With ample amount of fuzz and sultry tales of women out for blood, Basement Queen, the bass and drum duo out of Beijing, relish the tropes of hard rock on their debut Her Revenge. Calling to mind more modern acts in the hard rock revival scene such as Muse and of course, Queens of the Stone Age, the duo, made up of Gu on bass/vocals and Wang Wei on drums,  seem to be having a hell of a good time, adding layer upon layer of fuzz as they bask in their psych-laced twist on stoner and hard rock. Fun, sexy and oozing with a rugged attitude all too rare these days in rock and roll, the band will be swinging through Shanghai this Saturday, March 16th at Harley’s Back Room as part of the latest 8 Hour Rock n’ Roll Club. 

liveCNmusic: Your affinity for hard rock, blues and stoner music goes deep – who are some of your musical heroes? What were you raised on? Can you pinpoint the moment where your life changed musically – a song or moment where your mind was blown and changed forver?

GU:：Like every born-in-the-90s kid in China i grew up listening to Jay Chou & other 2000s mandarin pop. Over the years I have shockingly found many times what a strong influence these C-Pop is to my own writing – especially to the nuances of melody.

But there have been a few turning points that are still so vividly engraved in my memory:

When I was in elementary school I was a nerdy kid who reads newspaper dinner time everyday. One day I saw this full page picture of a pale but gorgeous white guy with the title: Scandals of Michael Jackson, King of Pop. I found out about his actual ethnicity much later after I fell in love with the music. That’s when I started to listen to western music.

I gradually turned to more rock consumption as a teenager, just trying to be a bit different from the mainstream of Eminem-mania in my high school (although i was able to sing most of songs word by word – that really helped my English). From The Beatles, Bon Jovi, Queens, then Guns n’ Roses. I decided to pick up an instrument after listening to Appetite for Destruction on loop for a whole year.

Years later when I was struggling to do a hard rock band without sounding too outdated. My day job required me to help with a fan event on a boat on Huangpu river. I was asked to “play some music and test the speaker”. So I played the album on top of my Spotify home page. That was Villains by Queens of The Stone Age. 30 seconds later I was asked again to “play something else listenable”. But that 30 seconds ended my struggle. I’ve found the sound that hits me hard enough to throw away my les paul guitar and re-learn rock & roll.

liveCNmusic: It took me a while to realize it was just two of you in the band – mainly cause of how full-bodied your sound is. Was being a two-piece always the plan or did it just turn out that way? What kind of freedom does being a two-piece band give you on and off the stage? What are the drawbacks?

GU：Thanks so much for the kind words. There wasn’t a choice back then but I think it comes naturally.

My original idea was to form a 5-piece GNR style 80s hard rock band with me being the rhythm guitarist. It’s easy to find lead guitar, because apparently everyone wants to be Slash. But it’s very difficult to find bass and vocal. 

We had to find a way to practice. While looking for temporary solutions I discovered Royal Blood. At first I wasn’t so crazy about the music, but I was real interested in the gears & how I can use this idea to solve the practice problem, so I started shopping.

While I digged deeper into the history of such set up, I found out that there are actually quite a few 2 piece bands out there, and the research eventually led to me the world of stoner music. Gradually the music started to be influenced by the gears – connecting one string instrument to both low & high end really left no space for big solos. There seemed to be no reason for anything else but the drums. 

Regarding the pros & cons of being a 2 piece, I think at this very moment there aren’t much pros…actually I imagined that we could be a plug in & play, full of raw energy band. But in reality I’m writing like an orchestra but performing with only 2 guys. The complicity and sheer weight of our rig is overwhelming for the travel party. 

But nonetheless I’ve got no intention to add more people, as much as many people suggest me to. I am a loyal worshiper of limitation – freedom is expressed to its extreme when dancing in fetters. 

liveCNmusic: I think too often bands are too tepid or scared to lean into the sleaze and sexiness of this kind of rock and roll. Do you find your self as confident or forward as you come across in your music? What is it about the music you make that’s so irresistible?

GU：Going through my music influences I think one can easily tell that rock music to me is about sexiness and other excessive Hedonism. I simple thought that rock & roll, as the derivative version of blues, should be themed around sex. The whole punk or post punk movement never influenced me. I can only write what I like.

But writing in seriousness surely has its own beauty. As a matter of fact I love 万能青年旅店 to death. After China’s era of poets met its sudden death, people who have something to say retreated to the music scene as a hideout. There aren’t many other forms of expression that are indulged with such freedom.  

It’s only that personally I’ve got nothing to say. I’ve spent my life thus far mostly in Beijing/Shanghai. I’d be a total phony if I’m talking about how life is hard. Also I’m quite literal in my life already, to the extent that the most suitable job for me is probably cult leader. So for the musical part of my life, I simply want to play the kind of music that used to throw me a micro party in my brain, and try my best to provide the same experience to my audience.

While saying nothing sophisticated has become the thing I want to say, I refrain from any unnecessary explanation, including translating or even displaying the lyrics. So most people don’t know what I am talking about.

liveCNmusic:：Speaking of the meaty sound you’ve obtained on your debut – what was the recording process like? What’s the secret to capturing and retaining that perfect fuzz on record? 

GU：Thanks so much! I will try my best not to be too geeky about it:

First of all as a two piece the recording process was absolute hell. Drums were usually done one day per track. Then I proceeded to record the rest 40-60 parts in a song… 

Through the process we have the idea that one sound texture can be used for one song only. That came from the limitations we have: there is only one string instrument and we have to work harder on production so people won’t fall asleep after 2 tracks. I think we have successfully increased it an average of 3-4 tracks before falling asleep.

There were times when we were not happy with the sound and we’ve forced it through for a while, we eventually couldn’t live with the compromise. Then we had to delete couple weeks of work and do over. That was during covid so it took us 1.5 years to finish the recording session….

