Nov 16, 2010 | Music
Queen Sea Big Shark / 后海大鲨鱼 released their sophomore album, Wave, to a packed house at Yugong Yishan on the eve of All Hallow’s Eve. The eternally modish band keeps a permanent place in my heart with lead singer Fu Han’s unisuit-cladded-gyrating-stage-presence and lead guitarist Cao Pu’s hard-driving-surf-rock-riffs. Although I might not be the biggest fan of all their dips into electronica, if they are having a good night and hooked into a proper sound system, they will blow the roof off any club in Beijing. Their new album certainly represents a turn into the realm of synthed dance, but you can find their original rock core in tunes like “Back 2 the Future” and “Loop of the Sun”. For now Queen Sea Big Shark continues to move beyond their dive bar roots by headlining major festivals around China and accepting sponsorships from the likes of Converse. Modern Sky have constructed big plans for the band, and they will hopefully help lead a wave of previously underground bands to a larger domestic audience.
Oct 19, 2010 | Music, Youth
The Kill Club China Tour 2010 rolled through Beijing earlier this month and served up an exquisite night of chiptune dance music. Headlined by Sulumi, China’s preeminent electronic artist who also founded Shanshui Records, the tour knocked up six cities around China and featured an international cast of button punchers including USK and Covox. For those of you not in the know, chiptune musicians utilize synthesized sounds created by low-fi sound chips (usually 8-bit) from outdated computers or video game consoles. With special software loaded on cartridges, songs can even be composed live using handheld devices such as the Gameboy. The sound textures and melodies generated produce a unique tone that resonates deeply with anyone who was raised on early terminals such as Atari video game consoles or Commodore personal computers. I am a big fan and even attended the first Blip Festival in New York City back in 2006 which Sulumi also performed at in 2008. Check out the video below for live performances from Sulumi (China), Usk (Japan), and Covox (Sweden).
Sep 15, 2010 | Music, Portraits, Youth
The Generation 6 concert at Yugong Yishan featured all the young bucks in Beijing’s rock underground including Residence A, Lazy Camels, Me Guan Me, Mr. Graceless, Rustic, Birdstriking, and Flyx. Musicians in Beijing refer to a wave of new bands from a certain age group as a generation. The first came with China’s godfather of rock, Cui Jian, while the sixth generation is the youngest and still cutting their teeth. This was definitely a culmination point for many of them in so far as they are becoming the defining bands from a fresh crop of performers around the city. Rustic came in with the most momentum after securing the Global Battle of the Bands crown earlier this year – a major triumph for everyone involved in the Beijing rock and punk scene. Otherwise Lazy Camels and Mr. Graceless put on strong sets. The following videos feature outtakes from Lazy Camels, Me Guan Me, Mr. Graceless, and Birdstriking along with a full track from Rustic. Enjoy.
