Out of sheer good luck, I came across a Chinese artist recently called tamiX. She has a large body of work, not only with music but in multimedia, and now, print. She has a Patreon site, so if this work suits you, consider supporting her work. From her bio on Continue Reading
China
若潭 ruò tán – 石 Stone
ruò tán are China’s more organic answer to old post-Industrial/cassette-culture bands like Germany’s Cranioclast. The music is eerie, yet so utterly engaging. Probably the best reference to this music is for those of you who remember not only the aforementioned band but the early works of projects like O Yuki Continue Reading
Kink Gong 2017 – Uyghur In Moyu Southern Xinjiang China
I don’t know much about Kink Gong, though maybe they have some relations with the legendary Sublime Frequencies record label, but I do like that they’re busy releasing some amazing music from neglected parts of the world. This installment comes from Xinjang, in the news for all the wrong reasons, Continue Reading
Dolphy Kick Bebop – Smoke a Haiku Cigarette
As I will be back in Beijing in a few weeks from now, I thought I’d spend Western Easter introducing my friends here to Dolphy Kick Bebop, a band out of Hangzhou, China. The label, Space Fruity Records, is connected with Beijing’s coolest record shop, Fruity Space, and the music Continue Reading
Various Artists – Old Heaven Books: 地方，音乐与实践 Vol.1 Region, Music, and Practice Vol.1
A compilation of new music out of avant-garde China. From the Old Heaven Books Bandcamp site: “A creative collaboration of producer Tu Fei and artist Liu Qingyuan. Event organization by Tu Fei, artwork for promotion and production by Liu Qingyuan. Event programs include talks, screenings, forums, workshops, musicians’ commission creation Continue Reading
李红旗和杨海崧（Li Hongqi and Yang Haisong) – Noise Concerto for Violin and Guitar
This work by Chinese composers Li Hongqi (violin) and Yang Haison (theremin) is a 52-minute piece of droning experimental music. The feeling of the recording reminds me of early Industrial music and it flows rather nicely. Thanks to storerecords out of Beijing for releasing this.
Li Jianhong (李劍鴻 ) & Wen Zhiyong (文智湧) & Deng Boyu (鄧博宇) – 歲寒三友 Les Trois Amis de l’Hiver
I remember the Beijing lockups very well, as I lived in the city during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Some residents in Beijing, including the trio of Li Jianhong, Wen Zhiyong and Deng Boyu, made incredibly good use of the time and recorded an album of music combining free Continue Reading
Zhaoze – The Life of a Dayfly | 蜉生记
I suppose one can call this post-rock with Chinese characteristics. Zhaoze are a progressive rock/post-rock band out of Guangzhou, China, and this is the first I’ve heard of them. Their sound is mellow, almost dramatic in a TV-theme way, yet the music, though soothing, is also engaging, especially after about Continue Reading
Various Artists – 紫氣東來 Purple Haze From East Vol.1
French label WV Sorcerer Productions 巫唱片 offers a pretty amazing collection of Chinese psychedelic rock bands, some still active, some gone, but all make pretty powerful listening. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “集中國各地十個迷幻搖滾樂隊和實驗音樂人的優秀作品，曲目總時長超過兩小時，展現中國地下獨立音樂新風景，帶你徜徉於虛實之境間。 Featuring the selected works of ten psychedelic bands and experimental musicians from all over China, including veteran Continue Reading
Backspace – Human Nature Architecture
It’s bands like this that the blog was initially made for. Finding a Krautrock band who mix in surf and psychedelic rock coming out of China is a magnificent thing. Backspace are one of the more brilliant bands to come out of the Middle Kingdom in some time, and I Continue Reading