Remember Punk: Closing Party Saturday, May 19

Time to say Farewell to Punk

For the past year, Punk Club (located in the underground basement of The Opposite House) has been the club I most often frequent, the home of my favorite dance parties and my favorite resident DJ, dear friend and fellow foodie extraordinaire,  DJ Saul D.

After 4 strong years, Punk is saying farewell in style, throwing a final hurrah this Saturday, May 19 for a delirious dance party by resident DJ Saul D who will no doubt be spinning the dance floor into a zombie disco dance frenzy.

“It’s sad, but true. PUNK is closing. Stop by to say hi and goodbye. I will miss playing for you guys but all good things must come to and end. See you Saturday night.” – DJ Saul D

Let’s dance to all the good times we’ve had at Punk 

A classy, chic club with a whole lot of edge and personality, Punk is known as “a sanctuary of cool” and “where luxury goes underground”. It’s heartbreaking to see such a stand-out bar/club like Punk leave Beijing’s nightlife scene, but word on the street is that the space will be renovated into “something yummy”.

With Sureño and Bei just next door, it will be interesting to see what The Opposite House will decide to bring in as Punk’s replacement.

Punk will be replaced by “something yummy”

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012

• Time: 10PM-late

• Location: Punk

• Address: B1 floor of The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Road, 三里屯11号

Feast Your Eyes: Newly Opened Haiku in Jinqiao, SH

Newly Opened Haiku in Jinqiao 金桥, Shanghai

Lucky Shanghai-ers, I rarely envy you but when I stepped in to the newly opened Haiku in Jinqiao 金桥, I was so green with envy I practically turned into the Hulk. 

Designed by Alan Wong, founder of the Hatsune Restaurant Group in Beijing, the space is stunning. It is unique in its own right, but with the high ceilings and perfect lighting illuminating a soft glow throughout the dining area, it bears the same trademark of Alan’s other restaurants, especially the Hatsune Sanlitun Branch which won “Best Decor” in this year’s Beijinger’s 2012 Reader’s Choice Awards.

Hatsune Sanlitun Branch: CFFC 2011

Contrasting Hatsune Sanlitun’s underwater, aquatic themes evident throughout the restaurant from the oceanic ground flooring and the stream of fish swimming across the restaurant into a spiraling mass in the center of restaurant’s high-ceilings, Haiku in Jinqiao features a theme of a rocky mountain face with tiered seating and bouldering tables and my favorite part is the bright sushi bar’s “firefly” lights that are only visible if you sit at the sushi bar. I should also mention that the sushi bar seats are quite possibly the most comfortable (and extravagantly expensive) chairs I have seen provided at any sushi bar.

Haiku’s Sushi Bar with Hidden “Firefly” Lights

Haiku’s doors are just now open to walk-in customers and the restaurant is already buzzing with happy sushi fanatics, but the project is not quite complete.  While the Haiku, California-style Japanese fusion side of the restaurant is complete, there is still the Kagen Teppanyaki side that is finishing up its final touches before it is fully operational.  This Haiku branch in Jinqiao is split into two concepts, the only restaurant that will combine both Haiku and Kagen Teppanyaki restaurant concepts into one.

Located just across the way from Green Sports & Leisure Center, there is no in-your-face, back-lit sign or entrance to the restaurant but just a very simple sign with Haiku’s restaurant label that you will miss unless you look for it. The unobtrusive exterior makes your first-impression that much more exaggerated once you step inside.

Stepping into Haiku, Front Door Reception Table

Everything is brand-spanking new, dressed in stylish furniture, new staff uniforms and a new menu design.  I love the size and quality of this menu, but was a bit gutted to see that my “LumDimSum” roll didn’t make the cut for this new Haiku in Shanghai.

So far so good, everything looks to be running smoothly thus far!

Stay tuned for more details regarding the other project – Pulau Ketam, a modern crab house opening in Xintiandi!

LumDimSum Snapshots of the NEW! Haiku in Jinqiao:

NEW! Haiku in Jinqiao Contact Details:

• Address: 601 Lantian Lu, near Yunshan Lu  蓝天路601号, 近云山路

• Tel: 3882 0611

Haiku Jinqiao’s Official Opening Party:

To inaugurate the new Jinqiao location, Haiku will be inviting all to attend their grand opening party on Friday, May 18th.

In appropriate Hatsune fashion, the night will be fueled by free flow sake, signature cocktails, and never-ending signature sushi rolls.  DJ Saul D from Beijing will be flying out to play alongside DJ MK. And don’t not forget the dangerous “Wasabi Challenge” and a sumo wrestling competition!

It wouldn’t be a real party without some serious sumo action.

• Tickets: RMB 100 Online Reservation or RMB 150 at the door

• Email:  info@haikushanghai.com

A Dose of Sample Pleasure by Jesse Rose & Oliver $

Presenting “Sample Pleasure” in Beijing for 1 Night Only at Haze

From Miami to LA, Zurich to Burmingham, Moscow to Berlin, Paris to Amsterdam, Lausanne to Tokyo, Jesse Rose & Oliver $ are literally traveling the world for the “Sample Pleasure” tour and stopping through Beijing for one night only at Haze Club on Saturday, May 5 (tomorrow night)!