Shout out to our recording & mixing engineer Li Xuan @ Green Village studio. This guy is one of the rare engineers in China who knows what this kind of music should sound like. And he was patient enough to let us 2 rookies record till we are satisfied.

liveCNmusic: Her Revenge is very much themed around women – often taking the role as a harbinger of doom – bringing its protagonists (or antagonist depending on where you stand) to ruins in one form or another. How much does this trope spill into your real lives?

GU：I’m trying not to elaborate on any literal elements for 2 reasons: 

1. Not saying anything sophisticated as I mentioned above. 

2. My wife gives me hard time every time she hears about those stories behind.

But anyone is free to interpret as they please. It can be a feminism thing if you want ,or male chauvinism. 

One thing I can say is that all the lyrics are based on 10% real life experience + 90% imagination. So when I revealed some of the original idea to my bandmates they had a good laugh.

liveCNmusic: How’s the scene in Beijing doing these days? Any notable changes? What are your go-to spots for inebriation or a wild night on the town? Some other notable bands in the stoner/hard rock/garage world we should keep an eye on – I know Sloom Weep usually has a pretty good ear for this world?

GU: I don’t think I have ever been in the scene…I stay at home all the time and if I need I would just go to a pub & drink by myself.

As for other bands…

In terms of like-minded bands, in Beijing I think Ooz Zoo is pretty dope. They are a guitar & drums duo playing hard ass stoner rock music. Much crazier & rawer than us. 

Vanishing Queen is our besties in Shanghai, they have a more indie twist to it and the aesthetics speaks for itself.

Another non-stoner related band we all like is 迷心. They are doing some very good quality music & I was blown away when I first shared the stage with them.

I would also like to shamelessly promote our alter ego Desert Boogie Dorama (aka D.B.D). D.B.D is formed by me and Wake of Ramblin’ Roze during our depression during Covid. It’s us 2  plus Wake on the guitar. We really free ourselves in D.B.D and made some under-the-influence music.

liveCNmusic: Will this be your first time outside of Beijing? Are you excited to come to Shanghai? Any plans for a tour in the future?

GU: I’m actually Shanghainese. Went to Beijing for college and settled there.

I always have mixed feeling about Shanghai because I don’t think I fit in there. It’s been 10 years since I left and every time I’m back, the metro and many other things have changed. 

But as much as I’m alienated from my hometown, I’ve came to realise that all the key moments of my musical life in the first question happen to have happened in Shanghai. 

Hopefully I can meet some local friends from this coming trip! 

We will be starting out first ever tour in April this year. But unfortunately our budget can’t afford a stop in Shanghai. So if you can’t come to the tour, be sure to catch us this time!

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Hailing from the cultural pressure cooker that is Beijing – nugget records has acted as a lighting rod for the capital’s lively subcultures and indie scene – merging the DIY ethos of underground music with the fuzzy, immersive lo-fi sounds that have been enriching the scene across China. But all good things must come to an end – and nugget records, and its co-founder Dave Carey – whose extensive credits include playing with bands like Nocturnes, lost memory machine, and gilded forest, will be setting sail for Europe next month. But not without one last bash – with the band descending upon NEO Bar in Shanghai on Friday, February 23rd, with a vengeance alongside their bestest friends and fellow Beijing rockers Sphinx of Third Party第三方狮身人面像, and Shanghai’s own Waidiren外地人, returning after a long winter hibernation. I chatted with Dave about his musical adventures here in China over the past decade.

liveCNmusic: So how are you feeling these days? With the exit date getting closer and closer, do you find yourself getting nostalgic, reflective, jaded, surly or sentimental?

Dave：All of the above, to some extent! After being here so long, the idea of it not being home anymore was kind of hard to comprehend, but as the last day looms closer and closer it’s starting to feel real. I remember the ease at which I moved here 9 years ago, it’s definitely a scarier prospect to undertake such a large move with a few more years behind you and a more than a few grey hairs to hide.

liveCNmusic: For those unfamiliar with you – give readers the cliff notes on Dave Carey and his Odyssey here in China?

Dave：Irascible Irishman finds out they also have potatoes in Beijing and decides to emigrate, falls in love with the music scene almost immediately, in no small part thanks to Live China Music (or Live Beijing Music, as it was back in those halcyon days). I started a band called Nocturnes, had some small measure of musical success in the following years, and decided to piss away all my earnings on a cassette tape label and cultural space called nugget.

liveCNmusic: It’s been nine years since we first connected via Facebook – when the band was Palaces…the first of many projects you would become invested in here in China. What were your early experiences like navigating the music scene here in China?

Dave：Wow, I can’t believe you remember that band! So I arrived in 2015, and those days we were just spoiled for choice with venues. DDC opened around the time I arrived, Yugong Yishan was in full swing, the yin-yang alcohol gut punch of Temple and Dada lulled unsuspecting adventurers in for a quick death, and School Bar was the sort of place you could message on a Monday for a show that Friday night. The thing I remember most of all was that feeling of community and acceptance. I was nervous for our first show in School, I had heard some crazy stories, but after our objectively atrocious performance (I didn’t even own a sound card back then), Liu Fei and Liu Hao took me to the bar and we knocked back Jameson for hours while they gave me compliments and advice. I remember the rapt attention that audiences would give my band, and other similarly awful bands (we’re all awful when we first start out after all), attention and support that gave us all the confidence to grow and improve. It really felt like there was a strong local scene of people looking out for each other and trying to do interesting things. It felt like anything could happen.

liveCNmusic:：What was the first big break or moment you felt like you apart of something?

Dave: We had 100 people come to the first Nocturnes’ EP release in School Bar, then less than a year later we had 250 people come to our album launch in Yue Space (where we played with the fantastic Last Goodbye and SNSOS). There was a clear progression, a clear growth that felt exciting, propelled us to keep pushing ourselves to do more. But I think the thing that shocked me the most was when we played in Guangzhou for the first time, in a now-defunct venue called T-Union. During the show I could hear voices from the audience, and I thought for a moment they were just being rude and talking, that they didn’t care very much for us. Suddenly it clicked that they were singing along, people knew the words to our songs, that our songs were important to them. That was a really big moment for our band, to see that we were having an impact, moving people.

liveCNmusic: Nocturnes found an audience pretty quickly in Beijing? What was it about the music that resonated with audiences?

Dave: I think there’s a positive and negative answer. The positive being that I tried from the beginning to make our sound unique and different, we purposefully avoided a drummer until our last album, for example. So it may have been something fresh to people at that point. But there’s also the novelty of a foreign-Chinese duo making music together that may have stuck out to people too.

liveCNmusic: Let’s get into the nitty gritty of nugget records – cause in many ways this is a farewell tour for label? What was the idea or overarching philosophy behind nugget in the beginning? How did it morph over time?

Dave: Nocturnes did a Europe tour where we met a lot of really amazing people doing art just for art’s sake. I realised that we had become a bit commercialised after years of living in China, that everything was about the rat race of making money. We started a cassette tape label supporting local bands to be the exact opposite of that. A grassroots label with no money, but a group of friends willing to come together to create artwork, mix and master everything, shoot videos, organise shows. Overtime it morphed into something a little more professional, because we opened our own space, and the costs increased hugely, but that DIY ethos still persisted, we put everything we made back into the label, never taking a salary in the 4 years we did it, and putting out some really really amazing music in the process.

liveCNmusic: What were some of the highlights of running nugget records? What were some of the obstacles you came across? Any words of wisdom to young kids thinking of starting their own DIY label?

Dave：As a label, definitely the charity tape we did at the start of the pandemic. We sold 650 tapes in less than 15 minutes, raising 27,000rmb for an animal charity that was saving pets who were locked in their homes, their owners stuck outside of the city and unable to return. At the time we were stuck in our own homes in Beijing, feeling useless, and to be able to use indie music to do something so good was really important for us, and the 26 bands who took part too.

Making tapes was another highlight, figuring out the correct processes to do so at the start, refining them, turning those nebulous digital files into a ‘product’ that you could hold in your hands, it was really special when we succeeded with that at first, and continued to be special through the years as we undertook different creative projects for each release.

liveCNmusic: Nugget cafe became a home for a wide berth of cultural eccentricities and creatives. Did you know going into that sort of business it would be an uphill battle in Beijing? What were some of your proudest moments there? What were some of the head-scratching absurdities you came across in terms of regulations, violations and general red tape buffoonery?

Dave：Hmm, I think we went into it naively, full of unrealistic dreams and aspirations, which I think is probably the right thing to do if you’re opening a business in China. It’s going to be insanely difficult, challenging, frustrating, and more. And you need to have that sort of daydreamer manic-pixie-dream-girl-Zooey-Deschanel-over-positive attitude to get through it all. It is near impossible for foreigners to be involved in cultural spaces in the current environment here, you get treated with fear and suspicion and resentment, by the ‘man’. But, on the flip side, your Chinese peers will be so supportive of you, and appreciative that people are coming here from another country to invest their time, money and energy into trying to foster a thriving local art scene. In that sense you feel very accepted and loved, and it makes it all worthwhile. I have no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat, it’s been the most meaningful thing in my entire life.

Our proudest moments would probably include our yearly Cassette Store Day events, where we put on whole weekends of shows (even blowing our budget to get West by West in from Xi’an one year), Nugchella – the music festival we ran for the last two years, first online and then for our final week before the physical store closed, and lastly probably the drag shows we did with Betty D and Velvet. I remember one sold out drag show that had gotten a little rowdy, and a grumpy old police officer had shown up to lay down the law. Our bouncer ran inside to tell us he was on his way down the street and I had to turn around and tell Betty D, who had just changed into a dress featuring two AK-47s strapped to her nipples, to get the fuck back inside the studio and stay there until this was all over.

The officer told everyone to go home, and then left. After about 20 minutes, maybe 25 of the attendees returned to our shop, and we had Betty and Velvet finish their performances, with the volume down. There were tears everywhere, and I think we all realised how important it was to facilitate such amazing art inches under the leather boot of the polizei.

liveCNmusic: Speaking of which – being an expat in the music industry, particularly on stage. You must of dealt with catatonic levels of bullshit. Let it rip……do you think it’s gotten better over your time here? Or did you sense a ceiling above your head every step of the way?

Dave：Hahaha, unfortunately it’s gotten a lot worse in the past few years. I think up to 2018 I never felt a ceiling, we were given the support and space to grow naturally, as more and more fans discovered our band’s music. In the last few years there’s been a lot of… protectionism is a kind way to put it, which stops foreigners from getting past a certain level. The worst thing I experienced, and this happened more than once, was being told the singer and drummer (who were Chinese) could perform on stage but, as I was a foreigner, I would need to stand behind the stage to play guitar, where no one could see me. I complained that this was beyond racist, and the olive branch that was extended to me was being told I could wear a full face mask, so that my foreignness would not be apparent to the audience.

The creation of this new environment is a horrific misstep that I hope the country will someday soon realise it has made. Maybe it already has, with the new visa agreements that have been peppering the news recently. Culture does not, and has not ever, existed in a vacuum. It gets passed around, shared between different peoples, each offering their own addition to our shared cannon of art, music, language, cuisine, expression. To artificially stifle that denies us an important way to communicate across borders and languages and come together as a global family.

liveCNmusic: Speaking of being privy to the ever-shifting dynamics in the music industry, do you feel much changed over the past decade as a whole? What do you reckon comes next? Are you at all hopeful or do you think China will forever be stuck in a musical bubble of its own making?

