Ink Element releases his first album ISLANDS
The Hong-Kong based artist Ink Element has released on Friday, July 28th his first album entitled “Islands”. The self-released LP is available on all streaming platforms, and exposes 8 tracks including the singles “Love is an art (learnt by lessons of pain)” and “Happy Valley”.
“Happy Valley” is available on the album as a full-length edit, as well as “Inky Kinky Babe”, with a Radio Edit proposed as a single to support the release.
Islands is a collection of Hong Kong stories, with individuals confronted to reflections of their loneliness in the concrete jungle of the world city at night. It also positions people like islands unable to build bridges upon their differences, with non-communication or miscommunication becoming a standard pattern, and draws a parallel with skyscrapers and buildings as neighbouring islands of concrete.
Islands sets itself as a personal tribute to Hong Kong whose vibe and density has brought consistency and perspective to Ink Element’s musical journey.
Islands materialises almost two years of creation from September 2021 to June 2023, with tracks constantly improving while the band was rehearsing at ST Music studios in Kwun Tong, preparing their gigs at the Eaton Hotel. During this time, the songs never stopped evolving, with new lyrics, additional arrangements, and analog layers.
Only two songs on Islands remained instrumental, although there were 5 on the original draft. Lyrics were progressively added as backing vocals first, then as main lines, such as the Happy Valley chorus, refining up to the purpose of the song itself. An iterative process building a sharper and stronger identity to the whole album.
Post-production credits go to Tom Hazel (Mixing and mastering of 6 tracks / Manchester), Barbara Klein (Video maker / Berlin + Torun), Robert L. Smith (Mixing and mastering of 2 tracks / New York). Warm special credits go to Roy Chan (Tokyo) for his work on the vocals.
A podcast will be recorded in early September at the Eaton Hotel Hong-Kong radio booth, where Ink Element will present islands track by rack, with anecdotes and storytelling about the album, the tracks and the city. It will be available on Mixcloud, on the Eaton Hotel Radio account.
Islands will be followed by two other albums which will complete the artistic trilogy in which Ink Element is engaged. The next single, “L’oiseau va bientôt mourir” will be published in September 2023 with a new video.
In parallel, Ink Element prepares a tour in Asia and Europe in 2024, with new dates in Hong Kong first.
About Ink Element
Based out in Hong Kong, The Ink Element collates his lifelong experiences through his electronic music. Taking heed of classic-era house and electronic greats, The Ink Element builds upon his experience as a producer and accomplished author, to create the deeply layered, digital stories that reflect his life as a European living in the East.
“‘Bodyguards in Winter’ is an interesting listen, but it is not typically my kind of sound. I enjoyed how the track mixes elements of EDM with nonchalant indie vocals. It took a few listens as I wasn’t sure the coarse vocals worked with the uptempo synths and house-inspired backdrop, but it’s a fun concept that’s a grower. The introduction of the more pop-focused female vocals adds even more dimension to the track. I don’t get ‘Bodyguards in Winter’ from a technical viewpoint, but it’s a nice change from my usual guitar music.”
