A Guide to Chinese Post-rock 重塑你对国内后摇的定义

October 25, 2019 2019年10月25日

Post-rock can be perplexing for the uninitiated. With its fluid use of analog and digital instruments, irregular chord progressions, and vocal-less compositions, the subgenre has upended the formulaic structure of traditional rock music. Post-rock songs are more like lengthy, melody-led narratives, designed to evoke powerful emotions and whisk listeners away to distant lands.

China’s first post-rock band wasn’t formed until 1998, but the scene has matured over the past two decades. As bands began experimenting, many started to include traditional instruments, which resulted in sounds with a distinctly Chinese flair. These unique sonic textures are what helped put Chinese post-rock on the map, but many bands are still flying under the radar.

In this edition of Neocha Select, we’ve put together a list of Chinese post-rock bands that we think you should check out. From up-and-comers to veterans, these bands from across the Middle Kingdom offer a gamut of different styles that’ll satisfy music lovers of all persuasions.


后摇滚(post-rock),摇滚乐里的无字天书——这种鲜有固定旋律、鲜有人声的音乐,瓦解了传统摇滚后重组旋律、揉杂着古典乐、器乐和现代电子音乐,它带来的是宛如长篇叙事般的情绪大爆发,虽然,它仿佛只提供了旋律和氛围,但所带来但震撼,却让无数乐迷感受到了海洋、宇宙、孤独和爱。而自从 1998 年第一批中国后摇乐团的成立,国内后摇的历史至今也已经书写了整整二十个年头。不少以器乐为主的演奏方式和东方传统文化的体现,也让中国后摇的独辟蹊径,获得不少国际的关注。

这篇 Neocha 精选集,从风格、地域、成立年份,多方面盘点了国内不同地域的后摇乐队,有元老级的先锋乐队,也有略为小众的新声代,希望能给你带来不一样的聆听体验。


Wangwen


惘闻


Region: Dalian, Liaoning
Year Formed: 1999
Style: Grandiose, Plaintive, Atmospheric

Wangwen is one of the most iconic bands in the Chinese post-rock scene, and they’ve been an international presence since their early years. They’ve crafted a signature sound that’s brash but desolate, forming dense soundscapes tinged with melancholic undertones. It’s precisely the band’s dimensionality that has turned even the harshest critics into fans. Guitarist Yuan Laoqian has summed it up the best, “Post-rock is subversive. It deconstructs melodic structures and explores an instrument’s full spectrum of sounds. It doesn’t follow genre expectations.”


地域:辽宁大连
组建时间1999
关键词
:宏伟、沉郁、大气

作为中国后摇的代表乐队,惘闻从成立至今一直活跃在国际舞台上。惘闻的创团元老兼吉他手谢玉岗曾说:后摇是一种颠覆性的音乐,破除乐曲既有结构,挖掘器乐不同的声响,而非某种同一流派的音乐类型。”以器乐为主的惘闻乐队,音乐显得磅礴、粗犷而冷冽,这些宏伟的器乐引领听众在旋律中冲破现实的桎梏,但其中蕴含的细腻而阴郁的情感,却悄无声息地接踵而至。或许正是这样一种厚度,让绝大部分挑剔的耳朵获得了饱足。


 

Zhaozhe


沼泽


Region: Guangdong
Year Formed: 1998
Style: Traditional, Folk, Melodic

In China, Wangwen may be considered the quintessential post-rock band of the north but Zhaoze claims that title for the south. Though both are pioneers of the Chinese post-rock scene, they have vastly different styles. Zhaozhe broke grounds by being the first post-rock band to incorporate traditional Chinese instruments into their music: the result is a captivating sound that seamlessly weaves the elegance of Chinese folk music with the ferocity of rock. Blistering chord changes and nimble strumming on a modified guqin (a seven-stringed Chinese zither) combined with their guitar riffs, basslines, and drums make for emotionally charged tracks that excite the imagination.


