Back in May Danish Techno-soul duo rocked not only Chongqing, but a handful of cities throughout China.  Prior to their show at Nuts club we asked them a few questions via email, and as life on the road was a bit hectic at the time they were unable to answer my questions. They've since returned to Denmark and the "soul" half of the duo Retard, took the time to respond to our questionable questions...



CQSCENE:  Which of the pictured reptiles best relates to
 Reptile? Why?

REPTILE: Lately I have felt a lot like a snake in a bottle of booze. But I
think thats often how you feel when you are on tour. Apart from that I
would say that Gecko from Turtles is a pretty suitable character when
I comes to which reptiles I relate to. Gecko is exactly like me an
Urban Reptile born in the 80's. I would not fight alongside Shredder
though. Despite my looks I am probably more a splinter kind of guy.


  
 CQS:  and all political correctness aside, which of the 'retards'
does Retard most relate to? Why?

R:  The Reptile will answer for the Retard in this case. I think that a
combination between Forrest Gump and Rain Man is what the Retard
reminds me of the most. He has Forrest Gumps optimistic spirit and
blue eyed believe in oneself that normal people seldom seem to posses.
Just like Rain Man my Retard has obvious autistic sides. He can sit in
front of a computer without noticing me talking to him. And like a
child he keeps on working until he almost pisses his pants. You can
see his legs moving more and more until he suddenly has to run to the
bathroom. Apart from that my Retard looks like a retard. But indeed a
beautiful one...

CQS:   Last week you opened for, and according to some, out-performed
  Peaches in her highly anticipated Shanghai performance, what is it
  about 2 dudes on stage that seems to work better than just 1 chick?

R:  We got balls.. But actually I think that there is a chance PEACHES has
balls as well so I guess thats not the critical factor. I think
PEACHES put up a good show. I think the biggest difference between our
shows is that hers is planned from start to end. We just get drunk and
go on stage... Maybe thats why we got the nickname Beasts with Beats.

CQS:  In a lot of the press thats been going around about you, a lot of
 the emphasis has been put into your live show.  What is about the live
setting that you seem to thrive upon?

R: We put a lot of emphasis on our liveshows. It is extremely important
for us do deliver and give people an experience that they haven't had
before. Show them something original and freash. But most of all it is
important for us to give it all we got on stage. So many electronic
acts are horrible live and we want to show that it doesn't have to be
that way.

CQS:  a lot of the time in China, the rock crowd and electronic crowd
 don't tend to mix, but its been said that your show appeals to both,
 why do you think that is?

R:  That is actually what we are. We er both rockers. And a lot of the
music we make is rockmusic played on computers. Electronic music can
some things rock can't and the other way around. We try to take the
best from those to genres and put it together. Thats also why we call
it Technosoul. We want to mix german techno with rock and soul music
from the 70ties. But we want to appeal to more than just the rockcrowd
and the electronic crowd. I for instance think that most of the
punkers would like our shit as well.

CQS:  Its been reported that Chongqing is the city you're most looking
  forward to playing in while on tour in China, why exactly is that?

R:  We heard that Chongqing is where all the beautiful ladies come. And we
love beautiful ladies. Apart from that we heard a lot of good things
about NUTS and the venues are always important for the show. Finally
Chongqing is quite a legendary city. It is one of the absolute biggest
cities in the world if not the biggest one, and still so few people
has heard about it. That makes the city quite mysterious and I really
like that.


 CQS:  Anything else we should know about Reptile Retard?

R:  We will be back. If not before we will for sure be back next spring.
And probably with a fresh album out, new and harder songs, better
productions, even more energy and a whole lotta love.

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Wanzhou scene? . . .  


Nestled into the mountains a little way north up the Yangtse sits Wanzhou; Chongqing’s second city.  Seeing as Chongqing itself only has a handful of decent bars, I had no expectations and was surprised: Wanzhou has a lot to offer.  The city itself is how I imagine Chongqing before 1997, a lot smaller and less built up – it’s buildings and mountain/river location are similar – however the lesser degree of pollution means the mountains are actually visible most days.  Nevertheless the drone of development resounds across the city.   


The small central park has an array of local musicians and a small orchestra performing folk music and red songs in the day and a surprising number of relaxed coffee bars are also dotted around the town.  Wanzhou also has a Lazer Quest operating in an abandoned warehouse just by the docks – unfortunately they open periodically and were closed when we visited.  But if you’re luckier for 50¥ you can spend the evening running around, shooting lazers at your friends.

For more usual entertainment, Wanzhou’s BaiYan Lu (white rock road)– leading off the main square has a handful of typical Chinese clubs – small KTV bars like the tropical QQ Bar and the trippy Mirror bar, playing decent enough techno in the usual tinselly neon surroundings (both halfway up Bai Yun Lu Yi Xiang).   


