The World Underground : Episode 2 is live! Watch it now.

August 21, 2018 / John Yingling

Episode 2: GUIGUISUISUI & NOISE ARCADE

Budget : $3,000 after fundraiser fees

Hello again. Welcome to the newest edition of The World Underground. This project is funded entirely by donations. I release everything for donation so that it's accessible to everyone, as well as in the hope of continuing, or some day becoming self-sustainable. Please consider making a donation of $5 via the donate page.

Episode 2 follows Beijing based musicians GUIGUISUISUI (Dann Gaymer) and Noise Arcade (Michael Cupoli) on tour in Japan, Korea, and Northeast China. This is a film about the people you meet along the way. The endless sounds that now, can never be unheard. Noise meeting deep quiet, and confusion meeting exhaustion. Finishing this film almost broke me. It took four years. It's shifted and morphed so many times. Those who don't follow me closely may not know that I moved to China while making it, spent three years there, and have since moved to Indonesia to do this project full-time.

For a while I thought I'd never be able to make something that I didn't loathe. I did, and this is it. An attempt to capture a three week trek through some of the most beautifully bewildering, drunken, noise-drenched landscapes on earth. To me, it's always surprising just how much can be shared without language. Alongside the Korea based media outlet Aweh, our goal was to align ourselves with as many local artists as possible, and see what stories came naturally. From Busan, to Osaka, all these sounds and stories that stuck to us over the weeks, it's bottled into 90 minutes. To me, this film is unfinished, and it will remain that way. When is something ever truly "done" anyway?

This isn't an attempt to provide any sort of objective documentation of the people, places, or artists we discovered on our journey. It's not even meant to be a reflection of reality. It's simply a story we've chosen to share. Take from it what you will. That said, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks so much for continuing to support this project. It means the world to me.

It features performances, footage, and interviews by:

GUIGUISUISUI (China)

Noise Arcade (China)

Luvplastik (China)

JFI (China)

Nice Legs (Korea)

Yamagata Tweakster (Korea)

East Guinness Crew (Korea)

Mineri (Korea)

Colours (Korea)

Drinking Boys & Girls Choir (Korea)