Badminton by Ceramiks

Ceramiks is the Los Angeles-based music project of multi-instrumentalist Adrian Kim.

The songs of Ceramiks dictate the passing of time and familial strength, drawing influence from personal trauma such as the early passing of his father, to moments of togetherness like the gathering of loved ones young and old over a hymn at a dinner table.

Through these memories, Ceramiks engages in a mix of electronic and orchestral music to create a musical template which evokes their own personable and symbolic representation of such generational strength, and the philosophical pangs of impermanence.

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“Badminton” is their debut ZOOM LENS release, which retraces such moments to cinematic degree. The opener “Together” sets in motion a recollection of Kim’s grandfather singing hymn before family meals, symbolizing the gathering of loved ones during peaceful moments of unity free from the worry of the outside world. The reality sets in that all sat at the table will one day pass, and we shall one day press ourselves with question if we’ve taken such moments for granted.

The title track “Badminton” features guest vocals by Sonoda, another glance into a fragment of life soon passed, yet etched with strength. The song recollects the sport itself, met in a club amongst the middle aged and elderly who shake off the implications of ageism, unleashing themselves with strength and movement during a small window of time in which they completely commit themselves to the sport until they return to their truer selves - the “old” and “incompetent” that society identifies them as.

The EP concludes with the dynamic and moving “Return,” feeling like a slow, yet sure gallop through life where all that is ultimately reassured again is the certainty of things to end.

Overall, “Badminton” as an EP is about these windows, and the people and places we love too much to let go. However, the imminent truth is that we keep nothing and eventually do let go, only to be given the consolation gift of nostalgia. Accepting this truth and the end ahead, all that is left to do is to live those moments in the best way possible, much like the passing game of badminton: together.