LISTEN: https://open.currents.fm/post/E4uXBUFjAa2yPJexvP0p

Lumi on Hong Kong Community Radio

I spoke with Lumi a few weeks ago about how Eastern Margins overlaps with and complements other labels in E/SE Asia and diasporas, how the pandemic is affecting his operations, and what alternative models may emerge in the post-Covid period to connect artists with fans in a way that’s both financially and culturally sustainable.

In the second half of the show, David selects some artists he’s been listening to recently from Tokyo’s rap scene, which in his telling has taken on a dynamic, idiosyncratic & weird form due in part to the way streaming infrastructure has been built in Japan over recent years: “These artists, who have been creating quite organically and quite DIY, all of a sudden they have a means to be able to bypass the traditional Japanese music industry infrastructure and get their music to an audience, [and don’t] have to rely on a big commercial hand from things like reality TV or other big tele productions.” (The latter point resonates with anyone familiar with how streaming shows like The Rap of China or its South Korean forebear Show Me the Money have shaped industry discourse around “hip hop” in those countries.)

Finally, David talks about music scenes in Saigon and Hanoi, where a massively growing economy and greater freedoms of communication than neighboring China “accelerate the channels for incubating culture” via “cultural understandings learned from elsewhere in the diaspora.”

Subscribe to my Currents channel for more episodes of pangbianr radio. It’s free and updated weekly (ish): https://open.currents.fm/current/joshfeola

I’ve been in quarantine for 55 days now. The first 6 weeks I spent in Shanghai, and today is the the last day of a CDC-mandated, two-week home quarantine in the United States. After this period ends I’ll still effectively be in isolation as the number of people to be infected by the coronavirus is just now beginning its steep ascent in the United States.

This virus is fundamentally reshaping the basics of global capitalism, which means major changes ahead. We’re only beginning to feel the effects now. For a few weeks at least those in China have a time traveler’s perspective on things, having lived through a shock wave that’s just now slowly but inexorably making its way everywhere else.

One thing I’ve been paying close attention to since early February is how musicians are responding to the outbreak. Many friends of mine throughout China and beyond have utilized livestreaming platforms like Bilibili, Facebook Live, YouTube, and other social media to beam out their intimate home jams to their smartphone and laptop-connected community; DIY organizations like Shanghai Community Radio have offered their equipment and technical experience to set up home streams across the city; venues, record labels and festivals have set up dozens of “cloud parties” in an attempt to replicate the live music festival at home.

Though good for a morale boost, these live streams have avoided the question of how working musicians, many of whom rely on event income, will make a living as the pandemic progresses. Musicians all over the world are now faced with the same dilemma — it’s no longer geographically bound to China or Asia.

I don’t have a great solution to this problem by I’m encouraged by projects like currents.fm, which launched last year but is finding its precise moment right now. Created in response to predatory music streaming monoliths like Spotify, which pay out a paltry few dollars for tens of thousands of streams, Currents works like this: artists upload their own music and curate playlists from around the internet (Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube), offering supporters the chance to subscribe to their feed for a small monthly fee. “Patreon for music or Substack for playlists,” in their words: “You can think of it as a newsletter for music, featuring thoughts alongside selections for fans to listen to.”

Currents invited me to join their platform last week so I’m putting together a new project there: pangbianr radio, a weekly playlist of new (and old) music on my radar. Somewhere between a podcast and a mix, I’ll upload (lofi) voice recordings to give context to tracks, and plan to regularly invite guests from all over the map to hop on and discuss music, art, life amidst virus, and whatever else. It’s a free subscription-based account — might add a paid layer later but for now it’s an experiment and something I’m doing during indefinite social isolation to maintain a connection to the world and the art and artists that make it more livable for me.

Find my Currents embed below (or click here) to subscribe, and today especially please consider clicking the BUY button next to any track you like in the playlist. Wherever possible I’ve included links to each track on Bandcamp, which is today waiving its 10% sales fee and passing all the money on the artists.

