well, the baby is out on bandcamp and you can go download it:
http://coreinchina.bandcamp.com/album/core-in-china

lyrics & credits:
http://wiki.rockinchina.com/w/CORE_IN_CHINA_(VA)

Track Listing:

1.Why Lazy – Dying in the dream 04:35
2.NewTank – The Dreamer 04:22
3.Meat Sucks – Buried the Truths 04:54
4.Ordnance – Ask for a justification 03:44
5.Partisan – Selfish 03:18
6.Monkey King – Until You Come 05:31
7.Multi-Ego – End of Me 04:01
8.Mensheng – 故謠 Ballad of Fallen 04:54
9.Die In Velvet – 每天生每天死 03:59
10.Ashtemato – Joker 05:06
11.Saving Molly – To My Friend 02:58
12.Luktomo – We Are Luktomo 06:41
13.Beyond Cure – Self Destruction 04:34
14.DustFall – Dawn Late 06:02
15.Thyhazard – Liar 04:58
16.King Ly Chee – 在路上 feat. Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid) 03:29
17.Shut Up! Shut Down! – Bros Holds On Firm Bloods 03:14
18.Raving Jokes – No Vain 04:07
19.The Falling – Circle II Circle 04:50
20.Mary Dolls – 2012 04:14

I haven’t gotten around to listening to it but i can see some tracks that have peaked my interest. It’s also good to have the reigning kings of Hardcore in the the greater China included in there, namely King Ly Chee. Get downloading..

You can grab the download for free, yes, FREE! on their bandcamp here.

Or if you’re like me and have to have the physical CD in your hands, come along to Mao Livehouse tomorrow night to pick up a copy and see 4 of the bands on the compilation play!

The Bookworm International Literary Festival is around the corner, doing their part to unite various forms of art ( writing, poetry, music) and I figured it would be a great time to see how these associations are made by other people. So, with the help of the bookworm, we’re putting together a mega giveway mixing both music and literature:

What’s one of your favorite book, who would put together a soundtrack for it and why?

You can win 2 tickets each to the following 3 Events at the Bookworm:

Footnotes: David Thomas Broughton March 11
English folk singer-guitarist David Thomas Broughton‘s performances combine improvisation, unconventional instruments – radios, televisions, natural field recordings and more – with multimedia videos.

Poetry Slam @ 2 Kolegas: March 17
Tim Clare and Luka Lesson bring their unique spin to performance poetry at this showcase event. Despite what you may have heard, poetry is alive and well! Whether you are a fan of hip-hop or comedy, a veteran to the slam poetry scene or a newbie, you’ll be wowed and inspired by this fresh take on a classic. Also joining in the fun: Canadian musician Courtney Wing. This event is also part of the JUE festival.

Translation Slam: Sing Me A Song! March 22
One song. Two translators. Endless possibilities. The chosen translators go head to head, comparing their English translations of a Chinese song and fielding questions from the audience. Join us to see the ins and outs of the translation process and judge if there are some things that are better lost in translation. Brought to you by English Trackers and JUE.

Sample Answer

I love “The Witch of Portobello” by Paulo Coelho. I would have Johnette Napolitano ( Concrete Blonde Fame) write the soundtrack for it! Nobody writes passion like Coelho does and nobody sings passion better than Johnette. Her “Sound of a Woman” record, never officially released, fits perfectly. It would be even better if she wrote fresh songs for it.

Rules:

* The explanation part ( Why) should be more elaborate than ” I’ll use this music because I dig it.” It doesn’t have to be an essay but I expect it to make sense with at least 20 words.
* A Winner will be randomly chosen by putting all the names in hat and pulling one out
* You can post multiple comments. Each one will give you another chance to win
* The Deadline for entry is noon March 9th, 2012
* Bonus: If an entry blows my mind, I might decide to give it an extra prize yet to be determined.

