Wang Wen: Invisible City (Limited Edition) (Colored Vinyl) auf 2 LPs

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Invisible City is the 10th studio album from China's leading instrumental

rock band WANG WEN, whose international audience has grown

tremendously since 2016's critically acclaimed album Sweet Home Go!; a

dark, bleak and melancholic sonic journey. It comes as a bit of a surprise

that Invisible City has a much warmer overall feel to it, and even more so

since the album was recorded at Sundlaugin studios in Iceland in

January... not exactly a warm place. »We are a group of people who are

always affected by the surrounding environment«, comments guitarist Xie

Yugang. »There was a small river running outside the recording studio in

Iceland. We recorded our album during the coldest time in Iceland, but

because of its special geothermal resources, that small river didn't

freeze. When we looked at it from afar, it seemed to be enveloped in a

shroud of water vapor. That small river made a lasting impression on me

somehow, it became a symbol for hope«.

WANG WEN are hailing from Dalian, a grim city in the North of China where large groups of young people currently move away towards more prosperous regions of booming China... a depressive environment, as Yugang confirms.

Invisible City is WANG WEN's proud and conscious statement against

the all-surrounding depression, and also to some degree a declaration of

loyalty towards their home: it is an album full of hope. The recordings of

Invisible City were completed once again under the supervision of Belgian

producers Wouter and Lode Vlaminck, with whom the band had worked

with already on the previous album.

»This time we had a deeper understanding of each other«, Yugang says, »and we trust each other deeply. Before we got to Iceland, we exchanged ideas on how to record the album, in hopes that everyone would be able to bring their own

feelings regarding Iceland and this particular studio into a sort of recreation

process while recording in the studio.« This worked out well, the

entire album was recorded within 10 days only. »Even though we had to

work for over 12 hours a day, we didn't feel tired. In an atmosphere like

that, we made an album that evokes a feeling of warmth as we were

hoping for, despite the polar nights outside of the studio walls«, Yugang

concludes.

The artwork of Invisible City was done by award-winning

Chinese illustrator Cen Jun, who lives in New York. When the band

pproached him, the artist confessed to being a big fan of WANG WEN,

who have been selling out 1500-capacity venues across China on their

recent tour. Cen Jun, who has worked for GQ, Vogue and the NY Times,

created 4 exclusive paintings for Invisible City, perfectly complementing

the works of a band that take outstanding care not only of their music, but

also of the visual and haptic aspects of their art.