地域:广东
组建时间1998
关键词
:古琴、民乐、悠扬

北惘闻,南沼泽这是流传在众多后摇乐迷团中的一句话。作为最初成立的两支国内后摇乐队,沼泽和惘闻的曲风大相径庭。沼泽乐队开创性地摇滚中融入中国民乐:古琴。悠扬淡雅的传统民乐,撞上激烈狂野的摇滚,赋予了他们的音乐以独特的魅力,被改装过的古琴,在空弦音与泛音之间回切,而以往占主旋律的吉他、贝斯和鼓声成为了某种情绪点缀,更深邃的想象空间,就在那一次次的流转中豁然显现。


 

Return to Delicate Past


重返袖珍时光


Region: Henan
Year Formed: 2007
Style: Mellow, Ethereal, Romantic

Return to Delicate Past is a post-rock band that doesn’t believe in overengineering their sound. Fitting to their name, the band produces airy compositions through a less-is-more approach, one that implores listeners to sift through each note and take in the melodic details. Their music reminds listeners that simplicity has its merits and rewards those who aren’t afraid of stepping into unfamiliar sonic terrains.


地域:河南焦作
组建时间:2007 年
关键词
:细腻、空灵、浪漫

重返袖珍时光的音乐并不是波澜壮阔的那种,正如乐队名一样,这是一支醉心于“给听众打开一个袖珍物件内部的繁茂内景”、让人“对细碎时光不断解析与深掘”的后摇乐队。它像是一个袖珍的放大镜,给听众呈现细微的切入点,从而让人们对未知图景,进行宏大的想象与思考。


 

Sparrow


文雀


Region: Beijing
Year Formed: 2007
Style: Grandiose, Romantic

Sparrow‘s music marries instrumental ambiance and electronic influences with math-rock time signatures, creating tracks that brim with warmth and strength. Through razor-sharp drum beats and meticulous songwriting, they’ve crafted a distinctive sound that ebbs and swells with intensity, one that listeners can get lost in for days.


地域:北京
组建时间2008
关键词
:辽阔、浪漫

器乐、数字、电子,毫不违和地交织在一起,合成一段段温暖、明亮又不乏力量的曲调,就是文雀带来的后摇。这个乐队的鼓点鲜明、节奏紧凑,曲风时而跳脱时而澎湃,却能让人在旋律里沉迷整日,真的像大雁般不问归途。


 

Little Wizard


小巫师


Region: Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Year Formed: 2008
Style: Brash, Dissonant

Despite the electronic and punk influences that appear in their music, Little Wizard has a style that leans towards traditional rock sounds. In their music, the slow burn of emotions found in typical post-rock is nowhere to be found, instead replaced by an unrelenting energy that kicks off on the getgo. Powered along by punk-rock drums and electronic synths, their music hit listeners like a defibrillator to the chest.


地域:浙江绍兴
组建时间2008
关键词:摇滚、朋克

小巫师的音乐,某种意义上像是回归了摇滚乐的怀抱,不同于一般后摇乐曲一开始的情绪渲染,小巫师的曲子常常开篇直入,鼓点带动节奏,迅猛有力,情绪一触即燃,加上电子朋克的元素,听来相当酣畅淋漓。


 

Amber


琥珀


Region: Xi’an, Shanxi
Year Formed: 2008
Style: Rhythmic, Gentle

Though the band was formed in Xi’an, Amber‘s music is far removed from the gravitas that many associate with the ancient Chinese city. Their sound is elegant, mesmerizing, and infused with a contemporary sensibility. The track, “Hangover Star,” is often cited as many people’s first taste of post-rock in China. With recurrent melodies and a slow-ascending emotionality, Amber’s music soars to climactic heights before caressing listeners with euphonic harmonies.


地域:陕西西安
组建时间2010
关键词
:节奏强、温柔

诞生于古城西安的琥珀,旋律却并未如其名称和地域般历史氛围浓重,它反而是一支优雅而迷人的后摇乐队,代表作《宿醉之星》被很多人称为“后摇入门曲”,循环的旋律、渐渐推进的情绪感,它的爆发并不激烈,却出奇地意味深远。


 

Mofei


莫非


Region: Shanghai
Year Formed: 2008
Style: Clean, Down-to-earth

From “Dopamine” to their latest release “Spring Festival,” Mofei has a playful approach to choosing track names. The way they interact with online fans is similarly tongue-in-cheek, often responding to comments with a heavy of self-deprecating humor. The band has crafted a distinguishing sound that’s raw and unpretentious. Listeners won’t find bleary-eyed melancholy or bludgeoning rhythms in their music; what they will find is a sound that, much like the band itself, is introspective, pure, and sincere.


