A collaborative project by mafmadmaf × jolie zhilei zhou
Sound: mafmadmaf
Story: jolie zhilei zhou
Scent: Rai
Illustration: Jeongan Choi
Proofread: aiden vetter
Design： maf-works.com

Project Origin

maf: Can you maybe write something, Jolie? It started on an ordinary night in 2023, when maf asked me if I was interested in collaborating on something new based on the field recordings he made in Hong Kong in 2019. Meanwhile, we were also considering whether we could do some scent productions, and I was still intrigued by writing sci-fi short stories. That night, he also showed me a photo that was supposed to be the album cover, an old man was waiting for the traffic light with a background advertising sign written “Victoria”. This was the beginning of this project. The project lasted two years and went through a lot of collaborations. The scent was created in the light of the feeling from the recordings, composed of 16-degree air conditioning, ferry gasoline, and Chinese pharmacies, etc.. The story was written based on the field recordings, the sound was completed based on the story, and the illustration was based on the first two. A chain of collaborations that finally merged into the same universe.

Listening to the sounds of Hong Kong in 2019 is a bit like digging up a time capsule. Looking back today, I feel like I have experienced a period of vacuum. Time is a beast that can break many connections. But I hope this project can protect some sort of memories, become a material preservation, and not let them disappear easily.

Bandcamp