How much do you know about underground rock music in Lanzhou?

From non-mainstream culture to mainstream culture is just a matter of time and practice. The yellow soil under our feet is surging with cultural undercurrents and undercurrents. A group of energetic, determined, innovative and innovative young people are in depression. and constantly searching for new psychological and cultural paths through repetition

Who holds high the banner of non-mainstream culture? Who will bring non-mainstream culture into the next mainstream field? These issues require an era of planning and verification.

The blazing "underground fire"

They used their actions to set off the hottest "underground fire" in Lanzhou.

"Undoubtedly, there have been many underground bands in Lanzhou. If 1990 is regarded as the first year of rock music in Lanzhou, no fewer than 250 bands have been formed in Lanzhou from then to now." Musician Lao Kai said.

In the early 1980s, Cui Jian broke through the music of Mi Mi and rock music took the world by storm. This shock wave also shocked Lanzhou's musical nerves.

In 1986, Lanzhou "Beilei" band took the lead, Li Jinjian formed the first band, and the famous "Dibaotian" band appeared.

In 1993, "Reverb" became the pioneer of Lanzhou rock band with the name "metal" as soon as it was born. The young people Zhou Jin, Lao Mi, Yang Yang, Kong Xiangbin, Zhang Zhe and others performed in the vast sky Sweating like rain.

At the same time, the POP band "Legend" and the "Boiling Point" dedicated to jazz appeared.

The existence of "Reverberation" directly affected a group of young people. Bands such as "Cholera", "Silly Goose", "Shu" and "Dian Chuan" embarked on the road of rock and roll under the enlightenment influence of "Reverb". "Dian Chuan" is a punk band full of fantasy. Their works such as "Can't Sing" and "Unexpectedly" have been praised by a group of young people; the band "Shu" has inherited the style of collegemusic, and their work "Touch the Wind" , "Musical Sacrifice" uses black humor to express the love and exploration of the real world; the "Cholera" band is the forerunner of live punk. They completely relax people's state of consciousness and soar on the proletarian road with a strong counter-trend spirit. "Valentine's Day", "Fly", "Fantasy" and other works have made them draw a clear line between them and some so-called "social elites"; the strong bottom complex of Xigu's punk band "Anthropoid" makes them regard music as life, but lack the Technical perfection.

On the last day of 1996, the band "Dongfanghong" released the album "Dragon Heart". However, "Trajectory" turned into "Ugly Face" and went to Xi'an, taking away the British fantasy and the blues dream in one pot.

The "non-mainstream" people who stayed in Lanzhou were implemented by the new people in their 20s. In addition to the failed businessman Zhu Zhenqian who formed an eye-catching punk band "Cholera", the joys and sorrows of "Moth" evolved into the new "Moth" and "Red", there are also "Sorrowful" and "Sorrow" who work on the eleventh floor. Later, "Disband" and "Rebirth", "Sideb", "Dunhuang" and the pop metal bands "Brand" and "Bump" were completely disbanded.

This is a large number of bands formed before 1998. They are a group indulged by information and anger, a group that laughs wildly and is dedicated.

The "Prosperous Tang" of Rock

If there was a "Prosperous Tang" period for underground rock in Lanzhou, then this period should be between 1999 and 2005. During this period, bands were born one after another. For those who like rock music, those "meaningful" band names will come out of their mouths inadvertently.

The Lanzhou rock bands during that period seemed to have reached the point where "a hundred flowers bloomed".

In the winter of 1999, the first real Lanzhou rock performance was held in this winter, at Northwest Normal University.

The bands that played on the stage included "Critical Tree", "Crystal Garden", "Concave", "Heavy Damage", "Tilted", "Illegal Gathering", "Sanren", etc. These bands had great influence in Lanzhou at that time. Representative. "Critical Tree" started out as improvisation, and later became more influenced by bands such as RADIO-HEAD. The arrangement style eventually turned to cold British rock, and the musicians Gu Su and Jin Yan were popular. Founded in 1998, the style is mainly British pop, focusing on the musicality of songs. The content of the songs mainly uses personal emotions as the starting point to see through the contradictory side of human nature in real society.

"Bump", "Smash" and "Side" ("sideb") are all typical traditional heavy metal. "Sanren" is a band with a rather weird style. Although it was later renamed "Rumination", it basically belongs to the funk music of PRIMUS. There are also bands such as "Fruit Candy" and "Space".

