Playlist: Djang San

In this month's Playlist we spoke to Beijing long-timer and musician Djang San about the tracks that he's unable to shake.

Tofu Electrique - 电豆腐 by Djang San + Band - 张思安与乐队

What’s the worst song for getting stuck in your head all day?
Probably one of my songs, especially when I’m working on a new one. I think of the song over and over until I find a way to finish it.

Who is the best songwriter in your opinion?
Jacques Brel. He was Belgian but wrote the best French songs in history, like “Ne me Quittes Pas,” “Les Bourgeois,” “Amsterdam,” and many more. Nobody wrote songs in French like he did, apart from maybe Mano Solo, who also had a few good ones.

Which character from a song would you most like to meet?
The walrus, from the Beatles song “I Am the Walrus.” It’s a psychedelic song. I like the absurdity of it, and it reminds us just how meaningless life is.

What song would you want to be played at your funeral? 
The “Muffin Man” by Frank Zappa. “Girl you thought it was a man, but it was a muffin!” That’s what I am, a muffin!

What is your favorite cover version of a song? 
“I Am Calling You” sung by Jeff Buckley. I saw that film Bagdad Café when I was a kid, and that song was in the film. My parents bought the vinyl of the song, and I couldn’t stop playing it over and over. I felt his voice was something different, like a calling. I was 7. 

What would you choose as your perfect break-up song?
“Love Will Tear us Apart” by Joy Division. It has this perfect balance between melancholy, nostalgia, fate, and reality.

What is your favorite song to wake up to?
“Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” by Pink Floyd. I like to wake up to something slow, and get into the day step by step, remembering we live in a mad world.

What is your favorite period or year for music?
I don’t have a definite period I really like, but of course there are some moments that played an important role in changing music history, like the 1960s and 70s for rock, the mid 70s for electronic music, and the 50s for experimental music. 

What songs would be on your sex mix?
Any progressive rock album is cool.

Listen to any one of Djang San's many releases over the past 11 years here or catch him playing around the city.

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com
 

Photo: Aurelien Foucault