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The Musicians’ Discourse
Sir Run Run Shaw Hall drew a full audience to watch the music documentary L.O.V.E. in F.R.A.M.E.S., featuring Eason Chan. The film recounts DUO Band’s 2010–12 world tour and their journey producing the music album L.O.V.E. in places such as the UK and Guangzhou in the subsequent six years.
L.O.V.E. in F.R.A.M.E.S. was directed and edited by the band’s backing vocalist Cheung Kit-bong who had crystalized their memories from 6,200 clips into a two-hour documentary. It depicts how music bonds the team and features behind-the-scene stories of the music album. Each DUO member has a distinctive personality, but they work seamlessly as a team. The music director Carl Wong mentioned they were playful at times but also serious in compositions and performance. That’s the way they nurtured rapport. Eason said, ‘I’d rather spend time on team building and quality music production, even at the expense of postponed album release.’
Irene Ng, director of I·CARE Centre for Whole-person Development, moderated the post-screening sharing. She asked the guests how they overcame their rugged music journey. The lyricist Chan Wing-him’s reply received a rounding applause. ‘I try my best at work. In my idle time, I strive to enhance myself and preserve my passion. There’s only Plan A. Even if the going gets tough, I’d only do my best. A Plan B would only hold us back in the comfort zone.’
All the DUO members composed songs for the music album, which reflect their personalities and encapsulate their feelings. To Be Together is jointly composed by the late guitarist Ellen Loo and the pianist Anthony Sun. Ellen randomly tapped a few notes on Anthony’s piano right before a performance, which inspired him to compose a dreamy melody. The lyrics Ellen wrote describe how a narcoleptic treasures every moment of staying awake. It is like working with the DUO team: every moment counts.
In the shrinking music album market, why did the DUO Band insist on the quality of L.O.V.E.? To reveal their sincerity and love for music. As Eason said, ‘The best music comes from the heart. We have been head over heels in making music for the past eight years. Such a relishing experience is worth recording in an album.’
J. Lau
This article was originally published in No. 537, Newsletter in May 2019.