February 18th, 2010 |
Posted in Editor's Picks by mike
Well that was a nice little rest, wasn’t it? I did almost nothing for the past few days except eat, sleep, and look at fireworks. I also did some drinking. Anyway, vacation is over now and the party must continue! It will be a gradual acceleration for the next week or so though, as YYT remains closed and other happenings are mostly subdued.
Thursday:
Alec Haavik Friction 5-7
It’s been a long time since we’ve mentioned our first Featured Artist here at the Editor’s Picks, but he’s still there at JZ almost every Thursday, refining his special blend of music (largest two components: jazz + rock) and pushing it forward. They are still one of a handful of jazz bands this town with a strong band identity, and are something anyone with an open mind will enjoy. The Illusion Trio, with Chris Trczinski, Oleg Roschin, and me open.
JZ Club, 46 Fuxing Xi Lu near Yongfu Lu
9:00-10:00 Illusion Trio, 10:30-1:30 Friction 5
No cover
Friday:
Shelter Online
The Shelter has a website now. Or will tomorrow. Anyway, it will have a blog, schedule, giveaways, etc. Here’s hoping they do better with that than I do. Everybody knows you must have a party when you put a website up, and the Shelter’s will feature regulars V-Nutz, Drunk Monk, and Deville as well as near-regulars from Void, Sweatshop, Bananas and Antidote. There’s apparently an addition to the soundsystem as well.
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
10:00-late
30 RMB cover
Saturday:
Shimon
The high-profile event of the weekend is the return to Shanghai of an all-time great, Shimon, drum ‘n bassanator. Our own resident drum ‘n bassanators, Sweatshop, will welcome him. He’s been in it since the beginning and put out some of the most famous tracks the genre has seen. Heavy. With support from Apex, Siesta, Viceroy, Abbruzi Spur and JJ MC.
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
10:00-late
50 RMB cover
Zaogao
Well, it’s not Baijiu Robot, but the flyer style is eerily familiar, and the show has Mau Mau and Heatwolves, so…you know what it is. Here’s their own description, just because it’s tasty: “The messiest party this side of the Huangpu returns to Logo Saturday night to make congee out of your senses. Cover yourself while Heatwolves, fresh off the plane from the home of house, spills giant buckets of deep Chicago beats. Hold on to your pants as The Uhhhhh! splashes dangerous sexy electro recklessly. Watch yourself while Adept and Mau Mau wreck the place with jacking techno and fidget. VJ Maculate takes your eyes for a ride. No cover. Dress messy.”
LOgO, 13 Xingfu Lu near Fahuazhen Lu
11:00-late
No cover
Sunday:
Greg Luttrell Band Jam Session
An old favorite of the Sunday pick, because it’s always fun and because there’s not a whole lot of competition on Sundays: the House of Blues and Jazz jam session! Watch the awesome Greg Luttrell band, watch other dudes who come to the jam session, play some yourself, get a discount on drinks because you played, it’s all good! Plus it’s a warm vibe in there.
House of Blues and Jazz, 60 Fuzhou Lu near Sichuan Lu and the Bund
9:30-12:30
No Cover
Monday:
Willow Neilson’s Lightbulb Lives
You might think that this is a live performance of a concept album sequel and goes like this: at the end of the first concept album you thought the evil monster called lightbulb had been killed and the world could rest easy…But no! Lightbulb LIVES!
In fact, the last word is the plural of life, not the third-person singular present tense of the verb to live, and it refers to many lives that are organized around lightbulbs at night in the city of Shanghai, not to one individual lightbulb monster that you thought was dead. Willow is one of the best saxophone players in Shanghai and has broad musical interests (listed in the promotional email are: “Beats from Peru, Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico and modern electronic music are combined with modern jazz compositions, Yunnan folk melodies and sampled sounds of the city of Shanghai”) but hasn’t had a lot of his own shows here, so it should be cool. It will also feature the return to SH of awesome drummer and sometime roommate Alex Ritz, as well as Coco Zhao, Tibetan singer La Mu, Peter Scherr up from Hong Kong to play bass, and Steinar Nickelsen on keys. They’re also playing on Wednesday at YYT, but there’s a cover there and fewer musicians, so catch this one instead.
