This week's selection of free musical goodness comes from Arms and Sleepers, a chilled-out, almost melancholy, post-rock/electro band from the U.S., with a sound evocative of Animal Collective and Sigur Ros, while at the same time maintaining its own identity.  The duo of Max Lewis and Mirza Ramic with regular appearances by guitarist Ben Shepard, formed back in 2006, and since then have put out 13 releases while extensively touring North America and Europe.  Their first ever tour of Asia brings them to Chongqing tonight(Tues. 6/14), in a show that promises to bring a breath of fresh air to the Nuts Club stage.  

The first track Architekt, from their most recent release Matador, is a male/female vocal duet, sounds like it could have been produced by Massive Attack, and would not be out of place on the soundtrack of any number of movies.  Listening to a selection of Arms and Sleepers' work gives evidence of a strong cinematic influence, made ever so clear in this song.  

The next song, The Catcher Elsewhere,  dates back to the band's 2009 release From the Inland Sea.  A more ethereal, dare I say up-lifting track, that starts minimally with nothing more than a piano and bass, builds into a fuller, yet no less soothing piece, when the piano gives way to a xylophone, synth, and drums.  

Arms And Sleepers play Nuts Club Tuesday, June 14, 20:30. Below is a cool promotional video that the band put together, and their music videos, which you can view here, are worth checking out.  

This week's musical selections come from a couple DJ/Beatmakers, who will be rocking the dance-floor at the Nuts, this Saturday night, as S.T.D., one of Shanghai's premiere independent party promoters, make their first Chongqing appearance with S.T.DJs R3, Linfeng, and Max.  

Having become synonymous with not only herpees, S.T.D.( Sonically Transmitted Disease), has also become mean PARTY!  For several years now, S.T.D. has thrown some of China's best parties, often including performances by both live musicians and DJs.  This weekend's party will feature the later, as some of the country's finest DJs and producers take a break from rocking Shanghai's clubs, to bring their dance inducing tunes to our fair city.  

The first two tracks come from R3 and Linfeng.  Both, are remixes of the Beijing garage/dance rock band Queen Sea Big Shark.  The third, 'Remember to Forget,' is an original production from R3. 

 This week's huMP3s come from Chengdu psychedelic rock outfit Proximity Butterfly, who take to the Nuts Club stage once more this Saturday as they embark on the second leg of their national "Pillars of Creation" tour, fresh off of a main stage, festival opening performance at the third annual Zebra Music Festival.  This time around they're promoting their latest album and first release(out 5/31) on the lauded Maybe Mars imprint, "The Reprieve."  The self-produced album, and subsequent tour, is drawn from the band's personal encounters with the "devastation that reshaped Chengdu's community," just over 3 years ago.  The multitude of emotions evoked by the disastrous 2008 Sichuan earthquake, or "5.12," guide the album's ethereal, imaginative sound, and though born of a cold, dark place, warmly welcome listeners to the "unmistakeable sound of Proximity Butterfly."  

The two tracks below are from a previous album, as I've yet to get a hold of any of their new material, but give a good indication of what to expect from Saturday's show.

As one person(and one person only) responded to my call for comments in last weeks MP3-centric post, I figured I'd keep it going for at least another week. 

 As usual, this week's selections come from artists who's talents will be on display here in Chongqing sometime in the near future, beginning with a band that will be performing tonight(5/19) at Nuts Club.  Hailing from Beijing, but originally from Hebei, Rustic, have been making waves in the Chinese music scene for the past couple of years, most notably winning the 2009 Global Battle of the Bands.  Having since signed with pioneering Chinese indie record label Maybe Mars, Rustic are amidst their first full-scale tour of China promoting their first album 'City of Heartbreak'N Horror.'  Though having been described as "all flash, and no smash," the band continues to pick up steam, and as head of Maybe Mars' creative team Nevin Domer says, they "fill a spot that is lacking in the Chinese scene. That is a place for highly charismatic performers [and] rock stars.”
Below is the track "Rock & Roll for Money and Sex," a fitting title for a band who if not in sound, than certainly look, have been heavily inspired by the 80's Los Angeles glam-metal scene.

Our second selection comes courtesy of dJP aka Ya Boy, who will be DJing a 'power-hour'(60 songs, 1 hour) set at "Hot as Balls: a Summer Party," this Friday night at Chongqing's newest dive bar Da Rasta, in Shapingba.  Below is a sample, or 'teaser' of what you might expect to hear  from Ya Boy at the aptly named Hot as Balls, which kicks off at 21:00.  20 RMB gets you in the door and includes a beer.

Its been a while since I've posted any music on here, so I figured I'd revive what was once a weekly occurrence (even if it just this once).  