Dave：I want to be positive, I see the massive impacts Korean and Japanese musicians are having on the world stage, a wave of Asian representation in Hollywood, not just tokenised representation but amazing art coming from voices who have insightful, impactful things to say. Sunkissed indie from Taiwan and Thailand has been picked up by European and American musos (you know I love Phum Viphurit, as an example).

In the midst of that, here sticks out like a sore thumb. I think, or at least hope, that efforts will definitely be made to change that in the next few years, to allow some of the amazing bands that exist here to spread to wider audiences.

We live in a time of upheaval and uncertainty, I don’t know if anyone could predict where the world will be in 5 years’ time. We’ll just have to wait and see!

liveCNmusic: What’s the future for nugget records? (*and more specifically your super duper tape duplicator)

Dave：I’ll be moving to Berlin, where nugget will morph (to steal a word from you) into an online tape store, continuing to champion Chinese indie music and hopefully serve as a cultural bridge there. The super duper (and super fecking heavy, 28kg…) tape duplicator is already packed to make its way there with me. We’ll also continue to use the platform we have in China on WeChat, Weibo, etc, to make our voice heard, whether that’s to promote a new promising artist or just take potshots at those we want to be snarky about, only time will tell.

liveCNmusic: Let’s talk a bit about the tour and gilded forest. How did gilded forest come together? What itch did this project in particular scratch for you? Introduce your other members?

Dave：gilded forest came together strongly against my will, which I think is why it’s worked out so well! Queyue, our singer, originally was meant to come record in the nugget studio with her band, but they broke up days before they were due to come in for the session. We decided that she would continue to record the songs, so as not to waste the time we set aside, and I would add some production, but not play in the band as I already had two projects of my own. The plan was for her to find others to recreate the EP’s sound after.

But, we just got along so damn well that she suckered me into it, and here we are two years later getting ready to move to Europe to continue the band there. I’m loathe to admit my mistakes sometimes, but I’m so glad I was proven wrong about being in gilded forest. Queyue is an amazing lyricist, musician and performer, I’m honoured to be in a band with her. We found Patrick later on, after our first drummer left. The job description was for a beast of a percussionist who could go toe-to-toe with my nascent alcoholism and he knocks it out of the park on both accounts.

I’ve loved every project I’ve been in, and deeply loved the people I’ve done them with too, but this is the sort of band where we’re just really good friends, that hang out outside of our musical endeavours too. I think we put on a really fucking good live show as well, so come along and check it out!

liveCNmusic: Where will you be performing on this farewell tour? And please give us a little introduction to Sphinx who’ll be joining this Friday? Any other surprises in store for audiences?

Dave：Shanghai and Qingdao first, at NEO and Downtown respectively. It’s the first time gilded forest will be playing in those two cities, so we’re really psyched for that. And Beijing last, in a new venue called Museum out in 798, that our friend Melvin (from the band Royal as Purple) is opening.

Sphinx of Third Party are the band that we’ve played alongside most in the last year or so. Their guitarist Wei Peng was the sound engineer for nugget for a time, which is how we met. We toured in the south of China, played in Tianjin together, and did a few shows in Beijing as well. They’re really lovely, hardworking people who, like us, care about having their own signature sound. They’re pretty new on the scene and it’s been a privilege to watch their growth first-hand, as they’ve become a really impressive live act. For the tour, we’ll each be performing a cover of one of the other band’s songs. They’ll be playing our international smash hit, “不眠”, and we’re tackling their Magnum Opus “Sleep in Tokyo”.

We’re also really excited to play with Waidiren in Shanghai! We met the singer, Will, in Chiang Mai during our January tour of South East Asia. And we’ll be playing with a band in Qingdao called Glass Eye, also very much looking forward to that.

liveCNmusic: Parting words for China? Words of wisdom? Glaring omissions? Farewell haiku?

Dave：I owe the people I’ve met here so much, they are amazing, all the more so for the challenges they face in their lives here. Despite all the challenges, I emerge from my 9 years here the better as a result of their acceptance, support, love and friendship. I have endless love for China and I’ll be back before you know it, even if it’s just to stock up on Jingjiu.

The post Interview: Dave Carey (nugget records) first appeared on .

Another year; another onslaught of new releases to comb through. With the indie music scene at a much more fortunate place than say last year, it was clear that 2021 was going to be packed to the gills with new releases from every band and label under the sun. While many labels came out swinging this year, such as Maybe Mars, Ruby Eyes, and Eating Music, I noticed a lot more bands releasing their own music or, at the very least, holding back on releasing their music with some of the bigger names. I’m getting the sense that lots of people are approaching the musical landscape with more perspective – keeping a close eye on how it’s developing and gauging the pros and cons of having a big label backing you. The playing field is far from level, but I do believe bands have a bigger say now than they ever did before. And as some bands proved this year, you don’t need a powerhouse label to sell out a nationwide tour or make a splash.

All of which leads to what? Well, it’s a bit complicated. The network of labels, distributors, and promoters is more saturated and as convoluted as ever. Labels buy labels. Labels start sub-labels. It all gets very ‘A Beautiful Mind’. We see some labels only handling certain aspects of a band’s yield or outsourcing tours to maverick promoters with more pull. If anything 2021 was the year that promoters made a killing and made a name for themselves. But I ramble – let’s try to highlight a few of the releases and labels that stood out to me this year.  

Maybe Mars continued building upon the momentum from last year, dropping much-anticipated releases from some of their staple bands (Backspace, Wu Wei, TOW) in the first half of the year before introducing audiences to their new crop in the second half of the year. And with a lot of new names and singles making their way out, it’s clear they’re rejuvenated. Ruby Eyes has well kept mighty busy this year – with highlights being Hardcore Raver In Tears’ debut and Silent Speech’s double-LP debut – one of this year’s best. 

