November 10 2007
China Dub Soundsystem – Made in China and Various Artists – Look Directly Into the Sun
Do you ever find yourself idly spinning the globe and thinking, "I wonder what's happening in China's music scene?" Okay, I don't either, but it seems like Martin Atkins (Pigface, Public Image Limited, Murder Inc.) does. And when he has that kind of thought, he flies over to satisfy his curiosity…and then brings back the goods to share with everyone.
China Dub Soundsystem is Atkins collaborating with a wide range of both traditional and modern Chinese musicians. Atkins lays down solid, complex rhythms, while record scratches, authentic instrumentation, dub textures, snatches of commandeered radio broadcasts, and a rotating cast of vocalists get spliced together in search of the ultimate groove. It's tempting to claim China Dub Soundsystem as the Chinese Pigface, but it's so much more than that; the prevailing attitude is "We can make music anywhere, out of anything!" and it is infectious. Whether taken as sonic collage or cross-cultural exchange, Made in China sounds like it was a ton of laughs to make and is the most obligingly fun recording I've heard in quite some time.
Look Directly Into the Sun is a compilation of underground Chinese rock and pop. While I think people tend to think of East Asia as always one step behind the musical times, this record proves that China's underground is just as vital and exciting as anything the West has to offer. The Wire-esque attack of Snapline's "Close Your Cold Eyes" is just as edgy as anything on your favorite college radio station, White's "Song 5" is at least as obtuse a jam as the favored math rock du jour, and Caffe-In's "Mario and Peaches" is mildriot pop-punk done right. There are plenty of well-recorded live tracks here mixing with studio offerings, just the right approach to represent a scene that is just beginning to burgeon. (Note: the track list of the compilation is in error on one point: the China Dub Soundsystem track on the album is "Yellow Cab" instead of what is erroneously listed.)
There's an indomitable, "nothing can stop music!" feel to both of these records…which is a completely refreshing alternative to the "so jaded, so bored" attitude of most Western indie rock. If you want to be excited again, this is a place to start.
China Dub Soundsystem – Made in China
Various Artists – Look Directly Into the Sun
