We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

李​维​思 - Indication

from there is no music from china by Various Artists

/

lyrics

Li Weisi - Indication
"Hello my dear friend, first of all, first thing first, really thank you for buying this tape. It is a compilation called as the name you just saw on the cover, or not on the cover ? I don`t know, because when I wrote this info, I just don`t know what the cover would be designed. I guess it would be, a photo from early years, like last century, mid 1980s, some very happy looking grandma & grandpa & young men dancing on Tian An Men square, along with the letter "There is no music from China". Actually I think it is somehow a little bit hard to tell if it is true or not, even I live here everyday. But it is not important, if finally the cover designed like what I assumed, it would be more fun I think. By the way, I tell them to cut off all the tapes` belt at the beginning, but the label think it is a little bit risky for their customers (You !), so it should be plan B : selling the tapes with a pair of Chinese scissor, then you could choose to cut it or not by yourself. But unfortunately, i just lack of money these days, the scissors are too expensive for me. So i suggest you could go to your local China Town (if no China Town, try eBay) to find a nice and new Chinese style one if you like some ceremony feeling, to complete the work. Cheers."

李维思 - 指令
“亲爱的朋友们你们好,首先,首先的首先,非常感谢你们买这盒磁带。这是一个合辑,标题你们已经在封面上看见了,或者封面上没有印标题?我不知道,因为我写这些的时候,我还不知道封面会是怎么设计的。我猜会是一张老照片,比如上个世纪,八十年代中期,一些特别开心的大爷大妈和年轻人在天安门广场上跳舞,旁边是标题“There is no music from China”。事实上,我想,有点难说这是真的还是假的,甚至我每天都住在这里也还是说不上。但是这不重要,如果封面真的像我想的那样设计,应该会更有意思。顺便说一下,我跟他们说,从一开始就把所有的磁带都剪断,但是厂牌觉得这对顾客(你!)来说有点冒险,所以我就想了B计划:随磁带送一个中国剪刀,然后你可以自己决定剪还是不剪。但是很遗憾,我最近没钱,对我来说剪刀太贵了。所以我建议,要是你喜欢一种仪式感的话,你可以自己去附近的唐人街(要是没有唐人街,就上eBuy)找一把好用的新的中国式剪刀,来完成这件作品。干杯!

credits

from there is no music from china, released June 30, 2017
Li Weisi 李维思
Indication
0‘00’‘

email conversation between Dong Xing (who is not a musician but also was invited to join the project), Li Weisi, Zhu Wenbo and Yan Jun:

It is quite an arguable statement, will get back to you soon. 

xing



I believe you! although I have only seen as an audience. But I think this is not a "musician's project". 

zhu wenbo



Ah, finally I find out what Li Weisi want to do.... Make me smile. Hope someone will do it, not make it as a joke. 
Scissor idea remind old Chinese fans the "cut-out" cassette days, though I'm afraid there is no customer for this tape belong to this group. Erase plan is much common for foreign audience I think, if they REALLY want to destroy it:)

zhu wenbo



ah i didn't realize that links to dakou.
there are always some hardcore collectors do whatever artist ask to do. let's see...

yan jun



Hi people (that includes those 'friends' and 'guys' ):
I seriously doubt about the idea of offering a pair of scissors which reminds me how those old school consumerist magazines along with the giveaway commodities effectively function as doorsteps. 
Also, one shall be permitted to do anything to a cassette, preferably his/her own property, regardless to what the 'ARTIST' ask them to do. A given ORDER -- is potentially, if not fundamentally, a Nazist action that demand its object obeying. Why would a hardcore collector do whatever artist ask to do? Is it because he or she is too hardcore about collecting and its relevant consumerist ideology so that he or she lost the capability of critically perceive an artist's piece of work? That sounds strikingly miserable. Perhaps it is me that could understand the aesthetic of repressiveness, but there are really more than one way to express an urge for provocation, with some manner, an invitation. 
In a more materialized level, I neither get the aesthetic of scissors. A device for a destructive consequence, can be much more simpler/minimal/elegant, namely a piece of single razor blade -- with certain level of danger it reaffirm the subject's wiliness, you have to be more conscious of this action of cutting. Also more practical economical wise.
And -- since the reason for this awkward group mail ORDERED to be in English was ... 'to forget China. ', I'm quite confused when Zhu mentioned the term 'foreign audience', which 'foreign' are you exactly referring to?? Or that was just an example of the failure of this somewhat absurd attempt, it might not even be able to justify itself as an attempt, but merely some, saying.

