HK Magazine: Vibration - a bit of a generic name for an electronica band?
Chris Ho: OK, when I was young, I was hanging out with a couple of guys jamming - I hadn’t met Yvonne at that time. So we end up where all jam sessions end up: watching porn. There was a vibrator being used in the video, and one my friends turned the word “vibration” into a Chinese term that meant “dirty talking.” That’s how our name came to be.

HK: So how did you get into music?
Yvonne Lee: As with most kids in Hong Kong, my mom made me learn the piano. It’s so useless; most people I know can only play examination songs and scales.

HK: How does that kind of attitude towards music affect our music industry?
CH: Well, the culture’s like that, so there’s little you can do. Not a lot of people come to Hong Kong looking for art. Hong Kong has always been a stepping-stone for people to make money, and most of them leave afterwards. It’s hard to find anyone to appreciate your work. But this kind of pace and lifestyle is also a source of inspiration. Most of the songs on our latest album are based on the vanity and pointlessness that comes from all this.

HK: If it’s so hard, why do you do it? What’s your motivation?
CH: I’m self-motivated, I can’t give you a reason. It’s like those people who sit on the street all day sketching; they don’t sell their sketches and if you ask them why, they’ll just say, “Because I want to.”
YL: I’m not like that - I’m a lot more goal-oriented. I only do shows with the right audiences, events that help the band, that have value. Not necessarily financially, but I want to be appreciated and, more importantly, remembered for what the band does. I don’t sing for the sake of singing. As a performer, I want to enjoy the performance as much as the audience.

HK: I like your CD cover, with the girl holding the whip and everything.
YL: That’s me!
CH: Yeah, there’s going to be a scene in HK Live! where I whip her.

HK: Really? Which song?
CH: I’m kidding.

HK: Ah well. What sort of feedback have you had for your new album?
CH: Surprisingly positive. Most of the negative stuff comes from Yvonne.
YL: Well yeah, I think the demos you made me listen to when we first started on this album really sucked.
Vibration play HK Live! on June 3, along with Robot and Malfunction.