In February the new British Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood, visited Chongqing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the British Councils operations in the South West of China.  With this in mind on Friday 19th at 6pm they will be bringing a double decker bus to Chongqing Tiandi to continue the birthday party, unfortunately the word is that it won’t be a red one.  Brits will just have to use their imagination.  Music will be from the Cotton Club’s inhouse band.   This will continue a year of related cultural events and any Chengdu readers will be glad to know their party is coming the following weekend, on the 28th.

Over the past decade the British Council has been involved in many Cultural and Educational events in the region.  Although the main basis of their work in is education and providing services like the Ilets exam, the Council also promotes and engages with all areas of the arts from bringing contemporary dancers here to setting up  exhibitions of emerging Chinese artists in the UK.  Most recently in Chongqing, the Council collaborated on the Flock project in October, staged in the Peoples Square and Chongqing Tiandi. 

Xintiandi already has areas in Shanghai’s old Shikumen houses, as well as ongoing projects in Beijing and Wuhan, and Chongqing’s new development is certainly one of the better looking areas in the city and is worth a look in its own right.  Situated between Shapingba and Jiefangbei on the river side it’s easy to get to.  Take bus 808 from Shapingba.   It’s pretty new so taxis don’t always know the way.

rosa k.

Zombies, as a general rule of thumb aren't known for there personality, let alone their sense of humor.  That didn't stop Dead Elvis from thinking it was a practical joke when the people from Split Works contacted him about bringing his one man band, or shall I say 'One Man Grave' to China.  In fact it took 3 messages on the myspace before the cryptic king of rock took the notion seriously.  Last night we received a call from Dead Elvis himself while he was on a train from what I can only assume was the underworld, to Chongqing.  As I answered the phone, clouds rolled in overhead, rain began to fall, and a chill ran through my bones, but none the less I was able to get out a few questions with the undead rocker before my body became paralyzed with fear.

CQ SCENE:  What can the people of Chongqing expect from to see from Dead Elvis and His One Man Grave?

Dead Elvis:  Monster Rock and Roll! B movie style, like from the 60's.  Songs from out of the grave, singing about past life, death, heaven and Hell.  I'm a one man band so I play the drums with my feet, guitar with my hands, and sing.

CQS:  You've played a few shows in China already, how has the reaction been?

DE:  I'm a one man band, and I wear a mask, so people were amazed, laughing and giggling. 

CQS:  And what has been your favorite thing about China so far?

DE:  Everyone is so nice.  Its so amazing!  Vox in Wuhan is very cool.  We hung out with the guys from the store next door, the Wuhan Prison, and they were really cool punks.  Its good to see real punks in China.

Dead Elvis and His One man Grave plays tonight, Tuesday the 16th, 20:30 at Nuts Club in Shapingba.

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last week when we spoke with founder of The Antidote(Shanghai) Michael Ohlsson, we could tell that he was very enthusiastic, excited even, to be bringing Shanghai (via. Guizhou singer/MC ChaCha), and The Antidote party to Wuhan and for the first time, Chongqing.  Now that my first Antidote experience is over and done with, I understand why.

Local producer/DJs X76 and Red Apple, started the night off, warming one of the largest crowds Nuts Club has seen in its current incarnation.  Antidote's DJ Ozone took to the decks at about the same time most of the crowd usually leaves a show at Nuts, and was limited to an extremely short, but good eclectic set of the type of tunes lacking in Chongqing's nightlife/party scene.  Feeling Ozone's grooves I was a bit let down when his set was finished, but this disappointment was shortly overtaken by extreme joy once headliner Cha Cha took the stage backed by DJ Drunk Munk. 

Their largely reggae inspired set,with doses of hip-hop and dub-step had the crowd dancing and smiling from front to back well into the night.   Cha Cha's skills as an MC, and voice as a songstress were captivating ,and before the first song was over, it was evident why, according Ohlsson, 
"She's been recording in the studio with -- no exaggeration -- some of the world's top producers of reggae, dub, dubstep -- absolute legends.  her releases are getting excellent   critical reviews in UK, Europe, etc., so this is quite special to have her come to Chongqing..". 

Special indeed.  As a newcomer to the live house setting Cha Cha had the poise and confidence of a seasoned vet., putting on a memorable performance.

