"Beijing has one of the best music scenes in the world," one of our guests intoned, triggering a brawl that quickly split along Beijing-Shanghai lines. And while we'll admit a case can be made for Shanghai too, there no question China has come a long way since the days attending a mainstream rock show meant seeing either Xu Wei or Cui Jian. These days China has an established concert circuit and you can't hit a local club without running into up-and-coming bands like Bigger Sky, Snapline, or Omnipotent Youth Hotel. Something strange is afoot, and we're going to talk about it.

Joining host Jeremy Goldkorn this week is of course Kaiser Kuo, who non-Sinica listeners may know for his time with the China metal bands Tang Dynasty and Spring and Autumn. Kaiser is joined in our studio by Archie Hamilton, founder of Asian concert promoter Split-Works and Splatter. Michael Pettis, bearish China economist to the rest of the world, is also here in the guise of his alter ego as owner of the D22 club and founder of the Chinese music label Maybe Mars.

Want more Sinica? Like the idea of this on-demand music service that Kaiser keeps talking about but is only available in China? Why not get the best of both worlds by signing up for a free account at Popup Chinese and subscribing to the Sinica show? Follow our instructions and new episodes of Sinica will download to your MP3 player as soon as they're released. Of course, if you're looking for a bit less commitment you're still invited to download the Sinica show directly from our site as a standalone mp3 file. Enjoy!
 said on
August 8, 2011
A quick note: Bob Dylan can't sing, but oh my what a singer. A crucial difference. Try the little known 'moonshiner' if you have any doubts.

Be interesting to get some opinions regarding the quality of lyrics in the Chinese music scene. Do singers generally have anything to say? Or is it, to reverse the aphorism, all trousers and no talk?
 said on
August 9, 2011
interesting discussion on the podcast has picked up over on the blog. Join in:

http://beijingdaze.com/general/2011/08/07/special-sinica-podcast-the-music-edition/

 said on
August 9, 2011
Awesome podcast. A subject dear to my heart.

One thing I did find consistant among rock bands that I saw whilst on a self imposed rock tour of Beijing last year, was consistantly below par rhythm sections. Whilst most of the guitarists I saw DID have the chops (sorry to contradict you Kaiser), the bass players and/or drummers didn't. When they did, they were lacking that tight cohesion that can really make a band ROCK! It's no good having some guitarist noodling over a weak rhythm section.

On the whole though, I reckon the songs are there (in most cases) and there's a real diverstity in the shows/bands. I also like the fact that gigs seem to be made up of bands of different genres, something that I rarely see anymore here in Melbourne.

Queen of f^*&%*ing everything brought back some great memories....Time to book a ticket back methinks
 said on
August 11, 2011
Really thoroughly enjoyed this and I wish someone would include a post here with a glossary to the Chinese names of the bands that were mentioned (most of them by their names in English)
 said on
August 12, 2011
Jeremy Goldkorn's guest moderation of the internet discussion was brilliant, and much-appreciated. I move that every time the Sinica conversation moves into a tedious defense of the virtues of various internet providers, that it quickly end with his awesome catch-phrase, "Okay, cloud fan boys, shut up."
 said on
August 12, 2011
I hate Jeremy,cause he sounds really rude as host

 said on
August 12, 2011
Since Jeremy is being trolled by the under 15 set, let me just chip in and say I find his attitude and willingness to call it as he sees it tremendously refreshing. Maybe it is the South African perspective, but there's not enough of this in China, especially among the foreign business community.

 said on
February 8, 2012
Hey guys!

Really love the show, i just have a quick question...why is this episode not available on iTunes?

Thnx, keep it coming!
 said on
February 8, 2012
@uosvald,

Thanks for the heads up with that. It looks looks like the Sinica feed was getting limited to the latest 15 shows. An accident related to our recent site upgrade. Just fixed. Cheers,

--david

Mark Lesson Studied