Festival Season in China

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

Two weeks out from the May Festival (Labour Day) holidays and most of the major players have (finally) released their lineups and schedules. Hat tip to Beijing Daze for the Beijing events and dates.

With the absence of China Music Valley Festival (MIDI is taking over the space this year) and postponement and relocation of Dong Party aka Ditan Folk Festival to Beijing’s 2 Kolegas this year there is precious little innovation in the rest of the festivals’ lineups. Nonetheless, if the weather is nice the events are a good place to relax and catch up on the bands you always try to see, but it somehow never ends up working out during the year.

MIDI (Beijing and Shanghai)

Strawberry (Beijing)

Strawberry (Shanghai)

Gang of Four in China / JUE | Music + Art reflections

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

A post by Archie Hamilton (Split Works and China Music Radar laoban) on the occasion of Gang of Four performing in China, March 2013. Cross-posted from Tumblr.

JUE | Music + Art 2013 encompassed nearly 100 events across Beijing and Shanghai over the course of 17 days. It is both the most exhausting event and the most exhilarating event that Split Works puts on every year. It is also the reason why things have been quieter over at the Radar for the past few months. For the rest of the summer, we will be returning to our regularly scheduled programme of updates here on the blog. In the meantime, click through to read some of Archie’s thoughts on the performance of the legendary Leeds post-punk band Gang of Four during JUE 2013.
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JUE | Music + Art 2013 Mixtape by LOVE BANG (Heatwolves! and DJ Caution)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by admin

Here’s a little mix that Shanghai DJ collective Love Bang (aka DJs Heatwolves and Caution) put together on the occasion of JUE | Music + Art 2013. It contains tracks from almost all of the JUE 2013 artists, including but not limited to Grimes, Gang of Four, Frank Turner, AV Okubo, How To Dress Well, Cinema Soloriens, SLV and many more, interspersed with Shanghainese gems from the Super Ayi Cleaning Team.

The mix is loaded up onto the official JUE 2013 Morning Tears souvenir USB stick, which is 50 RMB with all proceeds going to official charity partner Morning Tears. The USB is 4 GB and also comes with JUE posters, MVs and lots o’ love from the whole festival team.

Peep at the track listing below and stream the whole thing from Soundcloud.

1. BAWANG Intro
2. Gang of Four – “Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time”
3. AV Okubo – “Old Game”
4. Frank Turner – “Four Simple Words”
5. Let’s Get Weird and 黑暗 with 排球女将
6. Cinema Soloriens – ??? ripped from YouTube
7. Zhongshan Park – “Wut R Treats?”
8. AM 444 – “Interloop 2″
9. Grimes – “Vanessa”
10. Downstate – “Mist”
11. Ital – “Dub Me for Tonight (Saviour’s Love Megamix)”
12. HONEY, 蜂蜜!
13. Grimes – “Genesis”
14. Super Ayi Cleaning Team – “Tigerwoman”
15. S L V (Downstate & Hamacide) – “Toi”
16. Acid Pony Club – “P.O.P – Scratch Boom”
17. Little Yellow Bird Gonna Help You Out
18. How To Dress Well – “Lover’s Start”
19. WUT DID YOU STEAL??
20. How To Dress Well – “You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’”
21. Kikuyu – “2 Appointments (Super Ayi 阿姨机器人 Vocal Remix)”
22. SHANGHAINESE SIGNOFF, 再见

SF Music Matters Asia

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin

This just in – Music Matters Asia expands to San Francisco this year with performances by leading indie rock outfits from around East Asia. A preview weekend event for CAAMFest (formerly the San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival), the event teams up Music Matters with leading promoters Maybe Mars (China), DFSB Kollective (Korea) and The Wall (Taiwan) along with Singapore’s Viki.com to bring familiar acts such as Carsick Cars, The Gar and WHITE+ to play in San Francisco March 7-8.

