http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/ ja Copyright 2009 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:04:46 +0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss With effect from today, I have moved this blog to a new address. It's time to move on from MovableType to Wordpress. Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds. Thank you and see you over there ! URL : http://www.kitchen-label.com/weblog RSS : feed://www.kitchen-label.com/weblog/?feed=rss2 ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/03/this_blog_is_moving.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/03/this_blog_is_moving.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:04:46 +0800 We are going on tour in another 15 days ! Will be visiting 6 cities and 7 shows in Japan and around Asia Pacific regions. Please check here for more details ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/03/aspidistrafly_japan_asia_tour_1.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/03/aspidistrafly_japan_asia_tour_1.html Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:17:21 +0800 Recently our album gained distribution in North America and UK. Here is another nice review from Australian electronic magazine Cyclic Defrost. "i hold a wish for you, the first full-length from April Lee (voice, computer, acoustic guitar, harmonium, glockenspiel, music box) and Ricks Ang (guitar, computer, piano, melodica, percussion), flows like a stream of unused and detached energy, a surplus sensuousness that is not absorbed by any end, practical or otherwise. The album first sets its sights to a northern lights display of cascading harmonics on “candlescape”. A frottage of spindly guitar then plods through an islet of slow-moving textures as Lee’s voice, light and shifting, weaves romantic and elegant streams of spells. As it progresses, the work is saved by the spare yet steady stitching together of songs and beautiful, tiny sounds and almost subliminal textures. The prevalence of this aspect in the duo’s approach moves the record well into an intimate and ambiguous space where, by and large, the proceedings are neither too soporific nor florid, neither too habitual nor scattered. Far from it, in fact, as no small number of moments achieve a spontaneous vitality in the spatial placement of discreet and amorphous sounds and in the timely shifts brought about in the color and shading of these expansive backdrops. Particularly in the later stages, when the two of them skirt from the heady piano melody and rich drone of “porcelain sky wink” to the whirling sonic ornaments and digital hiccups of “sui” and finally come to rest in the comparatively rough, earthy expressionism of “Endless Dreamless”, led by Lee’s roving voice, the work is able to build much anticipation and coincidence. Refined and robust, these well organized aural assemblages give ample animation and seriousness to the light and prosaic elements of the everyday." by Max Schaefer http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/?p=2883 ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/02/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_review_b_1.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/02/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_review_b_1.html Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:06:38 +0800 The light projected onto a window I write about these shadows The sky is too blue Sunlight through the leaves of trees This song, i sing. In this heat The waves i call, The shadows, i chase.]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/02/luz.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/02/luz.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:19:07 +0800 Alike Merzbow ‘Eucalypse’ packaging, this is probably the prize winning package of the week: two heavy stock pieces hold together a full color printed accordion booklet with the CD somewhere in an envelop. Aspidistrafly is a duo of April Lee (voice, computer, acoustic guitar, harmonium, glockenspiel, music box) and Ricks Ang (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, computer, piano, percussion and melodica). Its not easy to pin down Aspidistrafly’s music into a specific genre, which of course is a good thing. Can you imagine Taylor Deupree or Richard Chartier playing dreamy popmusic? With some female vocalist? Well, there you go. That is Aspidistrafly is about, I think. The wordless singing of Lee is at times too heavenly for my taste, but when words are used its much nicer, even when the words are mere textures and not there to be understood. Underneath the laptop boils the kettle, cracks the hum, in order to make this album definitely aside from the world of real popmusic. At times I wasreminded of Beequeen’s latest CD ‘Sandancing’, which holds for me a similar combination of pop and microsound, but whereas the Dutch boys produce pop and microsound, I’d say Aspidistrafly is microsound and pop. A small but important distinction, but also the variation between the tracks of Aspidistrafly is a little less than with the bees. Its more a homogenous record, which is just long enough not too repeated all the ideas again, as that a danger this music has. A well made release, both the music and the package, very refined. By Frans de Waard http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/01/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_review_b.