采访 | XIAOMAGE 翻译 | Jackie Zhang
其实90年代和2000年初的时候，摇滚乐基本上和流行音乐也划等号了，因为都是一样的“流行”，但是现在你在电台或者电视上再也看不到摇滚乐了，摇滚乐再次变成了亚文化，地下文化。关于所谓“界限”，对我来说其实并不存在，我经常这么告诉自己：“不要给自己加戏！”没有人会研究你的吉他 Solo 编的有多少个变奏，大家只关心在现场玩的爽不爽！
▲ 《Rock'n Roll Will Never Let You Down》Live
Q1：为何把乐队起名为 The Royal Engineers? 或你们是如何组建起这支乐队的，成立时有明确想过会是现在这样的流行摇滚风格么？
Q1：Why do you name your band as “The Royal Engineers”? How did you form the band? Why this style of music?
René Geelhoed（乐队键盘手兼主唱，以下简称“R”）:
Hey，很高兴认识你，最早“The Royal Engineers”其实来自于第一次世界大战期间的一支英勇无畏的荷兰部队，我在看一战纪录片的时候知道了他们的历史，我觉得拿来做乐队的名字最酷不过了！我们的音乐风格融合了70年代的流行摇滚和2018年最流行的音乐。其实我一直特别着迷70年代的音乐，而且你能从我写的歌里面听出端倪，也能从吉他手Rens的作品里听出来，我们就是想尽力用我们的音乐让大家都跳舞，让大家都玩起来，这是我们的音乐最想表达的东西。
R： Hi! Nice to meet you! The original 'Royal Engineers' were a military division, especially during World War I they were a bunch of brave men, after watching a documentary about that I thought, wow, that's a cool band name! The style of music is a mix between Seventies pop/rock and pop from 2018. I always loved old fashioned bands from the seventies, you can hear that in my songwriting and in the songwriting of Rens (guitar) as well. We just love to make people dance and give them a good night out, that is also what you hear in the songs I hope.
Q2: 有意思的是乐队中大部分成员都既担任主唱也担任乐手，可以聊一聊为什么产生出这样奇妙的组合吗？或大家在乐队中的分工是怎样的呢？
Q2：The interesting part about your band is everybody is available to all kinds of singing/choirs/instruments, how does it work? When you write music, will everybody be part of the procedures？
R：我和 Rens 是主要的创作人员，大部分的歌都是我们在和其他人排练前两个人就已经把歌曲走向编排的差不多了。的确，和声是我们的音乐录制过程当中的重中之重（因为我们真的喜欢唱的部分的和声效果）。而且，我们强迫贝斯手 Rob 和鼓手 Michiel 也要张嘴唱歌，哈哈。
R：Rens and I write all the songs, most of it is almost done when we go to rehearse them with all the band members. Also the choirs are recorded most of the time (because we love harmonies in vocals). We forced Rob (bass) and Michiel (drums) to sing haha.
Q3: 我听了你们的歌曲，像《Hit it & Do it Again》，特别是键盘手兼主唱的 René 总喜欢写快乐的歌曲，你们的生活里也是永远这么乐观吗？
Q3： Personally I love the song <Hit it & Do it Again>, it seems like Rene really loves Happy songs, are you always this happy off stage as well?
▲ 单曲《Hit it & Do it Again》封面
R：大部分时间我还是挺嘻嘻哈哈的一个人，除了我饿了的时候或者要迟到的时候我会啰啰嗦嗦的…
R：I am a happy person most of the time, but I can be really grumpy when I am hungry or running out of time.
Q4: 就像你们自己所说，现在的流行音乐都太索然无味了，那么对你们而言，现在的流行摇滚与摇滚是否有区别，如果有，这个区别的界定标准是什么？是否存在流行摇滚与摇滚界限模糊的现象？
Q4： Like you said in the Bio, you think lots of the pop music is very boring, so for you, what’s the differences between rock and pop? Is there a boundary?
R：首先，我所说的“流行音乐索然无味”指的是大部分的主流流行音乐人不肯冒险，不肯创新。而且，大多数作品因为修音和过多软件的运用而变得“过于完美”，再也听不到像Michael Jackson 或者是 Nirvana 那样纯粹的音乐了。其实90年代和2000年初的时候，摇滚乐基本上和流行音乐也划等号了，因为都是一样的“流行”，但是现在你在电台或者电视上再也看不到摇滚乐了，摇滚乐再次变成了亚文化，地下文化。关于所谓“界限”，对我来说其实并不存在，我经常这么告诉自己：“不要给自己加戏！”没有人会研究你的吉他Solo编的有多少个变奏，大家只关心在现场玩的爽不爽！
R：At first, I think the reason a lot of pop music is boring for my ears is because a lot of mainstream-pop artists don't take risks anymore. By making productions almost 'too perfect' by auto tune etcetera you don't hear pure stuff anymore like Nirvana or Michael Jackson did (yes, two totally different artists). In the Nineties and early Zeroes Rock music was actually Pop music because it was more mainstream at the time. Nowadays you don't hear fresh rock music on the radio, so it became a subculture again. About boundaries, for me there are no boundaries, but I always say: don't make things difficult when they don't have to be difficult. Nobody is waiting for too many notes in a guitar solo, everybody just want to have a great night out!