xing



great to have you in discussion!
my opinion, razor is similar as scissor. both are metaphor for the violent action of cutting tape / defunctionalize music.
first at all, weisi, is it means to imply the dakou history? if so, both razor and scissor are not direct enough as a saw. if not, i prefer erase which is simple.
the second point is this is not nazi. because you don't have to do so. it's a trick: to have one work perfect, you have to destroy other's work. it's rather mimicking a form of politics situation. perhaps a bad politics. but you, the audience, decide.
then i guess there was a point about "forget china" you were not in present. i forget where it appeared first time but that was not seriously. perhaps was when i suggest gao jiafeng to do so, while he was heading home to china. a joke. the reason to use english is we don't want to take the translation task. and we love chinglish:)
let's cut them all!

yan jun



It is pretty interesting, for different thinking aspects on one thing, and some aspects i haven`t realized. I advise the discussion in all the mails could become a part of the project, in some suitable form.
About the plan, i haven`t realize it would recall the memories of Chinese dakou history before this word appeared in our mails. Same situation on the political aspect -- the Nazi and the destruction of other`s work. But i think it is really interesting not because they all have relations with China more or less, but because they are not arranged, out of my expectation -- it could make the trick more tricky.
Because the idea is really simple, same as Yan Jun said in a sense: what i am doing is just a trick. Farther more, i want it would be a absurd humor;  I got a scissor, what, you told me there are no music from China, so cut it or not? Actually, no matter believe it or not, u got a vintage Chinese scissor as a gift. "Seriously, I am really not serious at all", that is it.
But to me the point i care more is, a simple trick is absolutely a different thing from a not-so-simple trick, even they have an almost same principle in essence -- the different point doesn`t means better or worse, it only related with and reflected the creator`s habit, character, personality, in a word, humanity.
So, if Yan Jun doing it, i guess it will be just shown as an erase tape order speech -- that`s very Yan Jun; If Dong Xing doing it, i guess it will be like Criterion Collection`s feeling -- or totally another plan -- that`s very Dong Xing; If I doing it, i will insist on using a concrete object -- scissors, blade, saw are all ok -- and will choose the saw if possible. And, all these 3 plans have totally different focus points.
As it is so interesting, now i got a new trick about it. Plays like this:
1, NAZI plan. Won`t record the speech, but print it. Except the printed speech, there is no any other info about the tape (except each track`s owner) . And the tape has been cut at the beginning already, if the audience want to play it, he has to fix it. 
2, Scissor plan. No change as before.
3, Erase plan. The speech is a short order, then 5mins silence, then an asking like: Why are you still playing it ???
And our 5 people vote for these 3 plans. Can not give up vote right. I vote for the NAZI plan. But I am not NAZI !

weisi




I think both Nazi plan and scissor plan are fine. I prefer them better than erase plan. Maybe I vote each 0.5 for these two?

