soundcapital's vibrant photos capture the local rock scene
Photographer Matthew Niederhauser came to Beijing during Golden Week of 2007 with five cameras, two small bags and a contact at D-22. He didn’t know exactly what kind of work he would be creating here, but as a young photographer with an eight-year relationship with the city, he had been planning on coming to Beijing to live and photograph for a long time.

"My first week here, I went to D-22. It was the Subs, Joyside and Ourselves Beside Me. I was just blown away by the the music," enthuses Niederhauser. "I started shooting a lot of concerts, and they loved the photos. D-22 gave me access to the bands... And the rest is history."

Or at least recent history: A mere six months after that first show, Niederhauser has already published a book of his photos documenting the music scene.

"I think a photographer always wants to present a body of work in such a format" explains Niederhauser, who designed and published the book himself with the support of D-22. "A shot or two in a magazine doesn’t allow an outside observer to wrap his head around what’s going on." Niederhauser, who photographed live shows a couple times a week for months, would sometimes shoot up to 700 photos in a night. "To get the good live shots," he explains, "you’ve got to stay on top of what’s happening on stage. Those moments only last a second."

Chronicling one of the most innovative periods in Beijing rock music, soundcapital transforms the energy of the scenes live shows into vibrant color and striking black and white images, hitting all the scene’s key venues and rock acts. As the bands got to know Niederhauser better, they opened up more and more, giving the images an intimacy Niederhauser couldn’t have achieved when he was an outsider on the scene.

While soundcapital marks an important step in Niederhauser’s career as a photographer, he sees the book above all else as a part of the local music scene. "The most important thing," he admits, "is that the musicians really like it. I like to think of it almost like a yearbook for the musicians. They can see what’s going on, all the personalities and whatnot. I hope they really dig it."

Blake Stone-Banks

Details

soundcapital by Matthew Niederhauser
Where: Bookworm, Sugar Jar, D-22 How Much: ￥100