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A current pulse check on Chengdu, China in the COVID-19 Era

April 09, 2020 / John Yingling

The sign says something akin to “If you hide your symptoms, how are we supposed to keep you safe?”

<a href="http://downloads.maybemars.org/album/she-came-back-from-the-square">She Came Back From the Square by Hiperson</a>

As I write this, Wuhan, China is opening up again. To say it’s been an intense few months would be understating the situation. This is a meandering, overdue re-cap of my last year and a half in Chengdu, China. If it seems a bit all over the place, well, that’s where things are at. My favorite venue in neighboring Chongqing, NUTS Club, briefly opened their doors for a few days, only to be shut down once again. Shortly after, rumblings from Shanghai that nightlife & tourist places had to start closing again seemed to trickle down to Chongqing and other places, just as optimism started to flow. A week later, NUTS is cautiously starting again. Things seemed to change by the hour. Yet in an all too relaxed Chengdu, I headed to an electronic gig just a few days after some places shuttered. Luca, who I saw perform that night, simply said “Chongqing is not as lucky as we are.”

When I first moved here, Sichuan laziness hooked into me deeply. You can read excuses toward the end, but this city is almost too goddamn comfortable. Back in 2013, I was sitting on a patch of grass near water with the band Hiperson, when Sijiang said “you know, there’s a proverb… the young shouldn’t come to Chengdu, and the old shouldn’t leave”. I now know exactly what she meant. That said, this was one of the best decisions of my life so far. For seven years I bounced in and out of this place, first on the P.K.14 tour, back when the small Little Bar consistently had shows. I longed to move here when I was living in Harbin. TAG, a dark and perfectly loud night club, was always a staple in my visits, and where I first saw SHAO play live. I bounced in and out of here for NUART Festival, largely curated by Kristen (Kiwese) Ng at the time. Upon arrival, I was greeted with even more electronic music, quite a few gigs at NU Space, and a ton of things peppered in between at the smattering of smaller clubs and spaces in this city.

After I’d settled in, I was immediately greeted with some smaller gigs by Wu Zhuo Ling and a team of folks who set up “Small Projects”, a collection of low-key afternoon and early night happenings. Wu has been a staple of the inner-workings of Chengdu for a very long time, and time hasn’t seen her slowing down, as she also plays her own music at the clubs around town. These were refreshing days, and coming from a largely music deprived Northeast, always quite welcome to me. Chengdu’s relaxed atmosphere bleeds out into their events, but the staples like NU Space remain, and festivals were always a big part of what made this area special. Festivals like Sound of the Xity happened right before the virus began, and the yearly Chun Yuo should poke its head out again this year, God of shenanigans willing.

TAG in April 2020. We were early. As normal, people trickled in heavier around midnight.

It’s impossible to talk about Chengdu without talking about TAG. For me, it’s the perfect place to see an electronic show. Dark as hell, not too loud, with killer cocktails in their upstairs secondary room called Hidden Bar. From what I can remember, SHAO, an inimitable Shanghai electronic artist, was one of my first gigs here. It’s nestled in the 21st floor of the Poly Center, a high-rise that holds a smattering of other businesses, and at once also held a handful of other electronic venues that have all been shuttered over the last few years. Only TAG has survived. The first time I sauntered in, I went upstairs and began chatting to the bartender, who had a whiskey sour on the menu. He made it with egg whites, which made me giddy as hell after years of tragically bad bar sour mix. He was an excited fellow, and told me he learned how to make cocktails in Japan. I got way too hammered, and sauntered out at an ungodly hour in the morning, in which most of the crowd at TAG were just only beginning to get started. Seeing the sunrise after your night out here is commonplace, though I must be getting old, as I’ve never stayed that long as of yet. When we arrived to Chengdu, we started hanging out paper bracelets on the side of our television. We must have over 100 now. This is a staple that shouldn’t be missed, and I am extremely proud of the quality and consistency they’ve achieved for such a long time. To say I was cautiously ecstatic when they announced they’d be re-opening was putting it lightly.

We headed to Chongqing by train. Barely a 90 minute trip, this neighboring city is essentially a polar opposite. Brash, hilly, confusing as hell by foot. Most bands that play Chengdu also head over to NUTS Club, a long standing staple, for mirrored gigs. NUTS reminds me of The Empty Bottle in Chicago. Lots of black paint. Small, but big enough to house larger acts and get rowdy. The best White Russian in China. It’s a crazy city, but still extremely friendly. The vibe is totally different, and you feel it as soon as one walks out of the train station. Our first visit was to catch STOLEN, but we headed back to explore the different-but-same culinary aspects, and a hardcore festival. I spotted Wu Wei from Wuhan’s SMZB in the crowd, and sat down with him for a quick drink. He moved south a good many months ago, taking a break from Wuhan Prison, a decision he’s probably grateful for these days. This last year, I’d meant to try and go to Chongqing at least once a month, but the comforts of Chengdu kept me nestled in place, largely because there’s just so many options on what to see, hear, and experience in the city. This will be rectified once the train travel opens up again, and freedom to move is fully restored.

The Passenger - Sound of the Xity Festival - Chengdu - December 2019

Local bands in Chengdu seem to be growing. When I arrived in 2018, it was October. Just a few weeks before the annual NUART festival. I was giddy. There was a slew of good bands on the bill that year, including some staple favorites I hadn’t seen in a long time, like WHITE+. What came as a nice surprise, was a chunk of new-to-me local Chengdu bands I’d never heard of before. Sonicave, Long Travel, The Or. (These bands have music on the app Xiami if you can connect to a Chinese server.) Brooding rock and roll and roll, shoegaze and some post punk vibes. There’s a heavy feminine energy in this city’s scene right now. I made every effort to come and support shows at NU Space. The size of the venue is fairly big, and the footprint and bills to be paid have to be quite astronomical, considering they converted their smaller first space into a coffee shop and art space, and now had a larger venue to play with. Many of the shows were under-attended, so extra beers were bought in support of them all. Seeing local bands get their own excited had me quite hopeful for the community here, and the fact that most were younger, or in Long Travel’s case, still in university, added excitement to the mix. When I first came to this city and caught Stolen and Hiperson, they were both still in college, and both acts have continued pushing themselves forward and reinventing their sound in amazing ways. Even though a year quickly crept by, I felt I’d only just started to begin wrapping my head around all the things I’d seen, all the different new electronic venues that would pop up, and places to see in between. There were sporadic shows at tiny places like Jah Bar and nearby Steam Hostel. Large-scale electronic shows peppered throughout the city. Really, there’s a lot to do, and a solid amount of players involved to keep things fresh. Chengdu Community Radio was born. I have no doubt the growth in this city will continue, and flourish from here.

Before the virus broke out, Chengdu welcomed three fresh venues to the fray. 13 Lounge, a small but comfortable bar and art house, as well as electronic venues AXIS, and Cue Club. Both are great, and different enough to hold their own. Both are now reopened and having events. Cue has the vivid neon colors that have brainwashed me so long in Asia, great sound-proofing, and a blocky, bright interior. I’m working on booking a small gig at 13 Lounge, and the lineup is almost finished. Cue Club is a vastly different layout to most of Chengdu’s other electronic clubs and I’m quite excited to see what they can bring to the table. This is Luca at Cue Club. One night I went to TAG and was already drunk when I got there and just started hammering away beers, which I guess is typical for a place where people don't stop until sunrise. On came Luca, she ended with something that sounded out of the Double Dragon era NES jams, and I left TAG a very, very big fan. I've tried to catch every single set she's played since then, and I think I've only missed a handful. Luca rules, and she’s but one of the many mainstay electronic artists circling the rounds of the city’s spaces here. Atop all of this new movement, a club called AXIS will host a 20 artist electronic festival this weekend, at a time where the rules on things being open seem to change by the hour.

13 Lounge is tiny, but should make for some great shows (Goodbye party for Frank - late 2019)

On came the Corona Virus. Jesus Christ. What the fuck happened? I’ll stray from speculation and too much anger. I was in Thailand with my lady and her family. When we were leaving, we were aware something was going on in Wuhan. My partner grew up in Guangzhou, so she was all too familiar with this scenario, having scene how SARS played out. I remember being a hotel room, asking her to try and not dwell on it too much and to try and enjoy the Chinese New Year. We were in Koh Lanta, and island, at first, when things started to get shitty. When we headed north to Chiang Mai, there were still very few masks being worn on the street. We stopped into a store to buy a box, and within 24 hours, they were sold out. Everywhere. All across Asia. Simply just gone. We did some major walking and finally found a couple stragglers left over, and we bought them. I was staying a few weeks longer than they were, as they all thought they had to come and return to work. I’d also thought it might be a good idea in general when things started to get really bad in the Mainland. Little did I know that I wouldn’t even be able to return to my house on the university campus when I’d returned.

I got a phone call when my girlfriend touched down, at 1AM. “They won’t let me into the fucking campus!” … I was a bit bewildered. Opting in no way shape or form to stay in a random hotel for weeks, we ended up having to get an AirBNB for a month, which we’re quite lucky, considering it’s officially banned as a means of housing. I missed the utmost gnarly weeks, but when I returned, the streets were completely empty. I’d never seen anything like it. A popular shopping area I go to for its grocery store, always bustling, was totally dead, at rush hour. Totally nuts. I was hearing stories from friends in Shanghai, Harbin, and Beijing, about their apartment buildings getting totally locked down, and only being able to leave a few times a week. Chengdu, despite its emptiness and vast temperature checks, seemed pretty relaxed about it all. Bigger grocery store chains remained open. Everyone wore masks. I can only suspect the massive toll this took on commerce here, and the emotional hits all around the country. That said, we just stuck at home. Went out every other day or so, watched a shitload of movies and television, cooked a lot, and started to go a bit stir crazy. Over the weeks, things slowly began re-opening. I’d peer out the window to people playing badminton in the sun. It was then when Europe and America all began to go to shit.

