*** So, what's going on... lotsa Shanghai coming our way this weekend. Friday night is the last Beijing show for Pairs, one of the best bands to come out of the SH underground in the last five years. For followers of noisy rock music worldwide, Pairs is one of the best known bands coming out of China, thanks in large part to drummer Xiao Zhong's early media strategy of saying crazy shit with lots of curse words to bloggers/magazine people, and relentlessly churning out a DIY, slapdash, lo-fi to the point of sounding like it was recorded inside of a washing machine, basically brilliant barrage of detuned shoegaze/noise/whatever CDs, records, and videos. Here's an MV from a little while back in which Pairs is standing around looking bored until someone starts throwing paint and flour and improvised water balloons at them: You could spend all day listening to Pairs if you wanted to… they have about nineteen records on their Bandcamp. But if you're too busy here's a little highlight reel for ya: Pairs plays on Friday, April 18 at XP along with Chui Wan. Heartily recommended. *** Then on Saturday night, Dada hosts B6 from Shanghai, one of China's most renowned and accomplished producers. B6 started off as a teenager in post-rock bands in the late '90s before transitioning to experimental music/sound art, synth-pop, and, ultimately, minimal tech/house. The Saturday gig is being put on by Antidote, the booking platform that B6 co-founded in Shanghai with Dada Bar boss Michael Ohlsson in 2005. Not much B6 stuff up for online streaming, but here are a few music videos / live recordings / interviews so you can pick up on the vibe. Will have a full B6 interview up here later in the week.

Lou Nanli - Watching the rain (The Creators Project 2012 @ UCCA Beijing) from Lou Nanli on Vimeo.

*** Another biggie on this weekend is the Maybe Mars double record release on Saturday at Yugong. It's the official drop date of Dynasty, the latest record from Wuhan's AV Okubo. Dynasty was recorded well over a year ago by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill. As if to underscore this very fact, Maybe Mars last week dropped this video trailer for the show, which prominently features Gill nodding his head in the studio and saying such producer-esque things as "So, keep the one that we did before": Shanghai music pundit Zack Smith nails AVO's vibe better than I can over on his blog: "The band’s persona is kind of quirky, cool, nerdy, macho, and intelligent all at the same time, which is quite unique on the Chinese indie rock scene. They have a fascination with kitschy pop culture, as well as a revolutionary political side, as well as a sort of dystopian technocratic/technophobic paranoid avant garde sensibility. It’s all mixed up like a collage trompe l’oeil and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but when it does it’s breathtaking." Here's one cut off Dynasty, entitled "Opium." It's also going to be on a Genjing 7" along with an unreleased B-side called "Heroin": *** Saturday at Yugong is also the official Beijing release of GO BIG SHADOW CITY, the latest from Alpine Decline. That one's been floating around the 'net for a minute, and has been floating around the world via AD's recent Australia and China tours. But you, humble Beijing dweller, can finally get your hands on the vinyl & CD this weekend. Just in time for record store day... Already featured "The Visions Run Dry," one of GO BIG SHADOW CITY's more banging hits, on a previous MP3 Monday, but here are a few more samples to whet your appetite: *** Recap: Pairs = Friday, April 18 @ XP AV Okubo + Alpine Decline = Saturday, April 19 @ Yugong Yishan B6 = Saturday, April 19 @ Dada