However the highlight is undoubtedly Seed Bar.   Somewhere between a jazz bar and a yuppie 1980s apartment this wood clad bar is crowded with eccentric decoration but somehow manages to pull it off. They also have an impressive collection of sketch books in which to explore your inner artist or just leaf through.  At night they open their stage – acts alternating between local musicians and ambitious punters.  Half the staff are musicians themselves and they welcome everyone to come and play.  Seed is open to anything and if you bring along an MP3 or computer their sound system is equally open to the more musically challenged. (LaoShu KaiFei JiuGuan 3rd floor, Bai Yan Lu) 


For a typical provincial town Wanzhou is far more than its port location with a young and enthusiastic music scene that looks set to develop along with the town.

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tomorrow sees to of China's best bands come to Chongqing, for anyone still undecided as to whether or not to head down to Nuts to check them out we're giving you a taste of each...[continue]

Over the past few months Chongqing has played host to some of the biggest names in the Chinese indie-music scene, and the Month of May promises to be no different as heralded acts, both foreign and domestic get set to rock the once dubbed 'cultural desert.' 
Fresh off of their Chongqing debut back in March, Shanghai live music and party brand 'The Antidote' make their return to Nuts Club, this time with Danish electro-soul/rock duo Reptile and Retard.  If March's 'Antidote,' and the press Reptile and Retard have garnered is anything to go by, Saturday the 8th of May promises to be a good one, as the consensus seems to be that their live show is a spectacle not to be missed. The charisma and showmanship of the band's singer 'Reptile,' who while touring China last year, became known for his stage antics including jumping off of speakers, crowd-surfing, and a great deal of crowd interaction, all while  the other half of the duo 'Retard,' provides the musical backdrop to Reptile's gospelesque voice, creating bass-heavy electronic music with a laptop, effects pedals and a custom key-tar, as given the Danes praise as one of the must see bands in China this year.  Antidote's mission of creating a party, as opposed to just a concert is always bolstered by DJs to keep the night going, and this time around will feature Shanghai via America DJ Ozone, as well as 1 or 2 more yet to be determined.

Later in the month the live-party atmosphere continues on Thursday the 20th, when French electro-rockers P.U.S.S.(and acronym for Party Under Sexy Skirt), also make their Chongqing return.  After the success of last November's appearance at Nuts Club, when they had the near capacity crowd dancing and singing all night, Alliance Francaise and local promoters Fresh World Promotions(FWP), have teamed up once again to bring the high-energy out-fit back to the Shapingba live-house.  Recently signed to Chinese indie label Modern Sky Records, P.U.S.S. has been building steam in China with tours the past few years, and the partnering with Modern Sky can only bode well for their presence within the middle kingdom, and we should expect to be seeing more of the Frenchmen in the years to come.

The following day, Friday the 21st, the highly regarded Maybe Mars, record company out of Beijing, bring their Independent China in Stereo series to Chongqing for the first time.  Having recently returned from a stint at the prestegious South by South-West(SXSW) in Austin Texas, and a tour of America's North-east, Maybe Mars began a push to further the brand's reach domestically with Independent China in Stereo, a series of concerts showcasing 2 or more of the label's best bands.  Volumes 1-4 were contained to China's east, venturing into Hangzhou and Shanghai, but the company are now making their way out west, in ironically, China's Southwest with Vols. 4 and 5 in Chongqing and Chengdu respectively, this time bringing along label heavyweights Carsick Cars, and relative newcomers 24 Hours.  Carsick Cars, having garnered press from the likes of The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Newyorker, and The New York Times, to name a few, are one of the best and brightest acts in the Chinese music scene.  Drawing comparisons to The Sonic Youth(whom they've toured and collaborated with) and Nirvana, Carsick Cars are guaranteed to bring out a good sized crowd of locals to see the progressive noise-rock trio.  And with 24 Hours' "hard primal beat" dance-rock, also in-tow, Maybe Mars' first-ever Chongqing showcase will be nothing short of a rock & roll riot!

[originally published in Chongqing Currents magazine]

Tracking down hamburgers in Chongqing has been a passion of ours since  here at cqscene for a long time.  Times have not changed.... [read on]

about a year or so ago I read this article, about a little known culinary treasure, that lay within our grasp...[read on]

Niba is a collaboration between Huang Ruojia (黄若珈, aka: Heng’er) and Yu Jiamiao (虞佳苗, aka: Miao), frontwoman of The Deep Green Sea. When we asked Heng’er what inspired her designs she simply replied, “I don’t like shopping.”
[read on]

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.

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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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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