zhu wenbo



When I mention Nazism I was not suggesting this action or 'recording - replay' as a system to be Nazist, so the realization or actual consequence of obeying are not the precondition of my argument. I was talking about the very nature of AN ORDER, linguistically and logically. An action does not necessarily to be Nazist in reality even there is a Nazist logic undermined, in this context the mechanism of this very speech. 
I did certainly get the paradox there (the completing of one's work as the same time destructing others), but all I was saying is that it can be done as an inquiry, a relatively neutral gesture. Having said that, I really think The Artist should be fully responsible for his or her work hence the total freedom as well, so Nazism is obviously choosable if the artist desired. I do not want to against Li if he is determined to use this ORDER in his work,  I'm just raising this issue since I doubt you were aware of. Then again to develop a piece of work via voting is ... r .. e .  ..a .. ll...y .. ..   ..  .. n .. .o ... t ... a good idea, for me, as I really think artists should take their responsibility for their own work so please make your own decision. However, we can have a voting on whether or not it shall be included in the tape, and I guarantee you that would be a really bad politic. :)
Seriously I don't care much about the physical form of the device used to practice this act of 'cutting', plus I really do not think the metaphorical quality should be prioritized than other ones. Both blades and scissors may effectively function in various circumstances including murdering, it is truly up to the listener/user to freely practice their own will and rights and take the consequences and responsibilities. After all, to cut a piece of magnetic band is really not making many points for listeners, from my perspective, they should cut villain's neck with it, or open a summery love letter.
'u got a vintage Chinese scissor as a gift' that is exactly what I was saying in last mail, a common practice which VOGUE would do. I mean, is there any solid criticism there you want to bring up Li? If not why this mimicry of a bundle selling? I understand you want to bring up this physical property of the destruction, you can also suggest your listeners to use their teeth, or any other hardware tools available. Also, I don't quite understand the Criterion Collection thing, I understand that is a dvd publishing and distribution company but I really don't understand why I was considered as such. I (kind of) don't like companies in any kinds, I have never worked for a company and hopefully would never in the future. 
Finally, I fully understand this English-writing-convenient but then again, why couldn't we just be frank at the first place? Why had it to be articulated in some other way, 'To forget China?', to make it looks decent? I admit that I really couldn't get the point if that is a joke. May I ask how do you find it funny? Zhu and everyone? I really find this 'looking for an excuse' thing so 'China', exactly how bureaus dealing with public issues. If you want to justify it by saying it is a mimicry of 'looking for a meaningless excuse', then we are talking about APPROPRIATION, in which case, I couldn't see any valid intention, awareness or perspective of using this device.

xing



cheers!
i feel so nice to have a lot to read and think and talk!
i guess li was not really want us vote, do you? i don't vote anyway. i just speak my opinion. if others vote my work i would be very happy to listen and never follow (as last time the audiences-want-list performance i did at fruity space).
forget china for me is a joke. but of course zhu might has different idea. he could be either serious or not. this title started from a joke, a play of words. and the point of this game, for me, is "music". i.e. if there is no music from china then what hell are these tracks? i might also have suggested don't think about chinese music or china. but this is really not important as even i forgot it at all..
ah, let's don't put the last sentences above into liner note! it's secret!

yan jun



hmm, if not pre-cut, i think scissors neither necessary.
just let the customer using their own tools is ok
So i need to replace the end letters of the work info.
weisi


=========

李维思
指令
0'00''


董星(并不是乐手,但也受邀参加此合辑,但最终没有参与)、李维思、颜峻之间的邮件摘录:

这个声明非常可疑,我很快写给你们


我相信你!尽管我只见过你做观众,但是我相信这不是一个“乐手的项目”。
朱文博

啊,终于明白李维思要干嘛了……我笑了。希望有人会照着做,别只当它是玩笑。
朱文博

啊我没想过这个和打口有关。
总是有些骨灰级藏家照着艺术家的要求做。我们看吧……
颜峻

嗨,大家(包括“朋友们”和“伙计们”):
我严重质疑提供剪刀这个主意。让我想起那些老套的消费杂志,随刊赠送些小玩意那种,实际上也就被拿来当脚垫。
还有,一个人应该有权对磁带做自己想做的,尤其是做为自己的财产,不管那个“艺术家”怎么要求。一个命令——潜在地,如果不是根本地,是一种要求对象服从的纳粹行为。凭什么一个骨灰级藏家就该艺术家让他干嘛就干嘛?因为他或者她对收藏及其相关的消费主义意识形态太过于狂热以至于他或者她丧失了批评性地感受一个艺术家的作品的潜力吗?这听起来令人发指地可耻。可能我还算能理解这种压抑美学,但是实在还有很多方法来表达挑衅的欲望,比如说有点礼貌地邀请。
从一个更物质化的层面来说,我也感受不到这个剪刀的美学。一件用于破坏性后果的工具,完全可以更简单、简洁、优雅,比如说一片刀片——通过一定程度上的危险,它重新确认了主题的狡猾,对这个切割的行动你必须加倍留心。而且更实际地说,也便宜。
还有——因为这个尴尬的邮件群被命令使用英语的原因是……“忘掉中国”,我相当困惑于朱文博提到的那个词“外国听众”。你说的是哪个外国??或者这不过是这个荒谬企图的一个失败的例子,尽管它可能连做为一个例子来自我辩护都做不到,不过是某种,说法。


你加入讨论真好!
我的看法,刀片和剪刀一样。都是用来切断磁带/让音乐失效的象征。
不过首先,维思,这个真的是在暗示打口的过去吗?
要真的是,那刀片和剪刀都不如锯子直接。要不是,我更喜欢消磁,这个更简单。
第二个重点是,这不是纳粹。因为你不是非要照着做。这是个小把戏:想让一个人的作品完美,你得毁掉别人的作品。这更像是模拟一种政治情境。可能是一种糟糕的政治吧。但是你,听众,你说了算。
然后我估计还有一个关于“忘掉中国”的重点当时你没在群里。我忘了这句话第一次出现是在哪里,但是肯定不是严肃的。可能是我建议高嘉丰的吧,当时他正要回国。是一个玩笑。至于要用英语写邮件的原因是我们不想花时间翻译。而且我热爱中式英语:)
我们全给它切掉吧!
颜峻

真有趣,对一件事有这么多不同的想法,而且有些方面我都没意识到。我建议所有邮件里的讨论都做为作品的一部分出现,以一种合适的形式吧。
关于这个计划,在打口这个词出现在邮件讨论里之前,我没想过可能会让人想起中国打口的记忆。还有关于政治性的情境——纳粹以及毁掉别人的作品。但我想这个真的有意思,不是说多多少少都和中国有关,而是因为事先没有计划到,它们出乎我的预料——这会让诡计更诡异。
因为这个想法其实很简单,某种程度上和颜峻说的一样:我做的只是一个小把戏。更多呢,我希望它是一个晦涩的幽默;我收到一个剪刀,啥?你跟我说没有音乐来自中国,那剪还是不剪呢?实际上,不管信不信,你收到一个古董中国剪刀的礼物。“严肃地说,我根本不是严肃的”。就是这样。
但是我更关心的重点是,一个简单的小把戏绝对和一个不简单的小把戏不一样,即使它们本质上有几乎一样的原理——不同之处并不意味着更好或者更差,它仅仅反映出作者的习惯、性格、个性,一句话就是人性。
所以,要是颜峻做,我猜就只有一句抹去磁带的指令——这非常颜峻;要是董星做,我猜会特别CC大师收藏版的感觉——或者干脆就是另一个计划——这非常董星;要是我做,我就坚持用一个具体的东西——剪刀、刀片、锯子都行——要是可能的话就选锯子。而且,三个计划有完全不同的着重点。
因为它这么有意思,现在我有了一个新的把戏。这样玩:
1,纳粹计划。不用录下我说的话,而是印出来。除了印出来的这句话,没有关于这个磁带的任何信息(除了每一曲的作者名)。而且磁带从一开始就已经是剪断的了,要是听众想听,他就得自己修。
2,剪刀计划。跟之前一样。
3,消磁计划。语音就是一句短的指令,然后5分钟空白,然后问一句:你怎么还在播放???
然后我们5个人对3个计划投票。不能放弃投票权啊。我选纳粹计划。但我不是纳粹!
维思