One of the newest contenders has been bié Records, the Beijing label established by producer Yu Su with former members of Vice China. They have made waves with a slew of releases from some of the scenes most exciting new voices – everything from the esoteric avant pop of Shannxi artist Barbarika to Hangzhou post punk breakthroughs Salty Tomorrow. Like all things Vice-adjacent, their tastemakers through and through – so will be interesting to see what other trends they pick up on in the coming year. Modernsky continues to branch out and diversify their deep catalogue with two more sub-labels TransMiB and Water-Made – it’s still unclear what direction these two labels are heading into – but TransMiB is off to a hell of a start with their releases from Domino Trigger and LST. Keep an eye out for both of them. From the sound of it – Modernsky are signing new bands left and right, so 2022 could be a big one for them. Speaking of which, StreetVoice, the Taiwan-based platform, has been making more and more moves within China, as the two industries slowly become to merge very fludily. 

This was also a very fine year for Shengjian Records. The label seems to have transformed over the past year into the defining go-to-label for indie pop in China- everything from The 尺口MP’s debut to The Bootleg’s debut (how one of my favorite releases of the year was recorded on an iPad is beyond me) is top of the line stuff. They seem to have an eye for building up bands with word-of-mouth and sly marketing – all done with a deft personable touch. 

On the DIY front, one label I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more from in 2022 is Freedom Heron Records 自由之鹭唱片, based out of Xiamen. Fueled by some of the punks scenes most steadfast members, there seems to be a real grassroots effort to their output, which included everything from Nanning post rock newcomers Jianxisheng and Changsha torch bearers CSBQ. 

On a smaller scale, Letter Records, had a fruitful year – for the most part focusing on an array of sexy 7” records. And keeping with their diehard DIY ethos, Qiii Snacks continues putting out some of the years most offbeat releases, as well as expanding their oeuvre further into China’s neighboring territories. And lest not forget the true blood DIY purveyors out there – Pest Productions and Dying Arts Recordings – who have had their grubby little fingers on the pulse of the metal and punk scene for quite some time. Not a month goes by without them dropping something (for some of the most brutal underground punk releases check out Naonaosi and Stick Xiaoming Again And Again 反复攻击小明).

As for China’s more esoteric tastemakers – WV Scorcher, and to a lesser extent Old Heaven Books, have become renowned labels outside of China for their finely curated releases from the experimental and world music scenes’ most cutting-edge artists. Pitchfork-worthy write-ups – gasp! From concept to production to packaging – not one aspect goes unnoticed in their releases – making their bandcamp pages a true delight for people who still indulge in physical releases. 

On the electronic front, Eating Music continued to strut their stuff – with a handful of buoyant innovative releases that showcases the elastic stylings of the label – that minddexx release is my ambient moodsetter of the year. Meanwhile, the established globally-recognized labels like Genome 6.66Mbp and SVBKVLT continued to shake it up adding more international acts to their roster. Mintone out of Chengdu kept it breezy, and Sound Blanc quietly released swarms of ambient-based soundtracks to fill the void of existential dread in our lives . 

Of course, there are countless others – Space Circle released one of my favourite albums – Little Wizard III – this year. Budding Beijing labels like VIBEZ and Cold Neo dropped some of this year’s best surprises – Dalian’s Floating in the Mist and the prog rock fever dream that is Dreaming Julie. And plenty of other bands put in the work themselves – most notably Dirty Finger’s mammoth sophomore release. 

All in all – a pretty damn year for music releases. Here are my favorites albums of the year – I suppose you could break them up into three separate tiers. But really, they’ve all gravy in my book. Click on each album for links and full review. 

THE BOOTLEGS 靴腿 – 幽灵的回访

Backspace 退格 – Ants Corrupt Elephant 群蚁蚀象

Silent Speech 沉默演讲 – Law of Instability不稳定的规律/Orderly Chaos有序混沌

Little Wizard 小巫师 – Little Wizard III

Dirty Fingers 脏手指 – Planet Dominica Vivavilli 多米力高威威维利星

j-fever 小老虎, Eddie Beatz, Zhou Shijue 周士爵 – 心愈频率

Fayzz – Connection

mindexxx – A Bleary Elapse 回忆模糊推演

Salty Tomorrow 明天的盐 – 明天的盐

Flip House – Sleep Somewhere Else

Floating in the Mist 悬在雾中 – 失败博物馆

Omnipotent Youth Society 万能青年旅店 – Inside the Cable Temple 冀西南林路行

Sadkids Club – Destroy Myself 100 Times

Sleeping Dogs x nehcetep – Petedogs

Shanghai Qiutian 上海秋天 – Home：Revolution 家:革命

Guzz – Seven Days and Twelve Nights 七天十二夜

Wu Tiao Ren 五条人 – Live Fish Upstream, Dead Fish Drift Downstream 活鱼逆流而上，死鱼随波逐流/Half True, Half False 一半真情流露，一半靠表演

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Dreaming Julie 发梦茱莉 – Dreaming Julie 发梦茱莉

Early Park 鳄梨帕克 – 晚安 魔力岛

Qunxiang 群像 – Dim Party 低迷聚会

The Molds – MT.KOOLMOON 酷月山

Naohai 闹海 – The Crowd 乌合之众

Jo’s Moving Day 乔迁日 – Itinerary 航行指南

Brain Failure 脑浊 – 滚蛋吧，2020

Hardcore Raver in Tears 白纸扇 – The Survivors Club 幸存者俱乐部

Domino Trigger 推骨牌的人 – Facades

Dashengun 大神棍 – People’s Artist 人民艺术家

C.S.B.Q – 未来的宝藏

Bad Sweetheart – Bye Bye That’s All 今天就到这

Aming Liang 阿鸣 – MIDORI

The post 2021 BEST ALBUMS first appeared on .

Too many gigs, too little time…

My days of going out on the weekend are numbered. Simple truth. Between trying to keep my body in one piece, raise a newborn daughter, and find a more profitable, less physically exhausting hobby – I give myself another year max. And in typical passive-aggressive fashion, I’ve vowed to get in as many shows as possible till that day arrives. Do I dare count the number of shows I’ve been to this year? All I know is I’m ending the year with the back pain of a 60-year old man, a busted camera, and mountains of student debt. But damn, those were some kick-ass gigs. 

