Here are three new homegrown albums from musicians in South China on our radar this month.
1. Collected Reworks & Collected Works by Guangzhou Underground
GZUG was founded in 2013 by Simon B and Bass Panda, with Failed State later joining the fray. The label was established as a way to make and release dance music that could cross genres without expectation, a mission similar to Ran Music and Do Hits of Beijing. According to Guangzhou Underground co-founder Simon B, these two albums bring together a lot of unfinished business and outstanding track re-works and remixes. What better way to get into the electronic underground sounds of GZUG than a compilation – or two? These albums include retrospectives of works by frequent contributor Alex Agore, with remixes by producers like 3ASIC from Nanjing and Purple Key from Guangzhou. The next few months will stay busy for Guangzhou Underground as they release music by Neil M from Guangzhou, DJ Tayta from Shenzhen and YEN from Taipei. Keep an eye on their Bandcamp and Xiami for more.
2. Convenience Store Girl by Moonband
Zhaoqing act Moonband have been quite active in the past year. Founded in the spring of 2012, their second release, Convenience Store Girl, comes hot on the heels of multiple shows around the region at the end of 2017. During that time, they were also featured on the compilation album Nerd Noise 2, which brings together fledgling indie bands from all over China, along with the likes of She Never Sings Our Songs and Trip Fuel. Moonband cite a variety of different genres as providing inspiration for their eclectic take on post-rock music, such as blues, emo rock and math rock. Convenience Store Girl sounds particularly like the latter, with many an irregular pause in the guitar and rhythm sections. These gaps in time provide the perfect moment for romantic and thoughtful vocal interludes.
3. Emotional, Too by Sweaty and Cramped
Hong Kong label Sweaty and Cramped’s second ‘Asian emo compilation’ comes with a small aside thanking the universe that their reach in the music world has gradually increased since their first 2015 compilation release. The Hong Kong label again enlists Guangzhou’s Qiii Snacks Records and Sango Records to disseminate their work on the Chinese mainland and in Japan respectively. Artists included on the album this time around come from all three labels, with songs by Nein Gas Muss, Foster Parents and Wellsaid, among others. For three small localized labels, this release is a signal of intent toward creating a larger Asian punk music circle across typically very difficult regions and language barriers. While the album features 10 tracks, it can also brag of featuring bands from nine cities across Asia.
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