Fast forward a few years, things have changed and it’s apparently time to waive Voodoo Kungfu goodbye as their frontman and musical soul, Li Nan is headed out to Berklee College of Music. The announcement was made through his weibo account also announcing a farewell tour sometime this spring. Here’s hoping it’s a grandiose and befitting celebration of a unique monster. All of Voodoo Kungfu’s tunes are now available for download on their douban page for personal use and hopefully not for abuse.

Voodoo is one of the most interesting acts still and Li Nan definitely had a lot to do with it. I’m sure something will come out of his time stateside! You can also follow the band on weibo for some interesting tidbits and historical facts that Li Nan has been posting lately about the music, logos, makeup, influences etc…

http://weibo.com/voodookungfu

I don’t think many people will understand how special of an artist China is losing… I’ll refers you to this slightly outdated, but nevertheless relevant, interview by Gary Temple for City Weekend a few years back:
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/the-beat/voodoo-kungfu-and-the-coming-dark-age/

Up from the abyss, thirty-stories high, Voodoo Kungfu rises in a blood-soaked cry. But this is not your father’s metal band—this is a new demon, hissing of a dark new age, of truth and transcendence in this life. Brainchild of visionary vocalist Li Nan, Voodoo Kungfu comes to this year’s Midi Festival soaked in venom and ready to feed.

couldn’t have said it better if i tried!

Get the songs here:
http://site.douban.com/voodookungfu/

I’m just really hoping that in the farewell tour, they bring back the orchestra side of the band to make it a thundering memorable goodbye! They should go out on top as one of the most interesting acts to come out of the mainland.

- A while back, they organized a concert where the bands paid the audience members 1 RMB to come and check them out! That is freaking awesome marketing! I can only imagine that they have a hard time drawing crowds down there despite them only having a few live music venues. That’s a display of creativity, the likes of which i can definitely get behind.

- Now, 20 bands have teamed up and put together a 20 song FREE sampler for people to listen to them. This album is a joint effort by Shanghai’s own Zangnan Records, Luwan Rock and Twin Horizons. It looks like the guys behind the album reached out beyond their own immediate circle to get some real diversity in there. I’ve managed to hear about most of those bands all the way up in Beijing, especially Friend or Foe, Pairs, Rainbow Danger Club etc…

Read an interview on Shanghai 24/7 by the man behind the project, Ivan

Here’s the track listing:

http://weareshanghai.bandcamp.com/

1. Duck Fight Goose – Light is God’s Bread
2. Boys Climbing Ropes – The Knitting Song
3. Stegosaurus? – Stinky Tofu
4. The Beat Bandits – Sukiyaki Beat
5. Break for Borneo – Complicated
6. Friend or Foe – Crazy Eye
7. The Dangxin Mofos – Geeky Boy
8. Rainbow Danger Club – Drown The Creatures
9. X is Y – Never Sever
10. Pairs – I Wanna Die in the Ocean
11. Dragon Pizza – Bomb Cola
12. Moon Tyrant – I am the Way
13. The Fever Machine – Heartbrokenbleedin’ Again
14. The Instigation – No Way Out
15. The Horde – Beijing Sucks
16. Sonnet – Perfect Son
17. The Song Dynasty – Slow
18. Top Floor Circus – 进来白相相 (Jin Lai Bai Xiang Xiang)
19. Baltic States – The North Sea
20. Little Punk – I’m Not in the Mood for Making a Song

Sadly, I’m not sure beijing bands have it in them to do anything like this… we had the AIDS CD which was the closest thing so far! So there you have it folks, head over to Bandcamp and download your sampler!

