Gathering sounds for an upcoming performance in November 2021, I finally had a reason to complete some recordings I have always wanted to document- The Shanghai Ferry crossings. There were 16 of them that connected the more populous or industrial areas along the Huangpu.

For the recordings, I would make a soundwalk by continuously recording the entrance, waiting, crossing, and exit in a single take. I would check the ferry times and would begin my recording several minutes before departure to document these elements of the journey. The opening and closing of the rolling gates at each port were always a treat to record because of the groan of tired, rusty wheels.

The more remote ferry ports are quiet, liminal spaces, with mainly foot traffic and the occasional motor bike during midday. They had only a few employees who had passing conversations with regulars. A prerecorded speaker that tirelessly made announcements broke the silences between ferries. The more central ports had plenty of traffic making for a lively journey. 

Some boats were larger than others with nicer finishes for the passengers with or without an outdoor balcony. 

Each track contains the soundwalk as well as other shorter detailed recordings I made around each port while waiting for the return boat back. For this playlist, I compiled the recordings of each ferry onto one track and separated them with a 3 second gap. The final track is the live recording of the performance.

Generations: Shanghai Ferry

This track is part of a collection of recordings that documented all the ferry boat crossings in Shanghai in 2021. The recordings were used in the Vital performance showcase in Shanghai at the Rockbund Museum in November 2021.

Documenting the ferry lines in Shanghai was on my wish list for a long time and I was happy that I finally had a reason to do it. Over the span of one month, I went to the 16 ferry ports and made a round trip. I documented the areas around the ports and other interesting sounds that I heard.

I used the recordings and recorded it onto reels of tape with my Generations instrument consisting of 4 Revox A77 tape recorders. Before the performance, I spliced and re-recorded the audio over several days to create interesting, pre-recorded reels to play during the concert. During the performance, I manipulated the reels with my fingers while controlling the recorders via MIDI to make a sound collage of the Shanghai ferry.

The final track in this collection is the live recording of my improvised performance at the Vital concert.

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 吴淞轮渡/浦东新区轮渡

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 临江路渡口/草镇渡口

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 嫩江路渡口/东塘路渡口

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 西岸新渡口/三林路渡口

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 定海桥渡口/金桥渡口

Generations- Shanghai Ferry 宁国路渡口/歇浦路渡口

Bivouac Recording is a sound label based in Hong Kong.
Bivouac Recording是一个录音品牌且提供录音服务的公司，致力于推进独立现场录音项目。

For a richer experience of the field recordings and audio please read the descriptions for each track. 

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