我觉得纳粹计划和剪刀计划都行。比起消磁计划我更喜欢这两个。我能每个投半票吗?
朱文博

我说纳粹主义的时候我可不是建议这个行为或者“录音-重放”系统得是纳粹分子,所以说实施或者对服从的实际的后果并不是我的争论的前提条件。我说的是一个命令的语言学上的和逻辑上的本性。在现实中一个行为并不必要是纳粹,即便有一个纳粹逻辑在里面,在这个语境中特指这句指令的机制。
我完全知道这个悖论(实现某人的作品的同时毁掉别人的作品),但是我说的是它可以用一种请求的方式,一种相对自然的方式来完成。话虽如此,我真的觉得艺术家应该对他或者她的作品也对他或者她的全部的自由负全责,所以纳粹主义显然可选如果一个艺术家想要选。我不想反对李维思要是他决定要在作品里用这个命令。我只是因为怀疑你们有没有意识到才发起这个辩论。然后的然后通过投票来发展一件作品……实……在……不……是……一个好主意。对我来说,我真的觉得艺术家应该对他们自己的作品负……责所以请你自己做出决定。不管怎么说,我们可以针对它是不是应该放在磁带里来投个票,而且我可以向你保证那肯定是一个坏的政治:)
严肃地说我对用在这个“剪切”行为中的物质形式不关心,再说我真的不觉得象征含义就要比别的优先。刀片和剪刀都会在很多的语境中有用,包括谋杀,这个真的取决于听众/用户自由地行使他们自己的意志和权利以及承担后果和责任。最后,剪短一截磁性塑料带真的对听众来说毫无意义,我的观点是,他们应该用它来割坏人的脖子,或者打开一封夏日情书。
“你收到一个古董中国剪刀”就恰恰是我上封邮件里说的,《时尚》杂志会搞的那套。我是说,老李你到底有没有一点实实在在的批评想要拿出来?要没有的话干嘛模仿这种捆绑销售?我理解你想带出破坏的物质属性来,你也可以建议你的听众用牙,或者任何用得上的硬件工具。而且,我不大明白那个CC大师收藏版的说法,我明白那是一个DVD出版发行公司,但是我完全不明白为什么把我想成那样。我(有点)不喜欢那种公司,我从来没有为公司工作过,希望未来也不会。
最后,我完全理解英文的便利,但是,再次,为什么我们不能一开始就老实说呢?为什么非得用别的话来说呢,“忘掉中国?”让它看起来高级一点吗?我承认我完全不觉得这是个玩笑。我能问问你们为什么觉得好玩吗?朱文博还有你们每个人?我真觉得这种“找借口”是特别“中国”的,尤其是官僚们对待公共事务的时候。你要是想辩解说这是在模仿“找个无意义的借口”,那我们就是在讨论借用,在这种情况下,我没看到任何明显的运用这个策略的意图、意识或者观点。


干杯!
有这么多可以拿来读和想和说可真好!
我猜李维思并不是真的要我们投票吧,真的吗?反正我不投。我只是说说我的观点。要是别人对我的作品投票我会很高兴去听但是绝不会顺着做(就像上次在 fruity space的“观众心愿单”表演那样)。
对我来说忘掉中国就是一个玩笑。当然朱文博可能会有不同的想法。他可以是当真的也可以不是。这个标题就是从一句玩笑开始的,一个文字游戏。这个游戏的重点是,对我来说,是“音乐”。也就是说,要是没有音乐来自中国,那这些作品又是什么?可能我还建议过不要想中国音乐或者中国,但是这个真的无关紧要,连我自己都说完就忘了。
对了,最后那句别放到唱片内页里,这个是秘密。
颜峻

嗯哼,要是预先给剪断了,我想连剪刀都不用了。
或者就让听众用他们自己的工具也OK。
所以我得把最终的文字换掉。

license

tags

about

Zoomin' Night Beijing, China

Zoomin' Night
燥眠夜 is a cassette label based in Beijing, run by Zhu Wenbo since 2015.

contact:
zoominnight@gmail.com

contact / help

Contact Zoomin' Night

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Zoomin' Night recommends:

If you like Indication, you may also like: