Salt of the Earth – Buyi Launch their Second Album

Buyi’s (布衣) rough-hewn, folk-inflected rock has long been a mainstay of Beijing’ live music scene, inspiring a hardcore following of fervent fans. This Saturday will see the quartet release their eponymous second album.

Singer Wu Ningyue is a big presence on stage, joking with his audience and belting out the band’s repertoire with a hard-edged rasp that’s softened at the edges like a well-aged whiskey. In the calm Saturday afternoon surrounds of Gulou's Jiangjinjiu Bar though, he’s surprisingly shy and softly spoken.

“From the beginning Cui Jian influenced me a lot,” he says quietly. Also Nirvana, Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.”

While Wu cites a litany of rock and roll high flyers as influences, Buyi’s lyrics are grounded in everyday local concerns, from the comfort of mutton noodles to an amusing tale of a thief nabbed by police and forsaken by his girlfriend after stealing her an expensive watch.

“Zhang Wei and I write most of our songs,” says Wu, gesturing at his lean mustachioed guitarist over the table. “Sometimes Zhang writes the music and I write the lyrics, but a lot of the songs really come together in rehearsals with the whole band.”

Through a decade and a half of live performances, Wu has built up a real rapport with his audience. Growing up in the poor western province of Ningxia, he formed the first version of Buyi back in 1995. “I came to Beijing in 2000 because we couldn’t develop any further in Ningxia,” he recalls. “More than ten people came and went before the current lineup formed in 2003.”

In addition to Wu, the band now comprises the solid rhythm section of drummer Fang Fang and bassist Lin Na, the latter providing a sexy ethereal balance to Wu’s more earthy presence. Zhang Wei’s skillful guitar work and backup vocals round out the group. On stage the four distinct personalities form a tight, charismatic combo, whose intimate but raucous gigs invariably end with the entire audience on their feet spontaneously singing along.

Buyi cut their debut album, Na Me Jiu (So Long), in 2007, but struggled with China’s poor quality recording studios and a lack of financial backing. “We had a label willing to fund the recording, but they had some demands we couldn’t meet,” explains Wu. “They wanted to change my hairstyle into a Beatle cut – which I thought was f*cking silly – and wear some things I didn’t like. So we felt it wouldn’t be a happy collaboration. The spirit of rock and roll should be independent,” he adds firmly.

For the new album they recruited American Wyn Davis, an award-winning recording engineer who has worked with everyone from Guns n Roses to Black Flag. Davis helped the band set up a studio in Beijing, and then mixed the tapes with Zhang Wei in Los Angeles. “The sound on our first record wasn’t unified,” says Wu. “The new one is more hard rock.”

After Saturday’s launch the group will tour the country promoting the album. Asked about future plans, Wu gives a typically unaffected reply; “produce albums, perform, produce albums, perform, produce albums, perform…”

It’s their pure dedication that make Buyi such a joy to watch live. Once they get going, the band sweat their love of music from every pore.

Raise your glass to Buyi from 9pm this Saturday, September 26, at Mao Livehouse. RMB 60/50 (advance).