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Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music FestivalMonday, 21st April 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (5)
The second installment of the Kunming Outdoor Music Festival took place over the weekend in Taiping Town outside of Kunming - this time featuring two days of music from bands based in Kunming and Dali. This edition of the festival attracted around 600 people and featured a greater variety of performers than the last - plus perfect weather for taking in music under the stars. Many of the performers from the first edition of the festival last November made it back to perform on Friday and Saturday nights, including organizers Gouride (狗日的), Tribal Moons, Heiyu (黑宇), and No Answer (打死我也不说). No Answer, whose Chinese name means 'beat me to death and I still won't talk', was arguably the most improved band since the last festival – owing primarily to the addition of vocalist Bai Cai, whose energetic stage presence was able to get the audience more involved than at the band's previous shows （see above image). Drummer Yang Yang also put in a solid performance, confirming her status as one of the more talented young drummers in the Kunming music scene. Perhaps the biggest surprise at the festival was the opening night performance by the rock/reggae hybrid Made in Dali, who were the consensus favorite among people who attended the festival both evenings. There was a sizeable military presence at the festival, with dozens of (officially) off-duty soldiers checking out the variety of musical offerings under a nearly full moon. On Saturday night during an 11 pm set by Co Op Sol (邪作社), formerly known as Rap Republic, two military personnel carriers drove into the festival, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Some of the audience was slightly confused when a few dozen soldiers quickly assembled at the rear of the seating area. Things quickly returned to normal, however, after it became apparent that the soldiers seemed more interested in watching the show than interrupting...好玩嘎！ Photo: Aaron Bono Related Article: Kunming Outdoor Music Festival returns this month Tags: Co Op Sol, Gouride, Kunming Outdoor Music Festival, live music, Made in Dali, No Answer, Rap Republic, soldiers, Taiping Town, 打死我也不说, 邪作社 Kunming Outdoor Music Festival returns this monthMonday, 7th April 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
With the success of the first Kunming Outdoor Music Festival (昆明露天音乐节) last November, the event's organizers are bringing the all-day – and most of the night – music festival back to Taiping Town outside of Kunming on April 19. The all-local festival should be even more diverse than last time, with bands performing punk, blues, metal, hiphop, punk and bluegrass. The lineup for this edition of the festival includes Heiyu (黑宇), Gouride (狗日的), Broken String (断弦), Endless Torture (无尽折磨), Noise Addiction, No Answer (打死我也不说), Brain Concussion (脑震荡), Co Op Sol (邪作社 – formerly known as Rap Republic), Kouxian (扣弦), Chicken Butt (鸡屁股), Tribal Moons (see above image), Chaling (叉灵), Fang Band (坊乐队), The Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project and Nicole. The festival starts at noon and will go late into the night – festivalgoers are encouraged to bring tents to stay on the campground overnight. Food and drinks will also be on sale throughout the day and evening. Tickets for the festival are 30 yuan at the gate, or 20 yuan if purchased in advance at The Hump Bar, Halfway House, Speakeasy Bar or Laowo Bar. The festival will once again be held at the Wumozhai Jiuzhuang Eco-garden on Xiao Jie in Taiping Town (太平镇小街无墨斋酒庄生态元), near the city of Anning (安宁). According to event organizers, the number 17 bus at Xiao Ximen can be taken to Taiping Town, and there will also be a shuttle bus between Taiping Town and the Arts Theatre at Wuyi Lu and Dongfeng Xi Lu throughout the day for five yuan one way. UPDATE: We have just received notice from the festival's organizers that the festival has been expanded to two days – with a short evening set on Friday, April 18th and 19th, with a few additional bands and DJs. Here's the schedule for the two days: Friday, April 18th 8 pm: Gouride 9 pm: Jinzi 10 pm: Stiop 11 pm: Made in Dali Midnight: Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project 1 am: Brain Concussion Afterward: DJs Tantrum, Jezz and Menace Saturday, April 19th 1 pm: Nicole 2 pm: Fang Band 3 pm: Anyeqi 4 pm: Brain Concussion 5 pm: Kouxian 6 pm: Gouride 7 pm: No Answer 8 pm: Tribal Moons 9 pm: Heiyu 10 pm: Broken String 11 pm: Co-op Sol Midnight: Chaling 1 am: Endless Torture 2 am: Noise Addiction Afterward: DJ Moon Unit/DJ Chengcheng UPDATE 2: The festival site is rather difficult to find, here's a Chinese map:
