The band "Eight Immortals Hotel" has a close connection with the movie.
Lead singer Wang Fan and bassist and producer Yan Mingchen both like to watch movies. Except for the one that Wang Fan saw on a forum one day and used as the name of the band, it was the inspiration for their first album "The Unveiling of the Bliss Building" It is also an experimental film of the same name - Kenneth Anger's classic image: about absurd human observation and dream projection, depicting a cult oriental group portrait. The theme of each song in this album is a different group portrait in this experimental film. The title of "Young Nezha" is taken from the movie directed by Tsai Ming-liang, which Wang Fan is very fond of. One of the more important songs, "Tutu", was also chosen by Shao Yihui, the director of the movie "The Myth of Love", and used as an episode in the movie. .
In the third season of "Summer of the Band", the Eight Immortals Hotel kicked off their journey on the show with "Through".
"Summer of the Band 3" Eight Immortals Hotel band poster
Lexia's wonderful journey
When he received the invitation from the Le Xia program team, Wang Fan was on the high-speed train from Shanghai to Nanjing. He was happy, but "I was still a little confused at that moment." And they were a little worried, "We haven't been established for a long time. Will we give the audience a negative impression because we don't perform well? It's not that we care about the negative comments, but we are worried about some setbacks in confidence. A few of us They all have a pessimistic personality.”
Fortunately, the road from Shanghai to Nanjing is not long. They made their decision when they got off the high-speed train.
What were you thinking about on the way?
"Whether we are on the show or not, our pursuit has always been to make music well. As for some appearances or external things, it doesn't matter. Everyone is an independent individual." Yan Mingchen said.
"Whether the audience can accept it or not, we can't change anything for a show. Once we do this, the result will be left to time and fate." Wang Fan said.
The Eight Immortals Hotel only appeared on the stage in the third episode. After the "Hate", they quickly became a hot topic and became a dark horse in the show.
"Inflation" is the embodiment of Wang Fan's talent and talent. The reason why they were praised by everyone as soon as they took the stage is because of their uncommon style. It is difficult to define what they do as traditional rock music. The lyrics are blurred and the style of music is psychedelic. It seems that unrelated intentions are connected through the psychedelic and dark melody. Together, it's strange but reasonable, but no matter what, it makes people addicted and falls into the "cloud" they created.
"There are two characters in the song, the thief and the prophet. These two identities are completely contradictory. They represent two different types of people, but these two characters appear in the same scene at the same time. Holding cards with their own identities can be said to be an observation and irony of some people and things in life. Some people live in plain sight, and their words and deeds do not match. They hold their own identity cards, but do things that are contrary to their identities. This is how it arises An absurd scene. What we want to depict is such a scene. Including the use of sparrows at the end to describe rumors, and the use of sugar cages to describe powerless bondage, it also alleges that when we turn on the Internet every day, what we always see is Remarks that seem to be just a little bit far from the truth may be kept in a sugar cage like sparrows, but the sugar will melt. The sparrows will spread around the world with more sugar-coated bullets, which will also affect the Internet public opinion. It is a reflection on the environment. It is actually a very general thing. There is no specific phenomenon to criticize, it is just our very simple observation of the world."
"Summer of the Band 3" Eight Immortals Hotel Band's first stage "Through" warm-up poster
When it came to the adaptation competition's "A Single Journey" (original singer Tao Jingying, lyrics and music Zhang Yusheng) and the cooperation competition's "Youth Nezha", the Eight Immortals Hotel showed its abilities to the fullest.
"When I heard this song, I was so excited that I stood up. I already had the entire arrangement idea in my mind. It is no exaggeration to say that I really hope that technology can give me a wire to plug into my brain. , input all my ideas directly into the computer." Yan Mingchen can still recall his excitement when he heard "Solo Travel Diary". As he said, the idea was clear on the spot, and after returning home, he compiled the entire song in a day and a night.
He and Wang Fan like to explore and feel inwardly, "to observe the world around us through our perspective, or to observe the people and things we have experienced." Most of Zhang Yusheng's songs are more open-minded, and "Single Travel Notes" comes from a friend "It is also an analysis or exploration of the self. It is not limited to just talking about love, it is a song about life." Wang Fan understood it this way. So they felt a connection.
