Casino Demon,
P.K.14,
Rebuilding The Rights Of Statues (Re-TROS),
Joyside,
Echo Rush,
Gar,
Snapline,
AV Okubo,
Carsick Cars,
Super VC,
Queen Sea Big Shark,
Self Party,
New Pants,
Hua Lun,
Angry Jerks,
48V
Casino Demon
Casino Demon was founded in 2004 by lead singer Wang Zi when he was 16 years old. They are respected for
their original musical composition style and improvisational performances. Their new album "Teenage"
recently finished recording and will be published by Modern Sky in March 2009.
www.myspace.cn/thecasinodemon
P.K.14
Founded in Nanjing in 1997, P.K.14 are one of the most admired and influential bands in China.
P.K.14, whose full name is “the Public Kingdom for Teens”, occupies a renowned space in Chinese
music as one of the scene’s most philosophical and political bands. Among the most significant group
of young musicians to emerge from Beijing over the last four years, they are unanimously cited as the band
that has most influenced the young Beijing music scene with their seriousness and eclectic approach to music.
In July 2008, P.K.14 released their fourth album, City Weather Sailing (Chengshi Tianqi De Hangxing) produced
by Henrik Oja and Mats Hammarström.
www.myspace.com/pk14
REBUILDING THE RIGHTS OF STATUES (Re-TROS)
This trio began electrifying audiences in Beijing in 2003, and have become the beating heart of China’s
rock underground with their riveting, explosive performances. They have collaborated with Brian Eno, and
they cite influences including Bauhaus, Joy Division, Television, and Pere Ubu. Re-TROS has just finished
their debut full length album ” Watch Out！Climate Has Changed，Fat Mum Rises…” , and will launch a China-wide
tour in March 2009.
www.myspace.com/rebuildingtherightsofstatues
Joyside
Joyside was formed in 2001, in a dark dank basement north of Beijing. The band evolved from punk roots into
more pure rock and roll. Last September they released their latest CD, “Booze at Neptune’s Dawn” on Maybe
Mars and are planning an EP for later this year. With six albums to their name and the well-respected reputation
in China’s indie scene, they are addicted to the music and posturing of the pre-punk New York scene, with particular
influences being Dead Boys, New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, Sex Pistols, and the Stooges.
www.myspace.com/joyside
Echo Rush
Xi’an band Echo Rush was established in 2006. The band’s Chinese name translates from “echo impact” which refers
to their unique music style and explosive live performance, fusing various genres of music (punk, funk, rock,
pop, nu-metal) into their own signature sound. In March 2008, the band released their first demo “Take My Way”
and are currently unsigned.
wwwcn.myspace.cn/echorushband
Gar
Gar emerged from the ashes of a notoriously hailed underground band Ne Zha in 2006. With their unique
songwriting skills and the inspired, at-times-falsetto singing of frontman Zhan Pan, they have been
compared to bands as disparate as Television and Pavement, but infused with Chinese pop and San
Francisco psychedelia.
www.myspace.cn/the2gar
Snapline
Snapline are among Beijing’s fastest rising young bands, having released their first 7” single in
the US in 2008. Their music is informed by the noise and minimalist musicians of the 70s and 80s,
together with industrial and post-punk influences like Joy Division and the Cure. They have
collaborated with producer and ex-PIL drummer Martin Atkins and are one of the most innovative bands
in China.
www.myspace.com/snapline
AV Okubo
Hailing from the industrial city of Wuhan, AV Okubo are know as one of the best live acts in China.
Their electrifying and sophisticated musical take on throwaway garbage culture and pulp fiction will
soon be captured in the studio, with the guidance of Martin Atkins. The band members are all children
of the 80s, which comes through in their music—their memories of pop songs and Hong Kong movies have
been reinterpreted into a beat-driven rock and roll that keeps your brain dancing for hours.
