First the bad – we always like to get it over with first…
We received an email from Katrina from Free the Wax tonight saying that they were off to Italy for the next 12 months. For those of you not familiar with FTW, they have been doublehandedly (in collaboration with everyone’s favorite Shanghai bomb hole, the Shelter) bringing the sounds of the LA experimental beats scene to China. The likes of Samiyam, Nosaj Thing and the upcoming Gaslamp Killer have been breaths of fresh air in a Chinese music scene dominated by pop music.
FREE the WAX will be on hold until we return from Italy in 2010, with fresh eyes and ears – once again in search to blast the minds and souls of those on china’s shores. It has been something of a special year to have shared with you all, and DAMN IT’s BEEN FUN!!! ….we have SO many people to thank – especially Gary and Gaz at the shelter, all our exceptional support dj’s, the one and only Yen, our graphic designer Onluidira, photographers Charlie and Benoit, our media partners, and the many friends giving us that unstoppable lovin’ support we needed. Needless to say, it hasn’t been an easy decision…
Our final shows this year are going to be more than exceptional – we have Kid Koala in Beijing 29th Oct, Eliot Lipp (LA) Nov 6th coming to the Shelter, and The Motherfucking Gaslamp Killer Nov 21st to blast your heads off before you can even say the word… goodbye.
Will look forward to hearing about your projects in the future, expect to hear from us next year 2010!
Have a flick through all our Event photos from over the last year! and Press Kit of articles if you feel like a read..
Good luck Katrina. Hope to see you back soon!
And the good: Shanghai’s two most prolific English language music scene bloggers have launched a podcast (or at least, produced a demo). Andy Best and Jake Newby are treading in the footsteps of the once notorious Aric S. Queen, who produced Gig Shanghai, and then OMKOS. They will be producing a (hopefully) regular radio show commenting on what is happening musically in Shanghai.
You can find the first one HERE. We hope sincerely that this takes off and lasts longer than either of the previously mentioned shows. It’s a valuable service, and the two guys involved know more about the local music scene than any other English speaking commentators. Good work guys.