Time Beacon, Shining a Light and Leading the Mind
灯塔音乐为本土音乐人引航驳岸
Written by (作者): Agnes Tong 童安然
Photos by (图片来源): Time Beacon 灯塔音乐, Yang Liu 刘洋
I met Evan, the founder of local music label Time Beacon, at the Ningbo Library on a scorching summer afternoon. A cool guy with a subtle artistic feeling, he took me to his studio and cut to the chase real quick. If you’re curious about the meeting location, Evan works at the music archive inside the library as a part-time thing. Music is his life, and Time Beacon is where that life has brought him.
“ I’m a local, Time Beacon is a local label, and we work to help local musicians.” Evan was laid-back and humble when talking about something he should be proud of. He knows very well about the current situation of Ningbo’s music world, underdeveloped as it is. As a born-and-bred Ningbonese, he embraces the responsibility to help promote and guide the local musical culture and artists. “To be honest, I can’t come up with a single local band who has really made it, the time they spent in the studio practicing is way longer than the actual performance time on stage. Opportunities are what they really need.”
Evan told me the name Time Beacon has two meanings. The first is that the label is a guiding light for local artists like a beacon in the middle of the ocean. The deeper interpretation is that there is an unobserved reef near the beacon, the light is also a warning for boats to not get close. “We are not a dock or a place for them to get ashore and stop, I’d rather Time Beacon be a stepping-stone, a bridge for the artists towards a more promising future.”
Like many other labels, Time Beacon hosts regular musical events, inviting every band in Ningbo to come out and perform. The special thing about Time Beacon is their desire to keep the performances small and local. Musicians perform in cafes, old gyms and theatres. That being said, Evan says he hopes Time Beacon will have an exclusive stage in the future. What’s more, they don’t cater solely to professional musicians. “Normal people need opportunities as well, we help them to have concerts of their own. We also help with recording, practices, poster design, ticket printing, you name it.” The idea is to make music accessible to everyone, not limited to a certain group of people nor a certain genre or style. The idea or taste can be different, but the enjoyment of the feature is universal.
At the time this issue goes to print, Time Beacon will be preparing to co-host the Donghai Music Festival in Zhoushan. Several big names in the Chinese music world were invited, including Dou Wei, former lead singer of the band Black Panther, considered by many to be the Chinese Lou Reed. Although Wei was the voice of the 1990s, he disappeared for years, choosing to live a reclusive life. His appearance at Donghai is a big deal, bringing out fans of varying ages to the festival.
Evan is no newbie to the music business. 5 years ago he helped found and run CMK Music House in Yinzhou. Due to personal health issues and the pursuit of higher quality live shows, he quit the team to take a break and eventually founded Time Beacon. “It was a precious period of time for me,” he says. “We’ve made mistakes, and when I look back now it’s nothing but gems. What I learned from CMK helped me enormously with Time Beacon. We know how to avoid mistakes and trouble now.
When asked about the future of Time Beacon, Evan tells me “there is still a long way ahead. I’ve always looked up to another music label, New Noise. They focus on post-rock artists, making sure musicians’ rights are protected, giving their best to promote events. They are sort of a role model.”
With the signing of their first band, Exit 4, Evan feels like Time Beacon is riding on the right tracks. “It’s for sure that we’ll be signing more artists in the future. Exit 4 is legit, and we’re glad that they’re our first band.”
一个炎热的夏天午后，我在宁波图书馆见到了灯塔音乐厂牌的创始人Evan。他是一个很酷的人，你能感受到他身上的艺术家气质，我们来到了放映厅之后就很快地开始了交谈。如果你和我一样对这个见面地点感到好奇的话，其实Evan也在图书馆里面的音乐档案室工作。
“我是一个本地人，灯塔是本土音乐厂牌，我们也是为了本土的独立音乐人服务。”当谈论起一些本应为之骄傲的东西时，Evan的态度是很谦逊随和的。他对本土发展不完善的音乐圈非常了解。作为一个生于斯长于斯的宁波人，他将推广和引领本地的音乐文化和音乐人作为自己的责任。“说实话，宁波现在还没有一支真正走出去的乐队，他们花在排练室的时间远比舞台上表演的时间多的多。他们最需要的是机会。”
Evan告诉我，厂牌的名字灯塔有两重意思。比较浅显的就是他们旨在像灯塔一样指引本土音乐人扬帆远航。更深层的理解则是，灯塔周围常有暗礁，灯光更像是警告来往的船只不要靠近。“我们不是一个让他们停留，止步不前的港湾，我更愿意把自己看作他们的跳板，将他们引向更加远大的未来。”
跟其他的音乐厂牌一样，灯塔会举办常规的音乐节活动，邀请想在宁波演出的乐队。他们的特别之处就在于所选场地，乐队会在咖啡馆，旧的健身房包括剧院演出，在不久的将来灯塔也会有自己的专属舞台。值得一提的是，他们不仅只为专业音乐人服务。“普通人也有音乐梦想值得实现，我们帮他们办属于自己的音乐会，录制，排练，设计海报，印票，一条龙服务。”他们的想法是让音乐面向所有人，不仅只是一群特定的人，或是一种特定的风格，想法和品味可以不一样，享受音乐的本质则是宇宙共通。
八月底的东海音乐节将由灯塔和东海音乐一起合作，好几个大牌都会进行表演，包括前黑豹乐队主唱窦唯。他就像中国的Lou Reed，是90年代中国摇滚的启蒙之声，隐退乐坛之后过了十几年隐居的生活，他能到场表演是一个非常重要的事。不仅年轻人对这次活动感到期待，更多年龄跨度的人都能在这次音乐节找到他们想听到的声音。
Evan在5年前创办了现场音乐房子城门口，因为个人身体的原因还有对更高品质现场表演的追求，他退出了城门口，休了个假然后带着灯塔重新开始。“在城门口的时间对我来说很宝贵，我们犯了很多错误，但现在回想起来，真的还是特别珍惜。我们从城门口学到的东西对灯塔来说帮助太大了，我们懂得了怎样去规避错误。”当被问到对灯塔未来的规划，Evan说，“我们还有很长的路要走，我一直都很欣赏另外一个厂牌New Noise，他们只签后摇艺人，保障艺人的权益，尽力宣传每一次活动，是我们的榜样。”
签下他们的第一支乐队Exit 4之后，Evan感到整个团队都走上了一条正确的路。“未来我们肯定会签更多的艺人，Exit 4是一支很棒的乐队，很高兴他们是我们开始的地方。”