Brought to you by M Agency and 110%, Jesse Rose, the man who helped spearhead the fidget house movement through his Dubsided and Made to Play labels, weaves a tapestry of eclectic house beats alongside Oliver $, who’s fresh off winning Beatport’s track of 2012 with the potent “Doin’ Ya Thing” which rightfully won the titles of ‘#1 Downloaded Song on Beatport,’ ‘#1 Most Charted Track of All Time’ and ‘Mixmag’s Top 10 Track of 2011′.

“Come watch Jesse Rose viciously throw down some dirty beats to jack a groove to and get ready for Oliver $ to bring his signature dirty groove!” - The M Agency

Here are a few videos to give you a taste of both Jesse Rose & Oliver $ on Youku.com:

Sound Cloud Bites:

Jesse Rose & Oliver $_Walkie Talkie_Dub

Jesse Rose & Oliver $_Park My Car

Two more videos can be seen here:

• Jesse Rose Documentary

• Oliver $ Video 

The party gets started thanks to DJ Saul D, Bitesize Buddha & Liz.

Tickets are RMB 120 (includes a bottle of Vedette Beer until supplies last) and Pre-sale tickets are RMB 80 at sendmetickets.com.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012

• Time: 10PM to late

• Tickets: RMB 80 (Pre-Sale at sendmetickets.com) or RMB 120 at the door (includes a Vedette Beer)

• Location: Haze Night Club

• Address: 22 Guanghualu SOHO A101

• Website: Click here.

Party for the Awesome Miao: Lantern Fundraiser Party

All the people in the world are believed to be connected by six degrees of separation.  I believe the degree of separation in Beijing is as small as one and 99% of the time, that link is Miao.

Miao Wong is Beijing’s party princess. She is the heart and spirit behind what drives Acupuncture Records, Lantern, and Intro, and the woman who brings non-stop energy to Beijing’s electronic scene.

Without her even knowing it, Beijing’s connectors (have you read Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point“?) have huddled together to rally the broader Beijing community to come out and show their support for Miao by throwing a massive party to help her fundraise both her surgery and speedy recovery.

Thanks to one of Beijing’s biggest connectors, Svante Jerling, co-founder of exclusive social networking site P1.cn, he’s helped to lock-in Beijing’s favorite DJ’s (who have all volunteered both their talent and time) to play together for one night at Lantern. Smashing line-up includes DJ Patrick Yu, Elvis T., DJ Saul D, DJ Chozie, and DJ Weng Weng!

100% of your entrance fee and 10% of the bar tab will be donated to Miao’s surgery fund so she can recover quickly and rejoin the party scene with us.

Let’s get the party started for Miao!

Please do your part by spreading the word and together, we can reach the masses and support not a great cause, but to support a dynamic, fun-loving, kind-hearted and high-spirited woman, to show our love and appreciation for the beloved Miao.

*To anyone who wants to show their support, but is unable to go to Lantern on Friday night, you can contact me separately (kristen@lumdimsum.com) and I can arrange for your red envelope donation to be added to her total fund.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, April 6, 2012

• Time: 10PM-onwards

• Entrance: RMB 100 or Red Envelope (it all goes to Miao!)

• Location: Lantern

• Address: 100m north of Workers’ Stadium West Gate, Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体西路工体西门往北走100米

Party at Punk: Zombie Disco Squad with DJ Saul D

Another great event worth noting for Saturday night (tomorrow), March 24, 2012 – Punk’s Zombie Disco Squad is always a blast with Resident DJ Saul Diaz getting the dance floor jam-packed with disco maniacs.

If you’re made it over to V+ Lounge for the ExecutiV+ event first and loaded up on champagne, hop on over to Punk afterwards to let loose and dance the zombies out of you.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012

• Time: 10PM-late

• Location: Punk in the Opposite House

• Address: B1 floor of The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Road, 三里屯11号

DJ Saul and DJ Wordy Ring in 3 Years for Punk

Seems like it’s a weekend full of birthdays!

theBeijinger Magazine celebrates it’s 10 year birthday this Saturday at Sanlitun SOHO (see LDS article here).

And this Friday (tonight, October 14), Suzie Wong’s club is celebrating its 9 year anniversary and Punk will be it’s third year. Although Punk is the baby of the three veterans, this is one of Beijing’s top hotspots and it is the one I am most excited about.  Suzie’s may be swanky and focused on super duper VIP treatment, but Punk is raw, real and all about getting the dance floor on fire.

With Wordy and Saul behind the decks, it’s bound to be a night of full-on, fast-paced dance madness.

**Note: there has been some confusion with the date of this event and I would just like to set the record straight for the betterment of Beijingers: Punk’s 3 year anniversary is on FRIDAY, October 14 (not Saturday). 