Music critic Ren Erdi commented on the adaptation of The Eight Immortals Hotel by Zhang Yusheng's "A Single Journey"
This is the meeting of two generations of musicians, romantic and subtle. Yan Mingchen put this kind of romance into the easter egg of the song. The note "6667" in the outro corresponds to Zhang Yusheng's birthday, June 7, 1966. "Making music itself is a very romantic thing. Many bands' music Each one will have its own romance or easter eggs.”
In the words of several big music fans on the stage, "talent" was a frequently used word in reviews of the Eight Immortals Hotel. Zhang Yadong lamented that he would still listen to more livehouses in the future. The talent and vitality of young bands have exceeded his imagination.
When forming a band, be happy and tolerant
The Eight Immortals Hotel indeed represents a completely different life for younger bands than their predecessors in rock and roll. They have a more relaxed attitude towards music and a more relaxed attitude towards forming a band.
Wang Fan, lead singer of Eight Immortals Hotel
Vocalist Wang Fan grew up under the influence of rock music. She once said on the show that Fu Han of Houhai Sharks, Feng Haining of Nova Heart, or Shi Lu, the former drummer of the Hedgehog Band, all made her feel that women are playing a more important role in rock music. The strength and aura in the music, coupled with the fact that she had watched the Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival with her parents since she was a child, gave her the idea of wanting to be a band herself.
When he was still a student, Wang Fan liked grunge rock or garage punk, so he formed the Eight Immortals Hotel Band and performed some small performances. Later, due to studies and work, the band temporarily disbanded. But she has been accumulating music inspiration. She wrote down the melodies and lyrics that came to her from time to time on her mobile phone. "I have never let go of this matter in my heart" and made a demo in her spare time.
In 2020, Yan Mingchen was a young producer who had just arrived in Beijing for a year for the program "Summer of the Band". "I don't know if it was blind confidence or an inexplicable impulse, but I felt that I wanted to come too. But I didn't think about it at the time. "I want to be on this stage as a band, just because I want to experience the music atmosphere in Beijing."
It was an important and confusing meal. As mutual friends, the band's former guitarist introduced Wang Fan and Yan Mingchen, and the three of them drank together and talked about music. Yan Mingchen is a homebody. At first, he thought it was troublesome to form a band, and he just wanted to make friends. After drinking and chatting, Yan Mingchen became excited again, "I drank too much when I was excited. She said would you like to form this band with me? I directly said yes, I must do it well, and I didn't regret it the next day. I I don't agree to other people's things easily. If I agree, I will treat it as a very complicated matter and deal with it how I want to solve it."
Eight Immortals Hotel bassist and producer Yan Mingchen
Yan Mingchen did not break his promise, and listened to a demo by Wang Fan the next day. He liked it very much, so they hit it off and made an appointment to go to Yan Mingchen's studio to start arranging the music. This song later became "Though".
Yan Mingchen's seriousness made Wang Fan no longer hesitate to reorganize the Eight Immortals Hotel, "I drank too much that day. Later, we couldn't tell which sentence was true and which was false. We woke up the next day and thought about what we said yesterday. Whether it’s words or not, fortunately, we are all more action-oriented, let the songs speak for themselves, and do it if it works.”
The separation and reunification of band members has always been one of the topics in the band circle, and it is also a major issue that affects the mood and creation of many bands. But Wang Fan and Yan Mingchen had a very calm and relaxed attitude towards this matter. The guitarist who introduced them to each other later quit the band because he concentrated on his education work. Both of them thought it was normal.
Dahuang, the current guitarist of the Eight Immortals Hotel
"Do we still need to sign a life and death certificate? Hahaha, no. If one day we are no longer interested in the band and fall in love with skiing or surfing, or we find other directions in life that can support our spirits, it is possible. It happened. When that day comes, music no longer brings us an exciting feeling. It really just reduces to performing and entering a state that makes us unhappy. I think everyone will still make a choice. So "Happiness is the most important thing." Wang Fan believes that the most important thing in forming a band is to be happy.
Just like the tacit understanding of music, Yan Mingchen also thinks this way, "Everyone's happiness together is the first priority. Money can't buy my happiness."
Then, they found the current two members. "The most important thing is that we recognize this person's character. The second is that the music technology threshold must be passed. In addition, more importantly, we still hope that he can improve his music taste and There can be points of communication in music aesthetics, even if we like completely different types of music, we can have an inclusive mentality." Wang Fan emphasized, "We all prefer people who are tolerant."
