Patrick Clarke
, April 21st, 2021 11:26
Howie Lee talks new album Birdy Island, a blend of traditional Chinese folk and club production that strikes a beautiful balance between the human, the artificial, the ancient and the organic
Photos by Ash Lin
For the last five years, Howie Lee has been dreaming up an island. It is inspired by three places. The first is Ko Chang in Thailand, to which the producer travels at least once a year. Known as ‘Elephant Island’ for the way it resembles the shape of the animal when viewed from above, it’s scenic, covered with jungle inland and dotted with sleepy villages and resorts on the coast. The second is Hainan Island, which makes up the majority of China’s smallest and southernmost province and is where Lee makes the most of warm winter weather at his mother’s apartment – she’s one of a number of older people who relocate there in the colder months. The third is Sicily; YouTube algorithms have been sending Lee an unusual amount