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]

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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Rumors have been circulating about a fully developed CiCi Square district that can offer Chongqing a full underground scene.  On Sunday, these rumors became closer to reality.  SVIP club has opened down the way from CiCi Park, offering a higher-class alternative to CiCi’s electro-scene...
[read on]

This Friday(Dec. 11) Canadian indie Rockers Hollerado bring their high-energy live act to the Nuts club stage.  Friend of the scene and City Weekend Shanghai columnist Dan Shapiro asked the band his "8 questions" which you can read here.  If reading's not your thing, you can give them a listen here, or just check them out for yourself at Nuts(recommended).

Hollerado @ Nuts
Fri. 12/11, 20:00-22:00
30RMB

sidewalkspew

As usual, this weekend's action begins on Thursday with Fresh W. Promo's(FWP) weekly dance party "Thirsty Thursdays."  known primarily for the drink specials and not necessarily the dancing word seems to be spreading that Nuts club is the place to be Thursday night.  The following night(Friday the 4th), Nuts club plays host to the 'oh so dreamy' folk sounds of Yangon Burma(via Melbourne Australia)  singer/songwriter Tamas Wells.  immediately following Tamas, is FWP's first ever Salsa night, also at Nuts. 
On Saturday, the Chongqing Conquerors rugby team hosts both Shanghai and Chengdu in a 1 day tri-series.  And that same evening, the Chongqing International Women's group has their annual Christmas charity ball, beginning at 18:00 in the Intercontinental(11th flr. ballroom).

p.s. if you can't wait until Thursday to get things going, tonight(tuesday 12/1) a Taste of Singapore restuarant in Shapingba hosts their weekly pub quiz @ 20:00.

Every Thursday @ Nuts Club
21:00 - 1:00
10 rmb Tequila shots
15rmb Gin & Tonics
15 rmb Rum & Coke