Manny Nieto’s name hovered like a bit of juicy gossip on the lips of Beijing’s music community for weeks before he arrived. His name came up at shows, in emails, on Facebook, always followed by the same, bewildered question: “Have you heard of this Manny guy?” Allegedly a ... Read More
It’s New Year’s Eve, the night of the last big show at D-22, and all the house bands—Birdstriking, Snapline, Carsick Cars, Chui Wan—are holed up inside the little bar like kids in a bomb shelter, watching quietly as girl-rock trio Ourself Beside Me does a last-minute ... Read More
New Year’s isn’t just about the passing of another year of wasted potential. Heck no! It’s about making resolutions you’ll never keep. So I ditched the whole “quit smoking” thing in favor of some some new and rarely-visited Beijing music venues. See if you can hit ... Read More
Beijing may be home to Carsick Cars, the Gar, Hedgehog and P.K.14, but Shanghai has a secret weapon: Duck Fight Goose. Ok, so maybe that’s an unfair comparison, especially considering that the experimental quartet only started up in 2009. But in buzz years (similar to dog years ... Read More
Among the bad habits I’ve picked up living in Beijing is the firm belief that we—and our bands—are better than everyone else. I say this by way of explanation, if not defense, of why I’ve never been out to see Shanghai’s Boys Climbing Ropes, who ... Read More
Folk-rock, post-folk, folk-punk, post-grunge, Western-blues, folk-blues—over the past 10 years, music writers have piled up a veritable Jenga tower of labels to define San Francisco’s Two Gallants, who play Yugong Yishan on November 16.
There are two kinds of bands that attract these kind of tortured, hyphenated descriptions ... Read More
British electronic musician Max Tundra has all the makings of the Delicate Hermit Genius: 1) he makes music that’s quirky, weird and infinitely listenable; 2) he’s released only two albums in the last 10 years (with a six-year break in between); 3) both have had critics falling all ... Read More
Even if you’ve never seen synth-bass noise duo Hot and Cold in action, there’s a good chance you’ve read about them—in big red letters on D-22’s bathroom wall (“YOU HATE HOT AND COLD? THEY HATE YOU MORE”) or in a certain local Beijing guide, which ... Read More
I can’t count how many times I’ve passed VA Bar on Wudaoying Hutong, registering no other thought except, “Hmm, weird place for a Veterans’ Affairs bar.” I can’t explain where this totally irrational idea came from, but the resulting associations (“I don’t want to get trapped ... Read More
I first saw Mamer perform to a rapt audience packed in the stone bowels of Jianghu Jiuba. He sat hunched over his guitar, his solemn, ageless face drawn in concentration. Beside him a Kazakh vocalist bellowed soulful, scorched-gut wails over the percussive strumming. Like the two men themselves, the performance ... Read More
Beijing has some great rock venues, but let’s face it, none of them are particularly friendly. Whether you’re skirting a sneering row of punks outside MAO, wandering lost among Yugong Yishan’s hordes of asymmetrically coifed hipsters, or wilting under the cold who-the-ta-ma-are-you stare of the D-22 doormen ... Read More
I’ll admit it—I’m not a big fan of electronic music. And it’s not just because I don’t understand it, or because I hate and fear machines. It’s because I find it slightly cold to listen to, and difficult to connect with onstage. And also ... Read More
First Bob Dylan then Silver Apples and now the Fab Four? That’s right, the ‘60s revival that’s been worming its way through China doesn’t stop with tours by decrepit folk musicians. These days, respectful nostalgia is taking backseat to a new aggressive strain of retro enthusiasm—one ... Read More
As Beijing’s festival fever goes into full swing, some of the best rock performances will actually go down in Wudaokou, as D-22 throws a sprawling fifth anniversary celebration, featuring four straight nights of homerun hitters, April 29 to May 2. Looking to create a people’s history of D-22 ... Read More
It’s hard to believe it was less than a year ago that Beijing rock wonder boys Rustic snatched the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) crown, proving to the world that China can rock as hard as anyone else. Since, it’s been a whirlwind 12 months for the ... Read More
It was a blazing summer’s day at Strawberry Fest when Hedgehog guitarist Zo removed his guitar, a white electric painted with the words “SO FASHION,” raised it over his head, and leaned into the microphone, intoning: “Zhen shimao. Zhen shimao. So fashion.” He raised the guitar higher before smashing ... Read More
It’s early afternoon on a frigid Beijing Sunday, and Yang Haisong is looking tired. Bundled against the cold, an earflap hat perched above his iconic ‘50s style glasses, he leans against a window in the Maybe Mars office and offers a wan smile. “I didn’t get much sleep ... Read More
While it’s true that certain corners of Beijing’s music scene have had more than their fair share of the spotlight, I was surprised to read blogger Alice Xin Liu’s attack on our local music scene in the Huffington Post. In a May 6 post, Liu critiques the ... Read More
Sexy Stewardess
Designer:
Gigi Peng
“For me, nothing is sexier than a flight attendant. Hollywood is full of sexy flight attendants, raising expectations for travelers who are too often disappointed by the reality of the girls in the sky. That’s why this Halloween, I’m giving people what they ... Read More
What does a rock festival staged out in the northern Hebei grasslands feel like? Bucolic green pastures might spring to mind. Or perhaps visions of a 21st Century Beijing-does-Woodstock youth love fest.
Not quite. Swirling, choking gusts of dirt and sand, and increasing amounts of trash, provided the gritty, charmless ... Read More
Metalheadz maestro Goldie returns to Beijing
“From Dire Straits to Pat Metheny to drum ‘n’ bass, I’ve got a musical range, and there are only two types of music for me: good and bad,” expounds drum ‘n’ bass innovator Goldie. “Drum ‘n’ bass music is a full spectrum of ... Read More
Beijing’s electronic scene takes center stage at Midi
It should come as no surprise that the Midi school has again selected O2 Culture to organize the dance music stage at this October holiday’s Midi Music Festival. Usually held in May of each year, pre-Olympic security concerns necessitated a ... Read More
The legendary French band takes on Yugong Yishan
It’s been 10 years since French musicians AIR, comprised of Jean Benoit Dunkel and Nicholas Godin, provided one of the musical milestones of the past decade with the release of their second album Moon Safari. The albums pop melodies and synthesizer ... Read More
From Beijing rappers Kin to Webber, we check the technique
H ip-hop has stamped its footprint onto Chinese cities and psyches. And though the beats may resemble what we’re used to in the West, it takes a few lessons in hutong hua to get to grips with what verbal ... Read More
Discovering Jamaica’s musical influence on Beijing
This Olympic period, Jamaica provides much in terms of entertainment, both in athletics and music. Many of the fastest in the world, along with musicians like Sean Paul and Julian Marley, will be performing in Beijing during the Olympics. So how has Beijing ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>