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/01/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_review_b.html Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:41:56 +0800 aspidistrafly will be having shows around Asia Pacific regions in end of March 2009. In conjunction with that, we are also heading to Japan (and possibly China) in April 2009. We will be updating our websites (& myspace) which cities we are visiting as soon as we get confirmation from each organizer. If there are any organizers who like to set up something for us, please drop us a message at info[at]kitchen-label.com. We would appreciate that ! Thank you http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/01/aspidistrafly_japan_asia_tour.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2009/01/aspidistrafly_japan_asia_tour.html Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:27:10 +0800 A new store in town, Cat Socrates is located at Bras Basah Complex #03-39 (opposite Ranking Sports). Other titles distributed by Kitchen. are also available. Thanks to Cat Socrates for the nice display space ! ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/i_hold_a_wish_for_youcat_socra.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/i_hold_a_wish_for_youcat_socra.html Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:33:02 +0800 soundtrack : nica - summertime ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/post_6.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/post_6.html Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:42:59 +0800 We have not had a proper website for 3 years since we began... we started as a design studio back in 2005 and have now developed into a label + studio. Click http://www.kitchen-label.com to enter site !]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/kitchen_label_website_start.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/12/kitchen_label_website_start.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:46:58 +0800 We have sold out our first press within 3 months of release ! The 2nd press is finally out with a little variation from the first. Now the album comes in matt cover and a slightly redesigned CD envelope. Accordion photo book and CD content is still the same. So they are back in stock now...please support us ! Buy it at Kitchen Petit Webshop or from our list of distributors here]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/11/_we_have_sold_out.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/11/_we_have_sold_out.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:21:24 +0800 ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/11/post_5.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/11/post_5.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:53:29 +0800 Scan from an article/interview from a widely circulated music magazine in China. Thank you LS for the article !]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/10/_interview.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/10/_interview.html Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:59:34 +0800 "This album is filled with a simple elegance in it's beautiful sounds, much like a mix between Taylor Deupree and Haruka Nakamura... Singapore's electronic duo aspidistrafly's debut album is a masterpiece !" - excerpt from p*dis We are glad to announce that our CD currently sits at number 2 on the p*dis chart for the month of August. The album is temporary out of stock...2nd press is on the way. ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/10/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_pdis.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/10/i_hold_a_wish_for_you_pdis.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:52:29 +0800 A nice positive review of our album 「i hold a wish for you」as recommended by Tower Records Japan on their monthly magazine「bounce」. "A gentle album thats shines like a jewel arrives from Singapore, like sunlight through the leaves of trees..." http://www.bounce.com/review/recommend.php/23619 ]]> http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/09/bouncereview.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/09/bouncereview.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:42:20 +0800 This is an excerpt of a long but favorable review of 'i hold a wish for you' by LS from the October issue of 《通俗歌曲·摇滚》published in China. There is also an interview spread of us (maybe 2-3 pages) in the same issue, out in all good book stores now. *sorry, review is in chinese only" "从拆开CD起，关于aspidistrafly的两点疑问便一直在脑袋里盘桓：这个新加坡组合到底是在走Indie路线还是如他们所说的"非常态"Ambient？他们又是如何从众多独立小电中脱颖而出的？此时，无论是豆瓣还是其他媒体，都不约而同地对的其首张专辑《i hold a wish for you》做出高评，这让成员之一的Ricks直呼意外。算起来，此次作品前，aspidistrafly已经发行了两张EP《Children's Haiku Garden》及《The Ghost of Things》，并有单曲散见于各个厂牌的合辑，但似乎都没能激起中国乐迷的太大反映。这一回，依旧是不张扬的宣传策略，依旧主打极微自然主义，却红成一片，评论和口碑捷报频传。为什么？ "两个八十年代出生的年轻人，April Lee和Ricks Ang，怀着对转瞬即逝之美的敏感，将日常生活变幻为一次次有机创作——视觉艺术、设计、音乐、声音设计。零七年起陆续在马来西亚、日本和新加坡做现场演出，也为新加坡当地媒体艺术圈作曲。"大致上，aspidistrafly的履历可以被浓缩成如此，稍显干瘪的例行公事。好在他们的音乐要鲜活得多，并且从趣味性来讲，作品的形式也颇具创意：折叠拉页式摄影集加独立CD包裹。可以这样理解，他们有太多感触和情绪要传递给听众，因此，单纯的CD模式便无法满足其需求，必须有更加丰富的空间来充实、强化、拓展。从某种角度来说，最后听众拿到手里的成品已然是他们数次创作的融合，也是aspidistrafly独树一帜的表现平台。甚至可以想象，无论今后的音乐走向如何，外观始终承以这种形式，久而久之，会给aspidistrafly带来怎样清晰的辨识度。 浏览一下各路讨论，《i hold a wish for you》被评说得最多的就是它的美曼氛围。写意、朦胧、温柔、随性，充斥着自然之声的轻盈飘逸，准确到位的声音采样和乐器演奏，这让专辑从内部延展出一种醇和的气质，并且通过Field Recording，与外部环境巧妙地烘托在一起。这就相当于一次水循环，自泥土蒸发，经过循环，化作雨水落下，滋养的仍是泥土和它孕育的生命。就旋律来讲，之前出现在《The Ghost of Things》里的冷冽、混沌、伤感，对无常和失落的抽象描绘几乎消失得一干二净，取而代之的是对言辞、记忆、旧日时光和稀松平常的日常生活的细致再现，更流畅、更温暖、更光滑、更甜蜜，总而言之，"易听"的本质加固了，实验的比重降低了——毫无疑问，这使aspidistrafly的亲切感大大提升——在氛围中加入中正的Pop线，既避免了Ambient/Experimental带来的生涩，又培育出一种新的表现形式，受欢迎也就意料之中了。 除此之外，Indie倾向的摄影作品也为专辑挣得了更多拥簇。老式胶片机和Lomo的质感，包括被摄物体的选择，色调、光线、角度，均透露出浓厚的"Mini"气息。说它在抒情并不为过，因为专辑正是在这些凝固于画面的微观景象下延伸出统一主题的，从中，创作者的态度与接收者直接交流，相当于音乐的"易听"，画面的"易感"也在帮助听众理解aspidistrafly的意图。有心，有意，有力，《i hold a wish for you》在年轻乐迷群引起的热烈反响只能用四个字来形容——合情合理..." http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/09/post_4.html http://kitchen-label.com/aflog/2008/09/post_4.html Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:14:27 +0800