I remember being confused by photos of Europeans and Americans still going out and doing things. My brother sent me a video of him at a Shellac show just days before numbers began to skyrocket. I told them to stay home. I made a Facebook post asking people, kindly, what the fuck they were doing, and to just cancel all of that shit, and self quarantine. I knew it was about to get bad. I didn’t think it’d get this bad. It really sucks to say “well, yeah, of course" when one thinks about it. I get it. Things are different in America. We’re stubborn. Muh freedom. We don’t wear masks. Our president is a fucking asshole, rapist, piece of scum television star who sits on Twitter all day making disgusting jabs at people. It’s all so extremely disappointing. I’ve been consistently worried about my family, friends, and everyone I know who was already just scraping by paycheck to paycheck. This is a world-wide cluster fuck, and I almost feel guilty sitting here comfortably in Chengdu. I get to zoom around on my motorbike, bear the fruits of Asia’s endlessly excellent delivery culture, from food, to masks, and whatever else I need. Sit and watch the numbers rise everywhere else, because they just didn’t take it seriously, in time, have the infrastructure. In some cases, many of these assholes outright just didn’t care at all. I know you know this. We all do. I’m going to halt on the negativity, and just to to continue putting out positivity. China, and I knock on wood daily when I think this, seems largely recovered from this whole goddamn mess, in a time when the United States has recorded the most deaths. Things are so broken, and I’d love to believe this would be a wake-up call, but I fear not much will change. I actually went to Indonesia at a last stop before I came back. They had one falsely recorded case of COVID-19 in Bandung, which turned out negative, as I arrived. I met with Prabu from Saturday Night Karaoke. We drank beers, and reflected on the last year or so since we’d gone on tour with Korea’s DBGC, back when the plan was to live in Indonesia for at least a year. Before the noise and worry of the almighty dollar swallowed me and I hopped ship back to, what I truly yearned for, Mainland China. I didn’t see a single person wearing a mask at that time. Now, the situation is different. This isn’t accusatory. Really, this whole update is just to tell you where I’m at with things, puke out some feelings onto paper, and give you an insight into where Sichuan stands as a scene. I feel bad for Wuhan. I fucking love that city, and it was always brash, untamable, dirty, loud, swelteringly hot. They definitely didn’t need to add this to their resume.

Zooming on a silent electric bike - April 2020 (Salute, Mao)

I’ve been going out. Last weekend’s show with Luca was the first. I half expected it to not happen after the NUTS Club closure. Is that stupid? It didn’t feel stupid. Sure, we’re riding on the edge right now. We’re trusting China’s numbers that there are no new cases. Yes, something could happen. I don’t know the protocol in this new era of life. We’re masking up and doing things, cautiously, but when people get inside of where they’re going, it’s almost like nothing is wrong at all. That’s what the vibe is like. It’s a slippery slope, and I’m no expert on any of this, but it seems to me this gradual upward trend of positive traction will start spreading out across the world in short order. Things are dark right now outside of China, and I can’t assume to know what the rest of the country is like. From what I hear, Sichuan province is very relaxed, comparatively. China has just recently banned the entry of foreigners in an effort to control things better. China has color coded apps that turn from green to red if you visit high risk areas outside of the city you’ve quarantined in. It’s attached to your phone number and knows exactly where you’ve been. If that sounds dramatic, well, it is, and for good reason. In reality, I cannot even leave this city if I wanted to have a job when I returned. Traveling to even neighboring Chongqing would probably put me back into quarantine for a few weeks. That said, I don’t want to leave. I’ve talked a lot about the comfort level here, and this is one instance where it has been an extremely positive thing.

Delivery people are the true heroes - April 2020

I know things are going to get better, and I believe it will be soon. Some sort of awful hindsight may come of this article, but if what I’m living now becomes everywhere else, I’m not sure we’ll have an intensely horrible second wave as some speculate. China always felt like the safest place in the world once I returned, even when things were toward their peak here. I watched as the toilet paper hoarding, the disbelief, and the mania all came into play. I woke up to financial markets melting down, Bitcoin halving in price while I sat on Binance, mouth wide open. Extreme fear is a hell of a thing, and I just simply feel terrible for those who don’t have the means to get through this without major hits on all fronts. If you have extra cash, please seeks out ways you can help others. I see a lot of fundraisers by restaurant and bar folk, people with kids who are struggling, whatever you can do to lighten the load of someone, if things are comfortable enough for you. It’s going to go a long way to rebuilding across the world, and I’ve been impressed by so many who’ve done great things. I won’t offer some sort of blanket statement, but I do pray and give thanks for those making a big impact during all of this. The hospitals. The doctors. Delivery people. Those who have to go out and get shit done or the entire damn thing would just collapse right in front of us. For the people who tried to do the right thing, we see you. As for life in Sichuan, things almost seem completely back to normal today, despite many places still being closed, cinemas not running, and a majority of public spots still just waiting for the green light to begin again.

Has it really been over a year since I’ve written anything on this website? For that, I apologize. It’s crazy to think it’s been nearly two years since I moved to Chengdu. Settling into Sichuan dug its claws into me almost immediately. This is, despite its sprawl and amount of people, a sleepy city that simultaneously busts its ass. The vibe is laid back, and my biggest priority when I got here was to make sure I did a good job at the university I was working at. We went out quite a bit, and I’ve amassed quite a large back log of photography, and a bit of video. This was high-risk jump for me. When I was briefly living in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, I quickly realized I was eventually going to run out of money, not really being able to work and do this project full time, and I wasn’t quite sure anyone was going to really give enough of a shit in the end. A change had to be made. I was bouncing in and out of Guangzhou at the time, and the position opened up for me to work an extremely low amount of hours, for sustainable pay, and also simultaneously have a large amount of paid holiday per year, of which I thought would be perfect to work on the project sustainably. The city wrapped around me like a warm, familiar blanket, and the months flew by. My editing computer started to gag and spit, unable to edit video well, and the wait was weeks to get it looked at. Things just fell by the wayside. I’m going to try and do better, and get back on the editing horse.

Thanks for reading this. I had to get something out there. It’s been too long, and I’m going to make an effort to bring more life into this project this year. There’s a ton of backlogged stuff hanging behind the curtains, and I’m excited to start putting more content out there. I hope you’re doing okay, and can stay healthy, sane, and positive during these ridiculous times. I hope this update gives you some hope. As I hit the final save button on this, I’m drinking a Redbull / Vodka, and heading to a 20 artist electronic festival at AXIS with many of the people in this article. I think everything’s going to be okay. Take care out there.

- Yingling

The most 麻 (numbing) chicken on the planet. We couldn’t even eat much of it.

Meikadeer - Sound of the Xity - Chengdu - December 2019

Chinese Football - Sound of the Xity - Chengdu - December 2019

Guangzhou’s DIE! CHIWAWA! DIE! outside NUTS Club in Chongqing

This kid. A home dumplings restaurant in Chengdu - 2018

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tags / china, chengdu, rock, art, culture, sichuan, covid19, coronavirus, pandemic, love, life, music, punk

Farewell, Dongbei! 3 months in China, Japan, and Indonesia

September 04, 2018 / John Yingling

3 months ago, in what was either the dumbest, or best decision ever, I quit my job. The jury is still out on that one. Trust me, in the grand scheme of things, I really didn't want to leave Harbin, China. It was probably the most comfortable I have been in years, despite an insanely brutal winter, bad air, and questionable surroundings for my health. However, I went there with goals, I hit them, and it was time to get on the road for a while and see what happens. I'd set up a loose schedule, to tour with a few of my favorite bands on my way to Indonesia. The plan was to then settle into Yogyakarta, in central Java, and try to get my shit together for some sort of long haul filming excursions. This is how it began. These are largely unedited, tired, hung-over dispatches from the road, written hours after they happened, so please excuse some strange spoutings. (By the way, you can find links to all of these bands at the bottom of this page. Have a listen, and support them if you like it!)

Day one. Hiperson (海朋森) at NUTS Club, Chongqing. It's been five years since my last trek in the face-melting, crazy city just a few hours from Chengdu. A return to the beginning, really, when I was first blown away by their opening set for P.K.14 back in 2013. Their new material is great, and they say they've now got enough for a new LP. I got a taste of this last year at the Maybe Mars showcase, but they're tighter now, more confident. I love this band. Thank You, Hiperson. It's really meant so much to watch you grow all these years. What a perfect start to this thing. Next stop, Osaka, Japan.

Blond New Half. Namba Bears green room. Osaka, Japan. I am very lucky that these maniacs play like twenty gigs a month in Kansai when I come here. They will be featured in the long overdue Episode 2 of The World Underground. In fact, they were one of my favorite parts of that trip so many years ago. They still rule. I'll focus on new material for both them and Hiperson. Osaka is spectacular, and if you are in Japan it'd be foolish to not spend a good chunk of time here for so many reasons. Don't think about it too much. Just do it. Tonight, Blond New Half play "Ooh La La" in Kyoto, and I'm heading to the train station now! Giddy up!

After this, I somehow got lucky enough to get a Chinese tourist visa processed in Osaka. It was a dice roll, as the few stories I could find informed me I should have a Japanese work visa, but, in the end, it worked out.

Flat Sucks. Namba Bears. Osaka, Japan. I awoke a bit salty I missed METZ the previous day, and decided I was going to a random show. I picked a venue, headed out. Japan is spectacular for many reasons, but one is that you can just choose a gig, and it's probably going to be, at least, entertaining. At best, mind-blowing. Flat Sucks are kick-ass punk via Kyoto. I'd never heard of them. Between sets, I read about Bourdain's suicide. What a deep loss. I wasn't really handling it too well on the last band, so I drunkenly asked if I could say something. Got on the mic, and a kid jumped on stage and translated. Rad. I told them Japan changed Bourdain's life. I asked them to shout cheers. I poured beer on the floor. I don't think most of them understood still, but it didn't matter. It was good. It's time to roll extra hard for Anthony Bourdain.

Zhu Wenbo and Zhao Cong. The odds of us meeting this week, at this place, are quite remarkable. I met Zhu Wenbo five years ago at the now defunct XP Club in Beijing. He began an experimental night every Tuesday way back in D22, and continued it in XP, until it closed. He then brought it to an underpass, made it a tape label. He remembered that night at XP. Zhu and Zhao performed unique low-key sound pieces. Mizutama, 竹下勇馬, and 中田粥 held a collaboration in the main room. They put bits into a suitcase and brought it outside. FIGYA's small child, she hit it around. Their kid is always in the room, adding to the performances. All here, in this off the radar experimental space I always try to visit when I go to Osaka. China always wiggles its way back in somehow. Thank You, folks. Always a pleasure.

