Thats right, "Lazer Dubs."  And "Drum Step," "Beatboxing Solo," "Drum Bass Hip hop."  All of that and I'd almost guarantee more at this Friday night's party at Nuts Club.  Shanghai based, international party brand The Antidote, responsible for some of the more memorable parties in Nuts Club's short history, return once again with DJ/producer/celebrity chef? CONRANK.  We had a few words with the Shanghai via UK transplant, who became a weibo sensation as "Chaofange."   [read on]

Whe it comes to DJing an ass-kickin', head bangin' dance party, I've seen few DJs do it better than this man.  Hailing from Beijing, and one of the first stand-out electronic DJs in China, Liman, brings his heavy-metal laden electro bangers to Nuts Club tonight.  And if his "Dirty Party" there last spring is any indicator of how things might go down tonight, it's gonna get wild!...[read on] http://www.cqscene.com/1/post/2011/10/down-right-dirty.html

ts been a while since I've done one of these, partially because it feels like a waste of time, and partially because recently, there have been few acts out here that I have been excited about seeing.  Thankfully, that trend has come to an end, with a diverse weekend line-up featuring some cool-ass music... [read on]

Back in 2001, when Chongqing was still in its infancy of its municipality status, and a mere background for the megalopolis we see today, the website/bbswww.soundsmakers.com was created.  Serving as a forum for Chongqing's small, mostly young, rock music community(fans and artists alike), Soundsmakers was for a long time the only source of information for those interested in finding out about local bands and events..[read on]

Sorry that posting hasn't been up to scratch as of late.  I've been out of town and summers in CQ are generally slow, but here's something that caught our attention:

One of CQSCENE's better friends, the Kalakuta Kid will be DJing in Shanghai this weekend, and prior to his two performances(alongside Spin Doctor) Shanghai DJ/promoter HEATWOLVES interviewed him for Shanghai247.com.  The full interview can be found here, and gives some good insights into life in Chongqing, and also features a download of a new mix by HEATWOLVES. Check it out!  and if you're in Shanghai, show your support for one of CQ's finest.

This week's selection of free musical goodness comes fromArms and Sleepers, a chilled-out, almost melancholy, post-rock/electro band from the U.S., with a sound evocative ofAnimal Collective and Sigur Ros, while at the same time maintaining its own identity...[read on]

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...[read on]

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...[read on]

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...[read on]

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...[read on]

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, what better way to celebrate than with a band hailing from the same place?  

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 an 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...[read on]

Regardless of what you're up to this weekend, there's a good chance that music will be involved.  Whether its at one of a multitude of China's music festivals, or here in Chongqing catching commie fever, the National Day holiday has, over the years, become synonymis with all things musical...[read on]

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...[read on] 

I've been planning in 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...[read on]

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."

...[read on]

As 2010 comes to an end, I'm left to reflect on the year that was.  Doing so evokes memories of events, and changes Chongqing has seen in the past year; CQ beer festival, legitimate western food, an Irish Pub, and main-stream media coverage. But what stick out in my mind most of all is the music....[read on]  click here, for 2010 slideshow.

Daniel Hart is a multi-instrumentalist whom after coming to China as a member of the band St. Vincent, is back.  This time on a more extensive, solo tour which will bring him to Chongqing on Saturday, November 6...[read on]

And the forecast for the next few days calls for angst!  Both Thursday and Friday are sure to have their fare share, as punk band Buyi, and thrash metal band Inner M will bring they're mosh inspiring sounds to Chongqing...[read on]

This week's huMP3 day features music from one of the more established, and arguably most 'popular' of Chongqing's very own rock bands.....[read on]

This Friday, October 15th, Nuts Club plays host to Shanghai's Uprooted Sunshine Soundsystem's 5th anniversary tour.  A multinational crew of DJs, MCs, Singers and producers, with a reputation for turning out reggae infused rhythms, from roots to drum & bass.  In the run up to this weekend's Chongqing party we had a few word with one of Uprooted's founders, and an integral presence in the Shanghai music scene Garreth "Gaz" Williams aka DJ Drunk Monk....[read on]

This week's huMP3s are brought to you by Thursday.  For it is Thursday, when the artists who's compositions I give to you, will put their talents on display.  And it is Thursday when we have the opportunity to experience a bit of the old China, as well as some of the new...[read on]

HuMP3 Day is a new feature here on cqscene, where every(or most) Wednesdays we give you free music from artists either from, or who will be performing in Chongqing, or the surrounding area.
This, our first installment of huMP3 day, we have a lot to offer, as this weekend in Chongqing has something, seemingly, for everyone... [read on]

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.

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.' [read on]

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...[read on]

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... [read on]

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...[read on]

Anyone interested in reading about China's indie music scene should, among other things, go to www.kungfuology.com.  Andy Best and Jake Newby are two Shanghai based expats have seemingly immersed themselves in the local scene, and provide solid information and insight as to whats going down in mostly Shanghai, but the rest of China as well.  It is there(on Jake's blog) that I found  The China Mix Tape. 

Featuring some of the best and most 'renowned' Chinese artists as well as some of the most promising up-and comers, the mixtape is a good way to get acquainted with whats happening within the big red beast.  Highlights include Boys Climbing Ropes' "Dirty Bots,"  the upbeat pop-rock of 24 Hours' "Mr. Stevenson," and "Think and Shift," a kick-drum driven, distortion laden track from Muscle Snog, that'll take you back to the 90's. 

Download [here]

while reading China Music Radar, an excellent blog about what's going on in the Chinese 'indie' music scene, I stumbled across an article from The Telegraph about western companies marketing to China's youth through domestic rock bands. One of the bands featured in the article(pictured left) is Chongqing's The Wheels. Read the full article here.

sidewalkspew

"Back in August 2008, Beijing rock icons PK-14 and Queen Sea Big Shark embarked on their monumental 6-city, Converse-sponsored "Love Noise" tour...." read on

via: cityweekend

as i sit in createa(bottom floor of the "capital retail" shopping mall @ san xia guang chang), my coffee shop of choice here in shapingba, i am overly annoyed by what i assume is some of that infamously horrible chinese pop music playing throughout the cafe. a quick google search of the lyrics reveals that the song is "pretty pretty boy" by the group m2m, which is in-fact a norwegian pop group(my ancestors must be rolling in their graves), but a bad pop group all the same. the song has played for the 2nd time in less than an hour, and is tempting me to pay the extra 7-20 RMB for a cup of caffeination over at starbux, but my past experiences, all of which pleasant, especially to my wallet(10RMB espresso/americano, 16 RMB med. soy latte), convince me to stick it out, and turn my annoyance into inspiration.
inspiration to share with you, what the unkowing may consider to be oxymoronic.   good chinese pop music, or shall i say "indie-pop."  in particular, a couple of bands who recently made their way to chongqing.
Life Journey(gallery) and Hedgehog. 

Hedgehog - (24 hr rock party)24小时摇滚聚会 [dwnld]
Hedgehog - (day dreaming)白日梦蓝 [dwnld]
Life Journey - (back to babylon)回到巴巴拉拉的城堡 [dwnld]
Life Journey - Dog Dog Dogs [dwnld]