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, October 14
• Time: 10PM-late
• Ticket: Free before 11PM, RMB 50 after 11PM
• Location: Punk (The Opposite House)
• Address: Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang district  朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号楼
• Website: www.barpunk.com 

LumDimSum 1-on-1: The One and Only A-Trak

A-Trak, one of the world’s top electro-hip hop DJs was recently back in Beijing (thanks to M Agency) for his second time for a live performance at Tango.

He won his first DMC championship at only 15 (the youngest DJ ever to claim this title) and he has since won all five DJ world championships and also the first to win DMC, ITF and Vestax.  DJ for Kanye West, A-Trak has also launched America’s most trendsetting new label, Fool’s Gold, and is currently one of the most sought-after remixers in electronic music.

LumDimSum was lucky enough to get some 1-on-1 time with this superstar DJ. (Shout out to DJ Saul D for hooking it up!)

Here’s a glimpse into the real A-trak and his take on fashion, Kanye, his label Fool’s Gold, his toy Grateful Bear, Tweeting, and how he gets in the zone.

A-Trak Up-Close and Personal:

LDS: Wikipedia describes you as a “a DJ, turntablist, and fashion icon”. What’s your take on this?

The fashion stuff is a part of what I do for sure. As a DJ that has a presence on stage and therefore a recognizable image, there’s inevitably a fashion component that comes with that.  I’ve always been a performer, it’s a show that’s visual and therefore I present myself a certain way. For the last many years, with the true friendships with certain designers, I have more and more been intertwined in the fashion and art scene so that reflects on me to a certain extent. For the second half of my career, it’s been more of a look element to the big picture of who is A-trak.

There are so many dimensions and aspects of what defines an artist now a days and fashion is one of them. The way that I dress is pretty recognizable, kids send me their pictures on twitter of their friends who are wearing “an A-trak hat”, who say “look at my friend, he looks like A-trak with his leather jacket on”.   That is what justifies whatever Wikipedia says about me.

LDS: You mentioned “the second part of your career”. How do you break up the phases of your career thus far?

My career has had a couple of chapters for sure. My DJing started in my bedroom in ‘95 and everything took off for me in ‘97 when my professional career started, when I won my first DMC championship that single-handedly opened doors for me.  ‘97 until now has been 14 years, so there’s been a lot that’s happened. The first phase of my career was really turntablism, hip-hop, DJ battles, then I would say the next chapter was playing for Kanye and the chapter after that until now is more about producing, remixing and that progression into electronic music.

LDS: What’s Kanye like in person?

He’s a super nice guy, people always want to say that he’s an *sshole, but he’s actually a lovely guy. He’s very humble in person, very funny and extremely fashionable.  He’s always eager to meet new people, learn new things, learn about things about the arts, design, and fashion.

LDS: If you could DJ alongside any other artist in the world, past or present, who would you pick?

I’d be down to do stuff with Kanye again if we figure out an agreeable way to do it.  We’ve actually been hanging out more lately in the studio, but the present stage of my career is all about what I do – A-trak, Fool’s Gold, Ducksauce. There are many things that make up what A-trak does these days but that also means I’m not interested in getting behind someone else anymore.

LDS: How did you meet your partner of Fool’s Gold, Nick Catchdubs and how did the conception of your record label Fool’s Gold first come about?

Nick and I met around 05 or 06 through mutual DJ friends and promoters in NY, I was still living in Montreal and DJing for Kanye but at the time, we were discovering a new scene in New York, a new crop of DJs that were coming up with really interesting and creative styles of DJ sets. Nick and I started exchanging music and we would create ideas and have conversations about how this artist should be working with that artist and this record should have had better artwork, how this is marketed wrong, and just being fans of music and almost playing fantasy of how we would have done things differently on different projects where we liked the music.  Which basically boiled down to – we would have done it better.

When I first started making traks with Kid Sister, that was the catalyst for Fool’s Gold because Kid Sister essentially had a single that was ready and I wanted to put it out and Nick also said he had a friend who was making great music who was ready too and before we knew it, we had a lot of great releases penciled in just from people around us and that’s how Fool’s Gold started.

LDS: You are super active with social media and you’ve been doing it for a long time, is that something you’ve always wanted to do or is that a part of establishing yourself and your label.

I remember I first started blogging when I was DJing for Kanye. I had a website that I started at that time and I didn’t want to call it blog because I used to think blogs were cheesy.  It’s not something I whole-heartedly embraced at first, it was more sort of something I thought I should be doing. I am always careful not to do too much promotion so that it becomes too impersonal and obnoxious. It has to be as much personal as it is promotional with tweets that really show your personality. I think twitter is the best way to read into people’s personality because the nature of tweeting is so immediate, people don’t have time to think about how they want to present themselves. There’s so much subtext in people’s speech that show what you didn’t get before on a blog and I enjoy playing into that with making dumb jokes and random observations.

LDS: Being successful in any industry is more than having raw talent but also how you market yourself and put yourself out there. This is a rare talent you pull off well. If you could give advice to any up and coming artists, DJs, label execs what would you say that you’ve learned the most in?

There are certain things that stand out– you gotta work hard, you gotta come from the heart.  There’s so much saturation in the market, there are so many names out there and the most important thing is to find ways where you can stand out. Figure out what defines you and amplify that.

LDS: In everything that you’ve done from music to fashion, what’s something you’ve done that you’re most proud of?

I think what I’m most proud of is a general endeavor of creating my own fad. Throughout the 14 years of my career, there is a consistent theme in my career whether it be the sheer unlikelihood of winning a DMC championship at 15 or even being from Canada. Not only was there never a Canadian champion, there was never even a DJ who made it through to the world finals.  So from those years and DJ battle victories to becoming Kanye’s DJ as again, a super Jewish white kid from Canada, it’s not what you think of in the context of rap. In early 90s or 2000’s, I didn’t fit the mold for a hip-hop DJ. That was what I was most proud of because people didn’t think I could get there and I did. Even to be a DJ for an artist who became one of the most important DJs in not just hip-hop but popular music. Just that consistent unlikelihood of breaking doors open and continuing to find new ways to reinvent what people conceive of a DJ’s role. That’s what I’m most proud of and that’s why I always yearn for what’s next- how else can DJs be reinvented, it’s an ongoing process.

LDS: A little off-topic, but tell me the story behind your toy, Grateful Bear.

That was a creation of Dust La Rock, my art director. I hired him to design a website for me in 2006 and he asked me a bunch of questions – what do you like, etc. I said I like weird animals, I like to visit zoos when I travel, and he suggested a website based on all these psychedelic animals and I liked that because I liked his style of illustration and every page was a different animal. The landing page was the North pole with a bear and the About Page was a Canadian moose and another page was underwater themed and that was the concept of the website. I loved the bear on the home page so we made an A-trak bear from the design on the website and that’s where grateful bear is from – a bear on my homepage dropping acid.

LDS: With whenever you DJ, do you have any rituals?

In general I go to a club an hour before my set to get a vibe of the party. People always come up to me at clubs and come up to me and say “you look like you’re having the worst time or like you don’t want to be here” but it’s because I’m just in my own world, I need to forget about stress from the day and I guess I don’t show a lot of expression in my face anyway.

My days are very intense, doing four things at once – replying to emails, looking at blogs, working on tracks, being pulled in three or four directions at the same time, I’m always moving at maximum speed so before my set, I need to zone out and musically I need to reset, not think about my blackberry or twitter, and just absorb the atmosphere and the crowd.  It’s in my personality to zone out, so I’ll be in the club, but really be in my head and just soak in the environment and when I get on stage, I switch on. Like a wave that recoils, I need to just chill out before I go up on stage.

LDS: How do you feel about your set tonight?

I feel good today. I did yoga earlier. That’s the one thing I do for my well-being and I only started it up again the last couple of weeks. The lifestyle of touring destroys the human body so yoga’s what I do to reset. I feel great and ready for tonight. Last time I played here, I was sick so I want to do it right this time.

…And right he did.

A-Trak’s performance at Tango was siiiiiiiick to witness and the crowd went wild…evidence below to prove it!

LumDimSum Snapshots of A-Trak LIVE at Tango:

A-Trak’s Back on the Beijing Attack

A-Trak is widely recognized as one of the world’s top electro-hip hop DJs.

He won his first DMC championship at only 15 years of age (the youngest DJ ever to claim this title) and he has since won all five DJ world championships and also the first to win DMC, ITF and Vestax.  DJ for Kanye West, A-Trak has also launched America’s most trendsetting new label, Fool’s Gold, and is currently one of the most sought-after remixers in electronic music.

Together with Montreal-born A-Trak there will be Italian´s rising star Congorock kicking off in China! A young high-flyer from fool´s gold label, Congorock has managed to distinguish himself in style and approach by synthesizing his influences – from Dancemania 12″s and hardcore punk to video game cheat codes and Magic: The Gathering – into a unique world of sound all his own. Don´t miss this unique night…FIRE!

Line-Up: Miss Melody & Mobidextrous (live), TNEM, Saul D, A-Trak, Congorock, Liman, A.M.U // VJ Chen Xiongwei

This Friday, get to Tango by 11PM cause you won’t want to miss DJ Saul D’s set (guaranteed to the crowd riled up), and of course Congorock and A-Trak are expected to be nothing less of exceptional.

Door Tickets are RMB 150 or Pre-sale tickets are RMB 100 available at Tango Taobao -  http://m-tickets.taobao.com/

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, June 10, 2011
• Time: 10PM – late
• Tickets: RMB 150 at door or RMB 100 pre-sale – http://m-tickets.taobao.com/
• Location: Tango
• Address: 79 Hepingli Xijie, Yonghegong, South of Ditan Park - 东城区和平里西街79号（雍和宫桥北）

CW 2011 Awards: Hatsune Wins Pretty New Plaques

At Cityweekend’s 2011 Restaurant & Bar Awards, I got up on stage twice to accept awards on behalf of Hatsune for “Best Japanese Restaurant” and Honorable Mention for “Restaurant of the Year”!!