THE SHOKKMAN. Hard Rain. Osaka, Japan. Wild speed-freak punk rock! This was a "rest day", which means going to a show anyway but only recording audio and taking photos. Another random gig I had no idea what to expect out of, aside from seeing a few Youtube videos. I arrived to find my sound recorder's memory card was full, and I didn't have my back-up. CURSES! Happens at least once per trip. Never any sense in beating myself up over it, as nothing could be done. Blindly impressed once again, and a hell of a thing for a lazy Sunday night. Tonight, the final show, and my last night in Japan! Blond New Half & three others at my new favorite jam in Osaka : Sengoku Daitouryou! Let's roll.

鮫肌尻子とダイナマイト (Samehada Shiriko & Dynamite)
Japan, Blond New Half, old and new friends...Thank You. Always difficult to write a takeaway to this country that doesn't involve sounding like a lunatic fanboy, so I won't even try. I love you. Now, a long trek to Guangzhou, China, to meet a Hedgehog.

Thank You, Shenzhen. Tonight: Hong Kong! Hedgehog play "This Town Needs", a.k.a. "the new Hidden Agenda". Excited to see it! Spending a few extra days in HK before heading back to Shenzhen for Hiperson, so if you're around, give a shout! I think we'll attempt to shoot a Big Wave music video, too? Their singer is with us playing background stuff for Hedgehog. Alley wandering! All the dim sum! 叉燒! Onward!

I love this city. Endless exploration on a wickedly small scale. Always a bit daunting to me at first, but easy to settle into. It quickly heightens all your senses, leaving you to wander with a hawk eye for ridiculously good food and random shenanigans. It's got an extremely low tolerance for bullshit, and I'm always left a bit breathless after my time. That's a good thing. Another place I am unsure I could ever live, but damn if it's not one of the best short-burst cities to come dive deep, for however long.

Hedgehog were one of the first bands I found in China. They were many other people's introduction as well, forming around the same time as Carsick Cars, D22 club, and a slew of other bands. I never could catch them live. The timing was always off, almost hilariously so. All I could ever muster was to film them in their practice space a few times. They've been together thirteen years now. I'm beyond impressed they've kept it going so long, on top of releasing, in their words, some of their best work to date. No easy feat, considering Atom has a new baby. To follow along these last few shows has really meant a lot to me. Thank You, Hedgehog. Tomorrow, back to Shenzhen to await one last show with Hiperson.

After Hedgehog, I decided on a whim to fly to Chengdu, in Sichuan province, early. It was a gut feeling that I should go spend a few extra days there. I headed to a party my friend Kristen was putting on, for Hise of Machu Picchu, as he was leaving Chengdu after many years.

A layered beast channeling Storm & Stress, wavelengths from the world of Chengdu's STOLEN. This remains my favorite city in China. I cannot wait to go on tour with these kids for a bit in November. No sleep whatsoever. At the airport four hours early because I'd just be sitting on the internet, waiting anywhere else, realistically. Whenever I have a flight before 10AM now, I just stay up all night, nail that sweet spot before all the jam-ups, grip my ticket before everyone else, and sit patiently watching the frantic masses from the smoking room. Blinking heavily now, guzzling triple shot espresso watching heavy rain pour down on Sichuan, reflecting on this whole mad deal. Today, a flight to the gnarly, killer Wuhan, and man, it's been too long. Another Dirty Fingers gig. "Face Me On Stage", they say. The makings of an instant classic.

Lonely Leary. VOX. Wuhan, China. This band has really slapped me in the face the last few days. I caught them for the first time last year in Beijing, and their new LP quickly became one of my favorite recent records from China. I did not recall being able to make their Wuhan show, but there it was, washing over me on two hours of sleep. Rough edges, loud as hell. It's great. I've enjoyed it so much, that I am making another last minute move today. Because I only have one week left in China, I've decided to take the quick and easy fast train to Changsha, Hunan, today, to catch one more gig at the new VOX location that just opened. As they say, you only live once, my friends. Off to the train station.

Wuhan staple AV Okubo VS. Shanghai's Dirty Fingers, last night at Vox. A concept called "Face Me On Stage", where the bands set up opposite each other and "battle" song by song. Probably not a new thing, but definitely unique for China. Historically, most of my favorite rock and roll shows have been played on the floor. You don't see it much here, and it was great. It could have went either way, but in the end, a sweaty, hot mess of a good time, and classic Wuhan. This city rules. Today, I'm heading back to Changsha, Hunan for my final Dirty Fingers gig. It's the final show I'll see in China before heading to Indonesia! Off to the station.

Dirty Fingers, Thank You for what was no doubt one of the top 10 hangovers of my life. Brutal. China, you’re too kind, and that was one hell of a month. Took a 1AM red-eye flight to a layover in Kuala Lumpur. Nodded off at random. More aimless airport wandering, more guzzling strong coffee and waiting for my flight to Jakarta, Indonesia. It’s going to be a long day. I’ll spend a few days here awaiting two Kolibri Records showcase gigs with Grrrl Gang and a few others. Excited for this new leg. Already seeing massive potential, with a lot already planned, as I head towards Jogja to settle in. INDONESIA, let’s go!

Definitely not in Kansas anymore. How beautiful is this? Very out of my element here, but I knew I would be, almost anywhere outside N.E. China. Indonesia is a different animal. So sweet. I love coming back here, but this time to stay, and to move to Yogyakarta, has me in pretty grand spirits. It's setting in now. I spent the night in the basement of Blok M with Yudhistirafrom the excellent band Vague, poking around old vinyl, cassette vendors, ending at the very cool Cafe Mondo. We talked about the difficulty of making tours profitable, or simply just breaking even. Booked a flight to Jogja for Monday to settle in, and there's a string of gigs that week, as soon as I land. Jakarta seems a lot less brash this week. Thanks for the warm welcome, Indonesia...it's going to be a great weekend of noise.

Tarrkam. Guitar Freaks, Jakarta, Indonesia. A few friends were super excited that I'd get to see this band, and I can see why. Very unique "kebinatangan-core" coming out of the capital city of Indonesia. Thanks so much to Kolibri Records for inviting us to their showcase. A great night! After the gig, we headed to meet Dilla at her punk rock collective, the "Ponti Punk" house. Funny that I'd already been here in January of last year to see The Restarts and M.D.C. Dilla now lives there, has left Sugarkane, and has a new band called Lips that I can't wait to see. We ended the night once again at a 24 hour Hong Kong style pork place, at five in the morning. Tonight : A stacked hardcore gig. I feel like I'm 15 years old again. Let's go, Indonesia!

Every time I doubt the malleable nature of the human body, I return to Indonesia, and am reminded by the insane crowds here, flinging around like rubber bands. Blood is not uncommon, but it's almost always with a smile. Yes, there is some macho bullshit here, sometimes. I find it to be rare. Yes, Indonesia has a sexism problem. I'll talk to you about that in a bit. This gig was purely positive vibes. It took about 3 minutes until I was offered the local bath-tub booze, then came Arak, and it didn't stop until the end. A ska band was wedged in the middle, and people went all out, dancing on a dime. "Local hero's" performed, and the whole place sang every word. When Indonesian punk gigs run smoothly, they're truly a magical thing. Today : Din Tai Fung and Turnstile.

Woodhull, refreshing noise-punk at Bengkel Cafe, an outdoor spot that felt like a 70's biker hangout. I arrived to some rowdiness, and local spirits. An inquiry into booze was made, and I was told there's "nowhere around to buy it", but then within minutes, someone copped 3 bottles of vodka. We made screwdrivers. By the third act, the singer jumped into the drum set, totally destroying it. People were pissed. It took them half an hour to put it back together, and the show went on. It's been such a great week. Jogja feels like home, and I'm so happy for that. Today I got a bed, fridge, and couches all set up in my new place. All the pieces are coming together, smoother than I ever thought they would, largely thanks to the amazing community here (and Hendra). Tomorrow, another Grrrl Gang show! Thank You, Yogyakarta.

Grrrl Gang at Sangat Coffee. Ya'll seem to love the live-streams. That makes me happy. Sorry I delete most of them. What an amazing show. The vibe of the whole setup was spectacular. I don't know how they get away with this shit. The bands ranged from Melt Banana style craziness to doom jams. We sat on a box truck that held the PA, drank the gamut of things, and smoked way too many cigarettes. Jogja, if this is even half of what you throw down on a normal week, my decision to come stay here long term was, to put it lightly, the best thing I could have done. I am super impressed, and this is really special. Last night specifically I found myself unable to stop grinning. Tonight, a gig at AOA space to cap off this insane week. Keep it rolling, Jogja.

Deadly Weapon last night at AOA space. I saw a gig in this place years ago. It was Eerie (who sound like Chicago's RUNNING, and are now sadly defunct) and Cloudburst, which this band pleasantly reminded me of. Killer heaviness. It's been a long time since I've seen Made Dharma rock out, but he played double duty this night, and is also in another great band called Warmouth. The performance area is in the attic, up some rickety stairs. I dig it, and it's hot, but not nearly as hot as Rossi in Jakarta. What a week, Jogja. I'm spent! Time for a break. I'm going to try and get my shit together a bit more here, and organize. Then, I'm heading to America via China for a week, to visit family, ship fundraiser perks, grab my degree and all sorts of paperwork, and jump right back into things. When I get back, the real work begins.

My neighbor has beautiful food. She greets me with "Hello, neighbor John!". It's like a food version of "Cheers", as she's so nice. Poking around local joints. Being in the city center has already proven very useful. Short walks to all the things, train station, and easy ride-share pickups. I'm behind my favorite coffee shop that much of the scene still hangs at. Fun spillover so far. It's a big adjustment, but going well. Strolling the neighborhood to smiles, or to be told "good morning" is a really good mental change. Harbin was a bit more rough on me than I realized. This is Soto Koyor, soup made with a turmeric base, beef fat, veggies, rice noodles. Fried chicken on the side. Her place is super cute, and the quality is a notch above street food, which will be good long-term. Total cost: 28,000 IDR (or about $1.95)

When all was said and done with this trek, I headed back to America for a week, hugged the family, bounced in and out of Guangzhou, China. I finally met Tony Cheung, who if you follow this project, you should likely be familiar with by now.