Batten down the hatches and seal yr mental exits: LA deep-dream doomsayers Robedoor embark on their inaugural China tour in April 2019. The prodigious drone duo of Britt Brown (founder of seminal American DIY weirdo network Not Not Fun Records) + Alex Brown have let the smelted metal feedback loops pool & congeal on their latest full-length release, New Age Sewage, for about 24 months now; its overripe and ready to be served cold. Catch them mid-ritual in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Yiwu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

关闭你的颅内舱门，封锁精神出口：来自洛杉矶的末日工业乐队Robedoor将在2019年4月进行首次中国巡演。这个长音二人组由Britt Brown（美国开创性DIY厂牌 Not Not Fun Records创始人）和Alex Brown组成，在两年前他们发行了全长专辑《New Age Sewage》。这张专辑就像是熔化的金属反馈循坏，倾倒冷凝，成为一盘熟透的冷餐。来这些城市一睹他们的工业仪式：北京、上海、杭州、义乌、广州、深圳、香港。

Robedoor 2019 China Tour 中国巡演日期:

周四 THU 04/04: Beijing 北京 | Zhao Dai 招待所 w/ Zaliva-D, Zhang Shouwang 张守望, Pretty Cold
周五 FRI 04/05: Beijing 北京 | School Bar w/ Simon Frank, Meng Qi 孟奇
周六 SAT 04/06: Shanghai 上海 | Yuyintang 育音堂 w/ 金色希望, Burger Suicide Club
周日 SUN 04/07: Hangzhou 杭州 | Loopy w/ Charm, Dropdown, Mice (FunctionLab/play rec)
周三 WED 04/10: Yiwu 义乌 | GEBI 隔壁 w/ Charm, 鸭听天
周四 THU 04/11: Shanghai 上海 | ALL w/ Charm, PengZhuang, Dee, Hymn
周五 FRI 04/12: Guangzhou 广州 | Rozz-Tox w/ Last Boss
周六 SAT 04/13: Shenzhen 深圳 | OIL w/ Pysca
周日 SUN 04/14: Hong Kong 香港 | SAAL w/ Aadam, Tad Ermitano (Philippines), Tengal (Philippines)

关于 About Robedoor:

Robedoor is the Los Angeles-based occult industrial drone duo of Britt & Alex Brown. Since forming in early 2005 they have evolved through various dark and stormy improvisational modes – ritual noise, badlands psych rock, brutalist drum machinery, etc – and performed throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. Their discography runs deep, spanning dozens of cassettes, CD-Rs, and records across numerous labels including Chondritic Sound, Olde English Spelling Bee, Holidays, and Hands In The Dark, who released their most recent full-lengths: Primal Sphere (2013) and New Age Sewage (2017).

Robedoor是来自洛杉矶的神秘工业长音二人组，由Britt Brown和Alex Brown组成。自2005年初组成以来，他们不断在种种暗黑、汹涌的即兴模式中演变：仪式噪音、荒地迷幻摇滚、残酷鼓机演奏等等——也在美国、英国和欧洲各地演出。他们的作品名录包括众多磁带、CD，以及在这些厂牌下的发行：Chondritic Sound、Olde English Spelling Bee、Holidays、以及 Hands In The Dark，后者也发行了Robedoor最新的两张专辑：《Primal Sphere》 (2013) 和《New Age Sewage》 (2017)。

Robedoor’s live set is rhythmic, raw, and ravaged, executed in dimly lit spaces at maximum volume, accompanied by experiential video projections. They are currently mixing a new album to be released in 2019.

Robedoor的现场演出有原始生猛的节奏，在灯光调暗的场地里用最大的音量摧枯拉朽，伴有实验视觉投影。目前他们的新专辑正在制作中，将于2019年发行。

关于 About New Age Sewage:

Four years after the release of their previous Hands in the Dark LP Primal Sphere, Britt and Alex Brown return with a new odyssey of chaos and psychosis: New Age Sewage. Written and recorded across multiple seismic life events (moves, births, deaths), the album is centered on heavy visions of negative west coast mythology. Themes of poison, hallucination, conspiracy, and false messiahs weave within their sinkholes of mystic sludge.