地域:上海
组建时间:2011 年
关键词:干净、真实

莫非乐队的歌名很有意思,从《多巴胺》再到最新的《春节》,基本上都取材于生活,真实简单。他们在网上回复乐迷的留言也有意思,基本都是带着自嘲的腔调说着大实话。再回到他们的音乐,没有哀婉的弦乐,也没有不间断的爆炸鼓点,莫非乐队和他们的音乐,很适合拿来和自己共处,干净、实诚。


 

Tation


天声


Region: Qinghai, Xining
Year Found: 2012 年
Style: Chinese-style, Grandiose, Abstract

Tation‘s music is often described as “post-rock from the highlands of China” and it is: the members are all from the snow-capped mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With their sharp focus on instrumentation, Tation creates meandering tracks that combine classic folk instruments with experimental electronic sounds. Their tracks, through masterful manipulation of tension, take listeners in and out of riotous crescendos and spacious interludes. The band’s Chinese name, Tian Sheng (meaning “sound from the heavens”), is inspired by a line from poet Li Bai’s Gu Feng: “They disappear, suddenly, into the shadows; but the wind returns with a voice from the heavens.” Considering the polarity of their sounds, it’s a name that feels particularly fitting.


地域:青海西宁
组建时间:2012 年
关键词:中国风、抽象、壮阔

这支被称为“高原后摇”的乐队:天声,的的确确来自雪山之巅的青藏高原。他们以器乐创作为核心,一首长篇后摇里,会糅合民族乐器、实验电子,时而静谧时而壮阔,音色极具张力。从混沌而来,向苍茫而去,他们的乐队名字也恰恰应了李白那句诗:“去影忽不见,回风送天声”。


 

Xiantong


仙童


Region: Weihai, Shandong
Year Found: 2015 (Disbanded in 2017)
Style: Pure, Unconventional

Guitarist Dong Shu was once asked about his musical aspirations. He answered that he hoped his music could be like a child, able to cast aside worldly cares and exist with a fairy-like sense of wonder. This is how the band name, Xiantong (meaning Fairy Child), came about. The band’s mentality of “ignoring outside influences and going against the mainstream” has attracted them a devout following during their active years. Though the band has since disbanded, their uncompromising approach to music-making is something that can still be appreciated.


地域:山东威海
组建时间2015 年/2017 年解散,现为单人后摇团
关键词
:纯粹、跳脱

遗世独立、一身仙气的孩子——吉他手董恕形容的这个形象,最后就成为乐队的名字:仙童。后摇不破不立的音乐曲式,“既不想受别人影响,也不随大流”,让仙童最开始的几首曲子收获了不少忠实的听众,如今再听,也让人不得不感慨曲中的纯粹。


 

Before the Sunrise


日出之前


Region: Beijing
Year Found: 2015
Style: Soulful, Melodic

Not much information is available online about Before the Sunrise. Even on their official channels, the band’s bio features only two sparse sentences: “Darkness and cold dissipate with the coming dawn. Hope and light are reborn with every rising sun.” Their sound, while classifiable as post-rock, stands out from bands who’ve pigeonholed themselves into the genre—it’s music that has a soul. The band pairs digital sounds with human vocals to create jaunty, hummable tunes. These songs move along at an unhurried pace and often end abruptly, leaving listeners craving for more.


地域:北京
组建时间:约为 2015
关键词
:灵动、悠扬

这支乐队能在网上找到的资料非常少,官方的介绍页面,也只留着短短的两句话:“所有黑暗与寒冷都将在日出之前湮灭。所有光明与希望都将在日出之后重生。”说是后摇乐队,但和标榜自己是“后摇”的乐队还不太一样,日出之前的曲风轻快,旋律非常灵动,有些曲调结合了电子乐和人声,甚至可以跟着唱和,再悠悠然结尾,让人有种扑了空的怅惘。


From thunderous cacophanies and soothing stillness to optimism and despair, the appeal of post-rock lies in the universality of its sounds and the emotions they convey. The magic of the genre lies in its ability to captivate the imagination and invite listeners to engage with the music on their own terms.

 

Due to copyright issues, more songs can be found on the bands’ official channels.

从温暖到哀愁,再从暴烈到沉寂,后摇的生命力所在,就是在一次次呈现这世界喧扰的同时,迸发出充沛能量和情绪,让人遐想,也让人期待。

 

由于版权受限,更多音乐可自行前往音乐软件收听。

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Contributor: Chen Yuan


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供稿人: Chen Yuan