Record Pack 6 forming. Years of hoarding culminated into this, probably the best collection yet. New LP's by Shanghai's Dirty Fingers, Osaka's Blond New Half. Old Sugar Kane CD's from Jakarta. ZOO and Arrington, Nasty Wizard cassettes, Stolen and Hiperson from Chengdu. Cloudburst and Warmouth from Yogyakarta. Old school hand-picked Indra Menus cuts. Ikbal Lubys. So much happening here. Not pictured: Missoula's Magpies, and the loads of 7", LP's and CD's Conan Neutron just dropped off. Thank You, Conan. I love doing these. Tomorrow, I tackle the mystery boxes, shirts, and Tony Cheung art.

Amor Fati. A "sentimental collaboration show between ambient and soundscape music" by Daniel Bagas. Dance by Ichi Dilaga and Nindya Silvi. Part of Festival Kesenian Yogyakarta #30. They gave everyone wireless headphones and tuned into a private radio frequency. Tough to capture in photo form, but quite unique. This festival is awesome, and I went years ago as well. Sprawling markets and food stalls. All sorts of insane art and wildly imaginative installations scattered throughout. Yogyakarta, despite its size, really is a wonderful for this type of stuff, and it's all very inspiring to see it unfold year after year. They just don't quit.

Buktu. A very "Godspeed You!" influenced band, tight and impressive. Another open air gig, this time at Bentara Budaya. This space seems to be used for all sorts of things. I caught a free jazz performance here weeks ago. It was packed. There were tattoos being done in the back room. An art gallery. With a widely varied lineup, it was one of many benefits happening for Lombok, who have been hit by strong earthquakes relentlessly over the last few weeks, and are in a pretty bleak spot. Nice to see the communities here immediately jumping into action for their own. Even driving around on motorbikes, you see kids standing out in the street with buckets, taking donations for the brothers and sisters nearby. Cheers, Jogja, and best wishes to Lombok moving forward.

How to destroy drums (and make everybody angry) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Nice to see Arrington de Dionyso on Indonesian turf! Real nice day at Ruang Gulma, one of my favorite places to see a gig in Yogyakarta. Safe travels, Arrington! ❤️ Tomorrow: the mighty Senyawa.

A few days ago, it was Indonesia's Independence Day. My friend Ichi invited me to go to a traditional celebration near my home, which I of course, accepted. I was fed immediately upon entering. People were grand and jovial. To me, Indonesia, despite its issues, really has the ability to show you the true spirit of human-kind. It's been a bit of a rough start over here, but I'll find my footing. This is a big change. Today I head to Surabaya to begin a tour with Korea's Drinking Boys & Girls Choir, who I saw 4 years ago in their home city of Daegu. I'm super excited, and it should provide some needed clarity, and energy. My newest film will launch in the next 48 hours, and a new chapter will begin. For that, I am very grateful. Take care out there.

I launched The World Underground Episode 2, and headed to Surabaya to relax for a day and then meet up with the Koreans!

"National Police Shit" - Last night, the first gig for Drinking Boys & Girls Choir went off without a hitch in Surabaya. That is, until a bunch of undercover cops showed up to the space. It seemed like it might be just a normal "quiet down", and then they brought us all inside. I wasn't worried, until my friend Prabu was worried. They locked the doors, made us all sit down. They told us to not move, not smoke. Earlier, I had seen a partied out kid face down, get taken out and carried into a van. Apparently, that's why they came. So began an hour of interrogation on who brought whatever he did. Synthetic weed, likely, which Indonesia seems to dig.

It's funny though, nobody said a single word. It was kind of amazing, the silence. They searched us at random, checking cigarettes, asking a lot of questions that I'll never understand. Lots of stern nationalistic talk about how you don't need alcohol to play music. Asking if this is what Indonesia had become. The main guy threatened us with all sorts of shit. Bringing us to the police station. Drug testing us like China so loves to do. None of that happened thankfully. Honestly, the whole deal could have been much, much worse, considering Indonesian police can basically do whatever the hell they want. Hell of a way to start a tour, though. Onward, to Houtenhand, in Malang! Welcome to Indonesia, my friends.

EP2 screened in Borneo thanks to my friend Theo Nugraha.

I was told a few dozen times in the last week how amazing Malang, and specifically, the Houtenhand bar is. I tried to keep expectations at bay. It was a quick jaunt via Surabaya by bus. I passed out at my hotel for a few hours, and woke up ready to rage. Houtenhand is a three level space sprayed with art, very cheap beer, and a killer rooftop. Bondu Seo got his lip split open and bled all over his shirt, lots of crowd-surfing was done considering the fairly small crowd, and we all left quite exhilarated. Can't wait to go back here. As we speak, we're on the train to Yogyakarta.

"National Police Shit #2" - It's an 8 hour train from Yogyakarta, and we arrive in Bandung. An outdoor cafe space. The gig starts, and I run to get batteries. I come back to Meena saying their gig is cancelled. The cops came, and said we could either have the show without the touring band, since they have no permit, or not have the show at all. SNK gets on stage, play an improv "fuck the police" song, Prabu smashes his guitar out of frustration after three songs. Kids pull through hard, book two of the bands into a surprisingly large studio space. We make a quick run for food, and are told a few dozen kids are already waiting for them there. Tonight, we're triumphant. Cheers to Bandung for making shit happen. This was really special.

I had to re-take this photo, 4 years later. Couldn't resist. What I thought would be an easy three hour slide into the outskirts of Jakarta, took well over six. So it goes near the capital city. I met up with the bands at a sate restaurant, and we headed to D'jogja Studio, in Tangerang. I got a small bout of food poisoning, and ended up puking my brains out in between bands. Powered through with lots of water, and filmed the show anyway. Feeling much better today. What a killer tour. Exhausting. Heartwarming. Real great to go back to some of these cities. Thanks so much to 드링킹소년소녀합창단 - DrinkingBoys&GirlsChoir, Saturday Night Karaoke, new and old friends we met along the way. You're the best. Does this photo look familiar? Couldn't help but re-do it 4 years later. Time for some rest in Jakarta and Guangzhou.

Wew, lad. Okay. There you have it. There's a lot coming up. The future is uncertain. Take care out there. Keep an eye out.

Listen to and support these bands :

Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

Saturday Night Karaoke

Blond New Half

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tags / china, japan, korea, osaka, punk, diy, underground, art, music, live, police, fuckthepolice

The World Underground : Episode 2 is live! Watch it now.

August 21, 2018 / John Yingling

Episode 2: GUIGUISUISUI & NOISE ARCADE

Budget : $3,000 after fundraiser fees

Hello again. Welcome to the newest edition of The World Underground. This project is funded entirely by donations. I release everything for donation so that it's accessible to everyone, as well as in the hope of continuing, or some day becoming self-sustainable. Please consider making a donation of $5 via the donate page.

For a while I thought I'd never be able to make something that I didn't loathe. I did, and this is it. An attempt to capture a three week trek through some of the most beautifully bewildering, drunken, noise-drenched landscapes on earth. To me, it's always surprising just how much can be shared without language. Alongside the Korea based media outlet Aweh, our goal was to align ourselves with as many local artists as possible, and see what stories came naturally. From Busan, to Osaka, all these sounds and stories that stuck to us over the weeks, it's bottled into 90 minutes. To me, this film is unfinished, and it will remain that way. When is something ever truly "done" anyway?

This isn't an attempt to provide any sort of objective documentation of the people, places, or artists we discovered on our journey. It's not even meant to be a reflection of reality. It's simply a story we've chosen to share. Take from it what you will. That said, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks so much for continuing to support this project. It means the world to me.

It features performances, footage, and interviews by:

GUIGUISUISUI (China)

Noise Arcade (China)

Luvplastik (China)

JFI (China)

Nice Legs (Korea)

Yamagata Tweakster (Korea)

East Guinness Crew (Korea)

Mineri (Korea)

Colours (Korea)

Drinking Boys & Girls Choir (Korea)

Say Sue Me (Korea)

Genius (Korea)

Bellbottom from 80's (Japan)

Macmanaman (Japan)

Ninja Man (Japan)

Tero Tero (Japan)

Blond New Half (Japan)

Psychedelic Desert (Japan)

Komai Satoshi & Cyappie (Japan)

Harikozue (Japan)

Punk Disco (Japan)

Elephant Noiz Kashimashi (Japan)

Darklaw & Facial Mess (Japan)

Your Pest Band (Japan)

Thanks so much for continuing to support this project. It means the world to me.

Film, photography, editing, and sound recording by John Yingling

Japanese translation : Jon Van Dyke

Korean translation : Seoyool Park

Genius audio mix : Arne Stich

Say Sue Me audio mix : Philip Brett

Trailer credits:

Sound Design by Dereck Blackburn of Quiethouse Recording

Songs by:

Noise Arcade

Additional footage by Julia Pentelute

Take care out there.

- Yingling

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tags / korea, japan, china, noise, punk, underground, diy, music, art, film, photography, hardcore

Incoming : Korean skate-punk, Spanish hooks, Dirty Fingers

August 13, 2018 / John Yingling

Hello. This is an updated plan for The World Underground for the next few months. It's a rough, by the pant-seat type of deal, and could change due to death, dismemberment, exhaustion, or whatever lies in between. In a perfect world, the mighty Hot Snakes would agree to let me go with them on their Europe tour. We're bothering them about that now. If not, I'll trek alone and get mega wine-drunk and do what I can. That's a whole 'nother ball of wax in the future, though. I'll be editing in between all of this, on the road, in shitty hotel rooms, and as always, telling stories along the way. See you out there with Generacion Suicida, 드링킹소년소녀합창단 - DrinkingBoys&GirlsChoir, OH Dirty Fingers 脏手指!

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tags / korea, indonesia, punk, rock, noise, touring, diy, underground, china

The World Underground is moving to Yogyakarta, Indonesia

April 17, 2018 / John Yingling

Hey. Hope you are well.

The time has come to move this project to Indonesia. I will be starting a short film "dispatch" series. This was supposed to happen last year, and after many delays, it's once again time to take a giant, terrifying leap into the unknown.