In 2000, Lanzhou rock music became more and more active, and a large number of new bands appeared.

"Industrial Zone" and "50 Road" are two PUNK bands from Xigu. The former's style later turned to heavy metal, while the latter is a girl band and later changed its name to "Reverse Osmosis". There are also different types of PUNK bands like "Explosion", "Fall", "Underage" and so on. The original intention of "Lip Rust" remains psychedelic. "Return" tends toward noise. "Original Zone" and "Cover Man" are pop metal people. "Termite AA" is a relatively radical

RAPMEATL band. "Zi" has always been looking for and creating her own style. "Unsuccessful Conception" and "Blood" are two bands of junior high school students who are only fifteen or sixteen years old. They sang their own songs after finishing their homework. The scene was very contagious.

"Thermidor" is a band with a relatively strong lineup, and blues metal is its main musical direction. The immature FLLNKY elements they added to their music are one of the few attempts in Lanzhou music.

"裣" and "性狠" are one of the few independent bands in Lanzhou. They seem to be indifferent, but they are also present. They use fresh music to try to explain the original feelings and experimental materials deep in their hearts. . There are also bands such as "The Appreciator" and "The Rock" who regard the rock spirit as their only belief.

Going down further, there are "Sound Killer" and "Nightmare". The style of the "Yinshi" band tends to be grindcore and death metal. Their works are not very melodic, but have many rhythm changes. The "Nightmare" band was formed in March 2001. Its style is death/black metal that is rare in China.

The "Capricorn" band is a band that pays attention to technology and is always pursuing perfection. The band's music style is deeply influenced by bands such as Mr.bigEXTREME (Extreme), and is mainly blues and hard rock. The band was founded in October 2001 and is one of the backbone underground rock bands in Lanzhou.

Later there were some new bands. The female band "Yanyan", the female lead singer Peng Shaobo has a Cadbury-like voice and beautiful appearance, but the musician's skills need to be improved.

Most of these bands have dispersed, but they once "played for freedom, for the soul, for conscience, for fashion, for making money, for love, for desire, etc.". Due to various reasons, one whistle People and horses are everywhere, and they have carried out the "rock revolution" in full swing in bars and rehearsal venues. They have gathered in such a furious manner, then disbanded, reorganized, and shouted with high spirits!

Today, there are dozens of bands active in Lanzhou, including "Low Absinthe", "Jiantou", "Waquan", "LessonOne" and so on.

Dream Travels Around the World

Lanzhou has given birth to a force that cannot be underestimated in new music in China today, and a number of outstanding musicians have emerged. Including the famous music critic Yan Jun, experimental musician Wang Fan, band Wild Child, musician Gu Su, Dadi Band Chen Gang, accordion player Zhang Weiwei, etc.

Rock requires thinking. Behind the passionate impulse, you should think more in order to explore the true connotation of this game.

Lanzhou "Bou Na" rock band won the northwest division championship in the 2002 National College Ice Pioneer Campus Rock Band Competition, and successfully advanced to the China Ice Pioneer Rock Band. The band has officially signed with Rolling Stone International Records.

"Lanzhou Noise Association", their music circulates in the music circle like a mysterious legend, and has even become famous abroad. So far, they have recorded and released 9 albums including "The Day Is Coming" and "Yao".

The two unavoidable figures in Lanzhou underground rock are Zhou Jin and Bie Feng. They are the predecessors of Lanzhou underground rock today. Guitarist Zhou Jin is one of the more prestigious rock musicians in Lanzhou. He once participated in performances in Shanghai and Shenyang as Wang Fan's musician. He planned many rock performances in Lanzhou. When musicians from other places came to Lanzhou, the first thing they thought of was to find Zhou Jin. Bie Feng is the former bassist of the band "Illegal Party" in Lanzhou. He has released 4 albums including "Bie Feng" under his own name.

There is also a young man named Persimmon, who is even more legendary. He was the former creator of the death metal band "裣" and served as the drummer of the death band "Nightmare". Later, he collaborated with the "Lanzhou Noise Association" Collaborate on the album. When he was still in middle school, he was already called China's most promising talented drummer by domestic music critics.

Of course, we cannot forget the Lanzhou native named Wang Fan. This Lanzhou native who wanders between Beijing, Guangzhou, Europe and the United States is a die-hard rocker with a genius, and is known as a "sound transcendent" in the domestic rock music circle. This person is now known as a Chinese experimental musician.

