We Are Shanghai: Discover the Bands through a FREE 20 song sampler

Something is brewing in Shanghai and I don’t mean the same stuff they’re doing at Great Leap… The music community there seems to be toughening up and finding creative ways to get people involved and get the audiences out to the shows! And that is commendable…. I’ve gone on the record calling Beijing-based bands “lazy” and I stand by it… I’m not sure I can say the same about Shanghai based ones anymore:

– 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