Protest in Guangzhou: Why would you burn garbage?
Obama in China: Long gone, and still headlinin'
Barbie Spa: For the cosmopolitan plastic beauty in you
Interview: Coco Zhao, from jazz to M. Butterfly
Week Around the Ists
DJ Krush is pretty money. Even at the age of 44, the veteran abstract aural architect has still got it.
While it's been a good while since he's put out new material — two years since Jaku, though there was that best of double-hitter earlier this year (we want! we want!) — apparently, the wheels are a-turnin'. (For the record, the video above for "Aletheua" is circa 2002, but Shanghaiist digs its sombre, melancholy vibe...) 2007 will — fingers crossed — see album #9 drop from the hip/trip hop czar. We pray it won't be a bitter disappointment like another highly anticipated album this year from a fellow Mo Wax-er. Heh.
Just one question though: does the man have a family? We recall reading once upon a time that the Japanese musical magnate has two kids, but don't quote us on that. Either way, it appears he's feeling the pressure of the biological clock. Check out the baby talk. These are words from his site on the next release:
"I've been making more tracks for my new album, delivering babies after babies of sounds. Long and difficult delivery, quick and easy delivery, going back and forth [to] the delivery room called 'studio' every day. This time, my job is to give new life to the children I've delivered in the past. Can't promise you how they are going to rebirth, but I'll keep delivering. It's about time I started to feel the need of a midwife, but still OK. I can still hold my babies to myself. Few more push and it'll be done. Look forward to meeting them."
Interesting analogy. Keep on pushing, Krush. Though we'd like to see what midwives/collabs he dreams up next time round, it was a pretty impressive roster last time round...
Looking forward to the show. You should be, too.
O2 Club. 570 Huai Hai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu. Tickets 80 RMB. Tek: 52589999.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
post to facebook
He went to pegasus in 2005 and to my shame I went along becaus the tickets were free - absolutely sh*te.
A bass beat with whale sounds and similar ridiculous rubbish. A room full of people swaying slowly, thinking it is good because they were told so.
I was at the 2005 Pegasus gig. I admit I didn't know much about Krush before I went, and was surprised at my experience. My expectation - knowing the club and hearing he's "Japan's hip-hop king" - was that it would be packed & bumpin'. Well it was packed but actually a bit boring. Krush's music is very eclectic but totally un-danceable. It's more like art-hop. The whole crowd stood and stared at him as he expertly mixed various beats and samples.
And I totally disagree with the author about DJ Shadow. Why pigeon-hole an artist to one particular sound or style? If every album he made sounded like Endtroducing, what would be the point? Shadow's a very talented dude and he has diverse interests and musical abilities. Listen to/Watch his live set In Tune & On Time.
Completely agree with Whale. Everyone there was thinking "WHAT THE FCK IS GOING ON" but they had a feeling they should like it so they clapped after each monotonous slow rythm.
Oh: Some people do take interest in what you describe as "monotonous slow rhythms". Call me crazy, but I like atmospheric downtempo and don't think that watching a show/going to a club is just about the bump and grind. *Shock!*
Whale: For me, undanceable isn't a bad thing and hardly equates boring but, hey, to each their own. "Expertly mixing various beats and samples?" Sounds alright to me...
As for Shadow - I agree, he is a very talented producer. You see that on everything he's done, The Outsider included. I'm not saying he should be making the same album he did 10 years ago over and over, but I just didn't dig the sound this time around and many of his vocalist picks. I admit that I was looking forward to another Endtroducing/Private Press but upon hearing "DJ Shadow up in this motherfucker", I realized that I need to reset expectations and go into it clean. I really liked some of the tracks--"Backstage Girl" and one of the Chris James tunes stand out now--but most of it (hyphy stuff especially) just did nothing for me and I found myself pressing 'skip' over many of the tracks. That's just me though. There are a lot of disjointed, diverse sounds on the record and Shadow's even said that that's what's he's feeling nowadays. He doesn't want to "connect the dots" for people, to transition them from one track to another, and fair enough. But I like to think of an album as one whole masterpiece, where tracks can work together to create a holistic listening experience. Cool that he's trying different things, but this particular experiment was not my cup of tea. Still interested in what he's got up his sleeve next though.
Getting tix on the door should be fine right?
I remember last time at Pegasus it was tough and people missed out gettin tix on the door....but that place is a shoebox compared to O2 (i've heard)
Totally agree with Panthea, Krush's downtempo beats with his unique samples are hypnotic! And that deep swirling bassline is like something from outta space!
And agree again, hit the skip too many times on "The Outsider"...
Even at 44?!
The horror...
@ Lonnie - i think Robin Gibb proved a couple of weeks ago that age is no barrier, and he did it still rockin those whack glasses
I feel a bit better....
Then there is always Steven Tyler...I saw him at 56 a couple of years ago and he did 2 1/2 hours non-stop at full bore....
He must have one of those pilot suits where he doesn't have to stop to use the bathroom, but I digress...
Lonnie: My apologies. I'm a naive, unlearned young fry. Didn't mean any offense ;)
Francis: Not sure re: door tickets.
FYI: folks with SmartShanghai's Q5 card get 50 percent off. Nice to know.
No surprise at all that whacky artsy Panthea likes Krush. Liking Krush is a ticket to cooldom.
I agree it was hypnotic - it made me sleepy. *shock!*.