The goal will be to release short films at least once per month, while I work on the feature length documentaries. Write more. Expand the scope from music, onward to arts and culture issues. Indonesia is a vast and ultra-compelling area.

In June, I will move to Yogyakarta, and use it as an editing and launching pad. Their art and music scene is an absolute gem itself, and I've wanted to move there since my first visit 4 years ago.

Essentially, the new leg of this project will begin the second I leave Northeast China, when I will follow a short tour with a Chengdu, Sichuan based band Hiperson, who you should know by now. After I get settled in Yogyakarta, I will go back to America for the first time in 3 years, mail the perks for this fundraiser, kiss my parents, and then begin editing the first short film. Bringing this project into the full-time realm, and visiting places like Borneo, Sabah, Taiwan, and fringe scenes along the way is going to expand the way I run this project, and should be endlessly exciting.

I am raising funds to do this the right way. You can grab art from Tony Cheung, record packs with music across Asia, and more. Your money will spread across everything touched, paying for translators, gig covers, supporting local scenes through fundraiser perks and beyond.

Please consider donating: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-world-underground-dispatch-series/x/101516#/

Thanks so much.

-Yingling

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tags / theworldunderground, korea, japan, indonesia, bandung, jakarta, jogja, china, rock, underground, punk, noise

"南方" (South) : A film about P.K.14 (or, The World Underground EP3)

March 18, 2018 / John Yingling

Hey. The third installment of The World Underground will be called "南方" (South), and it will be about P.K.14. It will not have any interviews. That's all I can tell you at this time. I decided to shift last year's trek to EP3 for many reasons, all of which will become clear in the next few months. Episode 2 will be released by summer, and then I will begin editing this. I hope to have it released around the end of this year, around the same time P.K.14 put out their new record, but that's a tall order. In a perfect world, I will follow them on tour one more time, but it's uncertain if or when they will tour around the album release. More information to come. The website will be updated to reflect this change shortly. Cheers.

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tags / p.k.14, south, china, underground, rock, punk, indie, diy, prc, beijing, guangzhou

The Peace Hotel Jazz Band - Shanghai

February 26, 2018 / John Yingling

The Fairmont Peace Hotel Jazz Band. Shanghai. You could close your eyes and instantly be anywhere. For me, this was purely Chicago, but the old woman dancing with her hundred kuai drink surely had more stories than I. Six men, who average in age to about 85, with their trumpet player, the oldest at 97. This place supposedly became known as simply "The Jazz Bar" from the 1930's on. The band have been playing together since 1980, since China "lifted the ban" on jazz music. No idea what local kids think of this, but hugging the Bund area, it's a solid one-two punch of a night. If ever in Shanghai, skip some other tourist trap, and go here. Oh, and they make a pretty solid "Old Fashioned." 🕺💃

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tags / shanghai, china, jazz, band, peacehotel, oldschoo

Maybe Mars Decade: 12 acts play Beijing early October

September 15, 2017 / John Yingling

I've been dying for some quality noise up here in Dongbei.

I was all set to pull the trigger on another October holiday in Chengdu, still quite excited after last year's excellent NUART Festival. We wrote about why that was so cool for China...and just like that, as China loves to do, it fell thru for 2017.

Leave it to Maybe Mars to pick up the slack on my yearning for rock and roll, and deliver just that, when a dozen acts from their roster descend onto the "public kingdom for teens'" capital of Beijing in early October.

Here's the lowdown.

Aside from what looks to be a great kick-off for this week at School Bar September 30th with Free Sex Shop, Dr. Liu and the Human Centipede, the first of 4 parties begins on Tuesday, October 3rd.

DIRTY FINGERS : Xiami / Douban

LONELY LEARY : Bandcamp / Xiami

+ Some secretive shit that nobody will tell me about. Only hints. Don't blow it.

Time: October 3rd, Tuesday, 21:45

Venue: School

Line-up: Dirty Fingers, Lonely Leary, Maybe Mars surprise

Ticket: 60 RMB

Click here to buy tickets.

Now we're talking!

AV OKUBO : Xiami / Facebook

DREAM CAN : Xiami / Douban

BACKSPACE : Xiami / Douban

Time: October 4th, Wednesday, 21:45

Venue: Yue Space

Line-up: AV Okubo, Dream Can, Backspace

Ticket: 80 RMB, pre-sale, 100 RMB at door

Click here to buy tickets.

Holey damn!

CARSICK CARS: Bandcamp

HIPERSON: Bandcamp

BIRDSTRIKING: Bandcamp

Time: October 6th, Friday, 21:45

Venue: Yugong Yishan

Line-up: Carsick Cars, Hiperson, Birdstriking

Ticket: 120 RMB, pre-sale, 150 at door

Click here to buy tickets.

HNNNNNG. Get outta here! We can't fucking make this one. Sorry, folks, but it was difficult enough to get Friday off so we could finally catch our dear sweethearts Hiperson from Chengdu. Having just caught P.K.14 nine times in a row, I think we'll live.

I advise you to get off your ass and grip tickets to this one! Chui Wan's new record is great, as are P.K.14's new jams. Do it.

P.K.14 : Douban / Bandcamp

CHUI WAN: Bandcamp

FAZI: Bandcamp

Time: October 7th, Saturday, 21:45

Venue: Yugong Yishan

Line-up: P.K.14, Chui Wan, FAZI

Ticket: 120 RMB, pre-sale, 150 at door

Click here to buy tickets.

Goddamn, this will be fun.

See you in the pit.

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tags / china, maybemars, 10, gigs, pk14, birdstriking, chuiwan, carsickcars, hiperson, avokubo, dreamcan, dirtyfingers, shanghai

P.K.14's Vital & Dynamic March Forward: A Chinese Tour Diary

July 27, 2017 / John Yingling

Ask any Chinese born P.K.14 fan what the band means to them, and watch their pupils dilate. After nearly twenty years, they still have more to say. What is our identity? Who are we? How do we define ourself in a fast-changing world? This is what Yang Haisong says he'll be singing about on their new record. To say P.K.14's outlook on these topics are necessary or important, in the current state of Chinese society, would be a vast understatement. There are deep layers here, and the band always finds a way to say exactly what they want, without alarming censors of the P.R.C. Haisong says his inspirations are but a sparkle. Alongside his bandmates, they don't know where they come from, or when they'll disappear.

Four years ago, these men changed my life, and took me on tour with them. Flashes of Chengdu and Wuhan still flow freely in my mind. I doubt they'll ever disappear. It was my first visit to China. Since then, I've written Yang Haisong every few months, to see when, or if, they'd trek out again. Part of me worried it'd never happen. After years of bothering, I'm told a tour has been planned. A trek south, as far down as Macau. That I can come, if I want to. They'll try to get a bigger van. I spend the next few months worrying it would be cancelled. It wasn't. These new songs, I don't ask for the lyrics. I just want raw emotion to carry me. To be a fly on the wall. Sound and color, bleeding out. The camera as my eyes, staying silent and letting it all roll over me. Now, how do I sleep?

Early morning in Heilongjiang. 6 A.M. My flight was over three hours out, but I like to be early. It's about an hour at most to the Harbin airport. I fumble around, triple check everything, worry about my monopod being accepted as check-in, and take off. We're sitting on the bridge outside of Harbin proper. Crawling. An hour passes. I start to get worried. My companion, she's reassuring. “It'll be fine”, she says. Another hour passes. We're still 45 kilometers away. My brain swaps to panic. I have thirty minutes to grab my tickets and get through security. I'm toast, I thought. I jump on Wechat and start looking at alternatives. I could fly to Beijing and take a train. I could do this. Do that. Minimal cost, I reason with myself, to just get there on time. Nine shows. Nine cities. Nine days, and it all goes to hell if I can't make it to Ningbo on time, as they're letting me in their van again. Nothing to do now but gulp it down, and see what happens.

We hit the airport gates. I jump out, grab my bags. Run up to the counter. The lady smiles. “You're late.” I laugh. I tell her, I know, I'm sorry. She points at the times, and says “Go.” We run to the side of the security check, my friend spouts quickly in Mandarin, points at the ticket time, and the first class check-in rope gets pulled aside. To be clear, I hate this. I get through the checks in 5 minutes, and to my gate before boarding even begins. I light a cigarette in the smoking room. Laugh. Hell of a start to it all.

I land in Ningbo to waves of relief. This whole trek, aside from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is all new territory for me. It's raining. Grey. The taxi driver doesn't know the place, and I can tell. He drops me, and I wander a bit trying to find Beacon Livehouse. I do a few circles. Ask a few locals, but don't understand their responses, aside from a few grunts and points to nudge me in the right direction. Goddamn, it's good to be out of Harbin. I have a strange suspicion Dongbei people think I'm Russian. Gone are the warm smiles, the “Where you from?”, the random and ever present “Ganbei” (dry cup). Cold stares and quick answers for me, but that's a different story altogether.

I get pushed in the right direction a few times, and finally happen across a small room bar behind a graffiti splashed wall. I message the band of my arrival. The staff are beams of light. They all seem excited as hell. A fellow photographer grabs me for some selfies. She's got a tripod set up. They order me lunch. It's cheap and delicious. I devour it like it's my first meal all week. I try not to think about food on the tour. Resist the urge to start looking up these cities. I try not to think about P.K.14's impending arrival. I'm, honestly, still a bit nervous. My goal this time, is to go in blind. No plan. No interviews. Try to film mood and energy. How this makes me feel. It's a low-impact trip for me. I'm already in China. I know these people, and have spent hours in cars with them. Yet, jitters remain. It all melts away when they start pouring into the venue. I give them all long, hard hugs. Nervousness melts away to glee, and I start blathering about how grateful I am to be here.

I try to reign it in. There are some long days ahead. There's time for it all. I joke about how they'll surely be happy to no longer get monthly e-mails from me, inquiring about when they will tour. It's been years. That's a lot of questions.

Eventually, someone surely will write a book on P.K.14's influence in modern Chinese musical culture. They firmed their place in this canon long ago. Very few bands, not just in Asia, but the world, can claim this. Yang Haisong long ago gained legendary status not only as a front-man, a poet, and a producer...but for helping raise up the younger generation of China's youth culture. Time and again, I hear it from younger kids in China. “No, look. You don't understand, man. P.K.14 are the best band in the world.” I like to think that after all this time, after all these stories, that I do understand. They've certainly change my life as well, and even thinking in a Western vacuum, I can only begin to understand the impact they have on young, impressionable Chinese kids. Kids who have been force fed what to think, and when to think it, their entire lives. These songs. These lyrics. These performances. They're staggering breaths of fresh air that are sorely needed, and I don't even know what's being said.

