More and more bands are finding solace in the second and third-tier cities of China. Besides Beijing and Shanghai not having the appeal or convenience that they once used to, the emergence of Wechat, weibo and other online platforms as well as a plethora of smaller independent records companies in recent years, have made getting heard that much easier. Building a fan base becomes less about performing in live houses every week and more about putting out consistent quality work and having the right people to back you. That’s where Shaoxing’s Little Wizard comes in. The three piece hard-edged instrumental rockers have been keeping it real for ten years releasing an array of top notch EPs, LPs, and remix compilations that have made them indie darlings. Their most recent release Little Wizard II found its way on to many of 2017’s Year End Lists including our own – a ramped up freight train of thundering drums, rip roaring guitars, and jaded bass lines that strike with ferocity and precision. They join this years’s Fete de la Musique this Thursday, June 21st at Omni Space where they’ll have the honor to play alongside ferocious and red-blooded French math rock trio Lysistrata.
Q：今年是乐队成立的第十年，也祝贺你们！感觉如何？对于你来说，生活和音乐事业两者中，最显著的不同是什么？
A：对于我们来说，这个方面其实没有什么需要平衡的，因为我们现在的成员的工作都是和音乐有关系的，最早的成员他们都有别的工作，最后他们都选择了工作。
Q：This year marks the band’s tenth anniversary – congrats! How does it feel? What’s the most noticeable difference in both your lives and your musical careers?
A：There is nothing to balance for us, because our members’ jobs are related to music. Some of the first members of our bands eventually decided to focus on their careers.
Q：当想到一个乐队的音色直接有力且在器乐演奏方面复杂精妙，绍兴并不是第一个映入脑海的城市。这些年来绍兴是如何影响你的音乐的？
A：对我们的影响肯定不来自绍兴，绍兴生活节奏比较慢，我自己每天也没什么事干，要是我们在大城市估计早就玩不下去了，就是呆在这才有大把时间想音乐的事。
Q：Shaoxing isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking bands with a sound as brutally embracing and instrumentally intricate as yours – how has the city informed your music over the years?
A: The influence on us is not informed by Shaoxing. The pace of life in Shaoxing is quite slow and we don’t have so many things to do. If we live in big cities, the band would have fallen apart already. It is because we live in Shaoxing that we have a lot of time to think about music.
Q：你曾经说过“我想象中绍兴的音乐场景并不像其他一线城市那么大”，但是你仍旧选择在那里生活。你认为像绍兴这样的小城市，随着时间的推移是否可以带来音乐和文化方面的发展？如果可以那是如何发展的呢？
A：我觉得现在绍兴的氛围还不如十几年前我刚学琴的时候，目前来说我是觉得根本没有什么音乐场景。我们做了10年确实影响了一些身边的朋友，但这还远远不够。
Q：Speaking of which – I imagine the scene in Shaoxing isn’t all that big compared to other first-tier cities – but you still choose it as your home. Do you believe smaller cities like Shaoxing can develop both musically and culturally over time and if so how?
A：I think the atmosphere now in Shaoxing is not as good as it was when I was first learning to play the guitar. At present, I don’t think there is any music scene. We have been playing in the band for 10 years which indeed has had an impact on our circle of friends, but it is still not enough.
Photo by 周四早晨
Q：在短短几分钟里，你的音乐能够清晰明确地表达它想要表达的内容，同时也拥有着刻骨般的旋律，强有力的节奏以及不落俗套的其他元素。你是如何做到的？你是刻意追求那种急速的演奏吗？
A：其实一开始我们也想做长的歌，也尝试过好几年的时间，可是最后发现，我们是为了写长去重复了很多没用的段落，最后这批歌都给我丢了。现在我们没有刻意去想这些事，就是写到哪舒服就停。不再去想一定要写出一个什么样的东西这种事了。然后，我们没有刻意去追求那种极速的感觉。
Photo by 周四早晨
Q：One thing that defines your music is your ability to cut to the chase and deliver bone-crushing melody cuts, powerful rhythms and other offbeat elements in the span of just a few minutes – how intentional is that and do you consciously chase that quick rush?
A: At first we had intended to make some songs with long lengthd of time. However, we found that we repeated many useless pieces in order to make a long song and later on we just abandoned these songs. For now, we do not intend to think about these things or how we will compose it – we just stop wherever we want.
Q：你们去年加入了一个杭州的音乐厂牌Space Circle Music，他们也越来越受到更多人的关注。你们之间的关系是如何建立的？他们如何在众多厂牌中脱颖而出？
A：我和孙怡认识了10年了吧，她在读大学的时候我们就有了很多合作，其实我们没签公司的时候，早期的演出很多就是她帮我们接的，还有我们前两次的巡演和第一张专辑得发行，她都帮了我们好多忙，所以我们这次的合作其实是很自然的，我们录完了第2张专辑，我发给她听，说要不你帮我发了得了，她说好的，就这样哈哈。因为他们公司做的艺人和各种事，都是我们喜欢的风格，也很对路，本来关系也好，当然能合作那是再好不过了。
Q：You guys joined Hangzhou based label Space Circle last year, who have been making more and more a splash as of late. How did that relationship form? How do they stand out from the rest of the labels out there?
A：I met Su ten years ago and we collaborated a bit when she was in college. Actually, she helped us get many opportunities to perform in our early years before we were signed to any company. During our last two tours and the release of our first album, Su really helped us a lot, therefore joining her and Space Circle was simply a rational choice. Both the artists of her label and the style of how they work fits our style, and we’re close, so we decided to work with them.
Q：你们Remix了许多其他音乐人的的歌曲，例如Gooooose，iimmune以及台湾饶舌歌手Peter Fish。那么这些remix的音乐是如何实现的？未来我们还可以期待一些其他的合作吗？
A：其实没有你想的那么难，和他们本来就是朋友，我有这个想法的时候就问了他们一下，都说可以，就很自然的做了。我当然想和更多的音乐人合作，我们应该还会发这种类型的单曲出来的，具体都在计划中。
Q：One of the more surprising gems in your catalogue are the numerous remixes from musicians like Gooooose, iimmune, and most recently, Taiwanese rapper Peter Fish. How did these remixes come to fruition? What are some other collaborations we can expect in the future?
A：It’s not as difficult as you think because we were friends. I just asked their opinions and they said yes so we made these remixes. I really want to work with other musicians and we will make more of this kind of music.
Photo by 周四早晨
Q：参加今年的法国夏至音乐日你感到兴奋吗？会有什么样的惊喜带给观众（观众可以存有一些什么样的期待）？有没有想对粉丝说的话？
A：我们是第一次参加这个音乐日这个活动，这次我们应该会演一些平时不太演的歌。我们演完后的几天就要开始录我们的新唱片了。应该会在下半年发行。我真是从没想过我能玩了10年的小巫师，想起来真是过的太快了，谢谢喜欢我们的人和讨厌我们的人。
Q：Are you excited to be apart of Fete de la Musique this year? What can audiences expect? Any final words to your fans out there?
A：It is our first time to attend this FDLM and we will play some songs that we don’t usually play. After the show, we’re going to record our new EP and it will be released in the latter half of the year. I haven’t imagined that Little Wizard could stay for ten years and it was so fast. Thanks for those who love us and those who hate us.
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