Live Beijing Music’s Top 10 China-Based Acts Playing at Wetware Douban Music Fest
The Wetware Douban Music Festival will be (fingers crossed) unfolding later this week and it really is a thing of beauty. As festivals like Strawberry, Midi, and Intro get pushed further and further out (or in many cases, axed at the last minute), while tossing out the same ol' lineup that might’ve seemed exciting back in 2010. In comparison, the freshly-baked Wetware Festival, which will go down in the Lama Temple area, has conjured up, miraculously, a loaded lineup of international juggernauts, acts that have amassed both critical and commercial fare in the electronic and alternative music circuit – from Cass McCombs to Andy Stott to Stephen O’Malley to Tim Hecker – it’s a music geek’s dream come true.
READ: Douban Wetware Annihilates Beijing's Summer Festival Calendar
However, what really struck me and what I’m substantially more intrigued by is the array of offbeat Chinese talent being brought in for the event – folk anarchists, electronic mavericks, and psychedelic noise makers. Below I've compiled those artists which I believe to be the true hidden gems of the festival, and the top 10 homegrown (I’ve included Hong Kong and Taiwan into the mix as well) acts to catch over the weekend of May 19-21.
1) MHP 马海平 (Tango, Friday, May 19, 8.10-9.10pm)
One of the biggest surprises from last year’s Concrete & Grass Festival in Shanghai was catching MHP, an electronic artist regarded as the ‘son of Shanghai techno’ in a tent mid-afternoon. Decked out in a Technicolor checkered shirt straight out of the early 80s, and accompanied by a full band, the artist fed the hungry crowd an early dinner of kinetic, glitzy, futuristic soundscapes layered to a tee yet light on its feet. The artist, who released his debut Folding Traces last year on Douban’s D-Force Records, invokes everything from the Detroit techno scene to science fiction and anime, and if he brings an ounce of that set to Wetware we’ll be riding high from the go.
2) Mirrors 离解的真实 (School Bar, Saturday, May 20, 9.15-10.15pm)
A day before the Wetware lineup was announced, I tried to persuade Mirrors into coming down to Beijing. I’d had heard of the psychedelic noise trio from a friend and after one listen on Douban, I knew these guys were right up my alley. Made up of former Beijing noise guitarist A Ming, who joins former Nonplus of Colors’ bassist Da Bai and drummer Daniel Nagels, the band is a maddening bombardment of psychedelic terror. This ain’t you mom’s Woodstock – this is the acid taking you into the deep end and I frankly can’t wait to hear what trouble these three cook up.
3) Hai Qing 海青 (Tango, Sunday, May 21, 2-3pm)
Avant-garde gets an Inner Mongolian twist via Hai Qing. The artist who kicked off his solo career in 2015, gained a little recognition earlier this year with his debut The Flesh. Words linger and strike down with terrestrial veracity while King Crimson-esque dissonant guitar riffs, loads of didgeridoo, and a slew of guests (including guitarist and experimental madmen Li Xing) add their esoteric instrumental groove and in turn create an intoxicating world of mischief. Curiosity will reward those who venture to Tango early on Sunday afternoon.
4) chenchenchen 陈陈陈 (School Bar, Sunday, May 21, 3-4pm)
Chenchenchen has been popping up on my radar as far back as 2012. The Hangzhou-based artist and China Academy of Art graduate has had his hands in pretty much everything down in the city nicknamed colloquially as ‘Paradise on Earth’ – from co-founding indie music and art label Lost Manual to fronting the electronically-enhanced post rock outfit Spice, as well as a long list of works in just about every medium, including video, theater, painting, installation, and of course, music. Case in point – whatever the heck this is. His forward-thinking, conceptually-minded sensibilities are particularly evident in chenchenchen's solo work as an electronic producer so expect the unexpected and something that’ll ignite more than just your ears.
