Hong Kong Music

Last night at Joyce is Not Here’s regular Saturday night gig, I had the pleasure of seeing another of our city’s great talents Aileen Alonzo. With a really captivating voice, she tells beautiful stories about life and love (and caterpillars in the shower!) The titles of her songs such as Icarus and Alice, are often inspired by mythological stories and fairytales. She mentioned that she likes the idea that these tales relate so closely to real life. I personally enjoyed her set a lot and was impressed by her mastery of vocals, guitar and keyboard. Her passion for her craft really showed through the performance.

During the break, Aileen and her friends Darren and Lei Au (who are also musicians) gave me some insight into the music scene in Hong Kong as they see it. Aileen has been playing for about five years now, doing solo sows, playing in the band Dark Himaya (who’ve just launched a new album), and busking HKs streets. Her next venture is a new band called CLEEN which will play “acoustic glitch” – (Seriously, check this out!) I was impressed by the way she seems to be going for exactly what she loves. She’s just quit her job in a bank after 10 years to focus on music. According to Aileen, the independent music scene in the city has definitely been getting better and better.

Darren who played guitar and sang with Aileen for some of the songs during the gig, is also optimistic about the growing independent scene. He told me about how there used not to be so many indie music venues, except for the Wanch but now there are some great newer venues coming up. In his opinion, the person that has done most for the HK music scene is Chris Bo of the Underground (Something I can’t beleive I haven’t written about yet! Sidenote: watch out for a post). When I asked about his favourite Hong Kong musicians, he mentioned The Bollands, a New Zealand couple who’ve played for months in Hong Kong, and who will soon be moving back to live and play here. They sound like a duo to watch out for.

Lei Au told me a bit about busking in the streets of Hong Kong. She plays mainly percussions and it seems like something she really enjoys. I’ve always wondered about what the experience of busking this city is like. When I asked her, she told me that can be very nerve-wracking at first, but once you get into it and passersby start responding, it’s a great feeling.

I really enjoyed both the performance and having the chance to chat with these musicians. It was inspiring to get the perspective of people who are active in and optimistic about the music scene in the city.

Some links to keep you updated:
I found this gem of a tune from Aileen’s new band, CLEEN (live performance debut in April!)
[bandcamp track=3604555012  bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

And of course, the Facebook pages for two of her projects Here’s CLEEN, and here’s Dark Himaya

I don’t remember seeing many people busking in HK a few years back. I’ve noticed many in the area between Pedder street and LKF these days and have heard of many more on Kowloon side. Just this past Wedneday night, the sounds of Enrique Iglasias’ “Hero”, and The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly”, were livening up the Central evening air. Seems like more and more groups of people are daring to just go and play to the crowds whether they like it or not!

I’m a fan of these musicians! I think there is something very liberating about playing the streets. It adds a nice touch to the atmosphere, whether you stop to watch or are just passing by. It’s almost like musicians are on a mission to bring music to the masses.

Sometimes it can be tiring to hear generic tunes though, so I would like to see some less overplayed songs and more original ones – Something that makes me stop and ask for a CD. It’s also a great way for musicians to get exposure and reach the people who don’t particularly seek out gigs.

What do you think?

For the past few wednesdays, some friends and I have been checking out Hong Kong’s poetry nights. It’s not directly musical, but to myself and many, lyrics are poetry. So for you songwriters out there, here’s a post for you!

Every first wednesday of the month, the poetry nights are held at the Fringe Club in a more formal setting. Every other wednesday, poets and poetry lovers get together at Joyce is Not Here for a more intimate evening of poetry reading. As with music, the poetry brings a whole range of people from different walks of life together. Students, young teachers, professors, writers, musicians and city hoppers.

The fringe club is a great setting to experience some great poetry. On the first wednesday of February, a tribute was held for the late Hong Kong poet and professor P.K. Leung. Some of his close friends and students read out poems he had made in his lifetime, evoking captivating visuals and sensations about past Hong Kong. His powerful use of words was really amazing to hear.

Later on in the evening several poets of the city, got up to share parts of themselves through  their writing. In a city of millions where we literally brush past one another with zero acknowledgement of anyone’s presence, I loved the idea of strangers opening themselves up to strangers, and being able to connect with experiences so similar to my own. I was especially blown away by a sixteen-year-old friend of a friend, who recited a Spoken Word poem she had written about a girl’s ‘first time’. The atmosphere was truly amazing.

The other wednesdays at Joyce, we had a couple of beers and read out our personal poems and the works of poets that inspired us.

Isn’t this what music, writing, and sharing work is about? connecting to strangers who we all share at least one thing in common with? Whether it be the city we live in, the experiences we’ve had, or this simple fact that we’re all human. It’s great to have this communication of artists and their personal work, who will tell legitimate stories about our human experience in our very own city!

