2009 May 22 Weekend Music Festival Roundup
Run for fest! - main stage of Intro 2009 at 798
More music festival mayhem hits the capital this weekend, with live performances in locations ranging from downtown parks, concert halls and live houses, to courtyards outside the city. This time around, the sounds branch out from rock to encompass other genres – Jazz, electronica, blues and world music. Here's what's on:
BaiCai’s Label Festival: Circus Night
Circus Company label boss DJ Sety invades Yonghegong Lama Temple
Local-based BaiCai Productions invited DJs from French electronic label Circus Company to spin an all-nighter. On hand will be founder of Circus Company DJ Sety, house DJ Oleg Poliakov and Parisians dOP.
When: May 22-23; starts 10pm on May 22 and ends 7am on May 23
Where: Tango(Ditan Park)
Tickets: RMB 80, At door
NineGates International Jazz Festival
The 4th NineGates Jazz Festival starts on Friday at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and Hilton Beijing. Performances go on throughout the city until the end of the month featuring artists from China, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Germany, Austria, Israel, Belgium and Poland.
"Scandinavian Drum King" Emil de Waal brings his beats to Beijing
When & Where
Friday, May 22
Emil de Waal Trio (Denmark/Sweden), Golden Buddha Jazz Unit (China)
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Thärichens Tentett (Germany)
7pm. One East, Hilton Beijing
Saturday, May 23
Liu Yue Trio (China), Felician Honsig-Erlenburg (Austria)
2pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Bandapart Trio (Denmark), Thärichens Tentett (Germany)
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
The Isradixie Band (Israel)
7pm. Zeta Bar, Hilton Beijing.
Sunday, May 24
Susanna Lindeborg’s Mwendo Dawa Jazz Band (Sweden), The Isradixie Band (Israel)
2pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Jazz Master Class with Thärichens Tentett (Germany)
2pm. Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.
Liu Yuan Jazz Band (China), Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio (Poland)
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Monday, May 25
Emil de Waal Trio (Denmark/Sweden)
7pm. One East, Hilton Beijing
Greg Houben Trio (Belgium), Christoph Auer Jazz Band (Austria)
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Tharichens Tentett (Germany)
9.30pm. Yugong Yishan.
Tuesday, May 26
Christoph Auer Jazz Band (Austria)
7pm. Peking University Hall.
MOTIF Band (Norway)
7pm. One East, Hilton Beijing
Nathaniel Gao Jazz Quartet (China), Yannick Rieu Spectrum (Canada), Ayanna Witter-Johnson
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
MOTIF Band (Norway)
9.30pm. Yugong Yishan.
Wednesday, May 27
Jazz Master Class with Greg Houben Trio (Belgium)
2pm. Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.
Yannick Rieu Spectrum (Canada)
7pm. Peking University Hall.
Moreno Donadel Trio (China/Italy) plus special guest Shunza (USA), MOTIF Jazz Band (Norway), Ranee Lee Group (Canada)
7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Greg Houben Trio (Belgium)
9.30pm. Yugong Yishan.
Thursday, May 28
Ranee Lee Group (Canada)
9.30pm. East Shore Live Jazz Café.
Yannick Rieu Spectrum (Canada)
9.30pm. Yugong Yishan.
Friday, May 29
Tribute to John Coltrane
9.30pm. East Shore Live Jazz Café.
Saturday, May 30
Yannick Rieu Spectrum (Canada)
9.30pm. East Shore Live Jazz Café.
Tickets: RMB 60-280, RMB 30 (students), RMB 380 (VIP)
For East Shore Live Jazz Café, Yugong Yishan and Peking University Hall, ticket can be purchased at door.
For One East and Zeta Bar at Hilton Beijing, book at 5865 5030.
For Forbidden City Concert Hall, call 6559 8285/8306.
For general inquiries, call 6205 1942/1947.
For more details, visit www.ninegates.com.cn
2009 Rynostock Music Festival
This annual festival in Shunyi is probably the largest expat oriented music festival in Beijing. This year, Rynostock will benefit the HEARTS ARE SURE program, which helps Chinese orphans secure foster homes in China. With 20 bands on two stages (including local mainstays No Name Trio, Woodie Alan and Black Cat Bone), genres range from chill-out gypsy jazz to bouncing blues.
Black Cat Bone at Yugong Yishan, image by Shangshang
When: May 23; 1-11pm
Where: The Pomegranate
Ticket: A minimum of RMB 20 on the door
How To Get There:
Apart from driving yourself, Paddy O'Shea's is organizing down-towners to Shunyi on a bus, which will leave at 12 noon on May 23, and returns after the last outside band finishes, which will be 10.30pm. Visit www.paddyosheas.com or call 6415 6389 for more details.
The 2009 EU Extravaganza at Chaoyang Park
Austrian jazz band Kleinod will be jamming at Chaoyang Park
Head to Chaoyang Park for a taste of European culture, music and food at the 2009 EU Extravaganza, which will be held on the Fireworks Square throughout the weekend. Presented by The Delegation of the European Commission to China, musicians from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Denmark and Poland will join in for an easy afternoon, playing tunes from ethnic folk, jazz to electronica. More to say, the regions participating will also bring their local cuisines, mostly provided by restaurants around town.
When: May 23-24; 10am-6pm
Where: Chaoyang Park Fireworks Square (access through the South Gate)
Ticket: RMB 5 (per day)
Intro 2009: Beijing Electronic Music Festival
Get up to 798 and get ready to get down! In conjunction of the “Meet In Beijing”, local electronic label Acupuncture Records invites eight international guests to join over ten local artists – including Acupuncture’s ELVIS.T and Terry Tu – on two stages in an open-air party at 798 Art Factory. The party starts with “Intro By Day” at 1pm on both the Main Stage and Welcome Stage. VJs will be projecting visual shows alongside electronic music until 11pm. Then enters “Intro By Night”, which moves the celebration to a warehouse party, with DJs busting out the beats throughout the night until the crack of dawn.
Acupuncture: The whole gang's here to cure
When: May 23-24; Starts at 1pm on May 23 and runs until 6am on May 24
Where: 751 D-Park Plaza at 798 Art Zone
Ticket: RMB 200, on-site at SuperGanbei
For VIP booking, group tickets over 30 and general inquiry:
136 0118 2614 (Chinese)
136 0118 2684 (English)
135 0134 8785 (Chinese/French)
151 1000 1041 (Chinese/Japanese)
Promo short of Intro 2009
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No doubting where the biggest party of this weekend is – it’s the much anticipated Great Wall Music Festival featuring ‘90s UK dance legend Fatboy Slim out near Badaling. I’d bet on a crowd-pleasing set of dance floor classics, with a healthy dose of Fatboy’s own best-known tracks (hopefully not anything he produced after about 2000, though). Let's get one thing straight: The party's not on the Wall, just beside a section of it, though you can go for a walk up during the day if you're so inclined.
