山寨 (ShanZhaï) by Old Disciple
Quickly explained, Shan Zhai is a term used to name all bootleg Chinese products, like counterfeit iPhones, pirate Adidas clothes, even appearances of fake celebrities. We are getting deeper into the new millennia, and each step further into it, intelligent mock-up, conscious imitation, straight up copy and paste are becoming the new modes of glorified creation, which were once considered non-creative, coward, lazy at best. Copywrite laws still have to catch up. In all arts and fashion we see this tendency to merge one brand into another, digital collages in every corner and every instagram feed, heavy electronic beats supporting an ancient melody. In music, this kind of creativity is mostly exploited through the art of sampling. Taking an external sound, it may even be a whole song, and chop it up into a piano roll or a pad controller, modifying it to get a whole new instrument. Is it because all melodies have been sung, all harmonies been played, all rhythms been explored? It may be the answer. I deeply feel that innovation and creativity in this age are mostly defined by sound-shaping, rather than looking for another chord, melody lick or new rhythm. Is it still even possible? For me Shan Zhai defines this state of culture in which we copy, chop, paste, erase, rewrite, and that’s what’s valued as creativity. This beat-tape is all about this kind of creative process. Enjoy!
Tracklist
| 1. | ghost train (feat. Andres Garib) | 3:12 |
| 2. | chrns | 3:07 |
| 3. | fyre | 3:41 |
| 4. | shnzh | 1:56 |
| 5. | dream$ | 3:36 |
| 6. | £ord | 1:40 |
| 7. | sonic | 2:56 |
| 8. | doraemon | 2:27 |
| 9. | from seed to smoke | 3:37 |
Credits
Sampling, Finger-drumming, Bass, Guitar, Synths, Sound Desing, Mixing, Mastering by Old Disciple