Make it fun.

Hong Kong is a city where people are always busy busy busy. It’s basically our trademark. But with so much hometown music brewing right under our noses, how can we lure people out of…to smell the roses, feel the sunlight (or fog, whichever) and listen to the sounds and stories of our city’s musicians? Whether it be travelling to Kwun Tong or paying an extra $50 than they would at a club what can we do to give people that push?

We asked, you answered!

Here are some suggestions and reminders you gave to the HK public:

- “Remind them that they’ll be creating memories” – Marine
- “If money seems to be an issue, just tell yourself that you can’t put a price on good times” -Sharon
- “be adventurous, outgoing, experience the city in which you live” – Ming
- “It’s part of enjoying life” –  Josh
- “It’s about being well balanced, instead of a workaholic – you need to be social too” – Katrina
- “You wont regret it once you’re there” – Hong

DADA BABA is an awesome local Hong Kong band I found online. They play fun lo-fi music, often mixing in some chinglish humor. Listing their influences as “IKEA sale, Urban-dictionary and Indian Cuisines”, their music and style is definitely out of the ordinary. They’ve been playing since 2010 and in In September 2012, they released their debut EP entitled “一半 GREASY 一半 JUICY”

It contains some quality tunes like “If on a summers night, fucked up in China” and “YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA”, my personal favorites off the album. What I find most appealing is the uniqueness of the band and the music they play. It’s very tied in to Hong Kong pop culture, and reflects the linguistic and cultural duality of the city by mixing Cantonese and English in their lyrics and videos.

Listen to their song “中國炒飯 – Chinese Fried Rice” and learn how to make it in their 2010 video:

If you like what you hear, make sure to listen to their album here and support the band by buying it for just HK$40!
Also check their website for news. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for their next live show. See you there!

Artefracture describes itself as “High class culture with a lo-fi aesthetic. A punk rock heart with impeccable DIY ethics.”

 It’s a sort of anti-record-label record label, focused on exposing the unsung heroes of the Hong Kong music scene. In their own words, they want to “give a home to the bastards and runts in the music community who are actually profound visionaries – the unique gems that are playing the street corners and the toilet circuit or slaving over a hot computer at home to produce the best songs you’ve never heard.”

Releasing albums on a pay-what-you-like basis, it removes the focus away from money and directly onto the pure appreciation of good music. It’s just the kind of attitude towards music that Hong Kong needs. No cookie-cutter packaging and no restrictions.

Though some of the label’s music is not my personal taste, that is besides the point. The main idea is that it allows everyone to discover this great variety of music coming out of out city. It gives us instant access to the gritty, untamed and authentic sounds that our musicians have to offer. I’m hoping to see more genuine music being created and promoted because of the unapologetic efforts of labels like Artefracture.

Discover new bands on Artefracture’s bandcamp and follow them on Faceboook.

BeatingHeart is a music space located in and industrial building in Shek Tong Tsui. They serve the music community in Hong Kong by offering high quality rehearsal and audio facilities, and providing a cool space for live performance. It’s a perfect place to experience and support some of Hong Kong’s growing talent. HKXO7 took place here and shortly after, they held a free event where members of the famous Libertines gave HK some love.

It’s a great place with a great location (between Sheung Wan and Kennedy Town) to check out!
Find out what’s happening next at BeatingHeart.

On 12th Jan, Forgotten Dreams Carnival took place at the Kwun Tong Promenade. The carnival was another Feel Music Experimental Lab event by Wikitopia/Videoatge with the mission of connecting experimenting and exploring through music.

“we wish to widen Hong Kong’s music scene, build up unique music style and find new music directions/ideas.”

With a line up of local bands, along with a mini flea market, some visual installations, and face painting, this was one of those events that aimed to bring the diverse people of Hong Kong together to have fun and relax while witnessing homegrown talent on a hazy Saturday afternoon.

Something I’ve noticed about events in HK however, is that people aren’t willing to travel a little further than they normally would despite the fact that this city is so tiny! For the HK islanders, Kwun Tong is too far. Either that or many people intend to go (Facebook RSVP), but don’t show up because of last minute engagements. There’s always something getting in the way. Though this event felt a little disjointed and lacking in numbers, the organizers still did a great job in terms of the quality and the willingness to bring something personal and fun to the Hong Kong community.

But this still begs the question. What should we do to get more people out of their homes and into the city to experience the up and coming music HK has to offer? More promotional efforts to get people excited? Perhaps things like this just take time, but kudos to the organizers for building up momentum.

Tell us what you think!