Check out the poster for a full lineup and find out more about the event here. After a tour by Re-TROS and New Pants at the Creators Project San Francisco, the West Coast of the US is getting more and more popular with touring Chinese indie bands. Though your Radar correspondent is an unrepentant East Coaster, it’s great to see areas of North America outside of New York and Austin, TX (SXSW) on more tour itineraries.

Your 2012 mixtape, courtesy of Live Beijing Music

Posted on January 25, 2013 by admin

If you haunt live shows in the Northern Capital like our Beijing editor does, you’d be sure to recognize an American guy sporting varying degrees of scruff and extraordinarily ugly sandals holding a small video camera unobtrusively near the side of the stage. That gentleman (whose identity we shall not reveal) is the brains and editing suite behind Live Beijing Music, a site for his live videos of what seems to be every gig in Beijing. In the past year, he’s built up quite a following especially amongst the local musicians, who rarely film themselves and regular concert goers, who enjoy reliving the memories. He’s just posted his top tracks of 2012 – parts one and two – and it includes such Radar favourites such as Snapline, Dear Eloise and Residence A. Hilariously, the songs come in all forms: Soundcloud, Youku, Xiami, Bandcamp, the list goes on. But what the layout lacks in aesthetic value it makes up more than exponentially in the quality and scope of music released in Beijing over the past 12 months.

Part One, Part Two

Fundraiser for Liang Heping

Posted on January 24, 2013 by admin

As BeijingDaze and Beijing Gig Guide have reported, Saturday night China rock legend He Yong is hosting a benefit concert for Liang Heping, another original star of the scene and, as Jonathan W. Campbell reports, the musician responsible for the first notes of “Nothing To My Name” at the 1986 Let the World Be Full of Love Concert. Liang was in a car accident last summer and the rock community is all pitching in to help him out. Besides He Yong, there will be appearances by Secondhand Rose, Thin Man, Liquid Oxygen Can, Ma Tiao and more. There will also be a silent auction with memorabilia from Ding Wu, Hao Yun, Xie Tianxiao, Reflector, Twisted Machine and others with all proceeds also going directly to Liang Heping. Reminiscent of when the China rock scene was literally 12 young men crammed into a tiny room listening to tapes or playing guitar, it warms our corporate-shriveled hearts to know that in the end, everyone is always watching out for each other.

Midi Awards Nominees Announced

Posted on December 14, 2012 by admin

Awards ceremony is this Sunday, December 16th at M Space out in Wukesong. Drop us a line if you’re going!

And the nominees are…

1. 最佳年度摇滚专辑 (Album of the Year)

2. 最佳年度摇滚歌曲 (Song of the Year)

The Gar “Love Will Lose Your Love” | 嘎调《爱，终将把青春遗漏》
Black Head “Liu Chuan Feng Yu Cang Jing Kong” | 黑撒《流川枫与苍井空》
King Ly Chee “Time Will Prove” | 荔枝王《时间证明》
Brain Failure “Nous avons de la chance” | 脑浊《永远的乌托邦》
Escape Plan “The Brightest Star In The Night” | 逃跑计划《夜空中最亮的星》
Lure “Retrograde Kingdom” | 诱导社《逆行王国》

3. 最佳年度摇滚乐队 (Best Rock Performance By Group With Vocals)

GALA
Hanggai 杭盖
Muma & Third Party 木马&Third Party
Brain Failure 脑浊
Escape Plan 逃跑计划

4. 最佳年度摇滚男歌手 (Best Male Rock Vocal Performance)

5. 最佳年度摇滚女歌手 (Best Female Rock Vocal Performance)

6. 最佳年度硬摇滚乐队 (Best Hard Rock Performance)

King Ly Chee 荔枝王
Brain Failure 脑浊
Twisted Machine 扭曲机器
Iron Kite 铁风筝
Liquid Oxygen Can 液氧罐头

7. 最佳年度金属乐队 (Best Metal Performance)

Frosty Eve 霜冻前夜
Four Five 肆伍
Yaksa 夜叉
Liquid Oxygen Can 液氧罐头
Suffocated 窒息

8. 最佳年度摇滚乐器演奏 (Best Rock Instrumental Performance)