Here are some of the best gigs of the year.

2021 Post-Shanghai 摇 (Yuyintang Park 2021.01.30)

My ears have been finding their way into post-rock more and more this year – partially due to my need to block out the dissonance in my life and partially because of how much richer the scene is these days, twisting itself in new directions, subverting everything we thought we knew about the genre. The Post-Shanghai showcase back in January was a hell of an intro to Shanghai’s robust post rock scene, particularly in An Corporation’s baroque and inspired take on instrumental music and in the refined emotional gravitas of Appendix – I still will listen to their live set on bilibili time to time. 

Hades Temple Fair 冥府庙会 (9 Club 酒球会 2021.02.16)

PublicNoise, who took some of the seasonal rituals of Chinese New Year – mainly those of temple fairs and currying favor with the deities – and twisted it in on itself, turned 9 Club in Hangzhou into a netherworld fair to pay tribute to Hades. Complete with fortune tellers, NPC costumed characters, ghoulish shots, and blanketing the entire venue in a blanket of darkness, spirits roamed the space looking for guidance every which way – but mainly through the psychedelic treats that manifested on stage. It was also the first time I became truly enthralled by the psych wave riders Khunathi, who have proven themselves again and again to one of Shanghai’s most kickass bands. 

Frankfurt Helmet 法兰克福头盔 (Modernsky Lab 2021.03.06)

Didn’t take long but cool-hued IDM architects Frankfurt Helmet, who relocated to Shanghai from Wuhan last year, have become one of the electronic’s scenes most exciting acts. While their music is grand on its own – stirring and ambient-filled at moments, kinetic and glitched out the next – it’s the duo’s welcoming of visual artists to enter their world that has made them stand out from the rest. No place was this better demonstrated than last March where I sat in awe as visual artist 膨胀螺丝, who utilized some sort of facial recognition/motion sensor app on his phone to manipulate the awe-inspiring images on the screen – from facemask troops overtaking an urban center to a face-melting mashup of emojis and faces. A perfect marriage of music and visuals.

Canton Power 唔係玩玩 (Mao Livehouse 上海 2021.3.20) 

Face me on stages ain’t exactly a new concept – they’ve been floating around in one conception or another for years now. But when done right – with the right bands, the right crowds, and the right presentation – it’s the best. I think a lot of what goes into the alchemy of a successful face-off is the banter and comradery of who’s performing. And A.J of Haze Sounds knew exactly who to tap – with Hoo! and YouCeHeiLu 右侧合流 from Guangdong going up against Loft Beach and Shanghai Qiutian. Everyone was having a rollicking good time, cheering each other on, mimicking each other’s instrumentation (you never know when you’ll need a cover for a future date) and even teaming up Morphin Power Ranger style for an epic (and most definitely saucy) jam. Sitting on the stage, beer in hand, watching all this unfold – was a treat. 

Zuho x Wonton Bureau 馄饨局 (ALL 2021.03.24)

Hosting events at ALL Club with the Wanton Bureau gang was one of this year’s best experiences – an excuse to bend and twist the concept of club music and give the floor to acts that you’d typically not find within the walls of ALL. However, the moment that will forver be engrained in me is when I snunk out on the day my daughter was born – a forty-minute stopover between my home and the hospital – and hid in the back of ALL, in a state of shock as Zuho performed. One of the most surreal, moving, and dare I say, transcendent moments in my entire life. The music is already soul-crushingly beautiful on its own but tangled up with the emotions at hand and my physical and mental state at the time, it floored me.

Salty Tomorrow 明天的盐 (Yuyintang Park 04.04/09.21)

It was heartening to see how much the Hangzhou band has grown in just over a year. I talked about them plenty last year but seeing them play Yuyintang Park like a fiddle twice (three times if you count their Joy Division Halloween set) was some of the most fun I’ve had dancing. There’s something ecstatic and exuberant about their mix of post punk unease and pensive indie rock. Never too sweet, never too sour – its pop sensibilities only refine and sharpen its off-kilter and momentum-building arrangements – allowing the songs to swell into a whirlpool of catharsis.

Deadly Cradle Death  (44KW 2021.05.20)

Only took three years but I finally got my wish of seeing Deadly Cradle Death in a club. I’m been clamouring for the Beijing duo to keep the club treatment for three years now and seeing them pop up on bills in places like Zhaodai in Beijing over the last year gave me hope my day was near. And glorious it was. The claustrophobic crowd was a marriage made in dream fever hell, and with 44KW’s robust sound system – it was pure manic energy spilling over everywhere. My friend looking on in fear – shocked that this could ever be considered music – was the cherry on top. 

Dirty Fingers 脏手指 (Bandai Namco万代南梦宫 2021.06.01)

Dirty Fingers giving an unplugged orchestral version of their new LP Planet Dominico Vivavilli – turning Bandai Namco into jazz lounge club – and having a couple of mercenary musicians (including Pz of Railway Suicide Club) fill out the band’s grander sound. With accordion, conga, violin, piano, keyboard decking out the floor and band members jumping around like a game of musical chairs, it was a blast to see how they gave a fresh lease to each of the tracks – twisting and contorting their songs while retaining their core dynamism – and in many ways, capturing the sound on record more accurately than their live electric sets could ever.

Howie Lee x Teom Chen (VAS 2021.06.26)

A multi-faceted performance of boundless musical creativity and technological ingenuity – a feast for both the eyes and ears – the Howie Lee and Teom Chen team up – an aerobatic, full-bodied interactive live performance was unlike anything I’ve witnessed. So much, it was hard at times to keep up with the elaborate layers at play – from the real-time visual puppetry (quite literally in one track) to the Tai Chi battle between the two advisories whose actions were translated into the awe-inducing theremin-like applications. Truly cutting-edge stuff that Elon Musk would fap to. 

