介绍： 在上海工作的音乐制作人Laughing Ears近期为TANK Magazine录制了最新一期Tank mix，其中收录的歌曲均为自己未发行的作品。撇开其已经非常成熟的制作水平和日益明显的个人风格，低调的个性也让人不得不想起我们的厂牌同僚Hyph11e，同样是喜欢隐藏自己直接用音乐表达的优秀中国制作人值得获得更多关注！以下附带tank magazine对她的采访...

介绍： 在上海工作的音乐制作人Laughing Ears近期为TANK Magazine录制了最新一期Tank mix，其中收录的歌曲均为自己未发行的作品。撇开其已经非常成熟的制作水平和日益明显的个人风格，低调的个性也让人不得不想起我们的厂牌同僚Hyph11e，同样是喜欢隐藏自己直接用音乐表达的优秀中国制作人值得获得更多关注！以下附带tank magazine对她的采访~

Laughing Ears is a Shanghai-based producer who sings out the elastic melodies that guide her tracks before shaping them into stark, sculptural electronics. Her second album Blood, out on Infinite Machine, looks to the Norse myth of Fenrir – a monstrous wolf kept in chains to forestall a prophecy of cosmic devastation – to explore themes of fate, family and mourning. In the wake of the album’s release, Laughing Ears presents an all-originals mix of unreleased productions. Listen below and read on for a Q&A.

Could you say a little bit about the mix you’ve prepared for us? What was your headspace like when you put it together? I understand it’s solely original tracks.

I gathered some of my unreleased tracks in which I can feel the link between each of us, the link between dreams and emotions. The swells move in slow motion: it’s a journey for listener.



Your recent album Blood takes inspiration from the Norse myth of Fenrir. What resonated with you about that story?

Blood was inspired by the death of a loved one and family changes. The concept of this release is blood ties, which are related to Fenrir, a giant wolf from Norse mythology. I know this myth from long ago, and I relate Fenrir to my uncle because they were both in the same situation in some way.

My uncle was an alcoholic for a decade, since I can remember. He committed suicide in a rehabilitation hospital on his birthday earlier this year and we lost him forever. We love him even though he is not perfect. Some people’s obsession with certain things is in their bones, perhaps their genes are bored with such defects. Even though they have imperfections, it’s not all their fault. Their family will always love and respect them. I just want to express that those who are imperfect and incomplete are also pure, and will always be loved and treasured.

People always describe devilish things as ugly and dangerous, but I actually think they’re kind of genuine.



I read that you also work as a game sound designer. Does that process of working out how particular narratives are best represented in sound inform your personal productions much? Or do you try to keep the two separate?

I prefer to keep them separate. If I’m working on a specific game, that means I have to consider a lot more factors from the original game concept, not only my own preferences.



Could you say a bit about your process as a producer? Where do you tend to begin with a track?

I don’t really have a fixed workflow. I tend to start with what I’ve got in mind at that moment. I can start with a melody, rhythm or a field recording. With melodies, I usually hum or sing it out and record it first, then use my DAW to transpose it into MIDI. After that I’ll modify it and make different sections or chords before finally using synths to represent the soundscape. I don’t use a keyboard, so this is a direct way for me to write the melodies down. With the sound, I like to see what happens if I play with all the knobs at once, from oscillators to effects ratios. Sound itself is fascinating.



You’re based in Shanghai. What’s the music scene like right now? Have attitudes shifted much in the wake of the pandemic?

The situation in Shanghai is pretty good right now. Although the government banned big events like music festivals, clubs are alive and vivid. The virus is definitely here somewhere, several provinces in China are still suffering, but all in all it’s getting better and better. ◉


Blood is available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.