JZ Club, 46 Fuxing Lu near Yongfu Lu
9:00-12:30
No cover
tags: Abbruzi Spur - Alec Haavik Friction Five - Alex Ritz - Antidote - Apex - Baijiu Robot - Bananas - Coco Zhao - Deville - DJ Adept - Drunk Monk - Greg Luttrell Band - Heatwolves! - House of Blues and Jazz - Illusion Trio - Jane Siesta - JJ MC - JZ - La Mu - LOgO - Mau Mau - Peter Scherr - Shimon - Steinar Nickelsen - Sweatshop - The Shelter - The Uhhh - V-Nutz - Viceroy - VJ Maculate - Willow Neilson - Zaogao
January 14th, 2010 |
Posted in Articles, Editor's Picks by zack
The U.S. is a very boring place. Why? I believe suburbs have become so sprawled out that we have literally lost contact with each other on a physical, interpersonal level. That’s why we Americans invented reality TV: To enter into codependent, voyeuristic relationships with attention whores who would otherwise be insignificant. One supposedly “cool” way to experience this interaction is to participate “ironically”; that is, to delude oneself into believing that this participation is based on some sort of cultural, sociological curiosity, rather than mere titillation and boredom. There’s that way and there’s also the way of believing that what you are seeing is actually reality and that the people are not just acting out their roles (poorly). Can you imagine how contrived every interaction would be if you were being followed around by a camera crew? That’s what no one thinks about. What a farce. One of my favorite pastimes while in the U.S. is to try to figure out which path of distraction is more pathetic (and I have participated in both.) I think right now I have settled on the idea that it’s a tie.
What I’m trying to say is: I might need these Editor’s Picks more than you do. I’m glad to be back and ready to make a splash. Let’s get on with the (reality) show.
Thursday, January 14th
History of DJ Krush Documentary
I’m not necessarily going to recommend that you go to see a movie about DJ Krush inside the sinister lair that is The Shelter. All I’m going to do is relay a quote I have come across from his back-story.
Early into his career as a yakuza underling, Ishi discovered a severed finger wrapped in paper on his desk. Later, after discovering that it had belonged to his best friend, he decided to leave the yakuza and cut ties with the criminal underworld.
A Japanese gangster who decides to leave the life, watches the movie Wild Style, and decides to become an internationally famous DJ. Is that a story you might be interested in?
The Shelter, 10:30
5 Yongfu Lu,
near Fuxing Xi Lu
Free
Boom Boom Tschack ft. Mau Mau and Ben Thriller
How many electro nights can this city sponsor? A google? I think we’re going to find out soon. DJ Mau Mau seemingly has a DJ night every night. This kid’s fingerprints must have fallen off from spinning so much. O, Heatwolves!, where art thou? I think Boom Boom Tschack might be replacing Indie Heart Attack as my favorite recommendation for ruining your Friday morning.
C’s, 9-late
685 Dingxi Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu
Free w/ cheap drinks
Friday, January 15th
Good Jive ft. Duck Fight Goose, Boys Climbing Ropes, et al.
“An organization to promote interesting, fresh, awesome music in Shanghai”? Hmm. Would you be interested in an original overture written for skin flutes? No? Just checking.
YuYinTang, 9 or 10ish, I would guess
1731 Yanan Xi Lu,
near Kaixuan Lu (entry on Kaixuan Lu, behind the Metro Station)
40 RMB
Quality Control pres. DJ Krush
I dare someone to put a wrapped-up pinky on the turntables before the man comes on. I triple-dog-dare you! Just kidding. That would be cruel. Besides, where are you going to get a pinky? They’re not putting times on these gigs anymore. Just show up as late as you possibly can. You’ll still be early and then you can check out the Lab Crew.
The Shelter
5 Yongfu Lu,
near Fuxing Xi Lu
80 RMB
Saturday, January 16th
RockSH.cn pres. Shanghai New Sound
Double Control Where are one of the better new bands I have seen around. They sport precise and energetic post-rock sounds. They also have a lot of hair. Not sure if that sways you in either direction, but just thought I’d add it in. I’m making like the old school Adam West Batman and still have not caught the Joker (another new Shanghai artist on the bill). Wow. That joke was putrid.