继上一张专辑《Primal Sphere》在Hands in the Dark厂牌下发行之后 ，Britt和Alex Brown沉寂四年，以新一部混乱史诗归来：《New Age Sewage》。专辑的创作和录制伴以数个重大的生活事件（迁居、出生、死亡），因此充满了沉重的西海岸幻象。在这一下水道淤泥里，你能找到如毒药、幻觉、阴谋论和伪救世主这样的主题。

The duo’s music has grown darker, denser, and more visceral with each album. There’s a sense of practiced ritual, of deepening meditation, portals opening against their will. New Age Sewage documents half a decade of the band’s hermetic focus, shaped by instinct, will, and apocalyptic realities.

这一双人组的音乐如今已经演变得更为阴暗和厚重，每一张专辑愈发出于本能。在他们的音乐里你能发现一种仪式感，那是一种深层冥想，不受他们控制的洞穴大开。《New Age Sewage》记录了乐队五年内的密封焦点，以本能、意志和末日般的现实所塑造。

What moves in eight-year cycles? Venus Retrograde, most US presidents I guess. Dubious company, but pangbianr too. We launched in June 2010 and have hung on since then in Beijing, but we’re leaving the city and going to Shanghai for a minute (the ley lines of what we do have been shifting in that direction for years now, and we’ll do more there).

八年了，《旁边儿》要离开北京了。我们要搬去上海，计划在那里再生；走之前要做个8周年+拜拜北京的派对。

For now here’s an 8+ anniversary event coming at ya next Sunday (Aug 12):

2018年8月12日（周日）

9am-3pm: pangbianr recent pickups #1 @ Wujin (五金), feat. Michael Yuen (one of the very first people I met after moving to Beijing in 2009, late-stage Waterland Kwanyin (RIP) days at 2Kolegas (RIP)). I’ll sample some recent pickups including but not limited to Bernie Krause’s Great Animal Orchestra and two killer recent Spacefruity Records cassettes by Dolphy Kick Bebop from Hangzhou and 鸭听天 from Yiwu.

早上9点到下午3点我们先去五金（郎家胡同26号），和旁边儿老朋友Michael Yuen喝咖啡，采样好听的声音，聊聊天。在五金也会带着录音机做一个podcast。

8pm-late @ fruityspace w/ 拜拜鱼, MengHan (live), Simon Frank (live), Nevin Domer (South American hardcore DJ set), Krish Raghav (tbc), and more (for sure)

晚上8点到？？？我们在fruityspace玩儿，“拜拜鱼”乐队 + MengHan + Simon Frank会做现场演出，Nevin Domer + Krish Raghav + 更多朋友们来DJ

都免费！

See ya there!

It’s been 7 years since I hit the Warped Tour with Demerit (damn!). Since then the band has shifted members, it’s leader has returned to his home province of Shandong to breathe life into the Qingdao punk scene, and they’ve put out a really killer new album, Out of the Fog:

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3900365501 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Well, now they’re headed back West, with a couple months’ worth of gigs across the US and Europe, followed by a China tour. Find the full list of dates + relevant posters below, beneath this slick tour preview vid:

DEMERIT 2018 TOUR:

6/5 – Seattle, WA – Kraken Bar
6/6 – Portland, OR – Twilight Cafe – w/ Broken Dead
6/7 – Boise, ID – Grainey’s Basement w/ Broken Dead
6/8 – SLC, UT – Underground – w/ Broken Dead
6/10 – Colorado Springs, CO – 71 Grind Fest
6/11 – Denver, CO – 7th Circle w/ Broken Dead
6/13 – Reno, NV – Jub Jubs Thirst Parlor – w/ Broken Dead
6/15 – Fresno, CA – Full Circle Brewery
6/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Five Star Bar
6/17 – Pomona, CA – Characters
6/18 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
6/19 – Tucson, AZ – Spark Project Collective
6/21 – Oklahoma City, OK – Your Mom’s House
6/23 – Austin, TX – House Show
6/27 – Norman, OK – Bison Witches – (No Talent Art Show)
6/28 – Dallas, TX – Three Links –
7/1 – Tulsa, OK – Fuck You We Rule