I did not forget how incredible P.K.14 are as a live act, but it's still a bucket of water to the face. Kids lock arms and circle jump the room. I've got a shit-eating grin on my face. Their new sounds are as clean and inventive as anything they've ever done. Each instrument giving space to the other, but crashing together in perfect harmony at just the right moment. Photographers buzz around and try to capture the frantic energy of it all. A friend from Montana, Josh Wagner, he's currently bouncing around Asia, ending in Chengdu. He decided to come and meet me. I'm so happy he got to see this. It's an incredible first night, that ends in a small noodle shop nearby. Their tour manager booked me a hotel, but they don't allow foreigners, so they had to sneak me in the back door. We slip down the hallway and enter without issue. It's still funny to me that this is a thing here.

In the hotel, pure silence, for the first time in as long as I can remember. I can't believe I get to do this again. I dump footage, write a quick daily post on social media, and jump into a comfortable bed. Tomorrow, a gig in a temple, in the mountains of Yiwu.

“Welcome to the center of the universe.” slurred an excited man into my lens, about Gebi Bar, in Yiwu. We pulled up to the place greeted by more rain. A pack of a half dozen mangy dogs growled at our exit to the van. My mind was still swirling with Zhejiang province's mountains whizzing by in the van. More new territory. It really was a goddamn temple, in the mountains! Up a small side road, to a reconstructed red building. Ten years ago, they rented, and began to renovate it, in an aim to make something unique. The performance room's ceiling, the banisters, much of it is still original from its partial demolition during the Cultural Revolution. They've made some changes, but that's to be expected, as it was dilapidated. Problems have arisen, but like many others in China, they “close when the problems come, open when they've passed.” The place was amazing. Great food. Friendly staff. Local kids were excited, and gushed about Gebi. One kid was particularly upset that across China, in his opinion, you're forced out of these venues at 10 or 11 at night, and “can't even drink a beer or make friends.” This space, he said, was a place you didn't have to leave when the gig was over. Where you could meet people who share the same mindset, and create with them. P.K.14 tear the place apart, and I laugh while filming, trying to keep my camera steady. The endless rain cleared as they finished performing, and as far as this man's claim goes, he has no idea how right on he was.

Wenzhou. Tonight's venue is called MangTang. We snake through stunning mountain passes. Incredible landscapes on these drives, and no doubt totally different than if I were taking the train. The venue is an old warehouse district, old powder factories, now converted into cafes and shitty restaurants. China likes to do this, and it reminds me of B10 in Shenzhen. Everybody I talk to seems to be all for this, as it would remain unused and rotting if they did nothing. Mediocre or not, the potential is there, and something is better than nothing, especially in smaller Chinese cities. There's a lot of money in Wenzhou, and Johnny tells me of people buying up large swathes of property in other cities, sight unseen. It's insanely pretty here. Chill vibes, and a low energy crowd. I sat in the middle with my monopod, giving my body a break. Cute girls amassed after the show, and my attempts to find something interesting in the after-hours department were thwarted by rain. It's a seven hour drive to Quanzhou, but only three by train, so I wished the band a safe drive, and in the morning, I head off to the station.

Quanzhou. It's been a while since I've taken a fast train in China. They remain extremely comfortable. I set up shop at a large table in the food car, and nearly two dozen people begin to fill around me as I work. This is always fun, if you can remain relaxed and roll with the punches. More striking mountainous landscapes from Fujian province, as dozens of temples, and churches fly by. I wonder why there are so many Christian style crosses mixed with the temples, but nobody seems to have a clear answer for me. More pouring rain. Our venue is called the Animal World Music Commune. Strangely fitting as the area is filled with sculptures like Batman riding a bike with Ronald McDonald. I find it all super weird, shake my head, and seek food. The venue is a small bar with an enthusiastic owner, and the more I walk around, the more wildly confusing my surroundings become. The owner feeds us great stuff all night, including the largest bowls of noodles I've ever seen. Excellent hosts. The openers, Rejian Bei Shashou, are noise drenched shoe-gaze. Refreshing. They came from Xiamen, which is our next city. I tell them, bring a USB stick to the gig tomorrow, if you can, and I'll get you the video and a recording. A slick purple love hotel style room is booked for me, a short walk down the strange side-street. I sleep like a baby.

It's an hour drive to Xiamen. I'm twitching with excitement by a mere glimpse of the place when we roll in. Old meets new crush together on the riverside, and tourists have surely began to gulp down this city in masses. Years ago, on the first day I met P.K.14, Johnny told me of this venue. Real Live. Their friend had just opened it, and the band played the second ever show to be held there. Now, they were back, and I was in tow. Another warehouse area, converted out. The building that housed Real Live used to be an ice factory, and Johnny pointed upward at the old cooling coils, still in tact. Xiamen was amazing, and I wish I had more time. The most intense crowd of the tour so far. They even freaked out at the new songs, which made me so happy. I sat in the middle again, resting my shoulders and arms, but this was a different endeavor. Now I had to dodge the circle-pits, side stepping and picking up the camera when kids flung themselves toward me. Incredible to stand in one place and watch it all unfold. I had to run behind Xu Bo's amp for the encore. Xiamen, I'll definitely be back. The day ended and I found myself getting excited for my return to Guangzhou. It's been four years. The drive takes 10 hours, so I again decide to take a train. It's only a three hour train ride to Shenzhen, and a quick 45 minute jump to Guangzhou from there. That's what it was supposed to be, anyway. How wrong I ended up being.

Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, things don't work out exactly as you'd planned. I exit Xiamen in pouring rain, and it's very far to the train station. I make it with much time to spare, and am excited to be on pace to arrive in Guangzhou early. Then, the train doesn't leave the station. What should be a 3 hour ride to Shenzhen, becomes more than two hours of waiting at the station, only to swap to a slower train. We leave at 4:00 PM instead of 1. My brain does the math, and I'll still be early. It's still rainy, but we're going 200 kilometers per hour, so I largely don't even think about it. Around 6 P.M., I notice on the map we're still not even close. I ask the attendant, what's our arrival time? 9 P.M. I shake my head. No. This can't be... it's a 3 hour ride! She makes a motion of rain and clouds above her head. Fuck. I'm screwed. Knowing China, and transfer times, I'll never, ever make it. I accept the fact that I'm going to miss it all, including my most anticipated opener, a female-fronted grind-core band called Die, Chiwawa, Die! Despite this, I was still determined as hell. I jump off the train and hustle to the ticket office. My muscles scream, but I push on. I make a motion with my phone about a flight to some other city, and cut in front of the insanely long line. I never fucking do this. However, that line would have taken at least an hour, and I've only got an hour to spare, if I even want to try and film a single song from P.K.14. Nobody puts up much of a fuss, my feeling bad lasts about 4 seconds, and I run to the train. I'm in. 45 minutes to Guangzhou, and it's nearing half past nine. I hop in a taxi, tell the guy I'm late, and he scream off into the humid Guangdong night. I throw fifty kuai at the driver for getting me there so fast, and am in the venue in seconds, jumping to set up my camera.

P.K.14 are about half-way through their set. I spot old friends Song and Howie, and give them a knowing smirk. My camera turns on, and I'm plagued with shutter issues. Hard, footage-ruining, rolling shutter bars stream down the screen, and awful flashing lights, that you see in so many careless videos these days. I spend 80% of the remainder of their set trying to figure out how to fix it. It's either that, or don't film at all, and that's not what I'm here for. Finally, it dials in, and all is clear. I jump on stage and capture the final three songs, again behind Xu Bo's amp. Before the encore, I slide out and snap a photo of the audience. When it was all over, I tried to let the singer of “Chiwawa” know how sad I was to have missed her play. How hard I tried to make it in time. She understands, and pours me a double whiskey. At the end of it all, an impossible day turned into catching a handful of songs, meeting old friends, and we end the day with an insanely good Cantonese meal. It could have gone down much worse. Smiling, I think of my first time meeting Howie and Song, and again it feels like mere months ago, rather than years. I dump footage while trying to keep myself awake, keep myself aware enough to not make any major mistakes, and drift off to intense dreams of rain, mountains, and Guangdong humidity.

It's smooth sailing to Shenzhen, a 45 minute drive from Guangzhou. Man, I've really missed Canton. Guangdong province is a haven for BBQ pork and all sorts of delicious food. I've been to the venue, B10, twice before. Once with P.K.14, and again on the way back down with Haisong's other band, After Argument. Another converted factory space. The humidity hits me as we stand in the hotel's lobby. B10 moved to a different building in the same area, and it looks exactly the same. Some of the staff remember me, and comment on my camera upgrade. Hell of a memory. They were always so wonderful to me, and this time is no different. My on camera mic is beat to shit, all proper support bands are nearly torn off, causing the mic to slump onto the side of its holster. That's not good. They grab me rubber bands to ghetto-rig the thing from falling apart. Just a few more shows to go. You can make it, little buddy. You may recognize the woman in the photo below. Sijiang from Chengdu's Hiperson. She and Li Yinan came to see the show, and my heart just about exploded.

I tried to tell them just how big of an impact they had on me, seeing Sichuan through their eyes for the first time. In Chengdu, she told me you "have to find the difference between grays", and made me look at life in a different way. I tried to not lay it on too thick, but I meant every word, even the ones I couldn't quite articulate then. Last October, I missed them because they were in Europe. I am so endlessly proud of them. Sijiang, she gets it. She told me they would come play in Harbin, and to not worry much about payment, because we are trying to build a scene. They want to help us do that. I wish everyone saw things the way Sijiang does. See you in Sichuan, in a few months, dear friends.

I walk around, get coffee. An old friend, Jia Jia, messages me, asking where I am. We met in the forest in Indonesia, years ago, behind Wangi Artroom. She messaged the project's Facebook account, asking what to do in Indonesia, and I told her about this experimental series called Kombo. Jia Jia loved the idea, flew into Jogja, and headed straight there, with no break whatsoever. Now that's dedication. A truly glorious night, filled with a mixture of friends made throughout the years. I start trying to wrap my brain around finishing this all. It just won't stick, so I focus on just getting through the final show in Mainland China before we head to Macau.