Similarly, two members of the Zuo Xiao Curse band, which led the way in southern rock, are from Lanzhou; there is also the Lanzhou Wild Children band, which travels along the coast and in France.

Music critic Yan Jun said: "People who dreamed of Lanzhou becoming Seattle are still dreaming, but they first have to fight against short-circuited speakers and playful and smiling audiences. Before their blood boils dry, there is no Who can stop the happiness of this struggle?"

Wind and Rain Rock

In 2007, the overall progress of Lanzhou underground rock was very slow. While everyone regarded "rock" as an independent label, they also needed to learn their abilities. and innovative spirit remain sluggish. During the interview, some musicians told reporters expertly and secretly: "We can talk about anything except music."

July 22, 2007. An old theater in Lanzhou. The wooden chairs and the women's and men's restrooms with lights on the left and right are quite a platform, which is very cool. Hardcore, death metal, new metal and post-rock are performed in such a venue. Ten Lanzhou bands came, and the audience reached 600 people. When the performance reached its climax, the stage suddenly went dark - the electricity was cut off. Under the bursts of shouts from the audience, the stage was given another two minutes of light. When the light on the stage disappeared for two minutes, the curtain was pulled up abruptly!

"This is the music environment in Lanzhou." Lao Kai said.

The current living conditions of underground musicians in Lanzhou are not ideal, and only a few bands have the opportunity to perform in bars. Zhao Cong, the lead singer of the "Lesson One" band, said that now, the Lanzhou band basically uses a bar called "Time Bar" as its performance base, and the owner of this bar continues to support rock music. There are very few bars that support rock bands anymore, and most of them are increasingly indifferent.

“There are more people playing music than listening to music. Although this is a bit incomprehensible, the situation is basically like this. Almost every performance is attended by people from the circle and cheers.” Lao Kai said.

Zhang Wen, a senior musician and head of Gansu Xinjindian Film and Television Co., Ltd., said: "With the advent of the Internet era, the spread of MP3, and the piracy industry, the music market has simply declined."

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Find your ideal after you are full.

At present, "Low Absinthe" is a band that can represent the current level of underground music in Lanzhou. Their style is independent and psychedelic, and the arrangements of their songs include national instruments such as xun and wooden fish, giving their music a strong experimental and national flavor. The band's lead singer Liu Kun views the band's livelihood issue this way: Survival is a problem, and I believe many bands are the same as us. But money is not the biggest obstacle, it cannot be our resistance. With support from home, royalties from writing, and salary from lectures, I can maintain my daily life. The biggest question we think about is how to make our music better and how to go deeper and further.

Chi Dianning of the "Ran" band believes: "Making music is what we do after get off work." You can find the most suitable way for your survival and development in any matter, and you can only practice piano when you are full. "Our band's way of survival is very healthy."

Desolate and Mature

"Rock and roll is not a relief food. How can music fans entertain you if you are in so much pain? It is not possible to practice piano with an empty stomach every day. It’s strange that it’s out of tune. Is there really no other way to do underground rock music in Lanzhou if you don’t think of it yourself?” said an old musician.

The pier of underground rock is still filled with gangsterism, and the band's own subversion is faster than their roar. According to insiders, many bands are "formed as quickly as possible, rehearsing in the least amount of time, performing as soon as possible, and disappearing as soon as possible."

Li Dong, the guitarist of the "Six Kings" band, believes that a large number of people in Lanzhou do not have their own ideas about music and lack original ideas and abilities.

No matter how good you are at playing the piano or playing the drums, if you blindly imitate and have nothing of your own, it still has no vitality.

In the past two years, Lanzhou underground rockers have been starving and freezing, thinking about the complex relationship between rock spirit and business.

A small highlight from the "LessonOne" band is: on December 15, 2007, the band won the third place in the "YAMAHA Asian Beat Band Competition 2007 Mainland China Finals". They had previously won the Northwest Division championship of the competition. From a music professional perspective, especially from a non-academic rock music perspective, "LessonOne" has maximized itself to a certain limit.

“The future of underground rock in Lanzhou is still very good, because many people are really passionate about music, and there are good bands. More importantly, everyone is working hard and not giving up.” Music Zhao Fei said.

Compared to the past, Lanzhou’s underground rock music has indeed become a bit lonely now. Perhaps, this is not a bad thing. The colder it is, the more awake it is. Out of the empty prosperity, Lanzhou rock music can rejuvenate the vitality of music