The 京味儿 crew is adding their own essence to the Beijing flavor via an impressively prolific output of the aforementioned zines, DIY cds, events, podcasts, and more. You can find their dispatches on douban, tumblr, soundcloud, and the physical zine, which is now on issue #4 and is available for free pickup at many of Beijing’s underground music culture haunts, including XP.

Jingweir is having a party on Friday at Zajia to release an album for collective member Brad Seippel, aka thruoutin. They’ve also recently released albums from Noise Arcade, Cloud Choir, and Arm Trick, which will presumably also be available.

Find the Friday event information here, and below find a reprinted article from JWR issue 4 on how to “D.I.Yerself” from Richard Deorian:

I love making music.

Richard

XP is dedicated to noise, improv, all forms of experimental music.

On Sunday, May 13th we’ll launch what will be a weekly series of afternoon concerts. The first show in this series features three of Beijing’s most prolific experimental improv artists: Li Jianhong, Vavabond, and Li Zenghui. They will play multiple sets in different configurations, starting from 3pm. The ticket is 40 (30 for students). Full info:

[+] 豆瓣页面 douban event page

弓与箭 Bow and arrow

Bow and arrow are only a pretext for something that could just as well happen without them, only the way to a goal, not the goal itself, only helps for the last decisive leap.

—Eugen Herrige

这个星期刚刚开业的北京音乐工作坊：XP (看豆瓣小站)

XP俱乐部将视点放在噪音，即兴，各种形式的实验音乐上。

周日下午来看三个本土实验音乐家的精彩演出：

Artists 音乐家：
Li Jianhong 李剑鸿，VAVABOND，Li Zenghui 李增辉

Part 1 第一部分：
Li Jianhong Solo (20-30 min) / 李剑鸿个人 (20-30分钟)
Li Zenghui + VAVABOND (20-30min) / 李增辉 + VAVABOND (20-30分钟)

Part 2 第二部分：
Mind Fiber (Li Jianhong, VAVABOND, Li Zenghui) (20-30min) / (李剑鸿 + VAVABOND + 李增辉) (20-30分钟)

ticket 门票：40元 (students 30 / 学生30)

location: SW corner of Di’anmen West st / East st / Inner St / Outer st, behind Qiu Li Hong (秋栗香) roasted chesnut stand

地址：地安门十字路口，西南角 (著名的栗子铺“秋栗香”的后面)

前五一热身派对
pre-May-Holiday-Festival-Shitshow show

海报设计 flyer by Lulu Chow

四月二十八号八点半 ，老what (看地图)
SATURDAY 28 April, 8:30pm, What Bar (map here)

门票20元
ticket 20 rmb

四个乐队 4 bands:

吹万 Chui Wan

刚刚结束在mao演出时因为音箱突然出错，节奏不同步的尴尬
following a recent amp-sizzling, tempo-optional outing at Mao Livehouse

Alpine Decline

刚刚结束在上海的黑胶唱片店之旅和防空洞锐舞派对
following a recent foray to Shanghai with its fancy vinyl record stores and bomb shelter raves

Mr. Ray

刚刚从漫长的冬眠里苏醒，并向来对自己的音乐说不
following a long hiatus and continual refusals to acknowledge their own greatness

Fat City

刚刚在玫瑰楼录了一张磁带（不，开玩笑，是在一年之前录的，但是发行日期不详，尽管如此，我想他们很快就会录新的东西了）

following a recent recording session for a forthcoming Rose Mansion Analog tape (psych, that shit was recorded over a year ago and will probably never come out, but Fat City is going to record something else soon I think)

///
然后我们会去找小萍

旁边儿出品：这是看似略微荒诞的演出阵容，他们分别来自法国，柬埔寨，西班牙加纳利岛，中国大陆天津和北京的新街口，他们将一同为您送上迷幻电气实验多种风格集结的国际怪逼秀场，，这不禁让我联想到普罗旺斯或东南亚高端美容院里的魔力spa广告“千种精油芳香精华萃取而成一池蓝绿色的圣水“，恩，够润。是异国的，更是人民的。就让我把接下来的介绍说的更spa一点：他们的音乐就有如这坛圣水，超越了地理符号的山水界限，为您的耳膜，心肺，以及混沌的脑垂体带来无限终极享受。不得不说， 此时此刻，你，值得拥有。
两个晚上，两个地点，在旁边儿的隐喻后花园，机会不多，快加入我们吧。

Night 1 / 第一场

[+] 豆瓣页面 douban event page

time 时间：Friday April 13, 9pm 四月十三号（周五）九点
place 场地：Hot Cat Club 热力猫 (site.douban.com/hotcat)
ticket 门票：FREE 免费 !!!

bands 乐队介绍：

~ Yan Yulong 闫玉龙 (Beijing 北京)
~ Wanderlust (Tianjin 天津)

and DJ SETS by:
~ LAFIDKI (France/Cambodia 法国／柬埔寨)
~ KIKIILIMIKILII (France 法国)
~ Water Sark (France 法国)

LAFIDKI is Saphy Vong, a sound and visual artist. He’s a French solo musician with a background from Cambodia who is messing around with abstract electronics, noise and sequenced multi-layered rhythms. Playing live is for him always an experiment within the situation of spontaneous thinking and decision-making through the energy of people & space.

