Nowhere Festival Returns to the Great Wall for an Evening of Experimental Sounds, Aug 11
The experimental and improvisational music scene in Beijing has always had a strong communal aspect to it – a close-knit gathering of minds, actively exploring the boundaries of sound without judgment or in many regards a frame of reference. Wang Ziheng (pictured above), the improv saxophonist who has made a name for himself over the years for his volatile, almost primitive performances, decided to transport the DIY elements of the noise scene to the Great Wall for the first Nowhere Festival this past spring, where a series of performances held in the hillside under the longest man-made wonder of the world. On Saturday, Aug 11, the Nowhere Festival returns again to the wall for some more madcap fun.
The wild is arguably the most important characteristic of the event. Tired of being boxed into perpetual and continuously draining livehouse performances, Wang looked north of the city to find a place to "shout freely into the wilderness at night." And nestled under the unkempt section of the Great Wall, it seems Ziheng has found the perfect outlet for the scene’s more mischievous characters. As he explains, "performers are everywhere in the mountain with different instruments, and combined with a generator, high-power speakers and strong alcohol, together obfuscate the orders and the bounds of musicians and audiences." It’s this blurring of lines between musicians and audience, between sound and music, that seems to be the aim of the festival – "the noise is guested with wilderness and mountains instead of the closed space of a livehouse, and everyone has the right to hold the most traditional instrument: the human voice."
For this second edition of Nowhere Festival, Wang has invited Japanese noise duo Astro, explaining that, "I was obsessed with Japanese noise for many years. Every morning I would listen to C.C.C.C. (Cosmic Coincidence Control Center)." The brainchild of C.C.C.C., Hiroshi Hasegawa, went on to form Astro, which performs now as a duo with Rohco (Hiroko Hasegawa). With over a hundred releases under their belt, their style drifts between the meditation and awakening state of electronics and noise. Besides the esteemed guests, the festival will see countless others acts make the trek, including Shanghai-based artist Mai Mai, laptop noise musician Wei Wei (of Vavabond), Beijing’s guitar noise demi-god Li Jianhong, Hong Kong duo Saikung Dogs, and many more familiar faces of the scene.
Though details are sparse as to the exact location of the event, attendees will have the option to book a room in two separate houses along the hillside as well as rent out tents and sleeping bags. Buses depart from the west end of Wudaoying Hutong at 9.30am Saturday morning and will return on Sunday at around 1pm.
When asked how folks should prepare for the festival Ziheng states: "Put down the preset and embrace the sound. Believe in your senses." For those looking to venture into the unknown, there may not be a better opportunity this summer.
Add WeChat: zhaocongg to register to this year's Nowhere Festival, Aug 11-12. Tickets are RMB 450 (including transportation/accommodation). Read more about what to expect at the festival here (in Chinese).
Images courtesy of the organizers
