Posting has been scarce(or rather inexistant) over the past month.  Partially due to laziness. Partially because we've been hard at work on Chongqing's newest English language magazine.  Mostly due to the fact that this website has been 'harmonized' within the confines of some sort of Chinese internet obstacle.  Anyways... I thought this one deserved a bit of attention(despite the fact that the event starts in 2 hours). 
The Beijing band Hedgehog is in town tonight(April 6) and they are one of only a handfull of Chinese bands that I will absolutely vouch for.  They've been around a while.  They've even toured the US on multiple occasions.  And their tiny little drummer packs a mean punch!   So skip Jeifangbei for the night and check out some of the countries best musical talent.  
http://site.douban.com/hedgehog/
http://www.myspace.com/hedgehogcn

It was the late winter or early spring of 2010.  I was having a conversation with Michael Ohlsson, the mad genius behind Antidote Asia(among other things), the Shanghai based party/promoters.  Now, I don’t remember much of the conversation.  I can’t even recall if it was in person or email.  All that clearly sticks out is the quote “massive talent.”  You see, at the time of this conversation Michael was preparing for Chongqing’s first Antidote party, and he was telling me about the artist he was bringing here from Shanghai.  A “massive talent” named ChaCha. 

Ever since then(especially after being blown away by her performance at Nuts Club) I’ve kept an eye on ChaCha, eager to hear what she comes up with next.  Thus far, I’m yet to be disappointed.  Whether a song containing a mere sample of her vocals like Kode9’s Time Patrol dub, or the EP she recently released with DJ Wordy, her voice works well in any number of musical settings.  Almost none more so, than in AM444, the duo made up of ChaCha and Dutch DJ/producer Jay.Soul.  Last year the two released the album Eye Wonder, which not only raised the profile of the artists involved, but the Shanghai music scene as well.  The two take to the stage tonight at Nuts Club, and we were fortunate enough to have a few words with ChaCha in the lead-up to her third Chongqing appearance in as many years.  

You’re from Guiyang, which is very different from Shanghai.  How(if at all) has each city had its own influence on you and your music?

ChaCha: Every city has it own beats, but I only can feel it when I travel from one to other, when I stay in a city for a long time, I can’t feel it any more. listening back to my old music, I can feel they are more positive, I think that’s because I was living in a city that has mountains around, I was more close to nature, but now the music I make is pretty dark and deep. The concrete jungle is confusing to human being’s mind… that’s sad, and my music is sad now.
A few months ago you participated in the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy.  For those who aren’t hip to the game, can you tell them what that’s all about, and your experience there?  What you learned there?

ChaCha: Big question! I can talk about it 3 weeks!  Basically if you are a music lover, party promoter, musician, producer, dj, sound engineer or radio dj or you do anything connecting with music, you can apply for it. They pick up 60 people from all over the world and split it to 2 terms, for a 2 week, musical mind-blowing gathering.  Every year the academy is set in different city, during the 2 weeks, all the participants will have the best producers or musicians come to do work shops you even can go to the studio with them to make music, and everyone can team up to share a studio to make new tunes, and every night has parties, with all the participants and lecturers  performing live.  I met so many fantastic musicians and djs from different countries and they really opened my mind. When I came back from Madrid, I felt I have so many ideas of music and I was so surprised that the music I make is changing, It is so different from before.  I didn’t even relize it.

The previous two times you’ve been in Chongqing, we’ve seen the reggae/mc side of ChaCha. What side of you should we expect to see this time around?

ChaCha: This time im not on the stage as “reggae MC ChaCha” , im half of the AM444 project. But actually the music style and live form are more close to the real ChaCha. people might know me from reggae music coz I do it live more often, but I can’t wait to show people in Chongqing another side of me, with my big trip hop, hip-hop, funky soul influenced style. And this time won’t be just one dj and one singer, we will do a good live set as  a real musician team, play keyboard, bass, synth and sound fx box, etc. it will be a proper musical trip for ppl. who come down for us on that night.

In a recent interview you mentioned that this is the album you always wanted to do. Why’s that?

ChaCha: I feel like I have something to say, I have some stories I want to tell, and I have a beautiful view that I want to share, but it can’t be with reggae or dubstep or drum and bass music. AM444 is the perfect project for me to release all the things that I’ve been carrying for years. Me and Jay work so well together, and he gives me big enough space to create the music that I always wanted, so I can be free. I’ve been dreaming to show people what else I can do apart from reggae, and to show people what the real ChaCha sounds like.  I was so honest to myself when I made this album, it was such a beautiful journey.

In another interview, your label mate Downstate had nice things to say about a new AM444 song he was able to listen to. Can you tell us a bit about that? Is there a new direction or feel to the music?

ChaCha: Jay and me are making our new AM444 album now, and since I got back from Red Bull Music Academy I started to record new songs for this album.  I’m growing in the music world I have to say.  Still growing, and I hope I never stop growing.  I can’t say what exactly learnt from RBMA, but my music will tell you the difference.  We both want the new album to step forward,  if all the new songs still sounding the same as the last album, there is no point to continue doing it. From music style to singing style, even the angle of lyric writing , the new album is going to present you a more mature AM444.

I read somewhere that you like to see more locals at your shows because they can truly understand and relate to your music.  That being said, do you look forward to playing at places like Nuts where unlike Shanghai, the crowd is mostly Chinese?

ChaCha: For sure!!  My music represent me, the real me, the real ChaCha who only exists on the stage. If you understand my music, you will understand me deeply. I’m a stranger of this world, but when I’m singing, I open my heart.  I write my songs with my soul, so if you feel touched, you are connecting me, then I don’t feel im lonely any more.