LAFIDKI 是一个声音视觉艺术家。他是一个有着柬埔寨背景的法国音乐家。他将用混乱抽象的电子乐，噪音，音序器以及多层次的充满想象力的节拍给你带来震撼！现场演出对他来说便是相对于空间和观众、意识和决策的实验。

KIKIILIMIKILII is the solo project of one founder of the Parisian art group and label, CT/ Heia Sun, and bands, FEU MACHIN and GROSS BITE.
kikiilimikilii’s music skates between echoic choral terrains,
mosquito-drone airspace, and cracked, lacustrine exotica.
He hushed blend of noisy psychedelia and trance leaning rhythm patterns.

KIKIILIMIKILII是巴黎艺术团体和厂牌 CT/ Heia Sun，乐队FEU MACHIN、GROSS BITE的创建者的个人计划。从2010年开始，他分别在法国、西班牙、墨西哥、爱沙尼亚、土耳其、瑞典、新西兰、罗马尼亚、加拿大和美国演出。值得一提的是，他的音乐始充满了神秘色彩。Kikiilimikilii游离在回声合唱、mosquito-drone airspace、破碎的和湖畔音乐之间。他的音乐融合了噪音迷幻和Trance的节奏感。

Water Sark produces alternating current ballads. She is Mariette Auvray, guitarist of French post-punk trio Eyes Behind, who toured China this past August. Water Sark’s music is inspired by Nick Drake, Bill Callahan, Feist and French folk. Mariette uses computer loops, guitar, keyboard and heart singing. Her music is like a musician’s dream of random urban encounters. You can faintly hear stories about her own life in the music, or maybe reflections of your own memory and desires, perhaps old friends, perhaps family members…

Water Sark 是个电波民谣。它是法国摇滚乐队Eyes Behind的吉他手Mariette Auvray的一个个人计划。Eyes Behind曾在去年八月份到访过中国，当然当时巡演的天津站也是13Club。Water Sark的音乐借鉴了Nick Drake、Bill Callahan、Feist和法国民间的灵感。Mariette利用电脑Loop、吉他、键盘和心吟唱。她的音乐像是一个乐手对于梦想的憧憬和都市遭遇，你可以在娓娓道来的音乐中隐隐听到关于她自己的一些故事。也许关于记忆和愿望，也许关于朋友，也许关于家庭成员。

Night 2 / 第二场

[+] 豆瓣页面 douban event page

time 时间：Saturday April 14, 10pm 四月十四号（周六）十点
place 场地：Zajia Lab 杂家 (douban 豆瓣)
ticket 门票：50元

bands 乐队介绍：

~ GAF (Spain 西班牙)
~ LAFIDKI + KIKIILIMIKILII + Water Sark (France 法国)

Psychedelic folk/experimental/krautrock project GAF was born in the late nineties in Santa Cruz de Tenerife island as an art project that brings together all the ideas of the musician and cultural agitator Kurajica Mladen. GAF is nourished by the wider range of styles associated with the vanguard of cosmic jazz twinned with Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane through experimental folk bands as Gastr del Sol or Six Organs of Admittance, Krautrock under strict tempo dictated motorik of Neu! or Kraftwerk, minimal pop in the vein of Stereolab Pram or first and acquires a significant influence of concrete music, in particular: John Cage, Stockhausen and Ekkehard Ehlers. Its music acts as a stimulant that cries out for the listener’s attention so that he can enjoy the endless shades and textures that compose it. GAF undoubtedly give a breath of fresh air to the spanish experimental scene, drawing unexplored horizons with their music and giving new patterns of improvisation.

迷幻民谣、实验、krautrock 团体 GAF 成立于90年代末期的Santa Cruz de Tenerife岛，初期作为一个凝结了音乐家和文化推广人Kurajica Mladen独特创意的个人项目。在发展的过程中，逐渐从前卫爵士音乐”Sun Ra 和 Alice Coltrane 、实验后摇乐队Gastr del Sol 以及迷幻民谣Six Organs of Admittance的感召下获取养分、在Krautrock 电声谱系下的Neu! 和Kraftwerk，以及极简流行团Stereolab Pram中提炼精华，并受到现代电子乐开拓者、机遇音乐家：约翰·凯奇，具象音乐家、电子乐启蒙家斯托克豪森和Ekkehard Ehlers的终极影响。 GAF的音乐断然给西班牙实验音乐圈带来前所未有的新鲜血液，乐队本身也力图在未知领域中延续他们持之以恒地探索。

LAFIDKI is Saphy Vong, a sound and visual artist. He’s a French solo musician with a background from Cambodia who is messing around with abstract electronics, noise and sequenced multi-layered rhythms. Playing live is for him always an experiment within the situation of spontaneous thinking and decision-making through the energy of people & space.

LAFIDKI 是一个声音视觉艺术家。他是一个有着柬埔寨背景的法国音乐家。他将用混乱抽象的电子乐，噪音，音序器以及多层次的充满想象力的节拍给你带来震撼！现场演出对他来说便是相对于空间和观众、意识和决策的实验。

KIKIILIMIKILII is the solo project of one founder of the Parisian art group and label, CT/ Heia Sun, and bands, FEU MACHIN and GROSS BITE.
kikiilimikilii’s music skates between echoic choral terrains,
mosquito-drone airspace, and cracked, lacustrine exotica.
He hushed blend of noisy psychedelia and trance leaning rhythm patterns.

