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The music scene in Kunming is still a work in progress, but many big steps have been taken in the last years to lay the foundation for what should eventually be one of the more vibrant music scenes in China. The 'hardware' for a music scene is coming into place as there are a growing number of venues around the city serving as platforms for performers. At the same time, the 'software' is improving as well, with a growing number of Kunming-based bands - and DJs - performing around town. One of those DJs, Jezz aka Jeremy Elrick, is focusing on further developing his own DJ skills - as well as the Kunming club scene – through a regular series of parties he throws with fellow UK DJ Menace. Jezz recently won a YouTube Ten Minute Mix competition for DJs around the world, earning him a spot for one of his mixes on Ministry of Sound Radio. GoKunming sat down with Jezz to find out more about the direction he sees the Kunming club scene heading: GoKunming: Why are you based in China, and more specifically Kunming? Jezz: "I'm based in China in general as it's a chance to get access to nightclubs and experience that I feel I wouldn't have elsewhere. That's not to say I'm out there blagging, just that the system in the West makes it very difficult for a DJ in limbo between the bedroom and nightclub... China is an ideal training ground. Kunming is, at least in my humble opinion, one of the most exciting cities in China. It is relatively small and the scene is still in its infancy but already there are some great people, the vibe is really positive and I see a lot of potential." GK: With regard to the club scene in Kunming, what do you see as the main advantages and challenges? Jezz: "I love the fact that the scene is small, everyone knows each other and there's a very Bohemian feeling about it all. I can go to a party and at the same table there'll be DJs, VJs, Bar managers, MCs, Party Organisers.... all putting their heads together.... and I love being in a certain place in time where I feel like something positive will emerge." "At the same time I feel like despite all the creativity floating around there are often not enough people out and about to enjoy it all. I would say in Kunming at the moment there are only enough partygoers at any given time for one party, which is a shame as the development of a scene requires more options and more people to appreciate those options." GK: What are your current goals with regard to Kunming and China?
"Uprock, for me at least, was a step in the right direction: a club with music as its most important aspect - as opposed to revenue - has always got to be the basis of a scene and that in itself was a development for Kunming. My own personal goals are simply to develop my skills... I have my own sound which has been well received outside of China but unless you are a Top 10 DJ the majority of the time you are playing music to keep the floor moving... and that takes experience." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Jezz and Menace will bring another of their 'Innocence' series of parties to Uprock tomorrow, May 10. Joining them will be DJ Jeffery the Wind. Music starts at ten, admission is free. Related articles: Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival Uprock aiming to put Kunming on Asia's club circuit Tags: Jezz, live music, Ministry of Sound, Uprock, YouTube
Friday & Saturday: KIA spring drama at TC/G Nordica TC/G Nordica will host Kunming International Academy's spring drama today and tomorrow. The play, 'The Patchwork Girl of Oz' starts at 7:00 both evenings – a donation of 20 yuan/person is suggested. Friday: English movie and discussion at Chicago Coffee Chicago Coffee will host its weekly English movie and discussion at 7pm. Admission is free with any purchase – call 5389288 for movie details. Friday: Vodka bar opening w/DJ Liu Yan Speakeasy Bar is celebrating the opening of its new Tropicana vodka shot bar upstairs with a party featuring DJ Liu Yan and the People's Rhythm Percussion. Saturday: Jezz & Menace at Uprock On Saturday night DJs Jezz and Menace will bring another of their 'Innocence' series of parties to Uprock. Joining them will be DJ Jeffery the Wind. Music starts at ten, admission is free. Saturday: Polish party at The Hump Bar The Hump Bar will be hosting a Polish party on Saturday night, with the party's organizers encouraging all to "dress like a Polish person". According to a flyer for the party, there will be Polish music, vodka and juice, mad dog shots, real Polish culture and Polish girls. The fun starts at 10:00, admission is free. Tags: Chicago Coffee, DJ Liu Yan, Jezz, Kunming International Academy, Menace, Speakeasy, TC/G Nordica, The Hump Bar, Uprock Arguably the Chinese band with the biggest buzz swirling around it at the moment, Subs will bring its raucous brand of garage punk to Kunming on May 21 when they return to the stage at Speakeasy Bar. Based out of Beijing, guitarist Wu Hao, bassist Zhu Lei and drummer Zhang Shun and frequently screaming vocalist Kang Mao are renowned for tight, high-energy shows and their ability to get audiences involved. Subs' Kunming performance is one stop on a west China tour that is taking the band to Chengdu, Guiyang, Lanzhou and even Xining in Qinghai province. After their April 5 performance in Shanghai (see above video for that evening's performance of the song 'The Man'), Shanghaiist couldn't help but gush about the band's live show:
Subs will be joined by opening band Pretty in Punk, formerly known in English as No Answer and still known in Chinese as 打死我也不说 (loose translation: 'Beat me to death and I still won't talk'). The video below is from PiP's first show with new lead singer Bai Cai at last month's Kunming Outdoor Music Festival Tickets to see Subs, Pretty in Punk and a second opening band to be announced are available at Speakeasy Bar for 30 yuan – the first band will take the stage at 9:30. Image: Shanghaiist Related articles: Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival No Answer: Kunming's Riot Grrrls Tags: Kang Mao, No Answer, Pretty in Punk, Shanghaiist, Speakeasy Bar, Subs Olympics drawing nearer, another international event 'postponed'Thursday, 8th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (2)Beijing's popular Midi Festival, originally scheduled to be held May 1-4, was canceled in late April by the city's Public Security Bureau and is reportedly trying to reschedule a time after the Olympics. The music festival was to feature some international acts as well as attract an international audience. Music festivals aren't the only events