The Sichuan, China-based Jì Lú (稷廬) are a new project that has connections with one of China’s most innovated bands, Raflum. The instrumentation on this album is sparse, but it makes for good listening, as bamboo flute and guitar seem to blend pleasantly.
Some notes regarding the release:
When talking about landscapes in the traditional context, it’s mostly about reclusion. Although true recluses are rare, the mountains and rivers are always there. Ironically, the real landscapes are actually “horrible nature” instead of some leisure place. The traditional landscape paintings are a kind of “tame nature,” which were described as “To observe with meditation, and lie down to experience” and “Sitting in the forest and spring instead of go to banquet” by ancient Chinese poets. It emerge at North and South Dynasty, then become a game of finding the essence during the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, and finally stuck in the static self-development after the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The development of landscape paintings are just like how people detach with the nature and entering urban life. This album is the continuation of this thesis. In a time when the virtual reality are replacing urban life, we attempt to reinterpret this cliche with improvisation that based on the topic of “landscape.” We also naming the songs by minutes and seconds instead of the traditional way of titling the songs, which is based on its imagery. That creates interactive between the “teller” and listener, and reflects the beauties for individuals due to their own aesthetic experiences. At this time, the distant, outmoded, cumbersome and vague image of landscape might leave a huge space for “starting again.”
Instrumental by Liu Zhu (bamboo flute) /Qi Ya (Guitar)
Recorded by Qi Ya at Ningbo、Hanzhou、 in 2016-2018 and Liu Zhu at New York in 2016
Mixed and Mastered by Qi Ya
Artwork and Layout by Qi Ya
Released by Pest Productions在傳統語境中說到山水，多半關乎隱逸，真隱逸不常有，而真山水常有。葉公好龍的是，真山真水其實是「可怕的自然」，並非閒居宴坐的所在。山水畫作為一種「馴服的自然」，即古人說的「澄懷觀道，臥以游之」、「不下堂筵，坐窮林泉」，自南北朝鮮嫩的發端，五代兩宋的窮其理而後成為一種遊戲，到明清之後陳陳相因的體系內繁殖——其蓬勃發展的歷史反而是與人的身體離開自然山林而進入人工城市的歷史併行的。這張專輯也是對這一母題的延續。在人的身體都快離開人工城市而進入虛擬現實的環境下，給重複了上千年的「陳腔濫調」再增添一次重釋，帶著「山水」這一母題，以即興演奏的方式完成整張錄音。在曲目的定名上，也避開中國傳統的「意象命題」式標題，只以分秒為替代，在「說」與聽之間，帶著各自的審美體驗，進行一次互動，映照各自心中的佳山水。此時，山水形象的遙遠、陳舊、累贅和模糊或許又給「重新出發」以很大的空間。
演奏：六貯（竹管樂器）/ 栖崖（吉他）
錄音：六貯/栖崖
混音/母帶處理：栖崖
錄音時間：2016年04月至2018年11月
錄音地點：寧波 / 杭州 / 紐約
視覺設計：栖崖