KIKIILIMIKILII是巴黎艺术团体和厂牌 CT/ Heia Sun，乐队FEU MACHIN、GROSS BITE的创建者的个人计划。从2010年开始，他分别在法国、西班牙、墨西哥、爱沙尼亚、土耳其、瑞典、新西兰、罗马尼亚、加拿大和美国演出。值得一提的是，他的音乐始充满了神秘色彩。Kikiilimikilii游离在回声合唱、mosquito-drone airspace、破碎的和湖畔音乐之间。他的音乐融合了噪音迷幻和Trance的节奏感。

Water Sark produces AC ballads. She is Mariette Auvray, guitarist of French post-punk trio Eyes Behind, who toured China this past August. Water Sark’s music is inspired by Nick Drake, Bill Callahan, Feist and French folk. Mariette uses computer loops, guitar, keyboard and heart singing. Her music is like a musician’s dream of random urban encounters. You can faintly hear stories about her own life in the music of his right, or maybe reflections of your own memory and desires, perhaps old friends, perhaps family members…

Water Sark 是个电波民谣。它是法国摇滚乐队Eyes Behind的吉他手Mariette Auvray的一个个人计划。Eyes Behind曾在去年八月份到访过中国，当然当时巡演的天津站也是13Club。Water Sark的音乐借鉴了Nick Drake、Bill Callahan、Feist和法国民间的灵感。Mariette利用电脑Loop、吉他、键盘和心吟唱。她的音乐像是一个乐手对于梦想的憧憬和都市遭遇，你可以在娓娓道来的音乐中隐隐听到关于她自己的一些故事。也许关于记忆和愿望，也许关于朋友，也许关于家庭成员。

Hedgehog – “The Loneliest Day (feat. Yan Yulong)”

Hedgehog – “The Burning Sun In The Morning”

I’ve spun through Hedgehog‘s newest long player a few times now and one word comes repeatedly to mind: mature. The band made some bold moves on last year’s DEstroy meMOries demo and those moves have been played out to their logical conclusion on Sun Fun Gun. You’ll still find nods to their past moments of indie pop perfection — they include a new version of their hit “24 Hour Rock Party” here, which they’ve renamed “You Guys Rock D22 I Was There Man”… awesome — but the whole package is way rougher around the edges and, in the best possible sense, older. Few Beijing bands have passed the three LP mark and managed to maintain a wide level of interest. This new Hedgehog slab may alienate their pop base, but it may also manage to compel some of their fans to grow along with them.

And as far as I’m concerned, this is some of their best work yet. Above stream two of the album’s noisier tracks. “The Loneliest Day” features Yan Yulong‘s signature viola squall, and “The Burning Sun in the Morning” has lyrics and melodies I think but they’re encrypted in a blissful wall of “psychedelic synth attempt” (their words). Keep your eyes peeled for a Caoker video of the latter soon.

The album will be available at your local (Chinese) record store starting on April 5th. And Beijingers can check out Hedgehog’s official album release party on Saturday June 16 @ Yugong Yishan.

旁边儿出品：当代权威的北京地下音乐选本——underground B-sides第二弹新鲜出炉了！无论是潮湿闷热的排练室、low-fi的居家录音室、狂躁的跳水酒吧现场、以及委员会式临时即兴工作坊，”underground B-sides“几近涵盖了中国大陆地下音乐场景里最活跃、最具创造力的集体，我们携手每一位乐手和艺术家，在这里诚实地为您献上一份颗粒饱满，生猛躁动、独一无二的先锋快报。我们期待与您分享这些独特的聆听体验。（第一期在此）

今年的合辑不仅富含了许多刚刚崭露头角的新生力量，也包括北京近20个华丽噪音组合的成熟转身，更有几位老先锋们的新动向。

在过去的一年中，新乐队Mr .Ray和斯大林花园在一夜之间让人震惊：“以前很多人爱玩那种古怪的后朋克韵律，其实我们也可以弄，而且可以弄的更好，更年轻！”去年在D-22燥眠夜专场演出的学生阵营迸发出这样的声音，声音背后凝聚的力量在今年一月最后一次燥眠夜现场集团爆发，庆祝并纪念着D-22近六年的时光。时至今日，燥眠夜的年轻一代也获得了前领路人们的热切关注，“即兴委员会”系列演出和工作坊，便是由中国地下音乐界的终极教父颜峻组织，邀请各路先锋协同，每次都加进了一些年轻乐手来共同完成。

在过去的一年中，中国噪音摇滚的开拓者 Carsick Cars再次换血，加进了新的鼓手。他们也在同一时间溯源过去，创造新的起点——与老成员李青一起开始噪音即兴计划。李青与同为前任Carsick Cars 成员的李维斯也把他们的二人组苏维埃波普从听感上充斥的晦涩神秘美学逐步转化成了针对概念多维可能性的演练，对复杂的认识论系统的解读，使得他们的作品充斥着空前挑战性的同时，也更加深刻的能唤起听者的共鸣。

在过去的一年中，驻扎东北的山东人梅志勇开始做他的磁带厂牌 Fuzz Tape，借此来修炼自己在强电噪音暴动中的粗粝系数，并使其成长为目前最活跃的地下实验噪音磁带厂牌。Vavabond和即兴噪音吉他传奇人物李剑鸿搬到了北京，也开创了自己全新的厂牌计划和独一无二的网络平台——中国自由即兴组织，作为2pi厂牌的延续，一面力图记录中国自由即兴音乐的发展，一面向外延展着来自他们自身无限的超验迷幻意识。迷走神经这次为我们献上了未发行专辑中一首最完美的作品，精神融化般的盛宴——3600年的回归。

