Walking on Thin Ice 如履薄冰, by Howie Lee 李化迪 + Liú Pī 刘㔻

Walking on Thin Ice 如履薄冰

by Howie Lee 李化迪 + Liú Pī 刘㔻

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1.	Song of Ice 冰之歌 04:54	buy track
2.	New Tension 新张力 03:14	buy track
3.	Instant Fracture 瞬裂 04:51	buy track
4.	Tilted Angle 倾角 03:27	buy track
5.	The Cavern Looks into You 深渊凝视 04:30	buy track

about

Consisting of two improvised pieces and another three compositions, Walking on Thin Ice is Howie Lee and Liu Pi's first collaboration recording.

The EP is distinctive from Howie Lee's past bass-heavy awesomeness or his quirky electronic folklores, and also a departure from the usual projects that Liu Pi has been working on ( Liu's the drummer of the avant-garde band Dreaming Julie and the founder of the Instrumental Soundscapes live improvisation series).

Liu Pi forms structures with his own percussions while also simultaneously dismantling them: "Personally, I try to break the expectations of playing that depend on timing measurement, trying to cause some dissonance in the sense of tempo and looping." In the uneven balance, Howie Lee picks simple synth melodies and long lines of sound out of the void through gestural controls, a technology/technique for playing, editing and mixing the synths he's honed over the years.

The intended sound design here is relatively plain, favouring the acoustic and subtle sound materials, but the impact it generated is nevertheless profound, supplying the audience with inexhaustible energy from the depths of sound. Like ice-skating on a frozen lake, thin lines of melodies glide effortlessly by, disappearing of their own volition beyond the horizon of order; underneath the surface, where musical tensions stealthily and continuously pile up, the improvisation stand-off is at a critical state, tilting towards the inevitable faith of collapse.

Essentially, Walking on Thin Ice is a direct and instinctive collision between the musicians, or to Howie Lee, a 'terma' (Tibetan Buddist term for hidden treasure or hidden teaching) that he and Liu achieved from the frozen and buried snow in the midst of the future.

两首即兴，三首作曲。《如履薄冰》与 Howie Lee 过往的低音震撼或是怪奇电子歌谣大相径庭，又和刘㔻（“发梦茱莉” 乐队成员、“器乐音景” 系列演出发起人）在音乐项目中的常态有所区别。在这部音效设计相对简洁、偏向原声材质的作品中，力量却毫不匮乏，源源不断地从声音的 “深处” 涌现。在冰面上，音符毫不费力地滑过，以自己的意志消失在秩序的地平线；冰面下，紧张堆砌，临界的状态持续向崩塌倾斜。

刘㔻在自己的打击乐中一边创造结构，一边也拆解结构：“我个人试图在基于小节时值的基础上去打破一些依赖于时值的演奏预期，试图造成一些速率感和循环感的不和谐。” 在欲破未破的平衡里，Howie Lee 通过这几年应用起来愈发精进的手势控制，从虚空中拾出简单的合成器旋律和长线条的声音。于他而言，三首作曲中，和刘㔻事先定好的曲式规则是 “预定线路的徒步”，至于行进时 “如何布置山峰与湖泊” 则是 “不言自明的选择” ，“皆在一念之间”。

让盆景的娟秀化作天地的隽永，靠的是这张 EP 中即兴的凛风。两首有意简化的纯即兴曲目，被 Howie Lee 称作 “只留下内力的部分”，是他个人对 “身、口、意” 合一的践行。“从一个角度来说，（即兴）是对自我的一种消融。所有的力量呼啸而来，遍布成自然的意味。”

刘㔻着重强调了即兴中，重奏——与他人在音乐中的即时接触，对自己日常创作和这次合作的重要性：“它可以让我深刻的意识到自身弹性的边界在哪里，所谓的匮乏之处在哪里。” 他进而补充道，“它让我总是可以观审自己，并得以充沛的贮存，从而激发出其他的能量值。”

音乐家之间直接而本能的碰撞和应运而生的微妙，就封存在《如履薄冰》四维之上的时空观念中。当行动、表达和意志同一在一瞬之间，人成为开启自然、时间和无限的门径；《如履薄冰》，如 Howie 说的，成了 “未来之中取得的 ‘伏藏’。” 创造者、创造本身和音乐一起消融在时间的冰川中，绵延、挪移、崩解，在时间的内部完成无穷的变化，一瞬千年。

于是声音浮现，频率诞下新的思维。

credits

released August 18, 2023

Composed by Howie Lee and Liú Pī
Drums & Percussions by Liú Pī
Recorded, Mixed and Produced by Howie Lee
Mastered at Brandenburg Mastering
Artwork: "Impermanence" by Liú Pī, Acrylic on Canvas, 2022
Design and Layout by Lexie Yu & Tom Ng

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