After this show, please, support the Shanghai electro dance scene. It’s hurting and needs your help. Whether it’s a dance party based on a concept for a shitty sci-fi movie (Dada), the country France (Bar Rouge), or the word for “terrible” in Mandarin (LOgO), you must get to one and help save this endangered species. You’re our only hope.
Dada
115 Xingfu Lu,
near Fahuazhen Lu
Free
Bar Rouge
7/F, Bund 18,
18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
near Nanjing Dong Lu
Free before 12:30, 100 RMB after
LOgO
13 Xingfu Lu,
near Fahuazhen Lu
Sunday, January 17th
Free
Sunday, January 17th
ZheJiang Bands Showcase
Don’t tell me this clip doesn’t get your motor revved. I don’t know. It’s rough, but it does it for me. I feel like this could be a good, if subdued little show. If you don’t go to this, make sure you stay home and do this.
Items of Interest:
tags: Bar Rouge - Ben Thriller - Boom Boom Tschack - Boys Climbing Ropes - C's Bar - Dada - DJ Krush - DJ Mau Mau - Double Control Where - Duck Fight Goose - Good Jive - Heatwolves! - Jersey Shore - Joker - LOgO - Quality Control - RockSH.cn - The Lab Crew - The Shelter - Wild Style
November 3rd, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by mache
The story goes that there’s an undercover agent from a government
searching for them with orders to block their ears, tie their hands, and confiscate all the baijiu stored in the Robot’s inner cabinets.
The Baijiu Robots are feeling a little dizzy and confused, and the full moon is not helping them at all. So they have done a press release (this one) to explain their situation and inform everyone that this will be their last week performing on Baijiu.
We are full of melancholy as we relate the news: the Baijiu Robots are having their last week as we know them–metallic and on baijiu. Sam Maurey and Ian Louisell just decided that it is time for them to go their own ways.
We want to say thank you to them for all the beautiful crazy fun music they have given us in their short lives, and for the long lasting nights of great dancing under the aura of the great music they brought. We enjoyed very much dancing with them and seeing them grow.
They will go on playing around Shanghai and China, but they are leaving behind this chapter of their lives in Shanghai, and as part of their audience so are we.
We hope they will never stop drinking baijiu–baijiu and layabozi are a sacred mix when it comes to classic Chinese snacks–and that it will never leave their lives.
So we advise you, all you dancers and electro funky groupies of The Robots: this will be an intense week for them so you should catch them at any, or better yet all, of their gigs.
As a way to present your respects to the respected androids, we call on you to bring offerings of baijiu for them so they will never forget their last official week as The Baijiu Robots, but not remember it too clearly either.
You will find them on:
Tuesday, Nov. 3rd
Venue: LOgO
Address: 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu
Entrance: Free
Featuring DJs: Mau Mau, and Adept
Wednesday, Nov 4th
Venue: The Shelter
Address: 5 Yongfu rd., near Fuxing rd.
Entrance: 1o Rmb
Featuring DJs Mau Mau, Heatwolves!, and Slakerton
Friday, Nov. 6th
The Antidote
Venue: Mao Live House
Adress: Huaihai Zhong rd.
Entrance: 60 Rmb
Featuring: DJs Heatwolves! and Mau Mau + all the bands brought to you by The Antidote Live
Saturday, Nov. 7th
The Baijiu Robots Explosion!
Venue: LOgO
Address: 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu
Entrance: 20rmb
Featuring DJs: Mau Mau, Adept, The Uhhh (aka Mr. David Lin), Ben Thriller, and MistaGregz aka Avium
DO NOT FORGET Baijiu Robots fans, let’s get The Robots baijiued!!!
tags: Antidote - Ben Thriller - DJ Adept - DJ Mau Mau - Heatwolves! - LOgO - Mao Livehouse - MistaGregz - Slakerton - The Baijiu Robots - The Shelter - The Uhhh
Shimon