在每首音轨的下方可以看到更多信息。单独mp3可供交换，具体信息请邮件咨询：contact@pangbianr.com

封套设计：Lulu Chow

曲目信息：

1. Fat City – 熟悉
出自Fat City/路新配的 “Super Split”: gbjd.bandcamp.com/album/super-split

2. 斯大林花园 – 骨肉瘤
出自这个上海新乐队的小样: site.douban.com/sg

3. 半个重韩国人 – “乃哥的歌 ”
出自2011年4月的排练室录音，更多请见: soundcloud.com/halfhk

4. 梅志勇– “Good swing”
驻扎在中国东北的梅志勇带来未发行新作，在这里参见厂牌Fuzz Tape的更多信息: fuzztape.com

5.小红与小小红 – “未命名 ”
成员朱文博录制于2012年1月10日，最后一次D-22燥眠夜现场 site.douban.com/xhyxxh

6. Mr. Ray – “鱼 ”
朱文博录制于2011年10月11日的D-22燥眠夜现场 site.douban.com/mystery

7. Carsick Cars + 李青 + 杨帆 –“钓鱼”
出自2012年2月17日的录音室作品。

8. 吹万 –新歌/即兴
Will Griffith 录制于2012年1月10日最后一次D-22燥眠夜现场。site.douban.com/chuiwan

9. 苏维埃 波普 – “System * System”
出自2011年4月24日乐队在三影堂的现场录音。他们用了4轨机，两个磁带机，两个合成器组合，并录制了速度各不相同的4个音轨。其中的采样分别来自斯托克豪森和天井桟敷，更多乐队信息请见: pangbianr.com/soviet-pop-interview

10. 迷走神经– “3600年的回归
迷走神经是李剑鸿和Vavabond的组合之一。这是他们的未发行专辑“回到天狼星”里的最后一首。

11. 临时即兴委员会 – 半兽工作坊(excerpt)”
2012年3月1日，北京观心亭，临时即兴委员会在半兽工作坊的演奏。艺术家：颜峻，Olaf Hochherz，闫玉龙，张守望，李增辉，李青，史阳，VAVABOND，Iku Sakan。工作坊主题策划：Olaf Hochherz。

pangbianr presents: An authoritative sampling of Beijing’s contemporary musical underground… part two! “underground b-sides” plumbs mainland China’s practice rooms, bedroom studios, dive bars and ad hoc sound workshops to give you an uncompromisingly lo-fi, grainy snapshot of the constantly shifting avant-garde. (Check out Vol. I here.)

This year’s compilation documents fresh-born newcomers, the deepening maturity of the Beijing 20-something noise set, and new moves from the Old Guard. In the last year, new bands like Mr. Ray (Beijing) and Stalin Gardens (Shanghai) have sprung up to say, “I see that weird post-punk shit you’re doing and we can do it too, and better, and younger!” In the last year the college-age-ish crowd around D-22′s Zoomin’ Night came into their own, reaching a peak just in time for the last ever Zoomin’ Night in January, mourning & celebrating the end of D-22‘s near 6-year life. The Zoomin’ kids have caught the attention of their forerunners, prompting scene godfather Yan Jun to include some of the young bucks in his recent “improv committees.”

In the last year, noise rock torchbearers Carsick Cars reconfigured yet again, yet at the same time returned to form with unannounced improv sets and unscripted studio freakouts with old members and friends. Erstwhile Cars Li Qing and Li Weisi took their esoteric duo Soviet Pop to new levels of conceptual rigor, introducing complex epistemological systems that made their compositions both extremely challenging and deeply satisfying to witness.

In the last year, Dongbei’s MeiZhiYong started the label Fuzz Tape and honed his own repertoire of sporadic power electronics outbursts. Vavabond and improv guitar legend Li Jianhong settled in Beijing and also started a new label, China Free Improvisation, to peddle their own brand of transcendental psychedelic awareness in the capital. Their band Vagus Nerve contributes “A Recurrence of 3600 Years,” this mix’s mind-melting pièce de résistance.

Find more info on each artist/track below. Individual mp3s are available for trade; email for details.

cover art: Lulu Chow

track notes:

1. Fat City – “Familiar (熟悉)”
outtake from the Fat City/Luxinpei “Super Split”: gbjd.bandcamp.com/album/super-split

2. Stalin Gardens – “Osteosarcoma”
demo track from new Shanghai band: site.douban.com/sg

3. 1/2 Heavy Korean – “乃哥的歌 (Joe’s Song)”
practice room recording, April 2011. more here: soundcloud.com/halfhk

4. MeiZhiYong (梅志勇) – “Good swing”
new, unreleased track from Northeastern China’s MeiZhiYong. check out his cassette label, Fuzz Tape: fuzztape.com

5. Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong (小红与小小红) – “未命名 (unnamed song)”
live @ D-22′s final Zoomin’ Night, 10 January 2012. recorded by Zhu Wenbo. site.douban.com/xhyxxh