7/12 Glaubitz, Germany – Back to Future Fest
7/13 Berlin, Germany – Köpi
7/14 Maniowy, Poland – confirmed
7/17 Bratislava, Slovakia – Garaze pod Pristavnym mostom
7/18 Trencin, Slovakia TBC
7/19 Budapest, Hungary – TBC
7/20 Szekesfehervat, Hungary – TBC
7/21 Zelezniki, Slovenia – Krawal Festival
7/25 Bologna, Italy – TBC
7/26 Florence, Italy
7/27 Capannori, Italy
7/28 Milan, Italy

8/3 Amsterdam, Holland – ADM
8/6 Berlin, Germany – Köpi
8/9 Copengahen, Denmark – TBC
8/10 Gothenburg, Sweden – Punkterad
8/11 Aalborg, Denmark – 1000 Fryd
8/17 Czech – Pod Parou
8/18 Paris, France – Le Gibus

pangbianr presents a special showcase for Davaajargal Tsaschikher and Tsogt Sambalkhundev, two underground musicians from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. They both play guitar in Mohanik, one of Mongolia’s best established rock bands, where they blend traditional sounds with heavy psychedelic overdrive and powerful vocal delivery. Tsaschikher is also an accomplished sound artist, and had his work featured in the Mongolia Pavilion of the 2017 Venice Biennale.

On Tuesday, April 17 Tsaschikher & Sambalkhundev will both perform solo sets at fRUITYSPACE, and will be joined by two of Beijing’s most accomplished underground improvisers, Li Jianhong and Yan Yulong.

9pm start, 40rmb

@ fRUITYSPACE
美术馆东街13号
13 Meishuguan Dong Jie

It’s been a long time (like about 5 years?) coming, but Zhang Shouwang (Carsick Cars/White+) and Yan Yulong (Chui Wan) are rebooting the Maybe Noise sub-label, an outgrowth of Maybe Mars attached to some of the label’s more experimental-leaning releases (like this vintage Zoomin’ Night comp) that’s been defunct since before D-22 became a pizza place. The idea they have, as I understand it, is to put out a slow drip of Modern Classical and New Music compositions, beginning with a recording of their duo work Píng Zè, which they’ve performed at the last few Sally Can’t Dances and set on record earlier this year.

There will also be an event component, beginning with a “Winter Gathering” the label will host in mid-December. Guest of honor is the great percussionist and composer Kid Millions, who blew minds and maybe a few eardrums with his Man Forever ensemble in Beijing and Shanghai just a bit over 3 years ago. Pretty sweet 12″ came out of that visit actually:

Kid Millions is back for three gigs from Dec 14-16. Here’s the full event info from Maybe Noise:

Maybe Noise：Winter Gathering

THU 12.14

Venue: YUE Space
Time: 9:30pm
Ticket: 60元 (advance) / 80元 (door)
Lineup: Kid Millions, White Ensemble All-Stars*, Gogoj (visuals)

* White Ensemble All-Stars = Guitarists: Zhang Shouwang（Carsick Cars）/ Yang Fan（Ourself Beside Me）/ Xu Bo（P.K.14）/ He Fan（Birdstriking）/ Yan Yulong（Chui Wan) + Percussionist Wang Xu (White+)

FRI 12.15

Venue: fRUITYSPACE
Time: 9:30pm
Ticket: 40元
Lineup: Kid Millions, Zhang Shouwang solo, Yan Yulong + Shengjie – “Oppose” (dual violin), Zhu Wenbo – “X=a？b” (performed by White Ensemble)

SAT 12.16

Venue: fRUITYSPACE
Time: 9:30pm
Ticket: 40元
Lineup: Li Jianhong + Kid Millions, Zhang Shouwang + Kid Millions, Li Jianhong + Zhang Shouwang, Gogoj (electric cello solo), Kid Millions + Josh Feola + Wang Xu Percussion Trio

Find a full, bilingual intro to Chic-a-Go-Go under the flyer, but not before enjoying this recent release from Shanghai’s Ugly Girls, one of my favorites to come out of China this year:

Chic-A-Go-Go, the legendary Chicago Rock and Roll TV show is coming to China for its first China Special which will feature, interview and dance with some of the strongest acts of the Beijing and Shanghai underground. Since its 1996 debut, CHIC-A-GO-GO has been one of the most original and entertaining shows on Chicago television. Drawing from legendary dance programs like Soul Train and American Bandstand, as well as Chicago’s own 1960s shows Kiddie-A-Go-Go and Red Hot and Blues, CHIC-A-GO-GO combines classic TV entertainment with an original, quirky style. And unlike its dance show ancestors, CHIC-A-GO-GO takes advantage of its non-commercial home on the Chicago Access Network to create a diverse TV world that does not have to focus on a single demographic. People of all ages, colors, and backgrounds, linked by their love of music, dance together in harmony on the CHIC-A-GO-GO set. The dancers, who range in age from newborns to youthful seniors, move to the latest Hip Hop music, as well as classic R&B, Rock & Roll, Punk, Funk, and all points in between.

芝加哥传奇摇滚电视节目Chic-a-go-go将来华录制它在中国的第一期特别节目，专题采访一些北京和上海最优秀的地下乐队并共同狂欢。自1996年首秀以来，CHIC-A-Go-Go一直是芝加哥最富原创性和娱乐性的节目。它从Soul Train，American Bandstand等舞蹈节目和芝加哥1960年代的Kiddie-A-Go-GO，Red Hot and Blues中汲取灵感，将传统电视的娱乐性与独特的原创风格相结合。不同于此前的舞蹈节目，CHIC-A-Go-Go依托Chicago Access Network的非商业性平台营造了一个多元化的荧屏世界，而非仅仅聚焦于个别人群。不同年龄，肤色和背景的人们本着对音乐的热爱，在CHIC-A-Go-Go的舞台上和谐共舞。舞者中既有初来乍到的新人，也有活力不减的老手；音乐既囊括最新的嘻哈，也有传统的R&B,摇滚，朋克，疯克，和你能想到的所有音乐类型。

CHIC-A-GO-GO also demonstrates its diversity through a wide range of musical guests. R&B and Jazz greats from the 1950s and 1960s, like Andre Williams, Milt Trenier, The El Dorados and Oscar Brown, Jr., share the stage with punk acts from the 80s, 90s and 00s like Plain White Ts, The Mentally Ill and Pansy Division. Rock & Roll acts from the 1970s like Red Krayola and The Cramps appear with today’s Country stars like Neko Case and Alejandro Escovedo. Other guests include The Pharaohs, Bobby Conn, The Specials, Question Mark and the Mysterians, The Standells, The Shirelles, Poi Dog Pondering, and L’il Wally the Polka King. International guests have included The Kaisers from Scotland, The Pretty Things from England, and from Japan CHIC-A-GO-GO has had an army of guests, including Mainliner, Shonen Knife, the 5-6-7-8s and Guitar Wolf.

CHIC-A-Go-Go的多样性从许许多多风格各异的嘉宾中可见一斑。这个舞台上既有20世纪50-60年代的R&B大师如Andre Williams, Milt Trenier, The El Dorados，Oscar Brown, Jr，也有80年至新千年的朋克音乐人如 Plain White Ts, The Mentally Ill和Pansy Division；在这儿你可以看到70年代的摇滚乐手Red Krayola，The Cramps和今日乡村音乐之星Neko Case，Alejandro Escovedo同台表演；另外你还能见到The Pharaohs, Bobby Conn, The Specials, Question Mark，the Mysterians, The Standells, The Shirelles, Poi Dog Pondering, 以及L’il Wally the Polka King。除此之外，还有来自世界各地的嘉宾：诸如苏格兰的Kaisers，英格兰的The Pretty Things，以及来自日本的一众明星包括Mainliner, Shonen Knife, the 5-6-7-8s 和Guitar Wolf.

