Hello Beijing Cream readers. My name is Morgan and I work at this other website called Smart Beijing, wherein we specialize in nothing but hard-hitting lifestyle journalism and hard-hitting venue addresses. The Tao is outsourcing these Friday Night Musical Outros to me so that he can concentrate full-time on his own true journalistic passions, which is the kids shitting in airports beat and hobo fights coverage.
Hey, ho! Let’s go! First up is a doozy. Check this wackadoo video out (above on YouTube).
I know. That’s so chill. Just a chill tune for a Friday afternoon.
What we’ve got here is Makoto Kawabata, Junky, and Arrebato performing at NOIShanghai XLVI in Shanghai last year. NOIShanghai are these noise, sound art, performance art, “experimental music” shows put on by Junky Cao (the drummer in the video). Junky does this harsh noise act with Arrebato (the girl in the video) called Torturing Nurse, which is, oddly enough, probably Shanghai’s most internationally recognized musical export. In 2010 they got flown to Europe by the Danish Center for Culture and Development. Serious stuff. Torturing Nurse is probably also Shanghai’s most prolific band — or “band,” rather — having released an album — or “album,” rather — about every five seconds for the last 10 years. An English-language discography of Torturing Nurse is here, and you can vibe out to their smooth harsh noise tunage in the previous link.
The third guy in the video, on guitar, is Makoto Kawabata, the reason for today’s post. That’s the dude from super big deal Japanese psychedelic freakazoid collective Acid Mothers Temple, and he’s playing a show at 2Kolegas on Sunday night along with a few Chinese representatives of the psych noise vanguard: ONG and Vagus Nerve. Your favorites!
But, yeah, Makoto Kawabata is coming through China on a second solo tour, direct from some mountainside temple in Osaka (yes, no shit) dishing up a performance that alternates between beatific drone music and full-on, full-blast, pedal-to-the-metal freaking out.
You should go if you want! You should also take handfuls and handfuls of acid. Starts at 9 pm. 60 beans to get in.
Morgan is the editor of Smart Beijing and fake DJs around town under the name “Compact Dicks.” Suggestions for Friday Music Send Outs and feedback to editor@smartbeijing.com.
These rabble-rousing Japanese might find harmonious China unwelcoming.
Then, maybe not~