Drummer Qiqi of the Eight Immortals Hotel
Many bands that everyone is familiar with, especially their seniors, have expressed their deep and serious devotion to music, rock, and the band. As a result, many anecdotes of love and hatred have been circulated in the world. In contrast, Wang Fan and Yan Mingchen are not so "bitter and cynical" towards the band and music, but are rational and relaxed.
"Rather than saying that I am rational, maybe I am more realistic. I think about how to solve everything from the most realistic level. Doing things and creating are two different things. Creation is to use the brain to imagine, but in real life It’s an operational matter,” Wang Fan said.
Yan Mingchen feels that although his job as a producer requires him to be rational in his work and consider many issues such as audience and integrity, he is actually emotional in life. "Wang Fan has a lot of emotions in it when he writes lyrics and music. , it is an emotional process. But in life, I am more emotional. So it is very suitable for us to make music together."
On October 4th, the Eight Immortals Hotel was at the Shanghai Simple Life Festival
Wang Fan and Yan Mingchen rarely have disagreements. They both have a tacit understanding. Even if they have emotions, they usually resolve their inner emotions first and then solve the problem. "Be angry for a while and then discuss it. It's all for the sake of music. Just communicate directly, there is no need to turn it into too many emotions.”
The two of them have hardly entered the so-called "band circle" and usually go to eat by themselves after the performance. Don’t you really have a few friends in the same industry? Yes, but the way they express their friendship is not by drinking and singing, but by meditating together.
"I have a very good friend, a bassist who speaks very little, but I think words are needed to express differences. When we met backstage at the music festival, we didn't say anything and just meditated. It's like having a conversation with your soul. Often it's a magnetic field, which is the most beautiful." Yan Mingchen seemed to be entering into the beauty of meditation together as he spoke.
Meditation has come out. In the words of young people, Wang Fan and Yan Mingchen are really Buddhist in matters other than music.
For example, when he learned that "Though" was used in the movie, Yan Mingchen said, "I'm not particularly excited. I think this is a normal thing in our lives, and we should treat it with a normal mentality. The visuals of the movie are consistent with what we wanted in the lyrics." The things conveyed have something in common. A good work of art itself can bring a sense of surprise to people, rather than saying that I have been 'adopted' by someone."
"We rarely seem to be particularly happy or sad because of something." Wang Fan said.
On October 14th, the Eight Immortals Hotel was at the Shijiazhuang MTA Hutuo Music Festival
[Some conversations about the Eight Immortals Hotel and music]
Dreams are imaginative
The Paper: "Half" is a song from the album "The Unveiling of the Bliss Building". The biggest feature of your song is that it is more dreamlike. The title is also an absurd observation of the world and the projection of dreams. It is a movie that Wang Fan has watched. ?
Wang Fan: I haven’t watched it completely. It is an experimental film image. What left a deep impression was that the director presented many historical figures, mythological figures, religious figures, and allegorical figures who appeared in different periods in the same space using a combination of true and false, and made them look like a dream. Fantasy things, such as swallowing jewels, and a Lady wearing a birdcage on her head.
I understand that the scene it constructs is actually the same as the scene we dream every night, because only in dreams, people from different time and space will appear in the same time and space in the same form. Dreams can break the limitations of time and space and the limitations of character relationships, and collide with a very magical picture.
When we were writing this album, each song represented a different character, and these people had no connection with each other. We hoped that this space would be like the Bliss Mansion, like a dream, it would be a place where everyone God carnivalesque. I think real life is severely limited by time and space, but dreams are unlimited and unrestricted. I think the exploration of dreams, whether it is music, film or literature, is a good source of inspiration.
"Tutu", "Youth Nezha", etc. are all from the digital album "Bliss Building Unveiled" released in 2021
The Paper: From dreams to absurdity, does it to some extent represent your somewhat pessimistic and unpositive inner expression?
Wang Fan: We have not considered this issue. People still need to have a clear observation and cannot indulge in too many personal emotions all the time. Just like we have read many literary works or movies, we have seen the world through their lenses. We also hope that others can see the world by listening to our songs, rather than promoting a certain idea and instilling it in everyone. , ideas are free, we just hope to provide everyone with a perspective, a kaleidoscope, a magnifying glass... We are just a medium.
Yan Mingchen: What’s interesting is that under certain lights, this window can act like a mirror and reflect ourselves. So this window is not only an exit, but also a window to restore our inner self.