One of the most popular shows on Chicago Access, CHIC-A-GO-GO has been presenting music and dance programming to children of all ages for over 600 episodes. The show has been profiled in the Chicago Reader, MOJO, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and numerous other music publications. In addition, it has been featured on MTV, MTV-Europe, the Australian youth television show Recovery and a special live dance show was shot from Bozo’s original studio for an episode of WGN Morning News. CHIC-A-GO-GO hosts, Miss Mia and Ratso, have been guests on WGN Radio, WNUR Radio and have emceed numerous festivals, Millennium Park events and charity concerts. The producers, Jake Austen and Jacqueline Stewart, have represented the show on panels at the CMJ music festival in New York City and the Pitchfork and Lollopalooza festivals in Chicago. The producers were also featured in prominent public service announcements for the Chicago Access Network, and were selected by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events to present a special version of CHIC-A-GO-GO as part of the city’s Dance ’til the Dawn of The New Millennium project on December 31, 1999.

CHIC-A-GO-GO是芝加哥节目专栏（Chicago Access）最热门的节目之一，业已为全年龄段的观众放送了超过600集的歌舞节目；也曾被《芝加哥读者》，《Mojo》，《芝加哥论坛报》，《芝加哥太阳报》和不计其数的音乐出版物报道。此外，MTV，MTV-Europe和澳大利亚青年电视秀Recovery都曾为它制作特别节目。另一期为WGN早间新闻直播的特别舞蹈节目在Bozo的原创工作室录制。CHIC-A-GO-GO的主持人Miss Mia和Ratso是WGN Radio, WNUR Radio的座上宾，主持过无数音乐节，芝加哥千禧公园的活动和慈善音乐会。制片人Jake Austen和Jacqueline Stewart将这档节目在纽约的CMJ音乐节和芝加哥的Pitchfork以及Lollopalooza音乐节上播出。Chicago Access Network公共服务版块的显要位置有对其二人的专访，他们还曾被特别活动市长办公室选中在1999年12月31日制作一期特别版的CHIC-A-GO-GO以作为芝加哥“舞至新千年破晓”活动的一部分。

Handy guide:

– 9.20 & 22: Kiwese pres. The All Seeing Hand
– 9.22: Bohan Phoenix @ Omni
– 9.23: 工工工 @ fruityspace
– 9.23 & 24: Ketchup Festival

There’s something in the water in Chengdu and Kristen Ng is one of the ones putting it there! Last time pangbianr caught up with Kristen (about a year ago) she’d just opened a new space (NU Space), which she’s built into a must-stop shop on any self-respecting DIY artist’s China tour map. She’s also kept up her Kiwese side acting as a conduit for visiting New Zealanders, and to that end she’ll return to Beijing mid-week to unleash her new solo technoise act Kaishandao and Wellington unit The All Seeing Hand, which Kristen describes thus:

The first time I saw The All Seeing Hand was on a darkened high ropes course. It was the last night of Camp A Low Hum 2012 and the remaining punters were floating around in that special state of mutual derangement so often reserved for the last night of music festivals.

Was this mind expansion or mind control? Inspired performance art, or visions of the possessed? Whatever it was, that night in the forest, we looked into the eye of The All Seeing Hand and everything changed.

Tour kicks off in Beijing this Wednesday (9.20) at School Bar and follows up sloppier on Friday at Temple.

WED 9.20, 9pm
The All Seeing Hand, Kaishandao, E/N/T, 不在话下 (not in catalog)
VJ: C.A.I.N.
School Bar (53 Wudaoying Hutong / 五道营胡同53号)
ticket: 80rmb

FRI 9.22, 10pm
The All Seeing Hand, None, Hind Brain
Temple (206 Gulou Dong Dajie / 鼓楼东大街206号)
ticket: free

Full tour schedule here

On Friday night, NYC based rapper Bohan Phoenix rounds the last leg on what’s been an extended China tour with a big Do Hits shindig at Omni Space. More than just a tour, this has been kind of an immersion experience for Bohan & DJ TOY, who’s gone along for the ride. They’ve done a deep dive in each city, meeting with local musicians, promoters, artists, and whomever else, finding a thread of emerging youth culture in each corner of China they’ve touched down in and documenting it. Look forward to some kind of video series coming from this team after their tour wraps.

