#yaogun

[theworldunderground]

“Welcome to the center of the universe”, slurred an excited man into my lens, about Gebi Bar, in Yiwu. He had a lot to say over the noise of the place. I hope it's audible. Gebi is an old temple in the mountains, partially demolished during the Cultural Revolution. Ten years ago, they rented and rebuilt it to be what it is today. A space people don't leave when the gig is over. Where you can make friends. Much of the original foundations remain. It's an outstanding place to see a show, and perfect to shoot in. They've had issues, but like many others, they “close when there's problems, and open when they've passed.” P.K.14 teared it apart, and I filmed while laughing, as what I'm doing finally set in. The endless rain cleared as they finished, and as far as this man's claim goes, he has no idea how right on he was. Tonight: Wenzhou. #PK14 #yiwu #gebibar #china #yaogun (at Yiwu, Zhejiang, China)

[alternativechina-blog]

Gate to Otherside “Northern Memories (无)”

Introducing: Gate to Otherside, the latest trio of skinny rock’n’rollers to come crawling from the depths of Beijing’s yaogun underground. Fans of older C-indie torchbearers like Carsick Cars and The Gar will find a lot to like here, as will anyone who’s dug on Gate label-mates Chui Wan and Birdstriking — there’s a fair amount of member overlap and style-bleed among all of the above. Gate to Otherside has been gigging around the city’s numerous dives since late 2014 and is now preparing to put forward its debut album, Dragon Bus Terminal, as the latest strain of a particular “Beijing sound” that’s been developing over the last decade or so: one part jangling proto-punk, one part robotic Mancunian rhythmic propulsion, one part noise guitar freakout, and several parts burnout come-down.

[theworldunderground]

Four years I've been waiting, to say this again. My next project will be once more going on tour with Beijing's legendary P.K.14. I'll follow for 8 shows, in eight cities. I'll begin in the Northeast on June 12th, in Ningbo, and hug the coast with them down to Guangdong province, ending near Hong Kong. P.K.14 will comprise half of their set with new material from a record they hope to finish later this year. They'll also have a secret fifth member. Photos and stories are a given, but I'll also be filming. I'll try my hand at making an experimental film from the tour. Honestly, I've waited the last few months for an e-mail telling me that this is no longer happening. It didn't come. Full details and beautiful posters for each of the 14 shows are at the Douban link in the comments below. Just a few weeks now. Unreal. Cheers. #hefei #nanjing #shanghai #hangzhou #ningbo #yiwu #wenzhou #quanzhou #xiamen #guangzhou #shenzhen #macau #beijing #pk14 #yaogun #music (at Ice And Snow World - Harbin)

[alternativechina-blog]

SEARCHING FOR THE “CHINESE” IN CHINESE ROCK MUSIC

Chinese rock music – yaogun yinyue – has a history of roughly thirty years. When Chinese rock was first approached by Western scholars in the early 1990s, the research was almost solely concentrated on the political aspect of the rock scene. Some ten years ago, Chinese rock began to attract an ever growing number of Western scholars, reporters and documentary film makers, many of whom still sang in unison about the astonishment of the fact that such a thing as rock ‘n’ roll actually exists in communist China. Eventually, more varying melodies began to be heard, as many were willing to dig a bit deeper and climb a bit higher looking for the roots and branches of yaogun’s past and present.

[theworldunderground]

Sijiang - Hiperson (海朋森) 💃🏻 #china #chengdu #yaogun (at Yugong Yishan)

[theworldunderground]

Tonight at the new Rozz-TOX in Shenyang, China! 🤘 @rozztox_qc @rozztox_gz #punk #shenyang #yaogun (at Harbin West Railway Station)

[theworldunderground]

You may remember a story a few months back, about a man with a relatively secret basement brewery, called Wan Pi Bar. He said he wasn't happy with his current location, was about to finish and open a larger spot where his vision could shine. That he also wanted to have shows. Well...it just opened, and damn, it's beautiful. Tucked away in a warehouse in a dark, lifeless, and most importantly, house-less area of the Xue Fu district. It's huge. Tons of space outside. A proper tank room. A stage, literally made out of stone. This is the perfect compliment to what's lacking here in Harbin. The man is open to all the things we want to do. Dare I say, it's perfect. We're trying to get a test show of local bands together in August. Let's see what else we can cook up, Dongbei. ✊#harbin #china #yaogun #secret #brewery (at Ice And Snow World - Harbin)

[theworldunderground]

Quanzhou. It's been a while since I've taken a fast train in China. They're extremely comfortable. I set up shop in the food car, and nearly two dozen people fill in around me as I work. Always fun. More striking mountainous landscapes from Fujian province, as dozens of temples, and churches fly by. More pouring rain. Our venue is called the Animal World Music Commune. Just a small bar, but strangely fitting as the area is filled with sculptures like Batman riding a bike with Ronald McDonald. Super weird. The owner feeds us great food all night. Excellent hosts. The openers, Rejian Bei Shashou, noisey shoegaze. Refreshing. They came from Xiamen, which is our next city. Today, an easy one hour drive. #PK14 #quanzhou #china #music #yaogun (at Fujian)