The reason for the revival coincides with the reception of a recent mix sent to us by 'local' DJ the Kalakuta Kid, whom we interviewed here a few weeks back, and the upcoming party "Swing High,"  this Saturday night at Nuts Club.  I could go on about the Kalakuta Kid, and his unparalleled(in CQ at least) abilities and overall exquisit taste in music, but I'd rather let the music do the talking, so download the CQSCENE exclusive mix Melted Pot below, and make sure to head over to Nuts Club in Shapingba Saturday night!

if you're a fan of "huMP3 day" or receiving free music from CQSCENE.com in general, please let us know in the comments.

As any North American will tell you(not sure about Canadians), this Thursday, May 5, is one of those holidays we've adopted as an excuse to drink excessively.  May 5, or Cinco De Mayo as the holiday is known marks the defeat of French forces by the under dog Mexican Army, and is held as a celebration of Mexican culture, which in-turn means drinking tequila, margaritas, and Mexican beer.  Being that the holiday was first celebrated by Mexicans living in California, there's no better way to celebrate than with a band hailing from the same region.  

Los Angeles California's The Morlocks will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Chongqing for what promises to be one hell of a fiesta.  Cityweekend Shanghai writer Dan Shapiro posed 8 questions to the band ahead of their upcoming shows, which you can read here.  But there's no better way to get to know the band, and a bit of American culture, than this Thursday at Nuts Club.  50 RMB get you in the door and includes all you can drink beer, access to unbeatable 10 RMB tequila shots, and a latin music dance-party late into the night!

As I mentioned here, a few days back, the May, National Day holiday has become synonymous with music festivals throughout China.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, was that Chongqing has jumped on the bandwagon with the first ever Ancient Town Music Festival.  

From Friday night through Monday, the 16 Bystreet Music Club in Ciqikou will play host to a handful of underground bands and DJs of varying styles.  Though most of the artist performing are little known to Chinese and foreigners alike, there are a few whom we recommend.  Namely, CQSCENE favorites The Deep Green Sea,  local indie rockers Narrenschiff(acoustic set), Chongqing's only blues band The Lucky Peace, and the Jolly Fellow Ukelele Band.

SIngle day tickets are 50 RMB, and a 4 day pass is 120RMB.  Music starts at 20:30 on Friday night, and 16:00 Saturday-Monday.  You can view the full schedule(in Chinese) here, and a very rough map of the location here.  For any questions or concerns please feel free to give me a call 13608367114, or you can call the venue directly at 1361824900.

This Saturday at CiCi Park will be the second installment of What the Funk?, a party organized by local Frenchman/DJ The Kalakuta Kid.  We had a few words with out favorite purveyor of eclectic beats prior to what promises to be a funk-filled...soirée.  

CQSCENE: First off, can you tell us who the Kalakuta Kid is?

The whole story of Kalakuta Kid is told on my Douban page but I'll make it straight to the point for this interview. Kalakuta Kid is the dj name I chose in respectful memory of "The Black President" - Barack Obama ?!- NO! Fela Kuti, the nigerian saxophonist, godfather of Afrobeat and one of the most fascinating character I've read about (see the story of Kalakuta Republic). Using Kalakuta and Kid together is both a mark of respect and irony because some may think about Kid Koala... and they souldn't...

CQSCENE: How long been in CQ?  Has CQ had an influence on your DJing style?
 
I've been living here for one year and a half now. To make a not so long story short, I've been observing that Chongqing music scene was more or less divided in three main poles: the electronic scene- promoted by Cici Park-, the punk-rock scene -promoted by Nuts Club-, and the mainsteam soup  in mainstreams clubs.
I guess i have been more influenced by electro music since I arrived in Chongqing... I hope so !
 
CQSCENE: In your opinion, what does CQ need, that it doesn't already have?
 
It needs more adventurous people.Daring people to make it not only an economic but also a cultural lighthouse. If you considere the size of the "monster", Chongqing definitely lack of cultural infrastructures.It needs a decent french restaurant too !

CQSCENE:  What are your musical influences, and how would u describe your DJ style?
 
I've been mainly influenced by african, african-american and caribbean musical expressions.I actually grew up  listening strictly to classic hip hop. Hip hop was the window to a fantastic musical journey. It brigded the gap to jazz, blues, soul and funk.
In parallel I had an intense passion for Jamaican music, afrobeat came to me, ethiojazz too...
So on a normal basis, when I'm  mixing, I try to make all those influences sit around at the same table and have a civilized conversation! I would finally describe it as a grooving melting pot ...or salad bowl ! 
 
 
CQSCENE: And finally, what the Funk?I'd like to know too... Godfathers knows...be @Cici satruday night, you might find an anwer.


What the Funk?, this Saturday, 4/16 @ CiCi Park.  22:00-late.

