One of our favorite local bands is playing a CD release concert tonight at Yuyintang and we think you should go check them out. Summer Sweat is Pairs' second album in as many years, and they've earned themselves a reputation for DIY methodology and audience-centric ethic. The duo, made up of Australian native Xiao Zhong on drums/vocals and his Chinese counterpart F on guitar, can get absolutely maniacal on stage and it really doesn't matter if you like their music or not - you'll have a great time anyway. more ›

With the Oasis cancellation and rumors swirling around that 0093 - the underground practice space for most of Shanghai's bands - could possibly be closed down for the Expo, local music fans were in need of some good news. more ›

We told you the other week about the CD shop down at Yu Yin Tang now being open and a quick scan of the shelves (well, shelf) tells us we're going to be in there a lot. The shop's size reflects the size of the independent music scene in China but it's quality not quantity that counts and you can find pretty much all the main releases that have come out from the bands at the forefront of Chinese rock in the past few years — saving you from trawling the internet for them or waiting for those bands to tour. Records from Carsick Cars, Hedgehog, Snapline, Cold Fairyland, and the new one from The Honeys were all there along with Beijing Midi festival and PK14 DVDs amongst others. more ›

In a genre that, perhaps more than any other in music, is driven by overt egos and self-worship, when a record opens with the words "Chinese hip-hop — a long way to go", you have to worry a bit about what will follow. This bluntly honest statement from Shanghai rapper BlaKK Bubble at the start of Hip-Hop.cn's new downloadable mix-tape is at times proven to be painfully accurate on this free release, but there are also some highlights. more ›