China ? - a noise compilation

by lawrence

China ?, an eDogm production

Released by the French net label eDogm, China ? features noise artists from China, Germany, France, Swiss and UK. The Chinese line-up is a mixture of new blood (Shenggy, White) and more established names (LI Jianhong, Torturing Nurse, D!O!D!O!D). All tracks downloadable for free.

From the producer Johann Bourquenez:

I just asked people to send me a track for a noise compilation inspired by China and noise. Then I felt confused with some tracks, because they are not pure harshnoise, so I made a crescendo playlist. The first tracks are still into some electroacoustic experiments, D’incise’s one is a kind of axis, then it turns to harshnoise. The last track is the end of the first concert of White, in Beijing, and it’s the first nice thing I’ve seen while I was in China, in february.




Pic of the Day

by lawrence

Yong / He: Zafka + Chu Zhiyong

(Left to right) CHU Zhiyong (aka 5355), Zafka (ZHANG Anding) & Bai Tian at Waterland Kwanyin, Beijing, July 25, 2006. The Chinese characters seen on laptops compose the title of the new work by A Lower Summer - temporary duo of Chu and Zafka, both member of the Shanghai-origined post-rock band Prague. The characters - Yong in the right and He in the left - are better known as the name of The Lama Temple, or Yonghe Gong, one of the most famous sightseeing spots of Beijing.




Lawrence English’s second China tour (going on right now)

by lawrence

Lawrence English is having his second China tour now, with the first concert just took place in Shenzhen a few hours ago, I didn’t go but I’ll go to the Guangzhou one today.

The full schedule:

17th Shenzhen - Mooka
18th Guangzhou - 136 Cafe Sleeping Wood
19th Foshan - Liang Graden
20th Shanghai - Tanghui Bar
26th Taipei - Boven Records
27th Hong Kong - De-Javu

The relevant news, which some of you may have already learnt from Dickson Dee’s blog:

(email from English)

Also I am working with another curator of Chinese contemporary art in preparing an exhibition of Chinese sound art for 2008, I wondered could you please pass around this information to any artists who may have works to contribute or may wish to be represented in the exhibition.

In 2008 curators Lawrence English and Zoe Butt will be presenting an exhibition of sound art from chinese artists. The exhibition will be a touring one, to be shown in a variety of cities in Australia, New Zealand and other Asian centres. We are currently seeking artists for this exhibition and are hoping that artists can contribute works on cd or for installations send documentation / catalogues / cds etc of the works for consideration. Artists are welcome to meet with Lawrence English when he is in China this august - contact can be made via Dickson Dee / Noise Asia or by sending mail to the address below.

::ROOM40:: LAWRENCE ENGLISH
PO BOX 771 HAMILTON CENTRAL
QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA 4007




Pic of the Day

by lawrence

Junky (left) whipped by an audience during his live performance on NOIShanghai V, Aug 13, 2006.




Randy Yau live video

by lawrence

American-born Chinese sound artist / noise performer Randy H.Y. Yau live at Lipo Lounge, China Town, San Francisco two weeks ago. 7′ 40” video on YouTube.




ForeTaste Cafe is back

by lawrence

Three months after an error at the server end, ForeTaste Cafe - one of the most important online dwellings where serious discussion about avant-gardism and radical culture happen in Chinese language - is now back online.




Wolfenstein: Napoleon’s Kef

by lawrence

Taipei sound artist XIE Zhongqi (Wolfenstein)’s discography recently saw a new item: an unusual “CD + Painting + Novel” release called Napoleon’s Kef. It’s a collboration between Wolfenstein, writer Xi Yue 夕月 and painter Otter. The novel, set in the pre-photography 19th century, is an attempt of constructing an imaginative world in which human beings are deprived of visual sense. Instead of a regular book format, the writer and producer have chosen to print the novel in the CD leaflet, which is designed by Natako in a special multi-fold fashion.

Napoleon's Kef Cover 1 Napoleon's Kef Cover 2

In a post about the release, the Recorderz blog said:

(in translation)

It is our opinion that Wolfenstein should be rated, without any doubt, as the best computer musician in Taiwan. We base this judgement on his boundless listening experience and the sincerity of his restless self-challenging experimental attitude. The latest work Napoleon’s Kef, realized by him and writer Xi Yue, is a piece of evidence of his jaw-dropping progress of sound manipulating and composing in the past few years.

Sample of Napoleon’s Kef can be downloaded here, first chapter of the novel (in Chinese) here.




Duet: Trumpet + Air force / bombs

by lawrence

Just for a Day has a very touching post about a Lebanese trumpet player Mazen Kerbaj, whose reflection on the current clashing between Israel and Lebanon was manifested by a special recording session he did with “the Israeli air force / bombs” on his own balcony:

I recorded two hours of bombs + trumpet from my balcony yesterday night. Some bombs were really close - what kind of mouthpiece do the israeli pilots use to have this sound? The tension you get in your playing is incredible. Now I feel bad to draw or play music while people are burning.

An excerpt of the session can be downloaded here.

According to Just for a Day, Kerbaj is among “the first wave of Middle East free improvisers”. JFAD also offers three downloads of Mr. Kerbaj’s music, I’m replicating the links here, since blogs hosted by Blogger - which is the case of JFAD - are not accessible in mainland China.

Mazen Kerbaj & Franz Hautzinger - Sahel al Bekaa
Mazen Kerbaj & Franz Hautzinger - Abu Tarek
Mazen Kerbaj - Songs for Evan (part 3 & 5)

Kerbaj has his own blog: mazenkerblog.blogspot.com. So yes, those located in mainland China will also need proxy softwares to visit.




NOTCH festival coming soon in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai

by lawrence

There will be a large festival during the National Day (October 1st) “Golden Week” in Beijing, Shanghai & Guangzhou, featuring musicians from Norway and China. Aptly named “NOTCH” (Nordic + Chinese), the festival will feature artists mostly from the two labels Jazzland and Smalltown Supersound. A full list including Chinese language bios is available on the official blog of NOTCH, on which you can also listen to some samples of these artists by clicking the Radio Take 10 logo in the sidebar.

Detailed timetable is still being worked on yet. The event is curated by Steven Yang Lei of Radio Take 10, and is sponsored by the Foreign Ministry of Norway. GNO will keep you updated.




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