Related articles: No Answer - Kunming's riot grrls Kunming Bands to play outdoor music festival Tags: blues, Co Op Sol, Gouride, Heiyu, hiphop, Kunming Outdoor Music Festival, live music, metal, No Answer, punk, Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project, Rap Republic, Tribal Moons, 打死我也不说, 昆明露天音乐节, 狗日的, 邪作社 Holiday Happy Hour at Fisherman's Bar Starting at 5:30 today, Fisherman's Bar (渔夫酒吧) will be celebrating Christmas with five consecutive days of 15 of its more than 50 imported beers and ciders from around the world on discount at only 20 yuan per bottle. Fisherman's Bar is located on the second floor of Kunming Zoulang (map), near the intersection of Renmin Zhong Lu and Qingnian Lu. Christmas Party at Laowo Bar Laowo Bar (老窝吧)will be throwing a Christmas Party featuring four Kunming-based bands. Music starts at 9 pm with the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project, Brain Concussion, Rap Republic and Tribal Moons playing before two late-night DJs. Admission to the party is 20 yuan – Laowo Bar is located 20 meters downhill from the main gate of Yunnan Art Institute (云南艺术学院), just off of Kunrui Lu (昆瑞路). Tags: Brain Concussion, Fisherman's Bar, Laowo Bar, Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project, Rap Republic, Tribal Moons, Yunnan Art Institute Saturday night the winning films from BigScreen 2007 were announced by a jury composed of Marco Ceresa of the Venice Film Festival, screenwriter Wang Yao and Jeremy Goldkorn, founder of the highly influential Danwei.org. Winners included Hong Kong director Yan Yan Mak's The Scarlet Robe for best long film, Vecchio e la Fontana by Tony Palazzo of Italy for best short film, Living in a Perfect World by Italians Diego D'Innocenzo and Marco Leopardi for best documentary and Almost Like One of the Family by Astrid Goransson of Sweden for best animation. Four films by French director Jean-Gabriel Périot - Even if she had been a criminal, Dies Irae, Under Twilight and Nijuman No Borei were collectively honored as the best entries in the videoart and experimental films category. The jurors said they based their selections upon the theme of modernity vs tradition, which was a common thread in all the winning films. GoKunming congratulates Yan Yan Mak (麦婉欣) - who was in attendance at the festival - and all other winning filmmakers. We also thank our expert jury, event co-organizers CinaOggi.it, musical guests Tujiko Noriko, Rap Republic and Yuansheng Studio and of course everyone who stopped by for the 94 films and three concerts we took in over the past five days. Tags: arts and entertainment, BigScreen Festival, Diego D'Innocenzo, Jean-Gabriel Périot, Jeremy Goldkorn, Marco Ceresa, Marco Leopardi, Rap Republic, Tony Palazzo, Tujiko Noriko, Wang Yao, Yan Yan Mak, Yuansheng Studio In addition to another six hours of short films, experimental films, documentaries and full-length films, BigScreen 2007's third day will feature its second of three special musical performances when bilingual hiphop duo Rap Republic (说唱共和国) takes the stage at 8 pm at Yuansheng Studio.
Tang Renti's smoke-'em-if-you-got-'em beats explore a wide range of moods and styles -- it's no stretch to say that he has emerged as one of the top hiphop producers in China. Mike Wind's solid vocals and stage presence are complemented by Tang's unique flow. The back-and-forth between Chinese and English lyrics - both MCs are bilingual - creates one of the most unique and accessible hiphop shows on the mainland. Rap Republic plays at 8:00 tonight at Yuansheng Studio, which is located next to TCG Nordica in the center of The Loft (创库) art compound at 101 Xiba Lu, next to the Baiyao Chang (白药厂) bus stop. Tags: arts and entertainment, BigScreen Festival, live music, Mike Wind, Rap Republic, Tang Renti BigScreen Festival 2007: Day Three ScheduleThursday, 29th November 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)--3:00 PM TO 6:00 PM-- Out of Competition The Beak (56:00) – Don Askarian – Germany/Armenia Home (09:45) - Virgina Eleuteri – Italy Rikshaman (07:00) - Seppo Renvall – Finland Jeg går en Tur/I'm taking a Walk (03:15) - Lasse Gjertsen – Norway Hva faen, Speil?/What the Hell, Mirror? (01:15) - Lasse Gjertsen – Norway Videoart & Experimental Films North Sea: Low Tide (Ophelia) (5:28) - Etta Safve – Sweden/Holland Coppi (06:50) - Antonio Poce / Valerio Murat – Italy The Machine of Memory (01:22) - Marko Batista – UK Promenade (08:30) - Junichiro Ishii – Japan Limbo Sketches (09:30) - Liora Belford & Ido Govrin – Israel Short Films Vecchio e la Fontana (15:00) – Tony Palazzo – Italy Jesus (13:40) - Jussi Jakola – Finland/Ireland --8:00 PM TO 11:00 PM-- PERFORMANCE: RAP REPUBLIC Animation Controlled Dream Machine (8:52) – Anaisa Franco – Brazil Autopsie d'un reve / Autopsy of a dream (1:23) – Marie Husson – France Long Documentaries & Movies Ararat – 14 views (76:00) - Don Askarian – Germany/Armenia/Netherlands (Movie) The Visit (102:00) - Brigitte Uttar / Kornetzky – Sierra Leone/Switzerland (Documentary) Tags: arts and entertainment, BigScreen Festival, live music, Rap Republic Tujiko Noriko, Rap Republic and Yuansheng Studio to play BigScreen 2007Monday, 26th November 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Yuansheng Studio – Wednesday Yunnan Yuansheng Indigenous Music and Dance Studio is at the forefront of promoting the music and dance traditions of Yunnan to audiences in Kunming and beyond. Founded in 2004 by Yunnan TV documentary director Liu Xiaojin, Yuansheng Studio opened its first dedicated space this past January. Prior to moving into its location within The Loft art compound on Xiba Lu, the studio and its performers spent the previous few years performing and practicing where they could. Their hard work has paid off. In addition to performing throughout China, Yuansheng performers have traveled to Europe, Singapore, Canada and the United States – where they performed in Washington DC's Kennedy Center. The Bai, Yi and Wa performers of Yuansheng are some of the last living links to music and dance traditions that stretch back for centuries. Yuansheng Studio's performers will take the stage at BigScreen's opening ceremony at 11 pm Wednesday night. Video: Yuansheng Studio – Sounds of the Yunnan Countryside Rap Republic – Thursday
Rap Republic shows rely on bass-heavy smoky beats, slick flows and expertly choreographed lyrical interplay. Tang and Mike have already begun to generate a buzz: the group's performance was one of the highlights of the recent Kunming Outdoor Music Festival and an interview with Tang was featured in a recent story about Kunming in the New York Times. Rap Republic will play at BigScreen at 11 pm Thursday night.
Tujiko Noriko – Saturday Featuring light vocals and music that swings from the ethereal to the dark, Japanese avant-pop songstress Tujiko Noriko is one of the more interesting female musicians to emerge in recent years. Since 2000 Tujiko has spent much of her career working with obscure artists and releasing unique and unusual albums. Born in Osaka and now residing in Paris, Tujiko's newest release, Solo, has been garnering rave reviews since hitting stores in February of this year. Descriptions of Tujiko's music as experimental, electronic, glitch-pop and other catchy modifiers belie the fact that her music is different enough from the rest to almost justify her own category. Tujiko Noriko will perform at 11 pm on Saturday night to close BigScreen 2007. Video: Tujiko Noriko – Fly UPDATE: Performances by Yuansheng Studio, Rap Republic and Tojiko Noriko have all been moved to 8 pm on their respective evenings. Tags: arts and entertainment, BigScreen Festival, Liu Xiaojin, live music, Rap Republic, Tujiko Noriko, Yuansheng Studio BigScreen 2007 film festival begins tomorrowMonday, 26th November 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (2)
Kunming's first international film festival - BigScreen International Film Festival 2007 - begins tomorrow at 3 pm at Yuansheng Studio and will span five days, 94 films and more than 20 countries before finishing up on Saturday night with a special live performance by Japanese avant-pop singer Tujiko Noriko. This fifth installment of the BigScreen film festival series will highlight films from around the globe including feature-length films, short films, documentaries and video installations. BigScreen Festival is organized by CinaOggi and GoKunming and is hosted by the Yunnan Experimental Film Base. The festival has the full support of the Kunming People's Radio Station, Dushi Shibao newspaper and other relevant government organizations. Special guests include jurors Marco Ceresa (organizer, Venice Film Festival), Wang Yao (screenwriter, Baby in Love, Returning Home, Gourmet of Poison) and Chinese media expert Jeremy Goldkorn, founder of the highly influential China media and advertising website Danwei.org. This panel of experts will award prizes to the top films featured at BigScreen 2007 during the closing ceremony on Saturday. Hong Kong director Yan Yan Mak (Butterfly, Big Brother) will also be a special guest of the festival and will introduce her newest film, The Scarlet Robe on Friday. Special musical guests include the Bai, Yi and Wa minority performers of Yuansheng Studio (Wednesday,), local bilingual hiphop act Rap Republic (Thursday) and songstress Tujiko Noriko (Saturday). Admission to BigScreen 2007 is FREE. Yuansheng Studio is located within The Loft (创库), located at 101 Xiba Lu (西坝路１０１号). Check GoKunming every day this week for a schedule of that day's BigScreen events Tags: arts and entertainment, BigScreen Festival, Jeremy Goldkorn, live music, Marco Ceresa, Rap Republic, Tujiko Noriko, Wang Yao, Yuansheng Studio Next 1 2 |
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