In the mean time, go to Omni Space (aka “the new Jiangjinjiu”, same complex as the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center near Qianmen) on Friday night, where Jason Hou will present a new A/V set, Howie Lee will tease a new collaboration with Dutch E Germ of Gang Gang Dance, and Bohan will “Phantom of Opera that shit and then ghost”:

(Incidentally I actually did see The Phantom of the Opera at Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in 2015, was cool.)

FRI 9.22, 8pm
Bohan Phoenix & DJ TOY, Howie Lee & Dutch E Germ, Jason Hou
VJ: Thoid & veeeky
Omni Space (9 Tianqiao Nandajie / 天桥南大街9号楼)
ticket: 150rmb

Just two brothers, trying to make it work in the big city. Stripped down crypto-blues charity organization Beijing Haibaoshen Foundation is holding a fundraiser on Saturday evening to support the Big Apple dreams of local boys 工工工, who want to transcend the cardboard simulacra we must inhabit here in Beijing and lay down their latest masterpiece in New York City itself. The event is also the release of their latest recorded effort, Rhythm n’ Drone, which might sound a little something like this:

SAT 9.23, 4pm
工工工 tape release
Fruityspace (3 Meishuguan Dong Jie / 美术馆东街3号)
ticket: free

Last but not least: Ketchup Fest, a little DIY multiple-venue mini-fest by filmmaker Cab and Dirty Fingers drummer Alex. Lots to love on this thing, which happens this Saturday and Sunday (9.23-24) across three venues (DDC, Temple, Fruityspace), encompasses multiple genres and also throws in some fun extras like pop-up markets, talks and food.

Readers of this publication will be most interested in the Saturday evening show at DDC with Gao Jiafeng, GogoJ, and Dirty Fingers, and in the Sunday afternoon portion of the festival (4pm on 9.24 at fruityspace), which features bruising post-No Wave (maybe-wave?) quartet Not in Catalog and Li Jianhong’s first set post-fatherhood. Bonus round later that evening at DDC with the grand finale featuring the unlikely pairing of SUBS and Dawei!

SAT 9.23, 9pm
Dirty Fingers, GogoJ, Gao Jiafeng, Anxt
DDC (14 Shanlao Hutong / 山老胡同14号)
ticket: 80rmb

SUN 9.24, 4-7pm
Li Jianhong, Not in Catalog, Dirty Fingers (unplugged)
Fruityspace (3 Meishuguan Dong Jie / 美术馆东街3号)
ticket: 60rmb

SUN 9.24, 9pm
SUBS, Dawei, Lonely Leary, 4 Channels Club
DDC (14 Shanlao Hutong / 山老胡同14号)
ticket: 80rmb

Full Ketchup Festival program here

Yes! Eco Futurism Corporation is readying their latest dispatch to Earth ca 2017, and their first on a physical medium at that: ECOPRIMITIVISM pt. I by SHYQA, about which they say,

The ECOPRIMITIVISM of the predator helped him to catch them from their lairs and get them Bleeding. Now his most savage fight on the Earth has ended and you can get the result.

Product features:
– More than 25 participants in the battle in one game
– Unique system – every victim made its own remix for the release
– Аn inimitable atmosphere of horror
– Back to the primitive forms
– Full immersion effect”

Those 25 participants are all soul-matches organically identified by Eco Futurism Corporation, with entrants from South America, Mexico, China and Japan, and we’re very happy to WORLD PREMIERE one of these 25 into the wild, a remix by Shanghai’s Hyph11E:

Eco Futurism Corporation invited Hyph11E (aka Genome6.66Mbp label co-runner Tess) to join the fray, because they heard “familiar notes” in her music and liked her general vibe. And they hit me up to do the premiere because they’ve recently become invested in the concept of Sinofuturism and came across my article on the topic.

Hyph11E

They add:

“He was called to clean the air and add vivacity to the Chinese city, where the average comfort of the houses are located endless blocks close to each other, like as condensers on the motherboard. This is Eco Futurism penetrates into the Sinofuturism.”

and:

“We are the result of urbanism, children of the stone jungle. We want something alive, natural, for this reason we are looking for an outlet in such music.”

Enjoy! Engage! Pay for this unique opportunity & sound cartridge right here!