I was shining with pride as people congratulated me left and right, but I’ve got to admit…as much as I would really love to accept these flattering compliments and praise, I really can’t take credit!!

About to celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary this August (stay tuned for details!), Hatsune has been around long before my time and has made a lasting reputation as Beijing’s top California-style Japanese restaurant because of one person only – my homie and brother from another mother and father- Alan Wong.

So why wasn’t he there to accept the awards himself last night?  Because he was doing exactly what he loves most – He was in the Hatsune Sanlitun branch running around taking orders, making recommendations, serving his customers and giving them the “Hatsune experience” we all keep coming back for!

So here’s to Alan Wong and to all of his staff who work their bums off every day to stay on top of their game!!  They are the ones who really deserve all the recognition and glory for winning these amazing awards!!

Congratulations to Hatsune!!

…And a side note:

CONGRATS to DJ Saul who won CityWeekend’s 2011 Editor’s Pick for “Beijing-Based DJ of the Year”!

Monkey faces!!!

DJ Saul in action at INTRO Music Festival 2011:

Click here for direct link to Youku.

Rave All Weekend: Intro Electronic Music Fest 2011

2 Days, 3 Stages, 80 Artists, 20,000 People,46,000sqm Open-air Plaza.
–China’s Largest Electronic Music Festival

Get your rave on this weekend with Acupuncture Records’ 2-day Electronic Music Festival – Intro 2011.

“Promising two days of pulsing electronica”, Acupuncture’s got a great line-up of both international and local DJs with headliners Josh Wink (US), Paul Ritch (FR), Oktain (FR), DJ Sodemaya (JP), DJ Michael Best & MC Shayon (RUS), and Jaein and Beejay (KOR).

Local DJ’s will of course include Acupuncture DJs ELVIS.T, Weng Weng, X.L.F., Terry Tu and Pancake Lee, but will also have broader representation of musical styles, with drum & bass, dubstep, electro and more adding to Acupuncture’s trademark minimal techno sound.

• DJ Saul D
• DJ Blackie
• DJ Patrick Yu
• DJ Slide
• The Syndicate
• Bitesize Buddha
• Eddie Lv
• El-Mar
• Oshi
• Tnem
• A.M.U
• Eric Lee
• Harikiri
• Liman
• Lupen
• M.Ross
• Ou Yang
• Shen Yue
• Suki
• Sulumi
• Yang Bing

With a last minute location change from Strawberry Festival’s Tongzhou Canal Park to 751 D Park in 798 Art District, there is limited capacity so be sure to buy tickets in advance!

A 2-day pass will cost you RMB 220 if you buy in advance, while a 1-day pass will set you back RMB 150. Get your tickets early, because a 1-day pass will be RMB 200 from the festival entrance.

Further Event Introduction here.

More Info on Performing Artists here.

Ticketing, Transportation and other Practical Infomation here.

INTRO 2011 Time Schedule here.

Contact Info:

13911194784 (中文), 13910550676 (EN), or email: intro2011@acupuncture-records.com

Triple Threat: 3 Music Festivals for the 3-Day Weekend

This year’s 3-Day May Holiday Weekend will see 3 different music festivals – Strawberry, Midi and newcomer China Music Valley Music Festival.

While Strawberry and Midi will have a 3 day line-up for non-stop music and fun in the sun, China Music Valley (CMV) will only be on Saturday and Sunday.

Lucky for us, we have a 3 day weekend!

LumDimSum Breakdown of this Weekend’s Trio of Music Festivals:

1.  China Music Valley (CMV) Music Festival

CMV aka Pingu Music Festival will be held out by the capital airport at Yugang Ski Resort.

With some big names coming through like Avril Lavigne, Ladytron, Hot Hot Heat, KT Tunstall and Editors, be sure to allocate at least 1 day (either Saturday or Sunday) to check out this music fest.

Here’s the 2-Day Line-Up:

CMV Fest Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

14:00-15:00 Deep Rainbow 深虹
15:00-16:00 Free the Birds 自游
16:00-17:00 Negative (Finland)
17:00－18:00 Rooney (U.S.)
18:00-19:00 F.I.R. 飞儿乐团
19:00-20:30 Juliette Lewis
20:30-22:00 Avril Lavigne
22:00－23:00 Huang Shu’ai 黄舒挨
23:00-23:30 Li Gaoyang 李高阳

CMV Fest Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

14:00-15:00 Jiang Ting 姜听
15:00-16:00 Hot Hot Heat (U.S.)
16:00-17:00 Huang Xiaolong 黄小唬
17:00-18:00 Little Boots (U.K.)
18:00-19:30 Ladytron (U.K.)
19:30-21:00 Editors (U.K.)
21:00-22:30 KT Tunstall (U.K)
22:30-23:30 Huang Guanzhong 黄贯中

Tickets: Presale tickets from ¥200-380 via Piao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: CMV has outlined the transportation options to Yuyang Resort in this PDF. You can also grab a shuttle bus from Workers Stadium North Gate for ¥30 round trip, leaving every half hour from 10:30am-3pm.