AM444 @ Nuts Club, Friday, March 2.  
21:00
¥40
PDP & Dj Drunk Monk(UK) in support

Happy Thursday everyone.  I hope the drab weather isn't turning everyone else into a zombie like I think it is me.  Today’s not bad, but with rain claiming much of the next week's forecast, the metaphorical brain-rot promises to slowly eat away my soul.  It is in due time then, that this weekend Chongqing will see an influx of just that.  Soul.  

On Friday night, the soul comes two ways, as it creeps into both descriptions of singer ChaCha’s beautiful voice and the name of her collaborator, Dutch DJ/producer Jay.Soul.  Together, the Shanghai based duo make up the trip-hop outfit AM444, who last year released the album Eye Wonder to critical acclaim(it was one of the few albums I’ve purchased on itunes over the past few years.  Its that good).  This will be ChaCha’s third Nuts Club performance, but only her first as AM444, and if the previous two shows are anything to go by, I’d be willing to bet this will be one to remember.  Local beatmaker PDP is in support and DJ Drunk Monk, who has a knack for rocking parties until the early morning, will take to the decks to close out the night.  

And on Saturday, Nuts will play host to a double-header of sorts, with two distinctly different, but equally intriguing happenings.  Firstly, at 20:30 is the band XiBan.  Though very much a Chinese band, XiBan would be best described with the oh so general label of “World Music.”  The band, with members from China, France, and the US, combine elements of Shanxi Opera, Beijing and Jiangzhou drumming, Tibetan and Yellow River singing, with elements of Indian, Australian, and modern electronic music, playing everything from bells and buckets to guitar and didgeridoo.  A definite must-see for the hippy in all of us.

Directly following Xiban is the appropriately named ‘After Party,’ which in its own could serve as a headlining show featuring Berlin based producer and creator of “extra-terrestrial future beats,” Doshy.  Apparently he was traveling in Chongqing at the same time that a friend of his happens to be here for the month, working her day job as a doctor, developing pharmaceuticals.  This friend also just happens to be JCC, one of China’s best drum n’ bass DJs and the creator of 嘈!ChAos, Guangzhou’s longest running D&B/Dub-step party, who will DJ alongside Doshy at what promises to be an all night throw-down of bass-heavy beats and “synth wizardry.”  And might I remind you, it’s FREE.

What a night folks! Last saturday (feb. 18th 2012) was not only the one-year anniversary party of popular expat dive Da Rasta, but also the latest live outing of Chongqing band No.2 Story (二号事件- Erhao Shijian) and opening act A South Adventure (南方奇遇- Nanfang Qiyu).

I punched out at 9 and immediately ran to Nuts, where I got to see the tail end of South Adventure’s set. Unfortunately, I paid little attention as I was busy recalling the events of the previous thursday with fellow showgoers. A few minutes later, my eyes were drawn to the stage as the main act stepped in. For fans of the genre (any combination of the words metal, hardcore and emo about describes it), it was a very good show indeed. To start with, the members of the band are all well known in the local music scene and there was visible mutual love in the room. Technical ability and talent were also part of the equation so, to the untrained eye, it was as good as it could get in a Chongqing livehouse. My half-trained eye, however, couldn’t help but notice how much they could benefit from a little direction… N.2 Story have a knack for pleasing (or pleasuring, if the rumors are true) their crowd and they can scream loud enough for you not to mistake this for lowly commercialism. We hope to see this act develop into an underground sensation in the near future…

Da Rasta’s 1-year anniversary bash

I followed a crowd of foreigners through the small alley between Shazhong and Hanyu Lu to attend what promised to be the party of the month. Over its yearlong history, Da Rasta has gathered a loyal clientele and almost all of it was there… which made movement a near impossibility. Local celebrities danced to the music of Dj’s P (aka Ya Boy) and Goodweed and all in attendance received a clever gift: a keychain bottle opener.

Congratulations to Shapingba’s premier foreign devil spot, we wish you another year of breaking windows, chairs, bottles and the barriers between people. Jah bless.


By LeManager

Last Saturday(Feb. 11th 2012), Shapingba’s Nuts Club filled to capacity as it hosted 4 CQ bands for the oddly-named “PUNK PARTY 2012”. Memories of my youth surfaced as I stood by the mosh pit, surrounded by giddy punk-rockers and girls distinctly hotter than the ones I’ve come to expect at punk shows. Plenty of hilarious bodysurfing attempts and tons of shoving made this one a must-see…

Wenluan (紊乱- Disorder) warmed up the room with a very decent opening set as hordes of young barbarians kept coming in. The singer, nicely pulling off the Joey Ramone look, kept the chitchat to a minimum and the crowd responded well. Focused on the pit, I only noticed the dense crowd they had attracted when it prevented me from getting a beer during their last song.

Next was EM9, a band of newcomers which seems to be an offshoot of Wenluan. I had to step out during their set, but I spent enough time inside to notice their style was heavily contrasting with the rest of the acts. The night had yet to truly impress me.

Seeing Yiwai Chongtu (意外冲突- Accidental Collision) for the first time, however, was extremely satisfying: catchy melodies, just the right amount of brattiness and a big surprise when sunny faced lead singer SuSu pulled out Joe Strummer/Tim Armstrong style vocals. 

The last band was a crowd favorite and probably Chongqing’s most popular band: The Wheels. It was a very solid set as usual, but the energy I had felt last time I saw them live was not quite there. The Wheels’ last show saw them parting with their bass player, which meant this time vocalist Panda had to take up bass duties, seriously affecting his mobility. 

DJ Goodweed wrapped up the night in a dramatically different style, and we saw Narrenschiff’s Sun Ping taking over the dance floor…

By LeManager