6. Mr. Ray – “鱼 (fish)”
live at D-22′s Zoomin’ Night, 11 October 2011. recorded by Zhu Wenbo. site.douban.com/mystery

7. Carsick Cars + Li Qing + Yang Fan – “Fishing”
studio outtake, 17 February 2012

8. Chui Wan (吹万) – “new song/improv (新歌/即兴)”
live @ D-22′s final Zoomin’ Night, 10 January 2012. recorded by Will Griffith. site.douban.com/chuiwan

9. Soviet Pop – “System * System”
Live recording of Soviet Pop`s “System * System” performance at Three Shadows Photography Gallery in Beijing, 24 April 2011. They used one 4-track recorder, two cassette players, and two modular synths. They recorded 4 different tracks of sound at different speeds. The samples are from Stockhausen and Tenjo Sajiki. more info on Soviet Pop: site.douban.com/sovietpop

10. Vagus Nerve (迷走神经) – “A Recurrence of 3600 Years”
Vagus Nerve is Li Jianhong and Vavabond. This is the last track on the unreleased Vagus Nerve album “Go Back to the Sirus.”

11. Ad Hoc Improv Committee (临时即兴委员会) – “Half-Animal workshop (excerpt)”
Ad Hoc Improv Committee plays at Half-Animal workshop (music as field recording), 1 March 2012, The Pavilion, Beijing. artists: Yan Jun, Olaf Hochherz, Yan Yulong, Zhang Shouwang, Li Zenghui, Li Qing, Shi Yang, VAVABOND, Iku Sakan. workshop concept by: Olaf Hochherz.

Residence A – “Smell (嗅)”

Residence A – “Traveler’s Hum (游子吟)”

Here are some brand new jams from Residence A (A公馆). I had the pleasure of seeing Res A many times during my stint at D-22, and I can say they are one of the hardest-working, most genuine, and most motivated bands in Beijing. Their frontman has a famously, infectiously unhinged stage presence, their musicianship is always on point, and their drummer is one of the happiest-looking dudes in the business. They play with the same intensity whether their crowd is 10 people or 200.

Residence A plays tight, melodic indie pop, often with a syncopated disco beat reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand or The Killers. The band’s music also has a darker side, which doesn’t come out so much when they play live but is all over this record. The LP is 10 tracks, including the hits frequenters of their live shows will recognize instantly. But many of the songs are bookended by plodding, almost funereal feedback codas. The album art is shockingly macabre, with an exposed heart on the front and a giant fold-out poster of a skinned male (definitely male) rabbit on the inside.

The songs run a little long, most hitting the six-minute mark. But the band self-released this album (with help from 乔小刀 of Little Salt Bar), so they can do whatever they want! There is very little DIY activity in Beijing so the fact that Residence A — who, to my ear, would fit in on any number of labels active in the city — chose to record and release themselves is a great sign of younger bands taking more initiative.

The production quality is good and all-in-all this album gives a great introduction to Residence A’s sound and their knack for crafting brain-sticking melodies.

On top of all that, the band booked themselves a 30-day tour of China… insane! The tour is already underway but you can still catch them at the dates below. And in the mean time, BUY THEIR RECORD:

A公馆《请用身体砸碎欲望逃生》专辑限量版

Residence A 2012 China Tour:

Feb 26 – Beijing 北京 douban.com/event/15607495
March 2 – Tianjin 天津 douban.com/event/15632624
March 3 – Jinan 济南 douban.com/event/15669184
March 4 – Yantai 烟台 douban.com/event/15620741
March 6 – Weihai 威海 douban.com/event/15678588
March 9 – Qingdao 青岛 douban.com/event/15732635
March 10 – Taian 泰安 douban.com/event/15688631
March 11 – Linyi 临沂 douban.com/event/15732596
March 14 – Nanjing 南京 douban.com/event/15652646
March 16 – Hefei 合肥 douban.com/event/15869910
March 17 – Shanghai 上海 douban.com/event/15824904
March 18 – Hangzhou 杭州 douban.com/event/15672003
March 21 – Suzhou 苏州 douban.com/event/15639847
March 23- Ningbo 宁波 douban.com/event/15713896
March 24 – Fuzhou 福州 douban.com/event/15875693
March 25 – Xiamen 厦门 douban.com/event/15938991
March 28 – Quanzhou 泉州 douban.com/event/15789674
March 30 – Nanchang 南昌 douban.com/event/15749722
April 1 – Wuhan 武汉
April 3 – Changsha 长沙 douban.com/event/15769650
April 6 – Guilin 桂林 douban.com/event/15687984
April 7 – Nanning 南宁 douban.com/event/15679353
April 8 – Kunming 昆明 douban.com/event/15798318
April 13 – Chengdu 成都 douban.com/event/15986568
April 14 – Chongqing 重庆
April 15- Deyang 德阳 douban.com/event/15673427
April 18 – Xi’an 西安
April 20 – Zhengzhou 郑州
April 21 – Shijiazhuang 石家庄 douban.com/event/15659769

pangbianr is also giving the USA an exclusive first look at the Kosmische oscillator punk stylings of Soviet Pop, who will be playing their first show out of China at the Night-People x pangibanr Beijing Underground House Show.

