PENGHU EXPERIMENTAL SOUND STUDIO #2

ló-kó͘-chhù 一 means, in Taiwanese, Coral House


Yannick Dauby returns to Discrepant for Vol2 of his ongoing study of the sounds and sights on the Penghu Archipelago, Taiwan.
Penghu Experimental Sound Studio Vol2 uses interviews, field recordings, found objects and subtle electronic manipulation to transpose Yannick's impressions of the island's natural beauty.

All sounds, field recordings and improvisations on electronic instruments, are from Penghu, Taiwan.
Interviews of children extracted from the film "Childhood of an Archipelago 離島的離島", by Yannick Dauby 澎葉生 & Wan-Shuen Tsai 蔡宛璇. The second session of Penghu Experimental Sound Studio was located in Husi village, during Summer and Autumn 2015 whilst the album was assembled in the hills of Taipei, during the Spring 2016

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Side A

A great stretch of sea with no rubbish. Oh, and sandy beach, and some marine animals.

Most of the people here catch fish. It is close to the sea here, there are lots of fields. It’s also… quieter.

When you go down in the water, it feels really chilly. Very fresh, then very comfortable.

When I go to the seashore, I can find black sea cucumbers and sea urchins. I saw a swimming sea slug once. It was red and had white stripes.

The volcano erupts, then the lava keeps piling up. Then the lava cools down, and it becomes an island. Then people start living there. After that, more people keep moving here. Some people will also move to Taiwan. That is it.

Side B

On an island far, far away. And in fact, an island of an island. It’s so close to the sea there, so every evening we have fish to eat.

My dad often goes at sea for fishing. During the summer he catches squids and during Winter he catches fish for us to eat. Going out at sea is really exhausting, because the sea is always swaying, so you feel really dizzy. Every time we go, I feel really sleepy.
You get woken at night, at dawn, or around five in the morning, to go help drain the boat. Then you go fishing and you have to change spots every day. So my dad spends a lot of money on fuel every day, to go fishing at different spots. Sometimes, he goes to Cimei Island, or sometimes he goes to Huayu Island.
Occasionally, he goes into the open waters. If my dad is in open waters then I don’t call him. But if he’s not in open waters, on the coasts of Penghu, then I’ll phone to ask dad, how much fish did he caught today, and if he had already eaten.
When my dad enters the harbour, my mom would go to the pier to wait for him, and help him carry the fish. With smaller fishes, she would tell him to sell them in Magong city.
Sometimes, my aunt takes a pushcart into the village, to see who wants to buy fish. I’ll help by asking: “How many fishes do you want ?” If the buyer wants three fishes, I’ll give him three fishes. I also ask him: “Do you want big or medium-sized ones.” If he wants big ones, I’ll give him three big ones.
Each time, my father makes a lot of money. That’s why I have money to go to school, and to pay the lunch fees.

Grandma is growing vegetables. We have a piece of farmland next to our house. My grandma is a bit stiff, so if she needs to bend over to scoop up water, I help her do that. Sometimes, I help her with the watering. There is corn, shallots, as well as some cabbages.

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