Electronica and punk go head to head in this week’s batch of new releases, which head down to Shanghai for some boom bap courtesy of Damacha and Pete Chen as well as a dosage of no holds barrel punk from Dirty Fingers, before heading back up to Beijing for some funk-infused electronic hip hop from Soulspeak, and finally heading down to just about everywhere for the expansive compilation that is Full Punk Day. Bring your earplugs and let\’s check them out.
Shanghai has a new lord of punk and its name is Dirty Fingers – self described as the \’rising bastard lords of punk in China, the destroyers of the peace that has established in yaogun these days, the builders of the new chaos in your mind\’, Dirty Fingers are a cosmic force of nature on their self titled LP. Relentless, disorienting, charged and scrappy as all hell, it\’s a mess of a good time, one that captures the glorious unholy matrimony that punk can still be. A firecracker of a debut, filled to the brim with teeth. No one comes out clean on this thing, and all the better for it. Tear into it on douban and xiami.
LA-raised, Beijing-based producer Soulspeak brings his expansive set of skills to his latest solo effort, Flux, off of Ran Music. While the producer has been a constant force behind the scenes producing hits for the likes of Snoop Lion. Battlecat – to most recently in Beijing, j-fever and Queen Sea Big Shark, he has barely had the opportunity to strut his self solo. And what a showcase Flux turns out to be. A collection of the artist\’s best tracks from the late oughts to present, from breakbeat, instrumental hip hop, to turntablism and P-funk, it\’s a sprawling piece of work, full of sultry bass and colorful beats. Reminiscent of 90s era hip-hop electronica (i.e. DJ Shadow) but glossed over with plenty of soul. It\’s pretty evident why the man is such a hot commodity. Dig into it on soundcloud and xiami.
Back in June, a horde of punks from around China (and its bordering lands) gathered for Full Punk Day – an all day punk fest showcasing some of the upcoming talent. This year’s edition featured the likes of Pinboard, The Pansies, Feel Of All, Die!ChiwawaDie!, Sick Reaction, Ice Moon, Own Up!, Die In Velvet, Landfills, and Loudpseaker. Hardcore, grunge, grindcore, pop punk – the lineup was pretty divisive and inclusive of all brands of punk. The team behind the event put together a pretty nifty compilation album. Some solid finds here – particularly the female-led punch to the face that is Die!ChiwanaDie!, the grunge filth of Landfills, and the abrasive noisecore of Die In Velvet. A fine introductory course on the new generation of punk. Spin it over at xiami or download it for freebies.
Shanghai-based American producer Damacha finds him joining forces with Guangzhou hip hop producer Pete Chen for GRINDSTUFF, the latest from Groove Bunny Records. The record which takes grinds together ‘History, moods, love n hate, sound, film, poly, video, light, plant, liquid, and all your dreamstuffs’ was produced during Damacha’s visit to Guangzhou. A sexy piece of boom bap (style of hip hop signified by a hard bass drum and snapping snare that is often EQed to the forefront of the beat) that oozes with swagger filtered through a China’s pop culture – and as the presser release claims ‘an embodiment of sage life, a trip to Burger King, and a reflection on modern China.’ Love it. Fill up on some beats over at their bandcamp page.
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