getting shut down – even anthropologists are being prevented from holding a conference in Kunming that was originally scheduled to take place in July. The International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES), based at Leiden University in the Netherlands, has been notified by the Chinese organizers of the 16th IUAES World Congress that the event, originally scheduled to be held July 15-23, had been postponed. A letter from the China Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (CUAES) posted on the IUAES website gives the official explanation for the decision to postpone the IUAES Congress in Kunming: "…it is very regretful that CUAES has encountered complex difficulties hard to resolve in its preparation work recently, which makes impossible for us to hold the Congress at the time originally planned. "Therefore, we propose to postpone the Congress to a later time, where details are undergoing close discussions and negotiations with IUAES. It is advised that all participants interested in the Congress suspend such efforts as processing visas, reserving hotels or booking tickets, and the like." The Associated Press spoke with Zhang Jijiao, organizer and professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, who gave no reason for the postponement. "We have postponed the July conference, but I am not at liberty to tell you the reason why," he said, adding that more than 6,500 people had registered to attend the event. Related articles: Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival Yunfest 2007 postponed Tags: anthropology, Midi Festival, Olympics, security After its arrival on Saturday in Sanya, Hainan province, the Olympic torch (奥运火炬) has begun its winding path through the Chinese mainland, with Beijing its final destination on August 8. The torch will pass through all of China's administrative regions, including Yunnan from June 7 to June 9, according to a report on Sohu.com. The torch will make three appearances in Yunnan province, winding through the cities of Kunming, Lijiang and Shangri-la. Each city will feature 208 torch carriers, or 624 in total for the province, the Sohu report said, citing the Yunnan Provincial Athletic Bureau. Torchbearers were selected by the provincial government, city governments, China's Olympic committee plus corporate sponsors of the games.
Torchbearers in Yunnan will range in age from 15 to 82 and will include nationally famous policeman Fang Hongxiao (方红霄), singer Zongyongzhuoma (宗庸卓玛) and gold medalist paralympian swimmer Wang Xiaofu (王晓福), pictured above. Meanwhile, the third and final phase of Olympic ticket sales have commenced and will run through Friday. Initial reports suggest that this phase of ticket sales and distribution will be as trying as the previous two, with some purchasers luckier than others. Image: Sina.com Related articles: Kunming protestors vent anger at Carrefour Olympic torch to pass through Yunnan Tags: Fang Hongxiao, Lijiang, Olympic tickets, Olympic torch, Shangri-la, Wang Xiaofu, Yunnan Provincial Athletic Bureau, Zongyongzhuoma Yunnan reports hand, foot and mouth disease outbreakTuesday, 6th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)59 of the reported cases, more than half of the provincial total, were diagnosed in Kunming. Other affected areas include Chuxiong (19 cases), Yuxi (13), Baoshan (12), Dali (5), Honghe (3) and Zhaotong and Lincang, which reported one case each. No deaths have been reported. Although highly contagious among children, HFMD has a low fatality rate and is expected to be contained well before the Olympics. With SARS still in people's minds and the Olympics around the corner, the Chinese government has shown a greater degree of openness and transparency at both the central and local levels than with previous outbreaks. As Jeremy Goldkorn at Danwei puts it: "Despite foreign cable news reports screaming about a 'deadly' virus, the virus is treatable and not that deadly. On the other hand, Xinhua and CCTV have not shied away from reporting about the disease, a welcome change from the days of SARS in 2003, when a disease outbreak was treated as something to be ashamed of and covered up." Related article: Kindergartens to check for hand, foot and mouth disease Tags: Baoshan, children, Chuxiong, Dali, EV71, health, HFMD, Honghe, Lincang, Zhaotong Kunming's new international airport – which upon completion is projected to be China's fourth largest airport – is in search of foreign investment of US$400 million to fund its development, according to a China Knowledge article published on Monday. Restrictions on foreign investment in China's airports were recently relaxed from a limit of 35 percent to 49 percent. The report stated that Macquarie, Goldman Sachs and Singapore's Changi Airport had expressed interest in investing in Kunming's new airport, which is expected to greatly increase the city's access to international destinations via direct flights to Europe, Australia, the Americas and elsewhere in Asia. The airport will be developed by Yunnan Airport Group. The new airport's first two runways are scheduled for completion sometime next year and will be able to handle 25 million passengers yearly, compared to the current capacity of 20 million at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, which will reportedly remain operational until 2010. Related articles: UK's Arup lands Kunming airport deal Kunming to build China's 4th-largest airport Tags: air travel, Changi Airport, Goldman Sachs, Kunming Wujiaba Airport, Macquarie, new airport, travel, Yunnan Airport Group Kindergartens to check for hand, foot and mouth diseaseMonday, 5th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)The HFMD outbreak, caused by the intestinal virus Enterovirus 71, has infected children in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong, with 22 fatalities reported in Anhui and three in Guangdong. No cases of HFMD have been reported in Yunnan or its neighboring regions of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan or Tibet. HFMD is a common and highly contagious disease that generally affects infants and children, with outbreaks typically taking place in nursery schools or Kindergartens. Symptoms include fever, blisters or ulcers around the mouth and rashes on the hands or feet. No vaccine is currently available. HFMD is unrelated to foot-and-mouth disease, which affects livestock. According to Xinhua, the central government has formed an HFMD task force that will focus on containing the disease's spread. Tags: Anhui, EV71, health, HFMD Next 1 2 3 4 ... 66 |
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