Don’t want to define your own style
The Paper: Let’s talk about ourselves and rock music respectively.
Yan Mingchen: My parents are not engaged in music. I played the violin when I was a child, and my father asked someone to buy a lot of genuine classical music records for me to listen to. Until I was in the fourth or fifth grade of elementary school, I found out that my neighbor’s classmates listened to the band Beyond, and I was attracted by them. They are attracted by some of their unpopular songs and are strongly influenced by their gloomy temperament. At that time, I bought my first guitar to teach myself, and then I started listening to more and more rock music.
I don’t want to define my own style, but it’s useless for me to define myself. My style cannot cover up some of my own characteristics. Every band and every musician has its own characteristics, which is also the charm of the music itself.
Wang Fan: When I was young, I listened to the songs of Black Panther and Tang Dynasty, including predecessors such as Tian Zhen and Luo Dayou. They have a lot of rock genes. When I was young, I listened to my parents. Later, when I grew up, I had the choice to find some bands that I liked more.
The Paper: What band or song has had the greatest influence on you?
Yan Mingchen: Because as a producer, I usually need to accumulate a lot, and it’s like I have a database in my brain. "Tokyo Incident" is a band that I have loved very much in recent years.
"Tokyo Incident" band
Wang Fan: I still feel that styles like David Bowie or garage bands, grunge rock and punk have a huge influence on me. Maybe I don’t listen to them much now, but when I hear them again, I still feel very excited in my heart, like Cage The Elephant, which I like more, maybe a slightly newer band, and including bands like Courtney Love, I had a deep impression when I first came into contact with rock music. In recent years, I have listened more to some movie soundtracks to feel the atmosphere of the soundtrack and something closer to the music itself.
Listen to everything and open your mind
The Paper: Is Wang Fan someone who writes lyrics and music very quickly? Will it require some special method of inspiration?
Wang Fan: I am a person who prefers to accumulate materials in daily life. When I see interesting things, I write them down in my memo. We are all more inclined to express poetic and imagery content, which also has something to do with our personalities. We are not particularly straightforward people who express ourselves, and we will not describe something straightforwardly. We have always preferred to be reserved. way of expression. I have always been sensitive to words and like some weird expressions.
The Paper: In an interview, Yan Mingchen said that he prefers taking the subway?
Yan Mingchen: When I first came to Beijing, my life was not that miserable. I had some song production projects, but I had relatively more free time than now. Every time I finish a song, I put on my headphones and listen to a lot of my favorite music. I use a subway card. It’s like riding on an endless train, listening to the noisy crowd and the track sound that I particularly like. , the music is turned up loud. I don't like sitting on the subway. I like to hold the handrail and meditate on various things.
Because I took the subway, I listened to a lot of different playlists, a lot of independent music, classical music, and even electronic music. During that period of time, I was gathering inspiration while riding the subway.
"Young Nezha" is the work of director Tsai Ming-liang, and it is also the song played by the Eight Immortals Band and Jin Haixin in the goddess collaboration competition of "Summer of the Band 3"
The Paper: Your music is often related to movies. What is your favorite movie recently?
Wang Fan: Tsai Ming-liang is my all-time favorite director. Recently I have been watching Polanski's movies, "Venus in Furs", "Bitter Moon", etc. I also like Shuji Terayama's movies. Also, there are films by Dushan Makavyev.
The personalities or hobbies of several of us are that we like to dig out some strange things from the corners. We want to be different from the people around us, and compare who listens to weirder music and who watches weirder things, and slowly brainstorm. It will gradually open up and indirectly affect our future creative ideas.
Yan Mingchen: What impressed me most recently is not the movie, but "Love, Death, Robot" and the movie "The Long Season". I especially like Teacher Ding Ke’s soundtrack in the play.
The Paper: Xin Shuang said at the scene that he has a rock music switch in his mind. Do you have this switch for rock music?
Yan Mingchen: Of course there is, but the concept of rock music is too broad. Because there are many styles, I changed it to music. It must be an emotional expression from oneself. Emotions can be happy, sad, negative, or extreme. Yes, but for me, truth comes first. Music without any real emotions is definitely not good music.
Wang Fan: All music that can give me goosebumps is good music, it doesn’t have to be rock music. We listen to a wide range of things, not only rock music, but I’ve been listening to Suzhou Pingtan recently. Different music brings different shocks, and I don’t think it should be limited by style.