2.  Midi Festival 2011

Celebrating their 12th year, Midi is the original Beijing rock & roll outdoor music festival.  This year will be moved from Haidian Park to Jinglandao Park.

Highlights: Voodoo Kungfu 零壹 & Long Shen Dao 龙神道 (Day 1, Tang stage), Mr. Big and DH, Chinese Hellcats and DJ Patrick Yu (Day 2), and Miserable Faith (Day 3).

Midi will be held 3 days with 3 stages with acts from about 1PM-10PM.  Expect solid rock and roll plus an electronic stage.

Here’s the 3-Day Line-Up:

Midi Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
14:30-15:00 Dahongpao 大红袍
15:20-15:50 Perdel 逃跑计划
16:10-16:40 Mr: Graceless
17:00-17:40 Gammalux (Germany)
18:00-18:40 Long Shen Dao 龙神道
19:00-19:40 Yaksa 夜叉
20:00-20:40 Subs
21:00-21:40 Voodoo Kungfu 零壹

Song Stage 宋舞台
14:00-14:30 56 Degree 56度
14:50-15:20 Exit A 出口A
15:40-16:20 The Dancers
16:50-17:30 Fall of Mirra (Singapore)
18:00-18:40 Suffocate 窒息
19:10-19:50 Fall Insects 秋天的虫子
20:20-21:00 Thin Man 瘦人

Yen Stage 焱舞台
14:00-15:00 Zhiqi
15:00-16:00 Ouyang
16:00-17:30 Donny Liu
17:30-19:00 Ben Huang
19:00-20:00 Blackie
20:00-21:30 Mickey Zhang

Midi Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
13:30-14:00 The Ghost Spardac
14:20-14:50 The On Fires (Australia)
15:10-15:40 Finger Family 指人儿
16:00-16:30 Namo 南无
16:50-17:30 Left Right 左右
17:50-18:30 Mongol800 (Japan)
18:50-19:30 Brain Failure 脑浊
20:00-22:00 Mr: Big (USA)

Song Stage 宋舞台
13:00-13:30 K362
13:50-14:20 Mya Audrey (Switzerland)
14:40-15:10 Misandao 蜜三刀
15:30-16:10 DH & Chinese Hellcats
16:30-17:10 Moyi 末裔
17:30-18:10 Good 4 Nothing (Japan)
18:30-19:10 SMZB 生命之饼
19:30-20:10 Tiantang 天堂

Yen Stage 焱舞台
13:00-14:00 Kora
14:00-15:00 Bobby
15:00-16:30 Jerryson
16:30-18:00 Jerry K
18:00-19:00 Patrick Yu
19:00-20:30 Dio

Midi Day 3 (Monday, May 2)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
13:30-14:00 Die From Sorrow 郁
14:20-14:50 Cafe-In 咖啡因
15:10-15:50 Velvet Highway 丝绒公路
16:20-17:00 Forty-Five 肆伍
17:30-18:10 Sand 沙子
18:40-19:20 Your Favorite Enemies (Canada)
19:50-20:30 Reflector 反光镜
21:00-21:40 Miserable Faith

Song Stage 宋舞台
13:00-13:40 Wings of Eternity 永恒之翼
14:10-14:50 The Fools 痴人
15:20-16:00 Dengel
16:30-17:10 Audio’s Pain (Spain)
17:40-18:20 Wang Bao and Zhengxu Yangguang 王宝和正午阳光
18:50-19:30 Ming’s Pretty Heroes (The Netherlands)
20:00-20:40 AK-47

Yen Stage 焱舞台 13:00-14:30 Baozi
14:30-15:30 Huang Weiwei
15:30-16:30 Donald Summer
16:30-18:00 X Lee
18:00-19:30 Eddie Lv
19:30-21:00 Yang Bing

Tickets: You can score presale tickets from ¥80-150/day viaPiao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: Grab a Midi Shuttle Bus from Pingguoyuan Station (Line 1) for ¥5. Or, take a taxi to Jinglangdao Park in Mentougou District (门头沟京浪岛公园).

3.  Strawberry Festival

Probably the biggest of the three, Strawberry’s 3-day line-up will feature 6 stages including the Strawberry Stage (the main stage), the Love Stage (pop/ alternative/ folk stage), the Overload Stage (metal stage), the Taiwan Stage, the electronic music stage and a stage for school bands.