Jimmy Jack Farewell (Yuyintang 2021.06.26)

Shanghai paid its respects to the man, the myth, the legend, Jimmy Jack – Round Eye’s boy toy drummer of nine years – earlier this summer, giving Jimmy a send-off to remember. Friends and family were up to the task turning the venue into a madhouse, as bodies were tossed about like rag dolls, crowds bum-rushed the stage, instruments made their way onto the dance floor, and secret guests appearances were aplenty. Saliva was shared way too much, drum kits were coming undone, and tears were definitely shed (if the farewell compilation didn’t get you misty-eyed in the slightest you are truly a sociopath). 

White Ink 白墨水 (NEO Bar 2021.07.02)

Snarky, playful, and scrappy, it was a pleasure to get to know the young emboldened White Ink over the past year as they waited to be allowed back into the United States for university. The band – who sports a twisty alt punk sound that’s recklessly and gleefully packed to the gills with everything from California funk rock to brooding indie rock, are as DIY as they come – passionate about the music they’re making. That passion sometimes spills into spite as was the case at Neo Bar when a table of uninterested college students loudly played their game of die whilst the band performed. In perfect punk fashion, the singer got on their table mid-song singing directly at them, contempt in his eyes yet never missing a beat in the song. It was a perfect capsulation of the band’s earnest yet sharp wit – and the kind of spunk that only comes with adolescence. 

Dizang地藏 Club Experience (ELEVATOR 04.16/C’s 06.19/ALL 07.21)

Ksitigarbha continues to surprise me, being one of the only bands in town who never repeats the same set. Seriously, how many bands can just take their psych prog rock sound and twist it into a trance-inducing club set? Not many. And it’s this shape-shifting nature of the band that allows them to grow and evolve. Watching them stretch out their arms (and sound) in ELEVATOR and ALL was some of the most fun I’ve had in clubs this past year. And watching crowds shake loose around then at C’s Bar, with some even joining in on the fun, was probably the closest I’ll get to a Burning Man Festival. Simply put, these cats put out good vibes. 

Kenja Time, Nouvelle, Naohai 闹海, JieChi 戒尺 (Yuyintang 2021.07.11)

Yuyintang is the heart and soul of the Shanghai music scene – a place I find myself popping into even when I’m not sure what’s happening. It’s friendly, comforting, and feels like home. Too many good nights to recall (or have buried deep in y subconscious) but one chaotic evening I find myself racing across the city, paranoid and guilt-ridden after an ill-fated encounter with another vehicle. Ditching share-bikes, switching up my attire, and taking detours through parks (where I witnessed a cat get ambushed by two blood-hungry dogs) – it had the makings of a nightmare. But then I entered Yuyintang and the weight was lifted. The music was top-notch that night – particularly Naohai and Kenja Time – but it was Yuyintang that was there for me. 

Backspace退格  x Lonely Leary孤独的利里 (2021) 

Two of my favorite Beijing bands – Backspace and Lonely Leary – two bands I’ve been following since day one – had breakthrough years here in China, becoming bands that could not only hold their own on the big stage but could throw the crowd into a frenzy. It’s not only heartening to see such an elated response to their music, but to see the band attack their music with such manic fervor, it’s clear they’re only getting started. Catching Backspace at Modern Sky as they wound up audiences with their playful grooves and Lonely Leary just about everywhere, throwing audiences on a knifes edge with almost sadistic pleasure. They deserve all the accolades this year. 

mindexxx (ELEVATOR 2021.08.08)

I’ve realized that Eating Music is filling that DIY void in my life since I left Beijing (along with my own cassette label Nasty Wizard Recordings I operated with two friends). There’s very much a homegrown quality to their output that never feels beholden to anyone other than their own tastes and eccentricities. One of my favorite releases has been Wuhan-based electronic musician mindexxx’s A Bleary Elapse, which seemed to find that beautiful intersection between classical and electronica with acoustic instruments (such as piano and clarinet) weaving in and out of grainy samples, buoyant blips and engulfing modular synthesizers. And to catch the artist live in ELEVATOR on a Sunday afternoon on a couch with candles dimly lighting the room – bliss! 

Yunjing云镜 (Yuyintang 2021.08.13)

With a sound that evokes everything from 70s psych rock to Seattle-era grunge rock at its most combustible, there’s a primitive almost animalistic charisma to their brand of punk rock that’s loaded with sardonic wit, high-wire energy, and old school rock and roll magnetism…or better yet, reckless abandon with a set that tipped into blind debauchery ending with its frontman collapsed on the floor crawling his way back to civilization. Good work fireballs. 

KAOS at C’s (2021)

It’s been a hoot popping into C’s throughout 2021 for the monthly series – ‘a neon-smear collage of DIY art, thrifty attire, sweaty rock and rock, and regretful tattoo decision-making’. There’s something both endearing and radical about the convergence of Shanghai’s offbeat subcultures, sharing with the people their strange little obsession. No judgement, no gimmicks – and always a hell of a good time with musical lineups full of surprises.  Their birthday was a particular highlight with An Corporation squeezing between sweaty patrons to give a whirlwind performance and Rat King turning the floor into a war zone as my body became a rag doll for the masses to have their way with. KAOS reigns supreme.

Little Wizard 小巫师 (Yuyintang 2021.09.05)

Canvassing from math rock theatrics to psychedelic rock conjuring – Little Wizard seems to relish switching gears every few minutes – often times within a song itself, pulling out the rug from underneath just to reveal a surprising jangle-filled epilogue or a minute long meltdown. An exhilarating kaleidoscope of instrumental rock and roll that left nothing on the floor (except for a broken glass or two) – leaving audiences with a full spread of concise, chiselled and loaded tracks that ignite as soon as they leave the stage. 

