Show 91 - Playlist 01/01/2022

[54 minutes, 52 mb, 128kbps]
Happy New Year.

This show concentrates on just 3 bands all related to China. The first band is Spectacle and they were based in Hong Kong but are now disbanded. They describe their art as a demonstration of how to enter one’s consciousness through rudimentary movements. Spectacle is a drum-less trio by design. The totality of each instrument, tone, expression, volume level conglomerates into a powerful percussive form. Their sound and style is mostly influenced by Django Reinhardt, Bo Diddley, and The Velvet Underground. They refer to their style as Phantom Rhythm which is a term they coined. Info about this band is difficult to find and just now I am finding that the band’s name is actually The Offset: Spectacles. As far as I can determine The Offset: Spectacles have only one release and since they are now disbanded they will only be judged by a single record which came out in 2011 and recently was reissued. This band is more obscure than Japan’s Les Rallizes Dénudés who only released 3 albums while having a cult following from 1967 to 1996.

The next featured band is Hot & Cold. This band seems to be influenced by Kraut-rock. Currently residing in Beijing, China. This duo of Joshua and Simon Frank are originally from New Delhi, India. Hot & Cold have 3 releases and are classified as Lo-fi, Post Punk, Experimental music. They are on the Chinese independent label Maybe Mars. When I try to go to the Maybe Mars website I get a warning from UBlock Origin that it is off limits. There is a listing on Discogs and Bandcamp for Maybe Mars which has a good collection of releases. My deduction is the obvious. This band is under heavy scrutiny of the CCP.

The third band is Gong Gong Gong. This duo was founded in Beijing by Tom Ng (the Offset: Spectacles) and Joshua Frank (Hot & Cold). Gong Gong Gong’s style is inspired by blues, Saharan and Sudanese guitar, New York no-wave and techno. The organic palette of Gong Gong Gong give it the psych trance feel.

So there you have it. My energy in creating this playlist developed from the 2021 top ten recommendation by Zack.

[54 minutes, 52 mb, 128kbps]

Listen or mp3 download

00:00 Intro

The Offset: Spectacles

00:14 Spectacles, Back In The Cave
03:51 Spectacles, Downward
08:18 Hot & Cold, Model Farm

11.25 Hot & Cold, Test Tower

14:28 Gong Gong Gong, Inner Reaches

19:29 Hot & Cold, Sister Told Me

24:07 Spectacles, Colour It In

26:50 Spectacles, Bodies’ Descendants

30:47 Hot & Cold, Someone’s Following Me

33:36 Hot & Cold, Vanish

36:05 Gong Gong Gong, Moon shadows

38:59 Gong Gong Gong, Some Kind of Demon

41:47 Spectacles, Binary March (for Lee Chi-Leung)

49:13 Spectacles, Lament For Michelangelo

52:46 Exit