The first track I worked on was “Actor” by Tong Li. I started by making my own remix of the song, keeping Tong Li’s original vocals and guzheng parts but reshaping the whole vibe to feel more ambient and emotional. I used Logic Pro to strip back some of the instrumental layers, added soft textures, and played around with the panning and dynamics to build atmosphere. I wanted it to feel cinematic, almost like you’re floating in and out of her world. I also EQ’d the track to carve out space around her voice so it sat clearly in the mix, as her voice has such a delicate tone, I didn’t want to bury it.
Once that was done, I started layering in street food sounds I found from videos of Guangdong markets from Mark Wiens. I wanted the track to feel like she was singing live in the middle of a real street with sizzling, vendors shouting, and the clatter of plates. I used EQ and sidechain to blend the ambience in softly under the beat, so it felt natural, not forced. The point wasn’t to turn it into a “beat,” but more like background life happening around her. It was the first time I realised how powerful ambient sound could be when used intentionally. I thought that it really brought the whole concept to life.
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