Wu Zhuoling 吴卓玲 (Heim 2021.09.10)

I don’t go to clubs too often anymore (fatherhood will do that to a man) but I did go out of my ways a couple times to catch acts I knew I’d enjoy. Case in point – being floored by Chengdu based Wu Zhuoling in Heim, whose cosmic electronica wavers between rich, delicate melodies and multi-layered dance rhythms, whilst combining modular synth sounds with ethereal vocals. So good that a few months later I ran over to SYSTEM to do it all over again. 

8 Hour Rock n Roll Club 八小时摇滚俱乐部 (Happy Potion 2021.09.19)

8 Hour Rock n Roll Club took over Happy Potion – a tiny alcove at the bottom of a massive apartment complex and just hidden enough away from the hustle and bustle of the Main Street – for an unplugged punk fest complete with fist-pumping anthems, debauched sing-a-longs, free-flow craft beer, and yours truly scrambling together a DJ set. Music came courtesy of a ragtag group of musicians from the various punk scenes around the area. Low-key yet boundless in the enthusiasm brought by everyone involved, it was a joyous, surly occasion. The true theme to emerge from the evening was that of finding your ‘home’ away from home – a place cut off from the pressures and soul-crushing routine of city life, as we each try to find that balance between living and surviving. The punk scene and in particular the 8 Hour Rock Fest has become a place of solace for the misfits of society. And a place I’ll be gladly head to again and again. 

JiMaoXin鸡毛信 (LoopyLive 2021.09.20)

It’s not often I go into a gig completely unaware of what I’m about to see. And not for lack of trying – what scant info I could drudge up simply left too much to the imagination. So when I heard the Jimaoxin 鸡毛信 kicking off from below, little did I know I was gonna step into perhaps my favorite live act of the year. Leaning into the cosmic and jazz-heavy end of the psychedelic genre – with an almost irrelevant madcap edge to their formation – JiMaoXin 鸡毛信 are essentially a multi-faceted jam band who got bored of being likely lounge room mercenaries and started honing their skills into something more orchestrated, sonically ambiguous, and indefinitely more fun. Its quirks and instrumental intricacies barely disguise the melodic pop sensibilities that makes one wonder if Jimaoxin could have been a hit Japanese band from the late 70s. Yeah – it was a wavelength that I fell right in line with – and combined with the element of surprise – has rendered their set one of my favorites of the year. 

AIRSFX x Zilu 子路 (2021)

Punk is alive and well in Shanghai – look no further than AIRSFX and Zilu – two bands who embody the anarchic spirit that this city almost seems incapable of anymore. Toeing the line between boozy arousal and pointed aggression, I could watch these two bands self-destruct gloriously on repeat. American flag jumpsuits, glittered blue spandex that leaves little to the imagination – they encapsulate different corners of punk rock, with AIRSFX chasing the dragon of no wave inflected street punk with reckless abandon and a penchant for bodily fluids. Meanwhile, Zilu seems like a descendent of Top Floor Circus, with a sneaking bleeding sentimentality lurking underneath its cockeyed tongue-in-cheek mashup of punk, grunge, and pop balladry. 

Sadkids Club ((Portal 2021.10.10)

The phrase ‘Sad bitch moment’ will forever be with me thanks to my jaunt to Guangzhou over the Golden Week. It’s hard to describe Sadkids Club’s act – endearingly self-deprecating yet strangely affectionate, with some slick lo-fi production lurking underneath the surface. The performance held at Portal, the new distro/art space/studio from some of the faces behind Qiii Snacks Records, EGGs, and Vinyl House Cafe, was akin to a post-breakup confessional KTV breakdown. A sad bitch moment that will live on in eternity. 

Shanghai Qiutian X SLATE (Fortune Theater 2021.11.28)

Shanghai Qiutian – whose invigorating, sweeping, and playfully affecting math rock arrangements have enraptured fans for years, have had a hell of a year thus far, one that kicked off with the release of their double LP release Home: Revolution. The band, known for their open-hearted melodies and unmatched live performances, stepped it up this year as they invited multi-national contemporary dance troupe SLATE and string quartet Senza Quartet to reinterpret their debut release with a special theater show at Fortune Theater. I wasn’t sure what to expect, to be honest, but I was game. And as soon as those curtains opened I knew I was in for a treat – invoking both the set-morphing fun of Stop Making Sense, the simplistic aesthetic pleasures of the music video medium, and the interpretative contemporary dance stylings of SLATE the show was both a feast for the eyes and the ears.

COOKIES系列 (SYSTEM 系统 2021.12.9)

In my opinion SYSTEM, the new livehouse/club/art space/theater space – located on Middle Huaihai Road, still has a few tweaks to work out – most revolving around sound. Growing pains. Nevertheless, I love a lot about the venue mainly its commitment to forging new ground and offering a home to some of the scene’s more offbeat characters. Case in point – COOKIES – the new weekday series hosting experimental, improvisational, and then some. It’s everything I love about experimental shows wrapped in a warm blanket of discovery. Besides getting my yearly vaccination of Torturing Nurse (a must for everyone) I was also floored by Dong Yifan – particularly for his masterful performance on the flute and saxophone – and for simultaneously throat singing and playing the flute.  

Yu Ren 与人 (Modernsky Lab 2021.12.17)

Where have you been all my life Yu Ren? A pointed, cunning and delightful comedy rock troupe that’s been around for two decades (good luck finding their music on streaming sites) I was flabbergasted I had never heard of the band – despite their cult status. The crowd was alit with some patrons unable to even handle their giddiness and receiving the scorn of security. A cock-eyed blend of Quyi and campus rock, there’s something subversive about how the band packs so much into their tracks – embodying their roles and attacking each song with mischievous precision. Most of all though, it simply rocks – plastering a shit-eating grin on my face from moment one.

One more round 2022?

– Will

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