VIDEO: What Happened at 100 Spirits…

Back in April, Lady Lazer Light and her mind-melting projections found their way back to Chengdu on the back of her second residency at Red Gate in Beijing, so Kiwese and friends put on a show at Jah Bar, one of the most legendary dive bars in town – as irie as the name suggests. 百鬼夜行ContinueContinue reading “VIDEO: What Happened at 100 Spirits…”

2017年4月4日|百鬼夜行 100 SPIRITS

100 SPIRITS draws near. In the dark night of Tuesday 4 April, this beastly display of souls will be unleashed!! For one night only, the ancient tomb of Jah Bar will mutate into a crazed crypt crawling with ghosts, as the stage alter is graced by five of Chengdu’s most forward-thinking and innovative live acts.ContinueContinue reading “2017年4月4日|百鬼夜行 100 SPIRITS”

Kiwese on Radio New Zealand

This morning I was interviewed by Jesse Mulligan at Radio New Zealand, you can hear the whole thing here: The Expats: Kristen Ng in Chengdu, China. Though the word “expat” kind of makes me cringe. It brings to mind rich white people who live in private compounds, send their children to expensive international schools and only socialise with otherContinueContinue reading “Kiwese on Radio New Zealand”

Far Out Distant Sounds in New Zealand: Interview with Ricky Maymi

Owing to the wondrous power of the innernette, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Ricky Maymi for a few years now. Known to many as guitarist of the notoriously volatile Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Imajinary Friends, Maymi is also synonymous with the promotion of Chinese indie rock abroad, specifically the Beijing bands that emerged inContinueContinue reading “Far Out Distant Sounds in New Zealand: Interview with Ricky Maymi”

Favourite Releases 2016

The other day, while sunbathing on the lawn of a Melrose flat, my friend and I began thinking about the diminishing human element involved in post-internet music consumption. When I was at high school, I basically lived at Slow Boat Records and Real Groovy – music havens where I’d browse for hours, listen to CD posts, purchase records, get recommendationsContinueContinue reading “Favourite Releases 2016”

Favourite Gigs 2016

Construction and redevelopment has seen Chengdu’s cultural landscape (read: the places we go to drink alcohol and listen to music) change dramatically. But as old places close and new ones emerge, great shows from bands, performers, DJs and collectives continue to entertain and inspire. Along with the loss of Bowie, Prince and George Michael, we lost manyContinueContinue reading “Favourite Gigs 2016”

China’s trip-hop Queen: Interview with Wu Zhuoling

吴卓玲的⾳乐犹如⼀只变⾊⻰,舒适地在斑斓的⾊彩和栖息地间转换。作为⼀名歌⼿和作曲家,她常在烟雾弥漫的咖啡馆和酒吧演出。作为星期三旅⾏的主唱,她习惯把合成器和电⼦舞曲带到任何地⽅,如⾳乐节、livehouse、甚⾄保利中⼼的俱乐部。“⽐如我最初的梦想只是在⼀个摇滚乐队⾥做⿎⼿或者⻉斯⼿,”说到关于她⻓达15年的⾳乐⽣涯“结果被迫做了主唱。”在幕后, 她坚持⾃学直到27岁成为了成功的制作⼈和混⾳师,她制作的作品包括独⽴摇滚乐队荷尔蒙⼩姐的《象》和说唱歌⼿Kafe Hu的《27, The Code of Lucifer》。她现在也将和KUN以及视觉设计师⺩果⼀起组建⼀个“⼩计划”(Tiny Project),准备尝试⼀些跨界⾳乐和视觉⼀体的新艺术形式。卓玲将新的思路与之前较传统的⼈性化表达⽅式融合起来 ,她跨越电⼦和声学世界的创新能⼒源⾃多年的努⼒。 Wu Zhuoling is somewhat of a musical chameleon, comfortably shifting between a range of colours and habitats. As a singer-songwriter, she’s often found in smoky cafés and bars, performing original folk tunes on an acoustic guitar. As leader of trip-hop band Wednesday’s Trip, she’s used toContinueContinue reading “China’s trip-hop Queen: Interview with Wu Zhuoling”

“This is not a performance” : Interview with Joshua C. Love

Photo by 兀鱼横流 在过去十年里参与成都音乐场景的朋友们都会认识爱书华,迷一般的摇滚变色蝴蝶和Dizzy Love的神秘主唱,由长长的棕色长发绺,烟熏的眼线,纹身的胳膊抱着一群自由奔放的小孩子。 对于他的创作合作,包容性和灵性的观点而言,他的音乐产出众所周知,爱书华是一位在舞台上和舞台下散发活力和安静的沉思的人。 Anyone involved in the Chengdu music scene over the past decade will be familiar with Joshua C. Love (爱书华), the enigmatic frontman of prolific psychedelic rock group Proximity Butterfly and current electronic pop trio Dizzy Love, identified by his long brown dreadlocks, smoky eyeliner, armfuls of tattoos and free-spirited children.ContinueContinue reading ““This is not a performance” : Interview with Joshua C. Love”