Shut Your Eyes, Open Your Ears, and Trip Out With Beijing Post-Rockers Acid Accident

Kyle Mullin | Dec 27, 2018 10:00 am | Add a comment | 1900 reads

Up and coming post-rock trio Acid Accident don’t just want to get you moshing at their next show. The Beijing band is hoping that their uniquely melodic, call and response style will also evoke gorgeous vistas and dazzling scenes that’ll leave your mind’s eye wide and dilated. Below the trio tell us more about their highly atmospheric sound, how they hope their VJ will augment that quality in their music, and how childhood piano practice bore the key to their current melodic sound.

Tell me about how your band first formed in 2016.
Daisy (guitarist): I used to learn classical piano when I was a child and I played it for about seven years. When people play the piano, they play melody and chords at the same time. So I then used that same approach when playing guitar, because, when I was in high school, I was very attracted to rock music. I don’t like playing big solos. I focus more on melodies combined with harmonies.

What bands and genres drew you to guitar?
Daisy: I was quite into grunge, metal and post-punk at that time. And guitar playing was like a gateway for me to get to know different types of modern music and helped me realize the beauty of jazz harmony. I gradually found my love of funk, contemporary jazz, and experimental music.

I like music that is innovative and has nice harmonies. Some of my favorite artists are Radiohead, Mouse on the Keys, Buckethead, Bark Psychosis and Snarky Puppy. But actually, I listen to all kinds of music.

Xiaozi (bassist): Just like Daisy, I started to play rock guitar in high school. I used to like nu-metal. At that time I was a music student and I decided to choose guitar as my major in college.

Daisy and I have a similar taste in music. We both like colorful chords and interesting grooves. And we are all sensitive and emotional. That’s kind of the foundation of our band. After graduating from college, I found my passion for bass and started to focus on that instrument. I use some guitar techniques and guitar effects in bass playing. That’s one of the features of our band.

Xu Zhang (drummer): I started to play drums when I was seven years old. I also chose drum as my major in college. I have an open mind for different kinds of music. But my favorites are rap-metal and hip hop. I’m trying to bring more changes and grooves to our music.

Daisy: Xiaozi and I had the idea for the band for years, but we never set a rule that we must form a ‘post-rock’ band. We just wanted to do some instrumental stuff because none of our friends can write lyrics, that in my opinion, are good enough. So actually we formed this so-called ‘post-rock’ band by an accident. We made some demos by ourselves early on and, one day, we just thought it was time to find a drummer. Then we found Xu Zhang online. At that time we also wanted a synth player but couldn’t find one. Then we just thought “Why not try being a trio?” Then we started to rearrange our songs into trio versions.

When your band formed, what was the post-rock scene in Beijing like at the time?
Daisy: When the band first formed in 2016, post-rock was still a subculture. But we feel it’s becoming more and more popular. We don’t know if it’s a good time to be part of the trend because, first of all, we don’t really care about that. That’s not the reason why we formed this band. Secondly, a trend can give you more opportunities, but at the same time, it can also pigeonhole you. It’s a double-edged sword.

How are you guys trying to push the envelope or break new musical ground?
Daisy: When we create music we never think of styles or common rules. We are trying to use elements from different types of music and fuse them in our own way. And it’s also not easy for a trio to play post-rock. Guitar and bass need to consider melody, chords, and effects at the same time. The drummer, meanwhile, also needs to be more expressive. For example, on our song “Incident 4”, three instruments are doing lots of call and response and use lots of interesting effects and technics to build soundscapes and deliver a diversified sound.

How do you use visuals during your shows?
Daisy: Actually we are still working on the visuals for our show. One of our friends, K, is a filmmaker and he is preparing to vj for us now. We say our music “delivers a highly visual sound experience” because our music can always remind audiences of scenes, or give them some fantasy. However, everyone has their own imagination. We are just proving an acid atmosphere, a blurred storyline for them. So the final visuals for our show will also be abstract because we are not the storytellers, the audiences are. But just like the name of our band，the vj would be explosive and psychedelic like an “acid accident.”

Acid Accident will perform at DDC on Dec 31.