Episode 2 progress, a move to Indonesia, and the future!
Am I insane? Time will tell.
Howdy folks. A few things for you:
My time in Northeast China has come to an end, and next Friday, I begin exiting China. I'm moving to Indonesia for a deep dive, and taking this project full time for as long as possible. This has me jumping in and out of tours with Hiperson, Dirty Fingers, and Hedgehog in June. Hiperson and Hedgehog both have new records out. Click their names to listen. I'll also return to Osaka, Japan, this time with my filming camera, so I'm hoping it's even half as eventful as that last trek with Blond New Half. I'm so excited to begin a new chapter that will bring this project to the next level. For those who threw down on the fundraiser to help make it happen, Thank You again. I will briefly return to the midwest in July to ship your donation perks! Some major boxes in my personal life have finally been checked. All of them, really, except that of the release of Episode 2 of this project.
Episode 2 has been all but finished for some time. My original plans to have it released have come and gone many times. This is frustrating, but due to the DIY nature of people doing things for low-to-no cost, I must sit tight and let the rest of the pieces be finished when they're able. I hope for a June release, but time will tell. For my move to Indonesia and the subsequent new shorter film series, I'm putting pieces into place to expedite these issues. I've learned a lot over the last few years, and I'm very excited to start having consistent high quality content for you that really makes The World Underground shine each month. That's what the move to China was working toward, and it begins now. In nine days. Holy shit!
The future is bright. I begin a move to Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 9 days. This will serve multiple purposes. The first, will be to begin editing Episode 3, which is a self-funded endeavor, trekking once again with Beijing's P.K.14. This film will be very different from my previous pieces.
Once this has finished, I hope to begin a longer piece on Indonesia, while I am living in country. I think this brings great opportunities to not only show-case past filming efforts done there in 2015, but bring some new light to what is currently happening. In the middle of all of this, I will begin a short film series, that I hope to release every single month. Bringing this project into more hyper time-sensitive output is something I have wanted to do for year, and it's about to become a reality. After this has all began taking shape, I will begin work on a film about Missoula, Montana. That will be a very interesting time capsule.
Summer and beyond is going to be very interesting. Aside from what I have lined up so far, I will be letting things fall into place naturally along the way. Freeing myself up to "just go" has long been something I've pined for. Fall will bring a 7 city S.E.A. tour by the South Los Angeles Spanish punk band Generacion Suicida. This is only the beginning, as everything in between will be an "as we go" endeavor. There should be shows by Mexico grind-core bands in Rumah Api, Kuala Lumpur, treks in Sumatra with Palmer Keen from Aural Archipelago, and everything else in between. That's not to mention the very vibrant scene of Yogyakarta, the city that will be my editing and resting base.
For all of this to become reality so soon, I am very, very excited. I'm doing my best not to freak out entirely right now. Thanks for your patience, and your support. It's about to get real.
As always, I'll update you every chance I get along the way. The tours should bring daily updates. Social media is doing its best to keep eyes on the fear, terror, and shittier aspects of life, but we can only do what we can to push forward in healthy ways. Let's keep rolling. We can make it. Stay safe out there.
Best,
- Yingling