Sep 14, 2010 | Music, Portraits
I met up with DJ Wordy this afternoon to interview him about the history of hip hop in Beijing. For those of you not in the know, DJ Wordy is a three-time DMC China DJ Champion and has toured all over the world with his phat beats and dynamic scratching abilities. His contributions to the Beijing hip hop scene are legendary. More recently, DJ Wordy spent a month in New York this summer and was taken under the wing of Damon Dash who wants to make inroads into China through his new DIY-inspired company, DD172. Hopefully by the end of the year a new CD from DJ Wordy will be out with artist collaborations from all over the world including those from Damon Dash’s roster such as Curren$y and Ski Beatz – local Beijing MCs would also be featured. If the project actually materializes, it could represent a great leap forward for underground hip hop in China. Beijing freestylers are in desperate need of some quality producers who can put their talents to better use.
Sep 1, 2010 | Music, Youth
The opening party for the China-wide Iron Mic competition kicked off this past weekend at Yugongyishan. The festivities also joined hands with Section Six, the longest-standing freestyle hip hop party in Beijing. Overall it was a great night and included an appearance by Damon Dash who is supposedly trying to break into the China market with some new bands and supposedly even here to poach some talent to take back to the America – all hearsay for now. The highlight of the evening was definitely MC Davey. He came out early for a few numbers, but truly shined when the freestyle battles ensued. Although most of the old school Beijing MCs were taking a seat to make room for some of the young bucks, it was obvious that MC Davey’s rhyming skills were some of the best in the house. He easily took the opening competition and got the crowd riled up at the beginning of every set. It’s going to be interesting to see where MC Davey goes in the future, and whether or not he could be a new hope for Beijing’s street hip hop to break into the wider market currently dominated by studio-groomed, pop-flavored hip hop. The attached video highlights some of MC Davey’s skills.
Aug 21, 2010 | Music, Youth
This past week marked the passing of even more music festivals in the Beijing area – the summer is now chock-full of them. However, the Max Star Music Festival that took place at the Temple of Earth (Ditan Park/地坛公园) was a special oddity as the stage was set up on the main altar of the temple. Originally constructed in 1530, emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty provided offerings to heaven on summer solstices at the same spot. Flash forward nearly 500 years and my old friends and notorious punk rockers Demerit were mounting the altar to deliver their musical sermon (see my old post Screaming into the Void). In the attached video, Spike, the lead singer of Demerit, instigates a whirling circle of fans that implodes into a flailing mosh pit – a great departure from the highly ritualized imperial offerings of yore.
May 31, 2010 | Music
Although I might not be the biggest fan of electronic dance music, the INTRO 2010 Electronic Music Festival help in D-Park was an amazing visual fest that could not be resisted. Brought to Beijing by the infamous Acupuncture Records, it is the largest outdoor electronic music festival in China. Kids were running wild. Next year I plan on doing a more in-depth review.
May 16, 2010 | Music, Portraits
Two of my favorite rocker outfits are now working out of Shanghai. Duck Fight Goose, led by Miniless Records founder Han Han, and Booji are playing amazing concerts of their self-styled Death Ray Rock. Let it be known: Duck Fight Goose and Booji are officially killing it. Check out Dan Shapiro’s post on CNNGo for more information and other interesting facts.
May 5, 2010 | Music, Portraits, Youth
What could be naively described as a hipster transformation is taking place in Beijing. Although some may only dress the part, others are the first in China to truly embrace alternative lifestyles that fly in the face of social conformity so desperately imposed by the Chinese state. Whether shopping at second-hand clothing stores, scouring the Internet for fringe media, pursuing careers in the arts and generally rejecting the popular molds of their communist past, these youth are seeking to stand out from the masses. This increasing tendency toward individualism coupled with newfound online forums for self-expression is one the cornerstones of China’s emerging civil society and often comes with a social stigma that is hard to imagine outside of China. Many don’t wish to participate in a largely vacuous and unsustainable consumer culture taking hold of the country. While they might not brazenly attack the government, their embracement of such a lifestyle is a powerful statement in and of itself. The biggest congregations now occur at major music festivals sprouting up all over the country. All of these portraits were taken at the 2010 MIDI Music Festival.
