*** Here's a Monday tune if I've ever heard one: See that guy standing in the back, waaay behind Morrissey, on this kind of stage riser thing next his amplifier? That's original Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, who's DJing on Thursday at Dada. In the early '80s, Rourke wrote what remain some of British rock's most memorable bass lines. Now, like all great Mancunian bassists, he's parlayed his skills and reputation into a new career as "a top-tier DJ, producer, tastemaker, and radio personality." No clue what he'll play on Thursday, but DJ Compact Dicks is opening with a set that would make Caligula blush, so should be interesting regardless. We'll have a Mixtape from Mr. Rourke later in the week to give you a clearer picture. Thursday, May 15 @ Dada *** Big one for live music this week is Chicago post-rock titans Tortoise at Yugong Yishan on Saturday. This show's being billed as a Post-Rock Apocalypse by promoters New Noise, who are becoming a major force in international rock bookings here. In addition to this gig they also have The Album Leaf — another US post-rock biggie — coming at the end of the month. But this week it's Tortoise, and they're pretty huge. They were doing post-rock before "post-rock" became the catch-all word for instrumental rock bands referencing more than three genres at once. They don't have many songs up for free streaming outside of YouTube music vids, but here's a jam from their latest album, 2009's Beacons of Ancestorship: Post-rock is a massive thing in China. It's had a deep influence on many of the contemporary Chinese indie rock scene's leading lights. New Noise put together a cool 8-minute mini-doc featuring a bunch of talking heads from the local scene sharing their personal experiences with Tortoise. There are no subtitles, but even if you can't understand the language, the anticipation for this show is palpable. Watch that vid here. My Shanghai counterpart Sacco has written a much deeper account of why you should get into Tortoise, with a few more videos to illustrate the point; read that over at SmartShanghai. Tortoise plays on Saturday, May 17 @ Yugong. Cop your 160rmb pre-sale ticket here. *** This week in Chinese bands from other cities: The Pumpkins from Xinxiang on Friday at XP and Saturday at School. Something's going on in Xinxiang... I saw The Fallacy play in Beijing at the end of last year and they immediately became one of my favorite newer Chinese bands. Pumpkins are more straightforward than the broody post-punk assault of The Fallacy. Just good, old school, dirty, fast, loud punk. Here's a short cut of them at Xinxiang's Ark club: Beijing's resident punk rock videographer Cool Ghoul, aka Shanzhai Laowai, has made the trip to Xinxiang specifically to catch the Pumpkins. First heard about them through his video feed. Style is Joyside spawn/'77 punk. Should fit right in here. There are a bunch of demos and practice room recordings over on the Pumpkins Douban; stream here. Catch them live on Friday, May 16 @ XP with Shochu Legion and brand new Cool Ghoul-fronted band Bastards of Imperialism, and/or on Saturday at School with Diders and Free Sex Shop. Can't go wrong! *** One more for ya if you're more into the danceable electronic music: there's that Red Bull Music Academy joint on Friday at Dada. RBMA is partnering up with Shanghai's Sub-Culture for this one. Opening sets from Sub-Culture's Drunk Monk and Faded Ghost: The international element comes via Brooklyn label Lit City Trax. In addition to their physical output, Lit City has a rep for their raves, promoting the more progressive strains of contemporary bass music, footwork, grime, and other forward-looking dancefloor sounds. Here's a recent mix by Lit City boss J-Cush, who'll be at Dada on Friday: Also in tow is LA label Fade to Mind's Total Freedom. Here's some of his stuff: Wrap all that up in an installation by next-level Shanghai vapor artist Kim Laughton (he made the 3D-rendered image above, as well as those rad posters for Mykki Blanco and Scratcha DVA), then soak the whole package in Red Bull, and it's sure to be a hyper-stimulating night. *** Recap: Andy Rourke (The Smiths) DJ set = Thursday, May 15 @ Dada The Pumpkins = Friday, May 16 @ XP & Saturday, May 17 @ School Lit City Rave = Friday, May 16 @ Dada Tortoise = Saturday, May 17 @ Yugong Yishan