In many ways, the gang behind SotX is doing something absolutely unique here in China: For 3 years in a row, they’ve pulled off the absolute nightmare of task to get tons of musicians and music executives together to discuss the state of music and share their experiences.
They also manage to give a whole lotta bands an opportunity to get exposure and invitations to head to overseas festivals.

So far, Hanggai, Jiu Bao, Whai, Long Shendao, Muma, Novaheart are just some of the names that have managed to come out ahead of their showcases but look for more as these cats keep representing China and pulling in ticket sales. Rock n Roll is a form of soft power and we’re seeing the evolution slowly.

First off, let’s start with their traditional video promo:

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/lZA5NAJlWPk/?resourceId=0_06_02_99

Slightly disappointing this year after the great job in 2012 and 2013… this one is just: Yuck.. Still, I like how they push the envelope every year and go for shock value.

So, what do you need to know:

Part 1: The Conference

There are 2 days worth of workshops, discussions and round table stuff happening with the who’s who of Music in China ( MIDI, Modern Sky etc..) and international music exec from Holland, Morocco and more.
While some of the sessions are fairly artisty in their nature, there are quite a few more dealing with the business of music from promotion to touring and recording. I was there last year for a few of the sessions and must admit that i did learn a lot. Spending so much time in China, one tends to forget how the outside world works and this is a perfect reminder.
The full schedule is here:
http://www.sxity.com/boarden/index/2

And while both days have interesting things going for them, I’m more interested in day 2 where we’re touching on World Music Festivals amongst others. There’s also a country mate in attendance talking about his experience running one of the oldest music festivals in Morocco.
It’s all happening at:

地点：中华世纪坛 数字艺术馆
Venue：Museum of Digital Arts,China Millennium Monument（CMoDA）
地址：北京市海淀区复兴路甲9号
Add：Fuxing Road No. 9, Haidian District, Beijing, China

Now, unto the fun part: The gigs!!

4 days worth of gigs and a lot of choices to make!! Here is what i’m interested in:

April 3rd:
Zhujing, Lingkai, Moxizishi, Namo, LiDong @ Mako Livehouse. 2 main reasons for this gig: First, it’s the only one taking place on the 3rd 🙂 and second, the combination of bands in quite interesting. Buddhist crosstalk rock, ningxia folk and outside beats. Could be interesting to get them all on stage at once.

April 4th:
Hanggai Album release @Mako: WTF ‘daze… is everything at Mako? no.. but they’ve put in some quality programming there! Hanggai are the flag bearers of SX Media ( The organisers) and you’re sure to get the royal treatment there.

April 5th:
Tribal Trip, Dagadana（POL), Fuel Fandango（ESP), Albert Kuvezin（RUS),TenTemPies（NL）,Longshendao and Suyang @ TAngo: Talk about a freaking loaded show!! I’d go for suyang and longshendao on their own but with this army of names and acts, that’s a lot of value per buck and a lot of new bands to meet.

April 6th:

This is the loaded finale.. on a sunday!! Tango is at it again with a stellar lineup [ Les Tireuxd’Roches（CA）MAYA KAMATY（FRA）Nine TreasuresSoundtoyJambinai（KR）Nsista（BR）Shanren ] whereas over at Temple, you can unwind with an easy going night [AMATORSKI（BE) The Randy Abel Stable（US） AJINAI GUOJIAN ]

There you have it folks… check out the full schedule of performances at the link below if you don’t like my recommendations. Also follow me on weibo/weixin if you want updates on easter e.g. shows at other venues that are very much under the radar.
http://www.sxity.com/ZhengRongen/index/1

We’re gonna have a few pretty good days y’all…