***
Sayonara summer! The dipping mercury, the fact that I'm getting a random cold, and my recent confusion about how to dress (is it light jacket weather? thick shirt weather?) has been indication enough, but I checked with the experts at Space.com and yes, it's true: Autumn begins at 10:30pm tonight. Summer 2014: it's been real but honestly, good riddance! I'm much more comfortable when everyone's back in the city and slowly growing miserable at the prospect of incipient freeze. My kinda vibes.
This week at Music Monday we revisit the perennial theme of bands from Shanghai coming to Beijing. Shanghai bands come to Beijing because they have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, or because Douban invites them, or because they have a new album to distribute, or simply because they enjoy sharing many beers with the Bedstars. Mini Shanghai invasion taking us through this weekend and beyond, into the coming October holiday:
***
First in chronological order is Douban.com's 8th "Behind the Billboard" gig this Friday at XP. BtB's usual schtick is to promote two or three bands from one non-Beijing Chinese city (or at least one region), though they've also opened the series up to international bands in the past (that Motorpsycho gig was unreal). I guess it's just whatever Zhu Wenbo is feeling on a given month. The theme for this one is Shanghai Offbeats, and Douban / Wenbo has made a pretty interesting selection of artists.
First up is MHP, one of Shanghai's most established techno producers. MHP (aka Ma Haiping) is one of the most accomplished post-80s electronic musicians from China, with over a decade under his belt churning out sci-fi-inflected Detroit and Berlin sounds. In addition to solo soundtracking work, he's also a co-founder of V/O/I/D, one of Shanghai's longest-running techno crews (they just raged their 7th anniversary last month). Here are some MHP tunes:
For this gig, MHP will collaborate with German free jazz bass clarinetist Peter H. Van De Locht and Italian improv multi-instrumentalist Manuel Bandelli. The latter will apparently be playing didgeridoo. I asked the booker what kind of music this trio will play and he said "I guess techno + free jazz / world music improvisation." So, should be interesting.
***
Also on Friday's bill at XP is Shanghai trip hop duo Running Blue. This one's new to me, but apparently they've been around since 2010. One of the members, Yin Hao, was in legendary Shanghai noise rock band Junkyard, and that's a pretty solid line on anyone's CV. (MHP was also in Junkyard, as was fellow producer B6 and Chinoise standard-bearer Junky of Torturing Nurse.)
According to the Douban event page, Running Blue's style is "Lynchian detachedness" and "pure Bristolian sound". I guess the Bristol part is the trip hop, and the Lynch part is maybe you feel like you're in a dream that you half-realize is a dream but you can't escape it no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you're in the midst of a Lynchian sur-reality? Or something. Guess we'll find out on Friday.
MHP trio and Running Blue perform at the 8th Douban.com "Behind the Billboard" showcase on Friday, September 26 at XP.
***
photo by Rachel Gouk
Looking a bit further down the calendar: Goushen, maybe Shanghai's hardest rockers, are slated to visit Beijing on Wednesday, October 1 at School. This'll be a hell of a holiday kickoff jam, let me tell you. Goushen's flying through as part of a seven-date tour to release their newest album, Dio Cane. Here's that one:
It's also a going away show of sorts, as Goushen vocalist and general Shanghai rock scene institution Lenz is bouncing to Australia right after. Bummer. She'll be missed.
***
photo by Rachel Gouk
Joining in the festivities on 10/1 @ School is Shanghai party crew Round Eye. These guys just came off a really long US tour with large surf monsters DAIKAIJU, which evidently involved a lot of alcohol-induced nudity. Feel like they're pretty much firing on all cylinders at this point. This is their most recent masterpiece, a heavily facekini-themed video for new Round Eye tune "Suntan":
"Suntan" is kind of a promo teaser for Round Eye's debut LP, which will drop later in the Fall. Here's the B-side of said teaser:
***
So, yeah. That's MHP + Running Blue on Friday, September 26 @ XP and Goushen + Round Eye on Wednesday, October 1 @ School. Support some Shanghai bands for a change. Especially that Goushen record release; since it's a holiday night I think the bands need to guarantee a certain number of heads through the door. Local lushes Bedstars are opening that one up so it'll be a party for sure...