I've been planning on writing this since early March when I first saw this month's event calendar at Nuts Club.  It is rare that I get genuinely excited for shows(concerts) since moving to Chongqing, and a weekend full of excitable performances is near unheard of.  For over a month I've been thinking about what to say, and how to convince the faithful few of you to get off your asses and check out some of the best bands China has to offer.  And for over a month I have put it off, knowing that more often than not, my words fall on empty ears, and yet another night(or in this case 3) will pass, and great talents will go unheard.  Until now, roughly 3 hours before the weekend's live music extravaganza kicks off, and the guilt of not sharing my knowledge of said talents is settling in.  I know that regardless of what I say, it doesn't really matter.  You may read this, and think, "oh cool, there actually is something exciting happening on Chongqing for once.  Maybe I'll go see what this 'Nuts Club' is all about."  But chances are, you won't.  Despite the fact that China's most revered indie-pop band, and participants in last fall's prestigious CMJ music week in New York CIty, Hedgehog will be playing tonight, you'll probably stick to the same old song and dance, be it Cotton club, The Harp, KTV, 88, or any of a number of the monotonous nightlife options this cits has to offer.  And Hedgehog, is just the tip of the iceberg, for Saturday and Sunday's bands are easily the most popular of China's indie contingency.  

Saturday brings the hottest ticket in the country to our fog filled city, in the form of Queen Sea Big Shark.  Playing to sold out crowds of foreigners and locals alike, and fresh off a showing at Austin's South by Southwest(SXSW) music festival, this garage/dance rock outfit's reputation for high-energy, charismatic live performances has been on the up and up for the past couple of years, and is showing no signs of slowing up.  Being that this is their first showing in Chongqing, I expect the heads to be out in full force, dancing from the first note on through the encore.  

And though QSBS is the hottest thing this side of the pacific, Sunday's act, Mogolian folk-rockers Hanggai, are no slouch.  Their blend of traditional Mongolian music, including the infamous throat singing, played in a rock & roll(dare I say punk?) structure, has gained them praise around the world.  Pitchfork.com, the website responsible for making Rolling Stone magazine all but obsolete, gave their album a rating of 8.0, better than both Radiohead's latest album and Jay-Z's greatest hits.  

Granted, live music is not for everyone, and even if it is your thing, maybe the styles of the three bands presented aren't up your alley.  That being said, I've heard the ole, "there's nothing interesting going on in Chongqing," and "this city is soooo boring," more times than I'd care to, and if you're one of those people, and you fail to give these up and coming bands the slightest of chances, consider this a back handed bitch slap in your face.  

Neither a band, nor a single man, Sighborg takes on as many incarnations as the possible spelling of its name.  Some times SIghhhhhhborg, others ssiigghhbboorrgg, the one thing that remains constant is the order in which the letters fall.  Fitting for a band...er...artist...er...uhhh... music making entity, who'm  is as likely to improvise, as it is to make music.  

Prior to next week's Nuts Club performance(Monday, 4/4), we had the opportunity to talk with Sean Maylone, the man behind Sighbooooorg about, Sighhhhhhborg, cyborgs, and "nerd rage."

CQSCENE: Can you explain a little bit what sighborg is all about?


Sighborg: Ripping tunes in a stand-out fashion tween the rock vibe and computer vibe, with an incomplete of either tradition.

CQSCENE: Listening to your music, particularly the 8-bit elements, it would seem that you draw inspiration from video games.  What game(s) have had the most impact on you and your music?

Sighborg: All the mega mans are really good spazz jazz stuff. A lot of games have fun calypso kinda styles i like. the final fantasy series had a few heartbreak sound tracks before declining into self-satirizingly awful,  batshit insane JRPG reality. No one but nerds might know what i mean by that, and nerds tend to forgive/overlook, but seriously, google final fantasy and you'll see just ridiculous stuff, guys with 12 foot long swords and wearing 5 or 6 belts. nerd rage!

CQSCENE: Do you get a lot of the cos-play kids to your shows? I imagine they might dig it.

Sighborg: There is a masquerade style of fan that dig it

CQSCENE: Does sighborg dream of electric sheep?
Sighborg:  I can cuss things on fire. I can cuss so bad, fires start.

CQSCENE: So. are you taking responsibility for the roof?

Sighborg: "my lips are seals"

CQSCENE: Who's the better cyborg? Van Dam(via Cyborg), Shwarzneggar(via Terminator), or Robo-cop?

Sighborg: Robocop is the tin man, he's got a heart in there! arnold is rad though. with james cameron's help they both created the suspension of disbelief that the future would need to send buffed-out cyborgs back in time wearing sunglasses and that actually SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF US!

CQSCENE: Musically,  which of history's many cyborgs best personifies Sighboorg?

Sighborg: Probably the six million dollar man. by the way, i just thought- do cyborgs use the expression "pre-op/post-op", like people who undergo sex changes?

CQSCENE:  I read somewhere that your shows often take on themes.  Have anything planned for the Chongqing show, or China tour in General?

Sighborg: We've been doing improv work that shapes out via sampling in the room and also the tone of the line-up. there are always a few punky songs, and IDM-style jams, but the set can go in other directions with the room. also different masks/vibes we choose after watching the collaborating bands. we like to jam with interesting local types on the fly at times too.

Sighborg plays Nuts Club, Monday, April 4, 20:30(30 rmb)