Below is the comprehensive guide for checking out Chinese music during SXSW 2012. Click through the individual show title to find show times, RSVP info, venue maps, etc:

Tuesday 3/13 (evening):
~ Re-TROS @ Cheer Up Charlie’s

Wednesday 3/14 (afternoon):
~ Re-TROS, Nova Heart, Carsick Cars, Snapline, Rustic @ Caoker Party
~ Duck Fight Goose, Rustic, Snapline, Carsick Cars @ STPP
~ Deadly Cradle Death @ ::EESSCCAAPPEESS::: NiИXSxSWƧxƧXNiИ::

Wednesday 3/14 (evening):
~ Rustic, Snapline, Carsick Cars @ Music Madness Showcase

Thursday 3/15 (afternoon):
~ Nova Heart, Re-TROS, Rustic @ 21st Street Co-Op
~ Night-People x pangbianr Beijing Underground house party
~ Re-TROS @ Lucy the Poodle Productions showcase

Thursday 3/15 (evening):
~ Re-TROS @ Culture Collide

Friday 3/16 (afternoon):
~ Duck Fight Goose @ Music Madness Showcase
~ SXSW Chinese Music Panel (discussion)

Friday 3/16 (evening):
~ Duck Fight Goose @ Permanent Wave Showcase
~ Re-TROS @ Music Madness Showcase

Saturday 3/17 (afternoon):
~ Re-TROS @ STPP showcase

Saturday 3/17 (evening):
~ Carsick Cars, Duck Fight Goose, Nova Heart, Rustic, Snapline, Deadly Cradle Death @ SXSW China Night

Sunday 3/18 (evening):
~ Duck Fight Goose @ Full Moon Barn Dance

Re-TROS @ Cheer Up Charlie’s

Date: Thursday 14 March, 12:45am
RSVP: TBA
Venue: Cheer Up Charlie’s (1104 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; map here)

schedule:

12:45am – Re-TROS
[others TBA]

Caoker Day Party

Date: Wednesday 14 March, 12-6pm
RSVP: email nihao@caoker.com
Venue: Blue Theater (916 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702; map here)

Recently launched Chinese music video platform Caoker makes its first appearance at SXSW with an afternoon showcase of Chinese bands.

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/337310419639194

schedule:

12:00pm – Rustic
12:40pm – Snapline
1:20pm – Carsick Cars
2:00pm – Happy New Year
2:40pm – Nova Heart
3:20pm – Band in Heaven
4:00pm – Re-TROS
4:40pm – Delicate Steve
5:20pm – Free Energy

Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Showcase

Date: Wednesday 14 March, 2-6pm
RSVP: FREE with RSVP at do512.com
Venue: Crow Bar (3116 South Congress, Austin, TX 78704; map here)

Review site Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie is throwing a series of showcases around Austin during SXSW.

schedule:

2:00pm: Park Hotell (Sweden)
2:45pm – Duck Fight Goose
3:30pm – Rustic
4:15pm – Snapline
5:00pm – Carsick Cars
+ more

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/224088971021482

::EESSCCAAPPEESS::: NiИXSxSWƧxƧXNiИ::

Date: Wednesday 14 March, 12pm start
RSVP: FREE!!!
Venue: Club 1808 (12th and Chicon, Austin, TX; map here)

Mercer West of the Athens, GA organization Party Party Partners is populating the earlier half of SXSW with shows of “shitty and weird pop music” plus extreme noise.

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/151321258321782

schedule:

12:00pm – Shock Diamond
1:00pm – Ancient Ocean // Chris Forsyth
2:00pm – Hyena
3:00pm – Deadly Cradle Death // Chapter 24
4:00pm – Spiked Punch // The Coathangers
5:00pm – Slugbug // Eets Feets
6:00pm – Heavy Times // Gangi
7:00pm – Flow Child // The Great Valley // Treasure Mammal
8:00pm – Cadence Weapon // Moon King
9:00pm – Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! // Ear Pwr
10:00pm – Shearing Pinx // Reverse X Rays // Dan Friel
11:00pm – Doldrums // Matthew David
12:00am- Quiet Hooves // Cloudland Canyon
1:00am – D’eon // Total Slacker

Music Madness Showcase

Date: Wednesday 14 March, 7-10pm
RSVP: Free! All Ages!
Venue: Aussie’s Grill and Beach Bar (306 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78704; map here)

schedule:

7:00pm – Rustic
8:00pm – Snapline
9:00pm – Carsick Cars

21st Street Co-Op

Date: Thursday 15 March, 12-4pm
RSVP: TBA
Venue: 21st Street Co-op (707 West 21st Street, Austin, TX 78705; map here)

schedule:

12:00pm – Re-TROS
1:00pm – Nova Heart
2:00pm – Rustic
+ more tba

Night-People x pangbianr Beijing Underground house party

Date: Thursday 15 March, 3-8pm
RSVP: FREE! (but BYOB and food to share)
Venue: 3305 B Hampton Rd, Austin, TX (map here)

pangbianr continues its mission of plugging Beijing’s weirder bands in to the international underground, collaborating with Night-People to cultivate some cultural exchange along the lines of left-of-center sonic leanings.

more info on the event and bands here: pangbianr.com/beijing-underground-2012

schedule:

3:40pm – Carsick Cars
4:20pm – Snapline
5:00pm – Cuticle (Iowa City, IA)
5:40pm – Deadly Cradle Death
6:20pm – Wet Hair (Iowa City, IA)
7:00pm – Soviet Pop
7:40pm – Rene Hell (Portland, OR)

facebook event: facebook.com/events/191558097620298

Re-TROS @ Lucy the Poodle Productions showcase

Date: Thursday 15 March, 2pm
RSVP: TBA
Venue: The Highball (1142 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX; map here)

schedule:

2:00pm – Re-TROS
+ sets by Stardeath, Electric Flower Group, et al

Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide

Date: Thursday 15 March, 7pm
RSVP: online at filtermagazine.com (21+)
Venue: Bar 96 (96 Rainey Street Austin, TX 78701; map here)

Music Madness Showcase

Date: Friday 16 March, 3-9pm
RSVP: FREE! All Ages!
Venue: Aussie’s Grill and Beach Bar (306 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78704; map here)

schedule:

3:00pm – Duck Fight Goose
8:00pm – Re-TROS
+ more

“Why the Global Music Industry Needs China” (SXSW panel discussion)

Date: Friday 16 March, 5pm
RSVP: TBA
Venue: Austin Convention Center, Room 17A (500 E Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX; map here)

This panel will discuss the importance China currently plays and will play in the near future in the global music industry. Practitioners from very different areas of the music business will explain their involvement with the Chinese music market and why they think the world can benefit from China’s fast development. We will explore how musically China has already caught up in less than 30 years what took more than 60 years in the West, and try to elucidate what will happen in the next 30 years. Will China take away the musical spotlight from the USA/UK, or will it follow Japan’s footsteps and be the promise that never really took off? Are Korea’s current crop of pop stars something of an omen?

full info: schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_MP990449

participants:

~ Charles Saliba (Maybe Mars)
~ Tony Ward (Music Matters)
~ Li Sisi (S.T.D.)
~ Chen Xi (Snapline)
~ Josh Feola (pangbianr)

Duck Fight Goose @ Permanent Wave SXPW Showcase

Date: Friday 16 March, 6pm
RSVP: All Ages! Suggested $3-5 donation
Venue: Monkeywrench Books (110 E North Loop Blvd, Austin TX, 78751; map here)

Permanent Wave is a network of feminist artists and activists. This is their first SXSW show. They are collaborating with Tom Tom, the magazine about female drummers.

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/321603731232470

schedule:

2:00pm - Attia Taylor
2:30pm – WOJCIK
3:00pm - LAM! LAM!
3:30pm - Spooky Qs
4:00pm - Shondes
4:30pm - Jeepneys
5:00pm - Inches to Pixels
5:30pm - Seashell Radio
6:00pm - Duck Fight Goose
6:30pm - Red Light Cameras

Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie

Date: Saturday 17 March, 2pm
RSVP: FREE with RSVP at do512.com
Venue: Crow Bar (3116 South Congress, Austin, TX 78704; map here)

Review site Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie is throwing a series of showcases around Austin during SXSW.

schedule:

2:00pm: Re-TROS
+ more

Facebook event: facebook.com/events/224088971021482

Official SXSW China Night

Date: Saturday 17 March, 8pm-2am
RSVP: TBA
Venue: 512 (408 E 6th St., Austin, TX; map here)

schedule:

8:00pm – Deadly Cradle Death
9:00pm – Nova Heart
10:00pm – Rustic
11:00pm – Duck Fight Goose
12:00am – Snapline
1:00am – Carsick Cars

Duck Fight Goose @ Full Moon Barn Dance

Date: Sunday 18 March, 8:45pm
RSVP: All ages potluck! $10 donation requested
Venue: Leeann Atherton’s Hacienda (3600 S. 2nd St., Austin TX; map here)

Dancing and dreaming by the light of the moon, and the warmth of your smile…

Potluck means bring enough food and drink to share on the community table. $10 donation requested.

Please watch your children and have them play inside the barn after dark, for their safety, or have them close to you. Remember to park smart, and be courteous to our gracious neighbors. We will be grilling what you provide.

full info: fullmoonbarndance.com

schedule:

2:00pm – Carper Family
2:45pm – Lost & Nameless Orchestra
3:30pm – Ghost Along the Brazos
4:15pm – Leeann Atherton’s Amazing Grace
5:00pm – Ritzika (Norway)
5:45pm – Shelley King
6:30pm – Erik Larson & Peacemaker
7:15pm – Marit Larsen (Norway)
8:00pm – Bob Livingston
8:45pm – Duck Fight Goose
9:30pm – The Please Please Me

Night-People’s founder Shawn Reed is on the front lines of bringing the Beijing zeitgeist to North America, having re-issued tapes for Xiao Hong Yu Xiao Xiao Hong and Hot & Cold. We’re very psyched to keep the conversation going down in Austin with a free afternoon house party featuring Shawn’s band Wet Hair, fellow Iowa City-an and Not Not Fun label-mate Cuticle, and currently Portland-based (?) hi-fi electronic music wizard Rene Hell. From the pangbianr side comes Carsick Cars, Snapline, Deadly Cradle Death and Soviet Pop. It’s Soviet Pop’s only show at SXSW and also their North American debut (actually their first show ever outside of China) — NOT TO BE MISSED!

The show is FREE (but BYOB and bring some food to share or something)
starts at 3pm and will end around 8 so you can go on to crash other parties

house is at 3305 B Hampton Rd, Austin, TX (near 32nd & Red River; map here)

band info + audio + video:

CARSICK CARS (Beijing)

Carsick Cars – “Gun”

China’s reigning noise rock kings. The band started in 2005 and were integral founders of the mid-2000s “No Beijing” movement, which centered around the venue D-22 and label Maybe Mars. They are one of the biggest breakout Chinese noise bands, having toured with Sonic Youth and played All Tomorrow’s Parties. The band is helmed by Zhang Shouwang, who also plays in electronic duo White+ and remains heavily active in the day-in, day-out grind of Beijing’s small but growing experimental music scene. This is Carsick Cars’s third trip to SXSW, following a successful string of underground shows at SXSW 2011.

