
THE DRAWING BOARD
Release Date: October 28th, 2018
1. Tape
2. Rock
3. Window
4. Roadtrip
5. Magpie
6. Snow
7. Pen
8. Ceiling Fan
9. Garden
10. Outline
11. Bedtime Stories
There is a beginning for everything. Any time you need it, the beginning is there. Just go back to the drawing board, and you will find yourself at the beginning, in the most basic form.
“The Drawing Board” is my beginning. Each track is a figment of my memory and where I began. The empty canvas is whatever I wish it to be. Stripped of most accompaniments, the music is at its most basic – a simple piano. That was how I began, and is my essence.
The Drawing Board is about beginning. Just go back to the drawing board.
"Tape"
Video tapes were my introduction to filmmaking. I would spend hours editing parts of movies and songs into one compilation and play it over and over.
Tape is a combination of two songs and was the last song added to the album. There were initially 10 songs in the album and after they were mastered, I decided there needed to be one more to glue it all together.
"Rock"
There was a pile of rocks near my home that I used to climb. I used to wish I lived near a mountain that I could climb every night, and that pile of rocks was the closest thing I had.
The song is written to be played with three hands.
"Window"
I could sit by the window drawing all day. The distance maintained a safe curiosity, which has always been, to me, the best kind of curiosity.
This is one of a few songs in this album where I had to refrain from adding too much. It's begging for an orchestra but I had to say no. Sorry, window.
"Roadtrip"
I loved family roadtrips because it was a time where I could concentrate on drawing. For 6-7 hours, time was mine and mine alone, and it was just me and my drawing board. I still enjoy these times.
This song is a bit different to my other songs. I don't know in which way exactly, but it doesn't seem like something I wrote. I did write it, of course.
"Magpie"
There was a park I walked through every day to get to school, and it was full of magpies. They would swoop down and narrowly miss my head. Eventally I found another way to school.
This is one of a few songs that was improvised and recorded in one take.
"Snow"
We went there every year. None of us could ski, so we just basically walked around in the snow. Some of the best walks in my life.
This is the closest thing to a love song on this album. This would be something you would play on a romantic night, I think.
"Pen"
Drawing was my life. I had all sorts of pens, but my prized possession was a cheapo fineliner I bought at the local newsagent. To me it was the smoothest line ever drawn. In reality it was probably just a cheapo fineliner.
A waltz-inspired, fairy-tale track, I was probably thinking about a music box when I played it.
"Ceiling Fan"
During English class in primary school, the teacher would read a whole book to us. I would half-listen to the book, while listening to the sound of the ceiling fan. Now, whenever I read a book, I hear the ceiling fan.
I tried to recreate the motions of the ceiling fan in this song.
"Garden"
We had a huge garden where I played football with my brother and cousins. There was also a little corner that kind of looked like a forest. That was where I would hide whenever I got angry at my parents. Kid angst is a bitch and I'm glad there was this place where I could go and let it out.
This track came out of a long session of improvisation.
"Outline"
I had a set of comics borrowed from a friend. I kept it for 2 years. I drew in them. I would thicken the outlines and draw blood everywhere. When I had to give them back, I felt an extreme sense of guilt. I didn't tell him though. The feeling has followed me ever since.
This song was supposed to be on another album, but I thought it fit here. Somewhat of a melodic track.
"Bedtime Stories"
In my memory I was not read bedtime stories past age 5, but it became a habit that I would read every night before I slept. I basically read anything that I could get my hands on. That was what helped me sleep well. Bonus points if the story extended into my dream.
This song was meant to be orchestrated. I had to refrain myself from adding too much to it. One day I will epicfy it.
"There are composers who rob a heart with the first sounds, which is then hopelessly lost to the musician. In this case Gabriel Chan aka Norvik. The new album "the drawing board" is also another guarantee for an hour's time"
"Chan, who easily proves his skill behind the piano on tracks such as “Outline” which are as good as any other, demonstrates that when he adds in the ambient/electronic touches it gives his music an extra element to play with and develop. Rightfully he doesn’t use it all the time otherwise it can lose its potency."