LiveBeijingMusic.com calls itself the “Chinese Capital Reference”, and with a quick glance over the website, it’s easy to see why it’s become the ultimate muso’s voice of authority in Beijing: with a real-time Google gig map, fresh reviews every day and their own weekly mix-tape, it’s a local music blog to be reckoned with.
The site is authored by Will Griffith, a Beijing resident who is truly immersed in the country’s music culture. He has selected some of his favourite contemporary music coming out of Beijing for & Of Other Things – borrowed from writing he has used for his own blog posts, writing contributed to the blogger, journalist, DJ collective Beehive, and some new stuff just for us. He had so much music to offer us that we had to do a two-part curated series. So stay tuned for part two!
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Artist: Residence A
Track: The Love of This Era
Place: Beijing
“One of the Beijing’s most energetic bands has been steadily earning acclaim from just about everyone and it’s easy to see why – catchy, uplifting, melodic, with a guitar chord that keeps giving. The title track off of the bands latest EP ‘The Love Of This Era’ is the perfect introduction to the band’s style, which engages, excites, and plasters a grin across one’s face.”
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Artist: Second Hand Rose
Track: Drop By
Place: Beijing
“Second Hand Rose, one of underground rock’s roaring successes in China, uses humor like a knife in their work. Their single ‘Drop By’ off of their latest album Stealing the Show captures their ridiculous worldview perfectly: influences from all sorts of other genres and countries, their music is so distinctly Chinese and foreign. I’ve never heard anything quite like them before, and the closest Chinese rock is to finding its own identity.”
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Artist: Hanggai
Track: Xiger Xiger
Place: Beijing
“As foreign, exotic and grand as Hanggai’s sound is and will continue to become, even as the Beijing-based Mongolian folk rock outfit skyrockets to stardom here and abroad, when all is said and done, Hanggai’s music connects at an emotional level as evidence in their title track off their EP Visit. Just try not imagining riding full speed ahead on the Mongolian grasslands.”
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Artist: P.K.14
Track: The Red Train
Place: Beijing
“Frontman Yang Haisong is something of a godfather to Beijing’s underground music scene here. Musician, producer, advocate, his influence is far-reaching across the Big Red. P.K. 14 creates post punk opuses, which dig through a web of ideas and themes spread across ferocious yet beautiful compositions. This is the song that put them on the map.”
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Artist: Hedgehog
Track: Blue Daydreaming
Place: Beijing
“One of Beijing’s revered indie acts, Hedgehog is a band that manages to write incredibly catchy songs beneath all the fuzz and noise. Dreamy, offbeat, and with killer drum rhythms, it’s no wonder this is the song that resonates long after with Chinese youth.”
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CAMA’s Eliza Lomas is on a mission to find a huge array of great Asian music, digging through different times, countries and genres, with a regular monthly selection.