SNAPLINE (Beijing)

Snapline – “Holy Comments”

Another influential band from the “No Beijing” movement, Snapline started off with a rough post-punk sound that was polished over the years into a refined, art-damaged Kraut pop. Waves of industrial fuzz, motorik drum machines and percussive guitar shreds give vocalist Chen Xi’s lyrics a dire sonic backdrop in which to explore the bleak post-modern Beijing landscape.

CUTICLE (Iowa City)

Weirdo midi dance music from Iowa City, home of Night-People records. The one-man project has released albums on the new-ish 100% Silk and mothership label Not Not Fun, one of the US underground’s heaviest heavyweights.

DEADLY CRADLE DEATH (Beijing)

Deadly Cradle Death – “Animal Thing”

This avant rap electronics duo is one of the most exciting bands to come out of Beijing in the last year. Its members are situated squarely within the Zoomin’ Night scene, which was a weekly showcase of experimental music populated mostly by college age (or younger) musicians. They also do events through their collective Psychoney featuring numerous other side-projects and friends’ band, such as psychedelic post-punk group Chui Wan, fuzzed out noise rock band Birdstriking, and lo-fi pop trio Skip Skip Ben Ben. The inspiration for Deadly Cradle Death came after He Fan, who is also the bassist of Carsick Cars, saw American power-electronics maestro Sewn Leather perform at the Cease to Exist! showcase during SXSW 2011. The rest is history in the making.

WET HAIR (Iowa City)

Wet Hair is an Iowa City-based trio that includes Shawn Reed, the founder of Night-People records. They are one of the earliest and most successful of the current crop of bands creating somewhat of a Suicide resurgence. To a Beijinger the Vega-esque vocals and simple, layered melodic textures might call to mind Dirty Beaches and the more recent material from Hot & Cold; Night-People was the first to release Dirty Beaches anywhere and the first to pick up on Hot & Cold in North America. The video above is a cut off their most recent LP In Vogue Spirit, out now on the excellent Destijl label.

SOVIET POP (Beijing)

Soviet Pop – “Sound of Sweat Radio”

Soviet Pop describe themselves as a “sound-based oscillator duo.” They are Li Qing and Li Weisi, who also play in Snapline and were the original drummer/bassist of Carsick Cars. For the last seven years they have been on the bleeding edge of the Chinese musical avant-garde, growing more esoteric in their sound experiments as they gained more mastery over their complex tower of modular synth units. Soviet Pop’s live sets range from what they call their “pop” songs (such as can be found on their recent Goaty Tapes release, mp3 above) to improvised one-minute “oscillator punk” jams to more sparse and abstract synthesizer + circuit popping drones. Find more songs on their bandcamp and douban pages. This will be their only show at SXSW and their first show ever outside of China.

RENE HELL (Portland)

Rene Hell produces heady hi-fi electronic music. The band is one Jeff Witscher, a nomad who’s been active in the American noise underground for years, posting up in LA, Iowa City, and most recently Portland, OR. His unbelievably prolific resume includes solo and ensemble harsh noise projects such as Impregnable, Roman Torture, Deep Jew, et al, plus a role releasing music via his Callow God and Agents of Chaos labels. Jeff’s project Impregnable played along with Yan Jun and other Beijing experimental musicians at a Waterland Kwanyin show in 2006. Rene Hell’s most recent album, Porcelain Opera, is out now from Type Records.

Here are some brand-new sounds: the debut LP from Shanghai semi-electro post-punk brooders Next Year’s Love. The all-female power trio consists of F from Pairs, “Super Sophia” from Yuyintang livehouse, and Vic, former bassist of Eyes Behind. It’s the latest release from QU Records, run by veteran Shanghai music scene blogger/lo-fi advocate Andy Best. Glad to see him back at it, it’s been a long while since he released the first Little Punk and Pairs albums back in 2010.

This was done on a super-shoestring, in line with QU’s ultra-DIY ethics. Quoth Andy: “We recorded Next Year’s Love in a basement in one take using Brad [Ferguson, manager of Duck Fight Goose]‘s laptop and Yuyintang’s old sound desk, which we carted over in a taxi… All borrowed or done for free, just the room rental (40 rmb all in). All amps came with the room included in the price. The two cab rides for the desk transport was probably 30 rmb all in too. So total spending 70 rmb between 5 people.”

And it sounds great at that. These songs were recorded not long before NYL came up to Beijing along with Pairs last October, and the recording confirms the impression I got when I saw them at the time. Style-wise they sound like a mix between The Cure and Suicide, and seem unsure of which side of the fence they want to land. Personally, I prefer when they veer towards more atonal and discordant territory, but that’s just my damaged set of ears.

Anyway, a promising new band. The EP is available for free download: hit NYL’s bandcamp or douban page.

Andy, one more time:

“Qu Records is a non-binding collaborative effort. Qu does not own or control any of the bands or material. Any interest in the bands, songs or shows – please go directly to the bands themselves.”

Do it: nextyearsloveband@hotmail.com