "1969" is out internationally from WV Sorcerer Productions, and within China from TATPE Recordings, a new label recently launched by Beijing-based noise artist Ding Chenchen.

Associated Douban pages

Li Jianhong: https://site.douban.com/lijianhong/

Vavabond: https://site.douban.com/vavabond/

Vagus Nerve: https://site.douban.com/vagusnerve/

Mind Fiber: https://site.douban.com/mindfiber/

WV Sorcerer Productions: https://site.douban.com/wvsorcerer/

TATPE Recordings: https://site.douban.com/tatperecordings/

About the author

Josh Feola is a writer and musician based in Beijing. He’s organized music, art, and film events in the city since 2010, via his label pangbianr and as booking manager of live music venues D-22 and XP. His ongoing event series include the Sally Can’t Dance experimental music festival and the Beijing Electronic Music Encounter (BEME). He has written about music and art for publications including The Wire, LEAP, Sixth Tone, and Tiny Mix Tapes. He also co-authors the Gulou View opinion column for the New York Observer. As a musician, he formerly played drums in Beijing band Chui Wan, recording on and touring behind their debut album, White Night. He currently plays drums in SUBS and Vagus Nerve, and also records and performs under the name Charm.

［专栏］入耳 In My Ears #1: 李剑鸿的超弦