Highlights:  Sound Fragment and Omnipotent Youth Society (Main Stage, Day 1), Black Head 黑撒, Miserable Faith 痛仰 and Re-Tros 重塑雕像的权利, Yang Chengang杨臣刚 (Day 2), and on the 3rd day: Bigger Bang, Queen Sea Big Shark (后海大鲨鱼), Hanggai (杭盖), and DJ Saul D.

Here’s the 3-Day Line-Up:

Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Nanwu 南无
14:30-15:10 Hang On The Box 挂在盒子上
15:30-16:10 Arms and Legs (US)
16:30-17:10 Brain Failure 脑浊
17:30-18:30 Sound Fragment 声音碎片
19:00-20:00 Omnipotent Youth Society 万能青年旅店
20:30-21:30 He Yong 何勇

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Mix Market (JP)
13:30-14:00 Mushroom Band 蘑菇团
14:30-15:10 Candy Monster 糖果怪兽
15:50-16:30 Ding Ke 丁可
17:10-17:50 Liang Xiaoxue 梁晓雪
18:30-19:10 Maizi & Wei 麦子与微
19:50-20:30 The Cir 麦田守望者

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 Velvet Road 丝绒公路
14:00-14:30 Logic Lose Control 逻辑失控
15:10-15:50 Moyi 末裔乐队
16:30-17:10 Army Of Jade Kirin 玉麟军
17:50-18:30 Four Five 肆伍
19:10-19:50 Left Right 左右
20:30-21:10 Twisted Machine 扭曲机器

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 SKARAOKE
15:10-15:50 Bear Baby 熊宝贝
16:30-17:10 Annie Duola 安妮朵拉
17:50-18:30 Little Nurse 小护士
19:10-19:50 女孩与机器人
20:30-21:10 林生祥

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Terry Tu
15:00-16:00 Eric lee
16:00-17:00 QQ
17:00-18:00 Shen Yue
18:00-19:00 Zhi Qi
19:00-20:00 Weng weng
20:00-21:30 Elvis:T

School of Rock 校园舞台
12:00-12:20 Hocus
12:30-12:50 T76
13:00-13:20 赵彬
14:10-14:30 Unionbunny
15:10-15:30 太空漂移
16:10-16:30 Blue motion band
17:10-17:30 未完成
18:30-18:50 刺秦

Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Steely Heart 钢铁的心
14:30-15:10 Black Head 黑撒
15:30-16:10 AV Okubo AV大久保
16:30-17:10 Ye Pei 叶蓓
17:30-18:30 Hedgehog 刺猬
19:00-20:00 Miserable Faith 痛仰
20:30-21:30 Re-Tros 重塑雕像的权利

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Me Guan Me (Me灌Me)
13:30-14:00 Tang Hongfei 唐荭菲
14:30-15:10 SUCCESS (France)
15:50-16:30 The Fallacy 疯医
17:10-17:50 Xu Fei & Jam 许飞及Jam乐队
18:30-19:10 Top Floor Circus 顶楼马戏团
19:50-20:30 Reflector 反光镜

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 Multi-Ego
14:00-14:30 Chaine 拆呢
15:10-15:50 Institutional Crush 制度瓦解
16:30-17:10 Nuclear Fusion-G 核聚变-G
17:50-18:30 Yang Chengang杨臣刚
19:10-19:50 Minjie 冥界
20:30-21:10 Liquid Oxygen 液氧罐头

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 IO Band (IO乐团)
15:10-15:50 Coach (教练)
16:30-17:10 Cotton Candy (棉花糖)
17:50-18:30 Mr: Brown Chen (大囍门)
17:10-19:50 The White Eyes (白目)
20:30-21:10 Waa Wei (魏如萱)

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Pancake Lee
15:00-16:00 Lupen
16:00-17:00 Patrick Yu
17:00-18:00 Donald Summer
18:00-19:00 Tobias Patrick
19:00-20:00 Sistema
20:00-21:30 XLF

School of Rock 校园舞台
12:00-12:20 Wet Sand
12:30-12:50 Liugenjin 六根筋
13:00-13:20 Wanju Bintuan 玩具兵团
14:10-14:30 Stupid Bird 笨鸟
15:10-15:30 Quark 夸克
16:10-16:30 Joe’s Heart
17:10-17:30 Gao Shan 高姗
18:30-18:50 Vast 茫
20:00-20:20 Po Shang Cun 坡上村

Day 3 (Monday, May 2)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Lazy Camels
14:30-15:10 Bigger Bang (大棒)
15:30-16:10 Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬)
16:30-17:10 Life Journey (旅行团)
17:30-18:30 MONO (JP)
19:00-20:00 Queen Sea Big Shark (后海大鲨鱼)
20:30-21:30 Xie Tianxiao (谢天笑)

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Haozi (浩子)
13:30-14:00 Finger Family (指人儿)
14:30-15:10 Rustic
15:50-16:30 The Ghost Spardac
17:10-17:50 Huang Yida (黄义达)
18:30-19:10 Hanggai (杭盖)
19:50-20:30 Second Hand Rose (二手玫瑰)

