Luxinpei, Simon Frank, and Soviet Pop @ D22, 24 August 2010

By Josh, 2010年 8月 28日

D22 returned from their late summer doldrums hiatus this week with another Zoomin’ Night.

Luxinpei @ D22, 24 August 2010

When I walked in, Luxinpei was working out some technical difficulties in their unorthodox setup. It’s rare to see a guitar-based band with no drummer in Beijing (Offsets being the exception that proves the rule) so Luxinpei’s dynamic is rather unique. They use a lot of pedals and loops, but are still performative and there’s a strange standoffish tension between the guitar and bass that made their set consistently interesting to watch. They seemed a little rough around the edges but I look forward to seeing them again.

Simon Frank @ D22, 24 August 2010

Next was Simon Frank with a short solo set, his last before leaving Beijing this time around. He started with some material I hadn’t heard before. His last song was a variation on a song he played a few weeks ago at Raying Temple, but with a more plodding, syncopated tempo and well-calculated dissonances. Too bad he’s leaving BJ but I’m sure he will get into some interesting projects back in Toronto.

Soviet Pop @ D22, 24 August 2010

Third was Soviet Pop. I’ve seen this band a few times before and they never quite grabbed me, but their set the other night actually blew me away. They ramped up the technical aspect of their performance that I’ve noticed before and delved into more abstract, stranger territories than the previous times I’ve seen them. Li Qing held down the synth while Li Wei Si sat indian-style behind a wall of inputs that to my untrained eye looked like a telephone operator’s switchboard. I can’t describe this band except in very vague terms, check out the video above (for one of the few “beat”-based segments of their set) and their douban, where they nail what they do as “Osc Sound Song Research”. Definitely some research and exploration going on here, I am curious to see where it takes them next.

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