Dongguan. They've never played So What Livehouse, so we didn't really know what to expect. It's a nice, small bar, with a short stage. The place reminded me of The Empty Bottle, in Chicago. There's a 5 year old in attendance. Upstairs, a fancy wine and tea room with a large, out of tune Chinese string instrument. Johnny immediately starts dicking around with it all. Haisong tries to relax. His back has been hurting for a while. He's laying on the floor again.

I get heavy on Johnny and Haisong and told them how much the last four years has meant to me. How much they mean to so many people. What the kids have told me over the years. The wide-eyed discussions. I'd like to think they understand. I try not to lay it on too thick, but I want them to know, in person, how much it's all meant to me. They tear apart a mixed up setlist to a small but eager crowd. I stay behind in Dongguan to rest, and they make the trek back to Zhuhai for an easier exit to Macau.

I'm more than satisfied, but I don't want to leave. My favorite moments are the ones that unexpectedly smack you in the face, in the best way. The ones that make you stop dead in your tracks, take a breath, and laugh. Their tour manager got me a final hotel, so I hit the streets for b-roll. I wave in a taxi at 2AM, ask where to get 叉燒, or BBQ pork. I ask him to take me where the drunk people eat. He brought me here, a goose and pork spot. I rock up and order while the half dozen women grin. They're genuinely, super nice people. I always eye how they treat the local guests. I kill one, then two bowls of freshly pulled noodles. Their grinning intensifies. Finally, I order one more plate of just pork. They howl. It was a perfect moment, and one that'll stick for a long time.

Macau was intense. It's not a difficult city by any means, it's just a bit rich for my blood. I'm sure if I had more time I could find some hits on the cheap, but I only had one day. The venue's up a rickety elevator, and the owner feeds me pork from a giant bowl. Goddamn I've missed the south, but whiskey and cokes are the equivalent of 100 RMB, or $15 U.S.D. I feel money seeping out of me, even just having been here a few hours. Xiao Long Bao joints circled my hotel, so I had to partake. The different money, the fact that you can use RMB and HKD everywhere. The endless casinos, mix of Portuguese and Chinese. I can't say it's a priority to be back any time soon, but I would like to return for a deeper trek.

So it ends. If music leaves a mark on you, P.K.14 have carved deeply into me, with transformative experiences that gave me a new outlook on life. A side of China I surely never would've seen otherwise. It's a lot to unpack. Doing this again was a dream come true. More places, foods, people, and stories that never would have been on my radar, without them. I am forever grateful.

It's going to be a bit before I wrap my brain around what this film will be, but it's going to be different, dark, and beautiful. Until then, thanks again, for everything.

Listen to and buy P.K.14's music here.

-Yingling

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tags / china, rock, music, punk, diy, landscapes, yaogun, bands, history, prc, beijing, guangzhou

Rozz Tox finds a new home in Shenyang, China

July 09, 2017 / John Yingling

In 2013, I got an e-mail. It was Benjamin Fawks, who owns Rozz Tox in Rock, Island, Illinois. America. He told me about his place in Guangzhou, Loft345. I was elated to have such a supremely crazy connection. A few weeks later, actually dropping into Mainland China on tour with P.K.14, I trekked down an alley while rain poured everywhere around me. It took me a long time to actually find the place. To me, nestled next to a public swimming pool, this place was amazing. Filled with art, geckos, good drinks, and great conversation.

I am excited to spread the word that Benjamin has created a new space in Shenyang, China. I asked him, "why the hell are you opening this in Shenyang", but I already kind of knew the answer.

Per their website : "We like putting our culture cells in areas where they are needed, where culture is lacking and where people are needing it the most-- Shenyang is just that. We hope to bring some interesting local, national and international minds together here and stir the pot."

I've been to Shenzhen. Filmed GUIGUISUISUI and Noise Arcade play a show there. The kids were rowdy as hell! However, like much of the Northeast that's not Dalian, the scene could use a leg up. What automatically came to mind for me, was that this could be another attempt at circuit builder, connecting Dalian, and hell, God forbid...Harbin. It's what we've worked for in Heilongjiang for the last year. I'm not entirely hopeless in the matter, and that's because China grows so insanely quickly, and you have people like Benjamin taking risks, just like this.

They've partnered with a craft brewer, and the whole thing looks as beautiful as that green, lush, striking Guangzhou hub, Loft345.

It's a 2 hour train from Harbin, if you catch the right time, so I'll be heading there before summer's end to take a look.

Until then, read about it here : http://www.rozztox.com/shenyang.html

Address :

營業時間:
每周一休息
周二到周日 20:00-2:00

地址:
瀋陽市，沈河區
北二經街九緯路交叉路口東行100米

It's closed on Monday's, which is my only day off. Figures. We'll get there anyway.

Cheers, Benjamin, and everyone who made this happen!

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tags / shenyang, china, rozztox, rockisland, illinois, art, spaces, new

New artwork by Tony Cheung of "Sensitive Word"

June 05, 2017 / John Yingling

I am really excited.

Back in 2013, I was in a book store in Shenzhen, China and I saw some insane artwork. I had to have it, so I bought a bunch of postcards and posters, lugged them across China, and back to the states. I looked on the back, and saw the name "Sensitive Word".

I waded through the Chinese web, eventually finding an e-mail address for a man named Tony Cheung. Tony has become one of the biggest supporters of my project, a constant inspiration, and I'm glad to call him a friend. I'm so happy I could finally hire him to make the first proper design for The World Underground. This is the best.

If you'd like a t-shirt, send an e-mail to : info@theworldunderground.com

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tags / tonycheung, sensitiveword, china, art, theworldunderground

Watch a trailer for The World Underground: Episode 2

May 30, 2017 / John Yingling

Episode 2 follows Beijing based musicians GUIGUISUISUI (Dann Gaymer) and Noise Arcade (Michael Cupoli) on tour in Japan, Korea, and Northeast China. This is a film about the people you meet along the way. The endless sounds that now, can never be unheard. Noise meeting deep quiet, and confusion meeting exhaustion. An attempt to capture a three week trek through some of the most beautifully bewildering, drunken, noise-drenched landscapes on earth. To me, it's always surprising just how much can be shared without language. An inability to speak with traditional language can still bring powerful bonds. As technology continues to grow, so shall this. Alongside the Korea based media outlet Aweh, our goal was to align ourselves with as many local artists as possible, and see what stories came naturally. From Busan, to Osaka, take all these sounds and stories that stuck to us over the weeks, and bottle it into 90 minutes. I really think you'll enjoy it.

This film features performances, footage, and interviews by :

GUIGUISUISUI (China)

Noise Arcade (China)

Luvplastik (China)

JFI (China)

Nice Legs (Korea)

Yamagata Tweakster (Korea)

East Guinness Crew (Korea)

Mineri (Korea)

Colours (Korea)

Drinking Boys & Girls Choir (Korea)

Say Sue Me (Korea)

Genius (Korea)

Bellbottom from 80's (Japan)

Macmanaman (Japan)

Ninja Man (Japan)

Tero Tero (Japan)

Blond New Half (Japan)

Psychedelic Desert (Japan)

Komai Satoshi & Cyappie (Japan)

Harikozue (Japan)

Punk Disco (Japan)

Elephant Noiz Kashimashi (Japan)

Darklaw & Facial Mess (Japan)

Your Pest Band (Japan)

It will include many others. As with the first episode, the films page will include exhaustive details on all artists, people, and places featured in the film.

This film isn't an attempt to provide any sort of objective documentation of the people, places, or artists we discovered on our journey. It's not even meant to be a reflection of reality. It's simply a story we've chosen to share. Take from it what you will.

If all goes as planned, this will be released in Summer 2017. Keep an eye on our social media. In two weeks, I'll once again go on tour with Beijing's legendary P.K.14, so there will be stories daily.

Thanks so much for continuing to support this project. It means the world to me.

Trailer credits:

Sound Design by Dereck Blackburn of Quiethouse Recording

Film, photography, editing, and sound recording by John Yingling

Songs by:

Additional footage by Julia Pentelute

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tags / japan, korea, china, punk, noise, underground, music, film, documentary

Incoming: 9 shows & 9 cities with Beijing's P.K.14

May 12, 2017 / John Yingling

Four years I've been waiting, to say this again. My next project will be once more going on tour with Beijing's legendary P.K.14. I'll follow for 8 shows, in eight cities. I'll begin in the Northeast on June 12th, in Ningbo, and hug the coast with them down to Guangdong province, ending near Hong Kong. P.K.14 will comprise half of their set with new material from a record they hope to finish later this year. They'll also have a secret fifth member. Photos and stories are a given, but I'll also be filming. I'll try my hand at making an experimental film from the tour. Honestly, I've waited the last few months for an e-mail telling me that this is no longer happening. It didn't come. Full details are below, and beautiful posters for each of the 14 shows can be viewed by clicking here. Just a few weeks now. Unreal. Cheers.

Dates (I'll be documenting the bolded ones) :

*Update* : MACAU added to the itinerary. Why not. See you out there.

2017.06.08_合肥 HEFEI - ON THE WAY

2017.06.09_南京 NANJING - 欧拉艺术空间

2017.06.10_上海 SHANGHAI - MAO LIVEHOUSE

2017.06.11_杭州 HANGZHOU - LOOPY

2017.06.12_宁波 NINGBO - 灯塔音乐现场

2017.06.13_义乌 YIWU - 隔壁

2017.06.14_温州 WENZHOU - 盲堂

2017.06.15_泉州 QUANZHOU - 动物世界

2017.06.16_厦门 XIAMEN - REAL LIVE

2017.06.17_广州 GUANGZHOU - SD LIVEHOUSE

2017.06.18_深圳 SHENZHEN - B10现场

2017.06.19_东莞 DONGGUAN - SOWHAT

2017.06.20_澳门 MACAU - LMA

2017.06.24_北京 BEIJING - 乐空间

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tags / p.k.14, beijing, guangdong, china, nanjing, shanghai, underground, rock, yaogun

Inside the beginning : Wan Pi Brewery in Harbin, China.