9. 最佳年度摇滚现场 (Best Live Performance)

Nova Heart
Second Hand Rose 二手玫瑰
Hanggai 杭盖
Brain Failure 脑浊
Escape Plan 逃跑计划

10. 最佳年度摇滚新人奖 (Best New Artist)

Residence A A公馆
CNdY
Twinkle Star 闪星
Wang Shengnan 王胜男
Perpetual Motion Machine 永动机

11. 最佳年度专辑设计奖 (Best Album Art)

12. 最佳年度民谣音乐奖 (Best Folk Music)

Da Qiao & Xiao Qiao 大乔小乔
Ma Tiao 马条
Tuliger (Gangzi) 图利古尔（刚子）
Wu Tiao Ren 五条人
Yang Jiasong 杨嘉松

13. 中国摇滚贡献奖 (Award For Special Contribution To Chinese Rock)

14. 年度常委会奖 (Special Award By The Grand Jury)

Midi Awards 2012

Posted on December 3, 2012 by admin

Midi Awards 2012 – the announcement is here, the nominees forthcoming, the party planned. Scheduled for this December 16th at M Space – the small theatre under the MasterCard Arena (aka Wukesong Arena), this year’s ceremony will feature performances from the likes of Chuanzi, Dongzi, Ordnance, Nova Heart, Brain Failure, Yaksa and Zhang Youdai. The awards categories are as follows:

1. 最佳年度摇滚专辑 (Album of the Year)
2. 最佳年度摇滚歌曲 (Song of the Year)
3. 最佳年度摇滚乐队 (Best Rock Performance By Group With Vocals)
4. 最佳年度摇滚男歌手 (Best Male Rock Vocal Performance)
5. 最佳年度摇滚女歌手 (Best Female Rock Vocal Performance)
6. 最佳年度硬摇滚乐队 (Best Hard Rock Performance)
7. 最佳年度金属乐队 (Best Metal Performance)
8. 最佳年度摇滚乐器演奏 (Best Rock Instrumental Performance)
9. 最佳年度摇滚现场 (Best Live Performance)
10. 最佳年度摇滚新人奖 (Best New Artist)
11. 最佳年度专辑设计奖 (Best Album Art)
12. 最佳年度民谣音乐奖 (Best Folk Music)
13. 中国摇滚贡献奖 (Award For Special Contribution To Chinese Rock)
14. 年度常委会奖 (Special Award By The Grand Jury)

The awards show is open to the public; presale tickets are 80 RMB and it costs 100 RMB to get in at the door. Student tickets are 50 RMB.

Sinotronics: Chinese Experimental Musicians in Berlin

Posted on November 28, 2012 by admin

If you find yourself in Berlin this Thursday, pop into Worldtronics 2012 to see leading Chinese experimental musicians WHITE+, Yan Yulong, Dead J & Dora S., Duck Fight Goose, White Goose (Zhang Shouwang of WHITE+, Yan Yulong & Han Han of Duck Fight Goose) and Choi Sai-Ho perplex and delight a whole new audience. The “Sinotronics” session was put together by Metrowaves, the Beijing-based electronic music promoters and curators.

More information on the event here and here (Facebook link).

Mr. Chelonian vs. AMC Group: Using Weibo To Get What You Want

Posted on November 20, 2012 by admin

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Sina Weibo is a homegrown marvel of the Chinese Internet. Everything from the fact that 140 characters in Chinese can express a whole lot more meaning than the equivalent letters and spaces in English, to its use as a tool of citizen journalism and documentation, have rendered Weibo an indispensible part of daily life. But even beyond a steady diet of food scandals, corrupt officials and live giraffes in trucks on the highway, Weibo has become an essential part of musicians’ daily communications with their fans from all over the country. Bands and artists use Weibo as a platform to conduct live chats with fans, post photos and videos after gigs and in the case of erstwhile Chengdu Britpoppers Mr. Chelonian, shame an event management company into paying them a long-overdue performance fee.

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Category Archives: Chinese Bands