What's New....

From January 1999
Tang Chao, Dou Wei and 43 Baojia Street all released new albums in the final months of 1998.
Tang Dynasty released it's long awaited Epic to a limited Beijing audience in December. It sold 80,000 copies in the first two weeks. The band's first album since it's 1992 debut, and featuring new membership in ABC guitarist Kaiser Guo, Epic is being heralded by fans as THE music event of the year. Others (including your editorial board) consider it a little overrated. Nevertheless, the style is very different from their first album, and offers less for the non-metal fans amongst us.
Dou Wei's November release Shen heshui (Mountain River) continues his downward trend into mediocrity. How we miss those Black Dream Days! Blame it on Wang Fei. We'd hoped that since they'd broken up, his music would marginally improve, but now that they're reunited for the Chang Lou Tour, I guess we'll just have to sigh and consign him to history.
The rising underdog of the season is Baojiajie. Has anyone heard of their new album? Neither had I, until I saw it on the shelf. Hard to miss with the flaming black and neon pink cover, with the band members in black leather and pink feather boas. The music inside lives up to the style on the cover. The lively blues of their first album have been "punked-up" significantly for most songs on their second. Very good, very refreshing after a season of duds from all the Beijing old-timers.

Also released in late '98 was Zhongguo Huo 3 (China Fire 3). Apart from a worthy contribution by our beloved Zhang Chu, the album is yet another disappointment. Almost time to start believing all the Shanghai musicians who tell me that the Beijing music scene is in decline...
23 January will feature a big concert in Kunming, capital of Yunnan. Groups tentatively scheduled to perform include Tang Dynasty, Black Panther, Zang Tianshuo, Cobra, and Zero.

From October 1998

Catcher in the Rye has an excellent new CD out. Stay tuned for a review, pictures and sound files.
International sensation and "Asia's best female vocalist" Ai Jing will have a new album coming out in a few months. According to ChinaBUZZ,
"Ai Jing's New Album Set For November Release Folk singer Ai Jing's fourth album will hit record store shelves in Japan in November, according to Ai's manager Michael Bai. Recorded in Los Angeles this summer, Ai sings entirely in Chinese, but is backed mainly by American musicians. The record's release in China is scheduled for the end of this year or early in 1999, Bai said. "

The maintainer of this site has moved to Shanghai. Geocities' connection to the mainland is rather, well, bad, so I've only been able to get on ONCE in three months. So updates will be few and far between. :( Instead, look for materials on the local music scene at Shanghai Scene. See you there!