Q5: 相比任何一种音乐，你们的音乐显得包容性与现场感都更强，你们觉得这是未来你们乐队发展仍然会努力的方向么？
Q5：Your music is more like a kind of “Live music”, feels a bit more when it comes to live, not record, will you still do that in the future or will you spend more time on the record?
R：我愿意多在录音棚里研究新的音乐，不过，相比于到中国这个陌生的国度来巡演，给中国观众带来我们的音乐，我们宁愿永远待在舞台上！
R： I love to record in the studio, but playing live, especially for a totally new audience as we are going to have in China feels really really special! So yes, we will be on stage as much as we can!
Q6: 我们知道2017你们完成了很多事，除了美国巡演之外也发行了新专辑《Rock ’n Roll will never let you down》。有哪些有趣或特别的事可以聊聊么？
Q6：Please tell us something interesting during your tour in the US.
R：我们在美国演了几个大型音乐节，当然，在美国西部的大雪山上拍摄我们新歌《Hit it & Do It Again》的MV是最难忘的事情。我们受邀在一个特别嬉皮的村子里演出，这村子又是在一个雪山顶上，到了之后第一眼看到好多人在温泉里游泳。（那可是冬天，我们几个都快冻死了！）之后演出在一个仓库里进行，这一切让我们觉得我们是一群真的嬉皮士，在一个天然 high 的地方和一群疯子一样的村民光着脚在雪地里跳舞！
R：We had a great time playing on a few big festivals, but recording our music video for "Hit it & Do It Again" somewhere in the snowy mountains was also special. We had one show high up in the mountains in a hippie-village. People were swimming in hot springs (it was winter, freezing cold!) and we were playing in a barn. I felt like a true hippie, a natural-high with campfires and dancing crazy people, barefoot in the snow!
▲ 《Hit it & Do it Again》拍摄现场
Q7: 我们来谈谈这次中国巡演吧，这是你们首次来中国巡演，而巡演也恰逢中国的2018年的春节之后，这次巡演对你们意味着什么？
Q7：Your first China Tour is just around the corner, can you tell us why China and how do you feel now?
R：中国和荷兰之间的文化交流总是很让人兴奋，正好我们的国王和王后前一阵子刚刚访问过中国。我真心希望中国的观众会喜欢我们的音乐，而且对于我们来说去中国就好像是到另一个世界冒险一样，现在我们正在全力准备我们的演出，等不及要出发了！
R：Cultural exchange between The Netherlands and China has always been good. Our king and queen where in China last week! I really believe that our music can work in China and for us it is also really exciting to go to a total different world. We are preparing for the shows now and we can't wait to be there.
▲ 《Rock'n Roll Will Never Let You Down》Live
Q8：对于新专辑《Rock ’n Roll will never let you down》你们能推荐一首主打歌曲给大家吗，选择的理由是什么？
Q8: What’s your fav song in the latest album? Why?
R：要我选的话我会选本次巡演的主题曲《Rock 'n Roll Will Never Let You Down》。这首歌描述了我们每次进行现场演出时候那种难以言表的激动和兴奋，而！且！我们还准备了中！文！版！
R：For me it is the title song "Rock 'n Roll Will Never Let You Down" itself. The song tells the story of our feelings and when we do it live it is always a great moment in the show. We are preparing a Chinese version as well!
【巡演信息】
2018年3月9日起，The Royal Engineers 将从北京出发，带着他们最鼓舞人心的音乐，沿途向南开启中国的巡演计划！
This spring, The Royal Engineers will come to China for the very first time to have a 8-city-tour！
Mar. 9th（Fri） Beijing DDC. Guest band: This Girl
Mar. 10th（Sat） Shanghai YYT Livehouse.
Guest band: Round Eye
Mar. 11th（Sun） Ningbo Time Bacon Livehouse.
Guest band: Lemon Tree
Mar. 14th（Wed） Xiamen Mao Livehouse.
Guest band: The Tricellular
Mar. 15th（Thu） Shenzhen Brown Sugar Live（Shekou）
Guest band: The Fox Hunter
Mar. 16th（Fri） Zhuhai Orange Livehouse
Mar. 17th（Sat） Chongqing Nuts Livehouse
Mar. 18th（Sun） Chengdu Long Livehouse.
Guest band：The Key
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