5) Wong Hin Yan 黄衍仁 (School Bar, Saturday, May 20, 5.15-6.15pm)
One of the great joys of exploring a lineup like Wetware’s is stumbling upon something that feels almost unfounded (even if that is a ridiculous notion given that it’s right there on the poster in big font). But I tell ya, sitting back and listening to the Hong Kong psychedelic folk artist Wong Hin Yan, it really does feel like you’re listening to some unearthed artifact. Very much like Beijing’s own Xiao He, the music that spills forth from the singer, composer, actor, and ‘anarchist’ does indeed feel like it was created in a vacuum – pulled out of the air and wielded into a melody. Heck, I’m already a happy camper for just having been made aware of this genius.
6) Forests (Tango, Thursday, May 18, 8-8.40pm)
Looking to find the head bangers at Wetware – look no further than to Taiwan’s Forests, who’ll be on hand to provide the audience's need for sweat-drenched rock and roll. That's not to say they’ll be playing it safe, far from it. Blending experimental, industrial, and post-punk the three-piece band are as menacing as they come; dark, brooding post-punk bass lines, entrancing rhythms, and monotone vocals shake you to the core. No wonder they’re considered one of Taipei’s leading examples of the prospering indie scene down south.
7) Faded Ghost (Tango, Sunday, May 21, 5-6pm)
ChaCha, the Guizhou-born singer, MC, DJ and producer based in Shanghai, has been on something of a hot streak. From becoming one of the Red Bull Music Academy’s first recipients, to collaborating with the likes of French indie rock star M, to even having her music featured in NBA2K16 (let that one sink in for a moment), the artist has been killing it as of late. Her latest project, Faded Ghost, finds her in the producer’s chair as she breathes musical life into her memories, experiences, and dreams through a combination of vocals, layered field recordings, and electronic wizardry. I had the opportunity to preview her forthcoming debut Moon Mad, and trust me when I say this is going to sound fabulous in a dark dingy room – a nocturnal fever dream that bewitches and mystifies.
8) Duck Fight Goose 鸭打鹅 (Tango, Saturday, May 20, 5-6pm)
Shanghai indie rock band Duck Fight Goose are no strangers to Beijing, and are one of the few mainland names at Wetware that is already well established among most music circles here. However, such fame didn’t stop the band from completely shedding their skin last summer on their sophomore release, CLVB ZVKVNFT, off of Douban’s D-Force Records – transforming the rockers into a high-tech, futuristic jazz band that’s entirely on its singular wavelength. And anybody who caught their extravagant Limbic Man showcase last year at Tango will know that this band doesn’t mess around when performing live – hypnotic, mind-bending visuals will drench the crowd alongside some of the most forward thinking live electronica to hit this side of the globe.
9) Swimful (Tango, Saturday, May 21, 9.30-10.20pm)
Looking for a little bubbly electronica to kick off your Saturday? Let the UK-bred Shanghai-based producer Swimful take the wheel and get those limbs loose. The artist recently dropped his latest EP Pearls on SVBKVLT (whose stock of artists are very much present throughout the festival) and if the opening track doesn't plaster a smile on your face then I don’t know what will. While most of the festival lineup gets appropriately dark and offbeat, there’s something utterly refreshing about Swimful’s ‘nostalgic sino melodies’ and ‘melancholic atmospheres.’ Can you dig it?
10) Extremist Religious Group 邪会 (School Bar, Saturday, May 21 at 8-9pm)
Dalian joins in on the psychedelic noise front via Extremist Religious Group aka ERG (guessing they don’t throw around the long version of their name too often). Founded in 2015, the loose collective of musicians from the coastal city (including members from old faves Which Park) is pure chaos – a spunky animated fusion of ‘live drums and vocals with out-of-the-box analog synth noise.’ They released a sonically diverse and fantastical four track douban-only EP last summer that I’ve been kinda obsessing over as of late, an indication that I think we’ll be in good hands with these extremists.
Tickets and a full schedule for the Douban Wetware Festival can be found here.
Images courtesy of the organizer
