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Electrolist, by Shanghai Ultra of the VOID crew, gives the lowdown on the Shanghai electronic music scene each week, with picks, tips, news, and other rumors.
The festive period is almost upon us, which means things get a little bit jumbled up as Christmas and New Year bring a welcome break from routine. And things really are changing around town - especially in terms of drinking dens to go to before you hit up some electronic music party action. The bar strip on lower Tongren Lu all but closed this week. The street, and the various alleys and building sites around it, were the scene of many a drunken, and sometimes even sober, nocturnal indiscretion since it opened in 2004. Electrolist is glad that the nefarious behaviors indulged in and around its environs will magically disappear from Shanghai now that it is closing.
Certainly, Electrolists own crew, Void, will miss the 6am post-Shelter run to City Diner to down hotdogs, and laugh at the Thai ladyboys from up the street coming in to flash their fake tits in the middle of the restaurant. City Diner - it was a rowdy hive of activity at any time of the night, full of DJ crews eating after the end of their shows, drunks, party animals, Eurotrash, whores, and all manner of other creatures of the night. Apparently a new hotel is going up around the lower Tongren area. So the only shafting that will go on there after that will be hapless tourists being sold fake crap from the hoards of "bag, watch, DVD" attack dogs.
At least one of the Tongren bars, Manhattans, is set to re-open on Nanyang Lu behind the Portman. Perhaps this road could capture the spirit and atmosphere of the old Maoming Lu bar street which Electrolist witnessed around 2000-2001. There are already a number of pubs, clubs and eateries there, including Big Bamboo and a few other random spots. The Spot Bar and Malones are just around the corner on the upper stretch of Tongren so maybe in another five years time we will be writing about these pubs being demolished to make way for more retail developments, Starbucks, Costa Coffee and other characterless corporate manure.
So whats on this weekend? Frankly, this time of year is always a bit funny, a lot of foreigners are out of town for Christmas, and those staying behind tend to be focusing on what to do on Christmas and New Year itself. So the weekend before Christmas is an unpredictable beast. Electrolist's furrowed brow has gazed into the yonder event horizon for the coming 48 hours, but fails to find any definite recommendations. There are a few interesting random things happening though, and even although its supposed to be cold this weekend, events generally take place indoors which makes the weather a non-issue if you want to venture out.
Tonight at Dada is Ben Thriller's Future night. His guest this week is Mau Mau, formerly of Baijiu robot. Expect high spirited stuff from this spinner of eclectic tunes, alongside the Swedish steel of Mr Thriller. Last week Shanghai Ultra of Electrolist headlined, and it was a solidly enjoyable party.
Saturday night sees the return of SH:AM who are having another party at Creek Art near Suzhou creek. SH:AM is the brainchild of Canadian DJ Andre Franco, the man behind the Minimal Therapy parties happening around town over the last 18 months or so. He teams up with Chase and Pchu. Entry is free, drinks cheap. Electrolist didn't hear much about their last party at that venue last summer, but it could be worth a look. Hopefully it will go on all night and enable you to enjoy the elderly men and their caged birds in the public parks in that part of town when you come out into the daylight.
Ben Huang is a name known to many in the scene. One of the most technically proficient DJs in town, the Shanghainese veteran has for quite some time been running a night called Yellow, playing techy-housey type stuff, at Logo bar. Appropriately, he's teaming up with something else in town which is yellow, and that's the Bananas crew who are one of Shanghai's most fun outfits. So Ben Huang, Bananas, Yellow and music, thats, 1-2-3-4 skins of enjoyment to be peeled back for a night of musical intrigue.
That's all for now. Next week sees Christmas arrive, a time for cheesy music and purist underground types to let their mask slip and dance to cheesy, amusing tunes like the time warp. So obviously such events are not worthy of mention on a deadly serious underground column like Electrolist. So, merry Christmas one and all.
Picture courtesy of williambaobean
TONIGHT: Mau Mau & Ben Thriller @ Dada, 115 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu 请带我去幸福路115号. No cover.
SATURDAY: SH:AM Factory party, at Creek Art, behind 423 Guangfu Lu, 请带我去光复路423号后面，近乌镇路, free entry.
SATURDAY: Yellow Bananas at Logo,13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu, 请带我去幸福路13号，近法华镇路. Free entry.
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