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[Music Monday]: Farewell Friend or Foe

Music Monday looks at the past, present, and future of Shanghai rock gods Friend or Foe ahead of their [last?] album release Friday.
Last updated: 2015-11-09


Music Monday is a weekly SmartShanghai column, serving up songs from bands living and making music in China (or coming to China, or thinking about coming to China, or whatever). Copyright holders: if you would like your song removed, please contact us here, and we'll honor your request promptly.

Another Monday is upon us and the world is full of endless possibilities, Shanghai. We all have five days to finish those 3rd quarter reports, polish off that remix of "Bonita Applebum" you’ve been meaning to finish for years, or simply spread the good word of English. Of course there is also a visit from none other than the Russian, Iranian, and Chinese presidents into Shanghai this week. Don’t be surprised if you see all three holding hands walking down Fahuazhen Lu sharing a Wagas smoothie and talking about making the good old days gold again. Man, that’s what I call a meeting.

Another international event happens this week in our little hamlet - the Friend or Foe album release party at Yuyintang on Friday. For the past four years, this trio of men or maybe men have been spreading their gospel of "Snorting Clorox" to the masses in what can only be described as a spectacle unfit for human consumption. A little bird told me this will be one of the last shows for the Foe, as the members are moving on to bigger and better worlds. For now let’s check out a preview of their upcoming album and take a stroll down memory lane with some classic Friend or Foe tracks.



Made up of Rabshaka on guitar, Mahanadan on drums, and Baggy on bass, the kids of Friend or Foe have certainly provided China with some of the most original stage shows since Wham! visited in the early 1980s. From their antics of the dramatic killing of their former bass player Bill on stage to acting out ancient Greek orgies in front of thousands, I will surely miss seeing what Friend or Foe come up with next. Deviant Desires is the name of their latest release and for the past two years the boys have been slaving over every detail before sharing the album with you this week.

Recorded at the infamous 72 Studios by Ryan Bair and Nick Muzycka then mixed and mastered by none other than Raphael Valensi from Acid Pony Club, we can expect the production to be on par with Steve Albini himself. Make sure to show up early on Friday at Yuyintang as the first 100 paid entries get a CD hard copy to keep under your pillow at night and welcome the boogie man to rape your dreams of any sanity remaining. Friday also features troublemakers Round Eye and smooth operators Naohai, which will make that 40rmb cover feel like they are paying you to come.

Friend or Foe - Girl


Friend or Foe - Attica!




Frank Sinatra once said “Shanghai is the only city in the world where you can eat turtle jello standing on the corner in your underpants at 4am.” That pretty much describes Friend or Foe front man Rabshaka’s impact on the music scene in Shanghai. Surreal, confusing, and always entertaining, their 2012 album My Claw is Never Limp was received powerful reviews from respected media outlets like Beijing Daze who said about the first track “Terrorized, sets the tone right away! Power chords, fast riffs, sharp vocals that keep me tapping my feet and wanting to jump up and down.”

However, what will most likely be the legacy of this album is the seminal track "Snorting Clorox," which started a near cult movement over the past few years across China. From Shanghai to Shenzhen, you’ll notice those damn Snorting Clorox stickers in every park bathroom and communal bathhouse where deviance takes place. Genre wise it’s hard to pin down My Claw is Never Limp as it strays from psycho rock into funk into punk, but it's one of Shanghai's most memorable albums from 2012. Check out these tracks from that album and hope that the boys play them on Friday.

Friend or Foe - Friend or Foe


Friend or Foe - Snorting Clorox




My favorite release of the Friend or Foe would have to be What Have You Done with My Claw??!! The band sought out local producers to rework their songs and mangle them into various electronic and spaced out messes. Remix albums are not done often in China but it’s something that I think the scene needs more of as it brings together people making music from very different backgrounds and throws them under one album roof.

What Have You Done with My Claw included thruoutin up in Beijing, who combines classical Chinese musical elements with updated beats. Former Shanghai dark beat maker LON was in the mix along with local electronic rockers Kaobang. Of course the Acid Pony Boys couldn’t be outdone and had two remixes on the album as well. Collaborations make us stronger and I encourage other local musicians to use this format to spread their sounds to new ears. Here are two of my favorite remixes from the album but make sure to check out the rest on the Friend or Foe Bandcamp page.

Friend or Foe - Burnt Out Buildings (The Horses Remix)


Friend or Foe - Double Down (Super Ayi Cleaning Team Remix)


Well that was all things Friend or Foe. Hopefully I will see you kids Friday at Yuyintang, and if there isn’t a giant inflatable devil panda hovering over the stage I say we all kick Rabshaka in the balls.

[All band photos by Rachel Gouk]

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This column is written by DJ Sacco, who runs Uptown Records, Shanghai's dedicated vinyl shop. Ironically, they don't sell Mp3s or dabble in anything digital, instead they have 7" and 12", EPs and LPs from rock to electronic, rare pressings, DJ equipment and band merchandise. Find them in an old bomb shelter at 115 Pingwu Lu.

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