If you’re in Shanghai tonight (13th) or tomorrow (Jan 14th), make it to the launch parties for the CD.. Listings and times on The Shanghaiist

If you don’t know who Simple Plan are, here is the short intro:

A group of five former high school pals Pierre Bouvier, Jeff Stinco, David Desrosiers, Sebastien Lefebvre and Chuck Comeau who came together in 1999 to form this multi-award winning punk-pop band with hit singles like “I’m Just A Kid”, “Welcome to My Life” and “Jet Lag” among others.
http://www.simpleplan.com/

The folks at Street Hustle are giving ‘daze readers a chance to win 2 tickets (Value of 760 RMB) for the January 6th show at Yugong Yishan… here is how you can win them:

Who is the person pictured in the photo below and what is his connection to Simple Plan?

* send your answer to beijingdaze@gmail.com
* The right answers will be entered into a hat with a random drawing
* Contest ends January 3rd

Hints:
- that person has appeared in most Simple Plan videos.
- He was kicked in the crotch in “I’d Do Anything”

Good luck..

Simple Plan plays Yugong Yishan January 6th 2012 with support courtesy of Beijing’s own Finger Family. Pre-sale tickets (200) are all gone!

BD on My Claw is Never Limp

I love me a catchy album or song name and this one does not disappoint. I don’t really know the band members but that’s already a good insight into their personality.. having now read a few interviews with them, I like what i see. But what about the music man… the music?
The opening number, Terrorized, sets the tone right away! power chords, fast riffs, sharp vocals that keep me tapping my feet and wanting to jump up and down. That’s just the start! “Friend or Foe” is an interesting track: subtle, understated but in your face at the same time. It benefits a lot from a different production and interesting mixing! I love the discreet echos on there. I read a lot about the track “double down” but it failed to impress… threading the same musical waters as “friend or Foe”.. what it does have though is an interesting perspective on live as far as lyrics go. I’ve seen them soaking it up Gin Tonics in bars all around Beijing. “Snorting Clorox” is the musical equivalent of primal scream therapy: let it out baby. and then it goes downhill from there… we move to a set of slightly emo songs that lack the power and edge from the early ones which is weird. “almost too much” is a fitting closing number for a record that was almost too good.
What I can’t put my finger on is why this record reminds me so much of The Cramps, a band i haven’t heard or listened to in years.. I really don’t know why! Overall, a very solid effort that makes me wanna go check out the band live. They’re a bit hard rock, a bit punk, a bit progressive, slightly aggressive and potentially a lot of fun.

Ruby on My Claw is Never Limp

When I first moved to Beijing I thought of Shanghai as a snooty, expensive musical wasteland full of sleazy hotel jazz bars and boring DJs. Oh, how that impression has changed, especially in the last year. Ok, so I’m not moving down south in a hurry, but it’s like someone declared this ‘Shanghai Release an Album Year’ because so many great bands are dropping new recordings. A few have made the trek up to the ‘Jing to share their tunes with us, but luckily Bandcamp seems to also be a big hit amongst our southern neighbours, so you can listen most of these new albums – and in many cases download them for free online (or name your price to support the bands!)

The latest in the slew of Shanghai bands to release an album is the notorious Friend or Foe. If you haven’t heard the elaborate back story on how these guys came to earth and what they’re up to here, I won’t ruin it for you now. There’s a whole cartoon included with the album that explains this much better than I could. It’s hard to put a label on this album, I’ve heard the names ‘space rock’, ‘boner rock’ and ‘experimental wonk-grunge’ thrown around, and to tell the truth I’m not a genre person anyway, so I’ll just call it awesome. ‘Terrorized’ opens in the album hard and heavy, and sets up high expectations for me in seeing them live. ‘Lie to Me’ basically tells the story of many relationships in the expat wonderland we live in. It’s catchy and fun, but luckily so far I’ve been able to resist singing along in the office (BD would never let me live that down…) I love ‘Double Down’ with it’s slot machine intro, seedy vocals and explosive feedback in the chorus, can’t wait to hear this one live. On the first listening ‘Crazy Eye‘, ‘Burnt Out Buildings’ and ‘Almost Too Much’ didn’t really jump out, but the more I listen to the album, the more these songs grow on me and I think they’re becoming my favourites album tracks. Which came first the band name or the song name? Either way, ‘Friend or Foe’ is actually one of the low points of the album for me along with ‘I don’t wanna touch it but I need it’, but I think they’re both tracks that will work much better live.