Carsick Cars
Though newer on the indie scene, Carsick Cars has achieved global exposure, having toured through Europe
with Sonic Youth, who consider them their favorite band in China. Their namesake first album was recorded
in 2007 and produced by legendary P.K.14 frontman Yang Haisong. The band features several members of
Beijing band Snapline along with Shou Wang (Vocal& Guitar), listed by Rolling Stone China in 2007 as one
of the country’s most innovative guitarists.
www.myspace.com/carsickcars
Super VC
Super VC are veterans of the music scene in China, acclaimed by music media and indie music fans alike.
Their music is a hybrid of brit pop, modern rock, and pop, layered by singer/lead guitarist Sun Ling Sheng’s
spellbinding vocals, rivaling Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Renowned Chinese musician and producer Zhang Ya Dong
has championed the band since their early days in 2001, producing their debut album Double Life, and in 2006,
Zhang signed them to his label Dong Music, which released their third album Great Restoration in late 2008.
www.myspace.com/supervcband
Queen Sea Big Shark
Queen Sea Big Shark was formed in 2004 and has quickly risen to the forefront of China’s fashionable
underground music scene. Led by a charismatic frontwoman and styl-icon-in-the-making the band is know for a
distinctive hybrid dance-rock sound. Fu Han, the female lead vocalist is an enthusiast in electronic motor
pad, a collector of Japanese Manga, and nostalgic of the 1980s pop-lifestyle. The band also includes guitarist
Cao Pu who is an architect by day, brainiac bassist Wang Jing Han and drummer Xiao Wu who maintains the heartbeat
of the band. The band’s first self titled CD Queen Sea Big Shark was released by Modern Sky in January 2008.
www.myspace.cn/queenseabigshark
Self Party
Self Party is a shoegazer retro band established in 2005, and are considered one of the pioneers of this
music movement in China. Well-respected beyond their home city of Hangzhou, Self Party released their first
CD Pop Songs in 2007 and are currently working on a new CD In Tunnel due out in 2009.
www.myspace.com/lovemonkeepower
New Pants
Formed by four teens - Peng Lei, Pang Kuan, Lo Bo, and Shang Xiao - from the hutongs of Beijing in 1996,
New Pants are one of the most revered bands in China’s contemporary music history. The band’s early sound
was influenced heavily by New Wave and early Punk Rock, particularly the Ramones. In recent years their
sound and style has tended more towards an 80’s disco/electro/indie-rock collage. The band performed in
London in 2008 as part of the Victoria and Albert Museum of London’s “China Now” series. “Equal Love” is
New Pants’ latest album, released to high-acclaim in late 2008.
www.myspace.com/beijingnewpants
HuaLun
HuaLun was established in November 2004 in the industrial province of Wuhan (somewhat the Manchester of China).
Their music is a powerful, escapist post-rock sound and style, grounded by the beats of their waifish female
drummer Xiao Yu. They released their first album Silver Daydream in 2008.
www.myspace.com/hualun027
Angry Jerks
Nanjing band Angry Jerks was established in 2000 and has steadily built a passionate following to their
psychobilly punk music. The band has played hundreds of performances and released four albums including
Melanin (2001), My Life (2003), Nanjing Alarm (2006) and most recently Angry Jerks (2008). They are the
oldest punk band in Nanjing and revered as pioneers in their local rock n’ roll scene. Angry Jerks
recently added an upright bass to round out their blend of traditional punk, gothic, old skull punk,
rockabilly and jazz.
www.myspace.com/angryjerks
48V
48V was established in May 2005 in the city Changsha in the Hunan province and are known for developing
and incredibly orchestrated signature music style with electronic post rock n’ roll. The inspiration
behind the band’s name is based on the need for 48V power to supply power to a microphone. Two months
after the band formed, 48V released their first demo “South” on the internet and later in December 2006
released their first album South by the indie factory label 1724. Their music is featured prominently
in the Converse Love Noise documentary, as a rich and contemplative soundscape to complement the visual
direction of the film.
www.myspace.com/48vodka
