Interview: 69 (DDC)

To me a true owner is someone who always at their shows, taking in the sounds, chatting up the customers, and having a good time. And after hanging out at Gulou rsing star of a venue, DDC for over half a year, I can firmly say that 69 is a true blood music advocate. Dude’s always having a blast, whether he’s geeking out over his sound system and photo skills, having his ears perk up at the sound of something new, or just tossing a movie on the big ol’ projector midday. Even with years of experience under his belt, he still gets enjoyment out of everything he does and it shows. So kudos, 69, and thanks for being the home of LBM’s Spring Fever showcase this weekend. Here’s an interview with the man himself.

Give us a brief history of the man 69? What’s your background — how did you wind up in Beijing?

Hello everyone from LBM! I’m 69 (Six-Nine), founder of Dusk Dawn Club (DDC). I am a music lover, from classic rock to modern electronic, from classical music to jazz and world music. I also love movies, photography, traveling. I studied got my bachelor in physics and my masters in computer science, I find myself to be very open minded. After my university studies in 2009 I ran a music hostel in my hometown, Xiamen, where we would sometimes host folk and indie music concerts (XiaoHe, Zhou Yunpeng, Li Zhi, etc. played there before). One year later, I moved to Beijing, because I realized Xiamen was too small a market for indie music. I started catching live shows at Beijing around Jiangjinjiu, MAO Livehouse, D-22, Jianghu Bar, and became friends with Tianxiao, the owner of Jianghu Bar. Some time later, Tianxiao told me he was looking for someone he can work with, and like that, we became partners. It was a great experience working there; I got to meet so many good musicians and friends. And really was impressed with what I was doing, as more and more musicians came through.

Can you recall your first taste of live music in Beijing?

When I just first moved to Beijing at 2010, I just found some well known folk musicians’ concert and also sometimes I went to NCPA to enjoy some truly spectacular classical music concerts. But you know it was 2010, I missed the River Bar. I missed Get Lucky Bar and those days.

What was the musical atmosphere like during your first years here?

In 2010, I think the peak of Chinese rock was well gone, so more and more different genres were appearing; more and more indie musicians were exploring different avenues. The atmosphere was actually quite peaceful and settled. But you know, something will happen soon. And then, we’ll all see the music market boom.

You managed Jianghu Bar from 2010 to 2013? What was your time like there and what skills did you pick up there?

Yes, I joined Jianghu at mid of 2010 as a partner, till the end of 2013, where I felt we had different ideas of the future of the venue. Jianghu gave me a good space to deeply touch and be touched by the music and the musicians. I quickly formulated skills like managing the bar, scheduling events, contacting musicians and media – really, so many skills.

What was the main motivation behind leaving Jianghu and opening up DDC?

The main motivation was simply, I didn’t want to just be running a bar. I wanna turn it into a real platform, an ‘open source’ platform. Jianghu had seven years of history already under it, and I was not the founder. I wasn’t gonna make a “revolution”. I mean, it’s hard to make such drastic changes as I had in mind. But at the same time, I couldn’t shake off the ambition and was really looking to challenge myself – so I quit there and began working on my own new project, which later became DDC.

What was your main goal with DDC? How did you want it to differ from other venues?

DDC aka Dusk Dawn Club a name I took from the Tarantino’s film “From Dusk Till Dawn”. It’s not just a live venue. It’s also an art space, a place for youth culture in all its manifestation – be it music, contemporary art, photography, film or outdoor communality.

So far, other venues act simply as a live house or live music bar, but I wanted to let DDC act as a open platform, to allow all forms of art and music to appear here and giving access to a variety of hosts. Anyone armed with a powerful idea can come to DDC and become its organizer, it’s show curator or it’s host.

What’s the most difficult part of running a venue? The best part?

The position. You should choose your own position. One that’s different from the rest of your team. And then your you and your team should work it out. Figure out where all the pieces fit into place. At this point I think we’ve made – that’s the best part. When it all clicks together.

How was the scene changed for venue owners in the past ten years you think? Is it getting easier? Do you see more venues being more open to new sounds?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” as Charles Dickens said. Every generation of venue owners will always weigh in on their own difficulties and luck. People will all say nowadays that audiences are less ‘rock n roll’ than years before, – that the Utopia Age is gone. But for me I’m always looking forward – I see the new culture and how it’s shaping the future. Now more and more youth are taking in the new life styles mixed in with local culture and western culture – food, nightlife, film, music, talk. As businesses, capital investments and government are taking more and more interest in the art industry, primarily the music industry, more and more opportunities are arising. So for me it’s big chance.

I think more and more new venues with good ideas and visions will materialize. More will be done, and more will be done together.

What were some of the highlights shows at DDC thus far?

It’s a long list – but what I’m most looking forward to is the Live Beijing Music show this weekend – Spring Fever!!

What’s next for 69 and DDC? 

We will take it even further, get more and more top performers, bigger and better sounds system, and an even better team. Then maybe sometime the near future, we’ll open up a new club under the name of DDC.

Remember to check out Spring Fever this Saturday, April 4th at 6pm!!!!