So like I said, I’m still not convinced to move south, but I really should make it down there for a weekend sometime and I will definitely be making the trek out of my 2nd Ring comfort zone too see Friend or Foe at D22 on Saturday.

Catch Friend or Foe Saturday night at D-22 in Beijing along with Yan Tiao and He Fan’s (Carsick Cars) side-project and Deadly Cradle Death. RMB50 (door), RMB40 (students).

Read their pretty cool interview with City Weekend’s Liz Tung & download My Claw is Never Limp for free or a donation at http://friendorfoeband.bandcamp.com/

Lose Yourself by Eminem
Beijing Is Not My Home – Demerit
zhongnanhai – carsick cars
你是风儿我是沙
99 problems
北京画面 – 左小祖咒
No One Knows – Queens of the Stone Age
Do Not Move – Pet Conspiracy
Nobody But You – The Wonder Girls
我的2008 – 李楠

Billy Joel’s Piano Man is from way before 2001 but I must agree that if is befitting so I’d include it in the soundtrack but not the drawing.

so.. who won?

Willy‘s answer takes the merit… hey, this is a biased area and I can completely relate to what he wrote. This city is addictive and once people get a taste, they are hooked!!

So yeah it was “Do Not Move” – with its dirty lyrics of ‘stay inside me’ and its sexiness literally oozing out — which sums up Beijing and I think why Beijingers stay here – it’s a intoxicating city which once you’ve had a taste of it, it becomes hard to leave, like a drug, or like Helen Feng singing sweet nothings to me.

The other entries were put in a hat for a random drawing and KIRA‘s name was picked.

So Willy and Kira, please use the contact form to email me your phone number and FULL name to claim your prizes (each won 2 tickets for tomorrow’s shindig)

Hedgehog: Destroy Memories
from Hedgehog underground issue demo [2011 DEstroy meMOries] in March 2011 , 9 tracks , many of them are uncomplete edtion of new songs , we do it in a lofi and smarshing way , sounds more like our live , 500 copes limited , you can get it in the coming up China tour during March 18th – April 22nd 2011.
　　Time&Addr:Beijing XiSi N2 st. Rehearsal Room , 29th Jan 2011
　　Record&Mix:Liu Feng Shuo
Buy the record on Taobao:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=9742590656
Or Download it here:
http://hedgehogrock.com/lp/2

I’m not a big fan of noise rock really but this record/demo does it for me. I’m digging Hedgehog’s gloomy dark direction.

Gou Ri De 狗日的 S/T

I guess this can be translated as “Of Dog Days” or according to the band “motherf**r”… it’s a recent release from these kids in Yunnan, some of which are part of the Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project. It sounds good y’all! It’s funny how I’m starting to get back into hardcore recently with Black Flag and the likes… and this one fits right in.
It’s unfortunate that they broke up just as I heard of them but they do sound like extremely cool cats if I’m to go by this interview they did on a Kunming Expat Rag before their last show:
http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/2196/interview_gouride
get the album over on Bandcamp:
http://gouride.bandcamp.com/
hat tip to Nevin Domer of Maybe Mars for Gouride
there you go, dazeheads…. some tunes to keep you entertained during national day.
Keep you yes posted for more reviews with Glowcurve, Fever Machine and more coming soon.

If you’re not familiar with Very CD, you should. They’re a p2p sharing site using the emule/edonkey to distribute files… they’ve built a decent library of links by now after close sourcing their client.
Considering how big Miserable Faith is, this is an interesting direction for them and for VeryCD to go…

Download the files here:
http://www.verycd.com/topics/2903372/

http://www.verycd.com/entries/528111/
Oh and yeah, the whole Miserable Faith catalog for free… that ain’t bad!