绿帽 Green Hat
The phrase "let's train," first popularized by Olivia Newton-John and recently repurposed by Dua Lipan, could serve as the opening line for Malaysian DJ Shanghai and Taipei's second album, Green Hat . It's not a figure with polyester-covered hips and pointy toes, or a figure spinning under plasticine disco lights; it's a rush of primal instincts, a rush of blood rushing through almost every vein, a rush of adrenaline that somehow pushes you a few basic steps ahead of the stalking hunter. It is the physicality that comes when words no longer serve you; when you finally realize that maybe you don't have that jump.
To call Green Hat a techno album would be a disservice to the purity-denying LIES branch. And while he can rightfully name his influences from EBM and Chicago House to wuxia action, he weaves them into an industrial bass sound with his string wave instrumentation that even foreshadows the movies. rather than being determined by her gender or her fakeness. "I think about feelings first," he once said of his production style. And more often than not, that feeling explodes. Doesn't it swell?
If you are interested in the title "Green Hat" , the "Intro" part is in search; "The green hat is the Chinese symbol of nareng," chirps the robot's female voice. Drawing on the standard cultural themes he explored on his 2017 debut album Invincible East , Tsing uses Green Hat as a way to directly address questions about fragile masculinity and gender expectations. Instead of answering them directly, he simply exposes the underlying feelings of discomfort and anger, allowing them to simmer over the album's furious breakdowns and rise four stories high with dragon synths, screams, howls and crushing drums. On "Take Advantage" he even illustrates Daniel Plainview's famous line "I drink your milkshake" from There'll Be Blood , an expression of macho one-eyed destruction. While the EPs Tzusing A Name Out Place and東方不敗( Invincible East) were respectively more industrial and melodic, Green Hat synthesized these directions into a chaotic and expansive sound; The acid-influenced drums lean far enough into "Exascale" before the sudden Aphex Twin-esque "Wear Green Hat" sounds surprise you.
Here, Tsusing's classic combination of tin drums and shape-shifting strings come to life in his most vibrant, dynamic and breathtaking performance. The opening chord of "Filial Endure Ruthless" turns into a harsh synth at the end. Even "Wow!" LMFAO style. it can overcome the menace of "Interlude," where the punchy bass creeps under minimalistic, soaring synth arrangements. Although "Clout Tunnel" with Suda is one of the least structured, it maintains the chaos of the album; the thud of thick drums, screams of terror, and background noises of smoke-shrouded sirens sounded like a five-fold conflagration. set to record. And let's not forget the animal touches - grunts, hysterical cries and shrill barks that add real flesh and blood to a work of steel bones.