 The night rolled on as Cha Cha left the stage for DJ and owner of Shanghai night club staple Shelter Gaz Williams, aka Drunk Munk to continue the irie vibe.  Unfortunately, as is typical at Nuts,  the crowd began to thin out as soon as he was just getting going, missing out on what of China's best imported DJs.

Though Chongqing has a while before it can catch up to the scene's in Beijing and Shanghai, it is definitely on its way there as  westablished brands such as The Antidote and Split Works* making their way to Chongqing with increased frequency, can only bode well for the Chongqing scene.  And with the success of the past weekends Antidote, we can only expect better the next time around when they bring Reptile and Retard to Nuts, May 8.

-sidewalkspew

*Split Works made their Chongqing debut last winter with Hollerado, and return tomorrow, Tuesday the 16th with Dead Elvis.

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We had a chat with Michael(DJ)Ozone, co-founder of The Antidote(Shanghai) as they get set to make their Chongqing debut, Saturday March 13 @ Nuts Club.

CQSCENE: First off, can you tell me what The Antidote is all about? beginnings, etc..

Michael Ozone: Well we started in 2005 in shanghai, me and B6 we just wanted a way to bring new, innovative music to china... give new producers a platform to play out and get the right audience to discover them so, although we do bring a lot of acts from around the world, to china for the first time, our heart is in pushing up the mainland Chinese music scene.  so, the act we're bringing to Chongqing this weekend -- ChaCha -- we feel is a massive new talent in China and we're excited to work with her and let new people discover her music

CQS: Can you let the people here n CQ know what to expect from ChaCha, and an Antidote party in general?

MO: Well Antidote parties  -- we always do eclectic music on the night, so we might play everything from punk rock to minimal techno to reggae, in one night. So also, we bring mostly live electronic acts sometimes rock bands but mostly electronic. We also have DJs that play before and after these live acts so it's a *party,* not just a show where you watch and leave.  we want people to have a good night out, relax, meet new people, and have silly fun. we like to have a mix of people and music from rock to hip  hop to techno.

This time we're bringing Chacha, a singer who's originally from Guizhou, but lives in Shanghai now.  She's been recording in the studio with -- no exaggeration -- some of the world's top producers of reggae, dub, dubstep -- absolute legends.  her releases are getting excellent critical reviews in UK, Europe, etc., so this is quite special to have her come to Chongqing.  Next time will be May 8 , we bring Reptile Retard from Denmark, to Chongqing.  We did a tour with them last year, 10 shows in china, and they were incredible!

CQS: Finally, what are you most looking forward to during your first time to Chongqing

MO: Well the party of course! But, I'm also really excited to check out the food and explore the city('ill be staying for a few days after the gig).  I also write about food, so I'm eager to check out the food there. I love Sichuan food, but it's hard to find good stuff here in Shanghai.

 CQS: As I'm sure you know, CQ is famous for its hot-pot, will you be giving that try?

MO: For sure! but also want to find some weird eats, for my blog  www.weirdmeat.com.

CQS: Anything else you'd like to add?

MO: Anyone who dresses like a cartoon character gets a free beer from me.  Or a kitten, we like kittens.




DJ Ozone and ChaCha, and The Antidote will be throwing it down Saturday March 13th, 21:00 - LATE!  With specilal local guests DJs X76 ans Red Apple.

Back in November, A Taste of Singapore restaurant introduced Chongqing's first ever pub-quiz.  back then the numbers were dismal, and I had my doubts as to how long it would last, but week after week the numbers seemed to grow until the annual, month long, dearth of anything exciting came long, better known as Chinese New year, and the pub quiz went on hiatus.  Well fear not fellow quizees, for she/he/it is back, and better than ever(lets hope so at least).

Time and Location info:

Tuesday night, 8:30
A Taste of Singapore Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
5th Floor, CapitaRetail Building, Shapingba, Sanxia Guangchang
(Same building as Pizza Hut & Haagen Dazs)
新风味生活餐吧 (xin feng wei sheng huo can ba)


沙坪坝三峡广场，嘉茂购物中心 5 楼 (sha ping ba san xia guang chang, jia mao gou wu zhong xin wu lou

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