May 04, 2017 / John Yingling

It's a secret to everybody. In Nangang district, down a nondescript staircase, lies Wan Pi Bar. No lit up sign. Just four Chinese characters. In the basement, Han Yu, who's almost 50, brews beer, "because he loves beer". He started 6 years ago. It's a good sized space. His tap handles, from foreign friends. He shows us photos of his 2nd spot he's building, says he's not happy with his progress, but hopes this new space will get him there. He wants to have shows. We sit for 90 minutes, try his new brews, and Lena translates everything I want to say to this man. We talk beer. InBev being assholes. Andy Junk & Lakefront Brewery. How we run shows. Selling. Nobody is doing this type of thing here. He doesn't want money. Just enough to do his thing. We left a bit blown away, and sauced for 50 kuai. Inspirational.

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tags / harbin, china, heilongjiang, beer, brewery

Rainy Season from Russia

April 21, 2017 / John Yingling

Rainy Season. A few weeks ago, Shaun told me he booked another show at The Door. His band, Cut Frenzy, and a band from Russia, who have a home base here. I wondered how many people would show up. I guess we both did. No touring band to draw curious minds. Doing a thing, just because. We arrived to a packed bar. As CF played, we looked around, and saw there was nowhere to move. Rainy Season play Russian cover songs, and are damn good at what they do. Those not watching the show mingle, and in this vibe, we realize, we've got a damn good thing happening right now. It just works. The true test comes this summer, when we try and bring our favorites from China to this city, and...gasp...charge an entry fee.

Let's see what you're really made of, Dongbei. It will be worth the risk. Here's to making something out of nothing.

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tags / harbin, china, heilongjiang, rock, music, underground, yaogun

Harsh noise hits Heilongjiang.

March 16, 2017 / John Yingling

P.R.C.M (中國絞肉機) last week, in Harbin.

This gig almost did not happen. It was originally scheduled at "The Door", but the Chengguan had other plans, locking down the main bar street in the city for an undetermined amount of time. For an undetermined reason. Leaving everyone to keep their front lights off, and lay low. Such is life in China.

Moving shows can be a disaster, and that being said, I am truly amazed at how this went down, especially for a city such as this. I don't mean to rag on Harbin. Really. It's just that, this type of thing, it just doesn't happen here. Even neighboring Dalian, home to bands like Wang Wen, is simply spotted with shows throughout the year, but Harbin, Shenyang, and Changchun, where many of these acts come from, it's still very much a crawling toddler in the grand scheme.

Six acts performed in just over three hours. Artists from Yunnan province, Changchun, Switzerland. Live visuals. A kraut rock band. A lot of people showed up. They actually put money in the donation hat. I have seen hundreds of rooms totally clear out for more tame things than much of last night, but everybody stuck right where they were, all the way until the end. I can't begin to describe how happy it all made me.

Thanks so much to everyone who made it what it was. It really means a lot to us. Dongbei, GOOD JOB! Stoked on summer. Bands : Come hang! Cheers.

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tags / harbin, china, heilongjiang, noise, punk, icefestival, diy

Meizhiyong and Changchun friends plan Harbin takeover! Incoming gig!

February 27, 2017 / John Yingling

Incoming noise to Harbin, Heilongjiang! It can be very difficult to get gigs together up here, but we've done it twice, and we're about to do it again. Largely thanks to "The Door", who is letting us do basically whatever we want, we've got a killer one coming up on March 15th!

Meizhiyong joins forces with a crew of other people, including a fellow from Sweden!

Full line-up :

粗糙影像（psychedelic rock 迷幻摇滚）changchun长春

PRCM (noise 粗噪音）(CN）

... (NIKO) notebook noise 笔记本噪音/CH瑞士

LGOOOO（experimental guitar 实验吉他）changchun长春

Consider everybody here super excited.

If you have any friends in Dongbei, let 'em know.

Until next time,

- Yingling

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tags / yaogun, harbin, china, dongbei, heilongjiang, punk, noise, music, underground

Free screening alert : Bristol, U.K. on January 26th!

January 24, 2017 / John Yingling

Bristol, U.K. - The World Underground: Episode 1 will screen at the University of Bristol Arts Complex

19:00. Free Entry.

Thursday, January 26th. Thanks to Simon Bishop and Guangzhou Underground 广州地下 for doing this. Very nice of you!

I am in Indonesia right now. Lots happening. Some things (including a live recording of MDC in Jakarta) soon.

Cheers. <3

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tags / theworldunderground, bristol, u.k., screening, diy, china

Making : An evening in Harbin, Northeast China...

October 29, 2016 / John Yingling

Time is very unforgiving. I've been in Harbin, Heilongjiang for one year. Overall, it's been an extremely positive experience. It has forced me to seek solace in strange and unusual circumstances. Get out of my comfort zone. Hit ramen shops with Russian girls. Take my bank teller out for beers. Skulk around the extremely dirty streets, shooting whatever's around. There is no music scene here to speak of, outside of some classical concerts, which believe me, I've gone to just to maintain a sense of normalcy.

It would be easy to sit back and pickle your liver. Stay inside when the temperature drops to around -30 degrees, where it stays for weeks. Many do this. Dongbei...what a trip.

Since coming here, I've wanted to set up a show. There's some things happening in Dalian, of course, with Wang Wen and Doc Talk Shock (now just DOC). Chanchun has a very small scene, with Meizhiyong recently releasing the excellently crazy "China's Steel". Harbin, though...nothing. There are a few metal bands, but they never play. They're on some label, God knows who or what they do, and we've had conversations with them. They just don't really understand the whole "just do the thing" outlook that we have. I do not blame them. China as a whole is not set up in this way, outside of a handful of cities.

I met Shaun Handlen, who offered me the position that would bring me to Harbin. Technically, we met over 15 years ago, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This was either at Concert Cafe, or a DIY space called "The ______ house", where I met Andy Junk of Holy Shit! and began a lifetime addiction of going to rock and roll shows in dark, dirty spaces. It's a long story I won't flesh out now. Obviously, Shaun gets it, because we grew up in literally the exact same environment. For the entire year I've been here, I've poked and prodded, trying to make something happen. Nobody really wants to come, and I don't blame them, because there's nothing in it for them aside from just doing a thing, and a high probability of losing money on either, or both ends. I just got back from a spectacular week in Chengdu, which I'm finishing up a piece about in the next week or two. I hit Beijing, though simply to interview Michael Cupoli in Noise Arcade.

To my surprise, Michael contacted me recently. His girlfriend has family in Harbin, and he was coming to visit. Perfect situation for a rock and roll show.

Shaun's band is always up to play. So, with and answer to "with who", we began a search for a place that would actually allow us to do it. This proved an interesting feat, with a spread of outright denials, a couple indifferent parties, and many simply with a response of "it's too loud." Harbin loves their guitar and medium volume microphone cover-band schlock, but a drum set? Heavens forbid. Finally, we found not just one, but two places on Qiao Nan Jie, Harbin's main bar street. One was pretty large, they seemed into it, and agreed. However, for the local crowds here, the vibe was definitely a bit out there, for our purposes. We decided to see if we could find another space. I contacted a guy who had his hands in a few different things here, including an old, shuttered venue that has just opened up once again. He suggested a small place he co-owned called "The Door". A tiny stage in the corner. Not much room to move around. A perfect place for our first real run at something in this city for quite some time. The type of place that looks full with 20 people. Everyone was on board. So, we firmed it up, and I made my first posted in well over a decade.

We began spreading the word. I figured with it starting early, and ending at a reasonable time, that turnout could be alright. In the end, we really had no idea. We would have been happy with 20 people. To our surprise, a shitload of people showed up. Even at nine on the dot, the place was nearly full. By the time Cut Frenzy left the stage and Noise Arcade began setting up, you could barely move. Russians mixed with American expats and Dongbei locals. College kids turned up, and stuck around because the whole damn thing was over by 10:45. Sure, it was a free show, in a city starved for events of this nature, but that surely doesn't mean what you put on is going to be successful. This is a city where most are in bed by 9PM, and college kids have curfews ranging mostly from 10PM, with some around midnight. Expats, per Shaun, could give a shit less, and "won't pay for shows." For the university curfew crowd, after speaking with dozens of them, the whole "hopping the gate" thing isn't really something that's really on their radar.

That said...the show went perfectly. We threw Noise Arcade dough from our own pockets. The bar's manager and sound guy were extremely into the whole thing, and want to do it again. "We need to charge money next time!", he told Shaun. Yeah., we do. It left me impressed, and honestly, I'm quite proud of this city at the moment. Hell, even my banker friend showed up. That's a pretty big deal.

Recently, I met a kid who does freestyle hip-hop, mostly outside of a sandwich shop right down from where this show went on, spitting over beats from a dirty speaker. I asked him about performing when we put on another thing, and he said he's nervous, but entertained the idea. Anqi from Changchun is into coming. We're cooking something up for December. P.K.14 said "it's been ages" since they've been up here (the last time was on their 2013 tour, when I did the film.) and I think if I bother them enough, they'll make the trek, likely tacking on Dalian or something else on the way.

I thought I'd put some words up here, while this moment was still fresh in my head. One gig per year, it's better than zero, I'd say, and I'm extremely happy to be able to do it. We'll keep rolling up here. There's some really exciting shit in the works for 2017. Episode 2 is forming, and will get released. It's taken longer than expected, but I'm really excited about it, and this second film isn't something I can force out of me. I'm juggling quite a few things,. Trying to set up a long-term life, for a more long-form avenue to document things, and next year is really going to be something. It will begin in late January, when I head back to Indonesia, and Malaysia.

More to come on all this. In the mean-time, here's an unmixed, drum heavy live recording of Cut Frenzy for your listening pleasure.

C-ranking's for all.

Cheers,

-JY

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tags / china, harbin, dongbei, noisearcade, heilongjiang, northeast

BEIJING : Screening at Caravan - Monday, August 15

August 11, 2016 / John Yingling

BEIJING : The World Underground - Episode 1 will screen at Caravan on Monday, August 15. This was already happening, but I'll be in town to interview Noise Arcade anyway! Lucky. Come hang.

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tags / beijing, film, punk, music, movie, screening, events, august, diy, rock, china