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 641
14:00-14:30 The Falling (堕天)
15:10-15:50 Ego Fall (颠覆M)
16:30-17:10 SAW (锯)
17:50-18:30 Gear Rubber (齿轮橡皮)
17:10-19:50 Bing Yong (病蛹)
20:30-21:10 Yaksa (夜叉)

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 Huang Jie (黄玠)
15:10-15:50 Monkey Pilot (猴子飞行员)
16:30-17:10 Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅号)
17:50-18:30 We Save Strawberry (草莓救星)
17:10-19:50 Luantan Ascent (乱弹阿翔)
20:30-21:10 Kimbo (胡德夫)

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Verktget
15:00-16:00 Kimurahh
16:00-17:00 Mikey Dee
17:00-18:00 Howie Lee
18:00-19:00 Tnem
19:00-20:00 AMU
20:00-21:00 Saul D*
21:00-21:30 Harikiri

Tickets: You can score presale tickets from ¥60/day via Piao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: Take the Batong Subway Line to Tongzhou Beiyuan. There, you will find Modern Sky free shuttle buses, which depart every 20-30 minutes between 10am and 6pm. Return buses are available every 20 minutes from 6-10:30 pm with the last bus at 10:30pm. Alternatively, you can take a cab to Tongzhou Canal Park (通州运河公园) from the Tongzhou Beiyuan stop for about RMB30.

Whether or not you are into the local music scene, here are three good excuses to spend the weekend outdoors under the sun!

Weather should be spectacular all three days.

Happy Music Festing!

Wear Your Music: Urbanista Headphone Launch Party

Local DJ stars Elvis T, DJ Saul, DJ Wordy and “grandmaster of Swedish hiphop” join forces in celebrating the release of Urbanista headphone collection and the beginning of a music blog, a platform for each artist to publish their own works together with tracks that influence them.

“Our music provides the public an alternative that the mainstream record labels can’t offer. I predict a major incline is about to happen in Chinas independent music scene very soon.” - ELVIS.T

Allowing you to “wear your music”, Urbanista fills a gap in the range of uniquely designed, fashionable headphones.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, April 23
  
• Time: 10:00PM
• Location: The House
  
• Address: North Gate of Worker’s Stadium, 工体北门

Midnite Clash: DJ Kid Fresh and Yao

After their Midnite Clash premiere event on New Year’s Eve, Punk is bringing back Kid Fresh with DJ Yao – a young, talented producer hailing from SF’s Bay Area, whose many influences include “jazz, funk, soul, Brazilian, black futuristic, and psychedelic music and movements, which he incorporates into his own distinct style of production”.

Together with Punk’s resident DJ Saul D, Midnite Clash 2011 will be breaking new ground in new school club music.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, February 19
• Time: 10PM-late
• Door Charge: RMB 50 (after 11PM)
• Location: PUNK (Opposite House)

Stretch into the Rabbit Year at PUNK

While many will be out Wednesday night lighting up Beijing’s sky into a fire works war zone, PUNK (Opposite House) gives Beijingers an outlet to hop/dance their way into the Rabbit Year with the legendary Stretch Armstrong alongside PUNK’s resident DJ Saul D.

“A love for both house music and New York’s hip hop mix shows has led him to start a ‘mash-up’…the beginning of a genre that rules clubs worldwide today.”

Just to name-drop a few music tycoons, Stretch has worked with the likes of Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Tittsworth, and Steve Aoki and the Dim Mak collective.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, February 2
• Time: 11PM-late
• Door Charge: RMB 50
• Location: PUNK (Opposite House) 

Stretch Armstrong Rings in the Rabbit Year @ PUNK with DJ Saul D

Mid-Autumn Festival = An Excuse to Party

Ring in the Mid-Autumn Festival with parties already starting this Tuesday night:

The techno legend Derrick May with Punk resident DJ Saul D will be playing for one night only @ PUNK.

“From the cold, mindless machines comes so much hope, spirituality, and soul…. this is how Techno was born, in the urban wasteland of Detroit, and Derrick May (along with Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson) is the godfather of this sound.”

Wednesday, September 22:

Lunar Moon Party @ BLING:

Bling will also be celebrating the Lunar Moon Party with complimentary moon cakes for all guests along with Ladies drink specials (complimentary Mojito & Cosmopolitan cocktails ALL NIGHT).  Gents enjoy all-you-can-drink specials for only RMB 100.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, September 22
• Time: 9PM to late
• Location: BLING
• Free Entrance

If hip-hop is not your thing, celebrate with Acupuncture Records as they turn 3!

Acupuncture’s 3 Year Anniversary Party:

“Since its inception in 2007, Acupuncture has released 6 international EPs and 2 full length albums in addition to hosting China’s first large-scale electronic music festival INTRO and opening their very own nightclub, marking a ground-breaking epoch in China’s electronic music history.”

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, September 22
• Location: LAN Club
• Cover: RMB 50