本文翻译自Elsbeth Van Paridon的专题“北京 BOP”的编辑版本，最初发表于北京评论，第 65 卷，第 15 期。

他采访了多位在北京的老外乐队、老外主办（其中包括MusicDish独立小炒主理人Eric），以独特视角书写了他观察到的中国/北京地下音乐场景。

Beijing Bop

The sound of the capital's underground isn’t velvety; it packs a punk punch

By Elsbeth Van Paridon

北京地下音乐场景的朋克拳

作者｜ Elsbeth Van Paridon

翻译｜HAN

“‘独立’这个词有很多种意思”，来自北京垃圾摇滚朋克乐队的撒丁岛籍贝斯手Matteo是这么向对音乐一窍不通的作者说的，“在我看来，‘独立’这个词有两层意思。第一层，它代表着不参与任何大厂牌和签约公司——无论是某个艺术家，某个音乐家，亦或者是某种音乐风格。而第二层的意思则是那些将‘独立’当做幌子，而实际上想要的只是利用‘独立’做噱头得到更多关注”。根据第一个定义，伴随着冷酷的吉他旋律，一场深入雄狮之腹的旅行开始了——轮到北京地下音乐登场了。

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I’m not sure what you mean by indie,” Matteo, Sardinian bass player of Beijing-based trashcore (fastcore, tomato/tomahto?) punk band Deprive, tells this musically illiterate author.

“To me, there are two main definitions First, indie as in independent, which could encompass any music genre, any artist or musician not signed to major or big labels. Second, indie as in that genre that puts on the alternative mask but what it really aspires to is airtime.” Ah.

And so, adhering to the first definition and accompanied by a sneering score of grungy guitar riffs, a voyage into the belly of the beast unfolds: Time to hit those Beijing underground notes.

小块儿主理人David、MusicDish主理人Eric、

本文作者Elsbeth

正如同Riff的气质一样，北京地下音乐现场的精髓一直潜伏在意想不到的角落之中。以荷兰阿姆斯特丹的帕拉迪索音乐厅为例，作为一个真正的现场音乐殿堂，曾有汉学专业的学生在2005年以一首《因为，所以》在这里演奏。沉重的吉他和尖锐的唢呐刺破空气和耳膜。这首歌的原唱，二手玫瑰，是当时北京最知名的乐队之一。他们创造了一种独特的混合摇滚，结合原始朋克和至多可追溯至两千多年前的中国传统乐器：唢呐。

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二手玫瑰：乐队 2014 年美国巡演的图片

二手玫瑰沉溺于禁忌之中。讽刺的歌词，带有二人转色彩的性别扭曲服装，昭示着他们作为现代中国艺术家的矛盾身份。他们漂浮在地下和主流之间的灰色地带，阿姆斯特丹为他们献上了掌声，安可的声音震天响。

Much like a riff, a pattern of notes repeated throughout a musical piece, an impromptu brush with Beijing’s underground music scene has always lurked around the corner for yours truly. Take Paradiso, a true temple of live music in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. The year was 2005; the author was a Sinology student; the song was Yīnwèi, Suǒyǐ（in Chinese| literally “because, therefore”). Heavy guitar slashes and sharp blasts from a suǒnà, a type of Chinese horn, penetrated the air and eardrums alike.

One of the biggest Beijing bands at the time, Second Hand Rose (二手玫瑰| Èrshǒu Méiguī) brought a distinct mix of full-bodied rock ‘n roll, prime punk and traditional Chinese instrumentation such as the suǒnà, which dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.– 220 A.D.), to the scene.

The band reveled in taboos like innuendo-laced lyrics and gender-bending costumes with a hint of Peking Opera, embracing all the contradictions of being a modern Chinese artist; they floated in the twilight zone between their underground roots and the mainstream madding crowds. The Amsterdam audience devoured their performance with ravenous gusto and asked for seconds.

Fast forward to the Roaring Twenties 2.0 and the band’s old stomping (under)ground of Beijing, aka China’s political powerhouse. The alternative setting in 2022: Did it stay or did it go?

MusicDish在北京 24D Space 庆祝成立 12 周年

Beijing Bop

但，北京——中国的首都——它和地下文化到底是自相矛盾还是天作之合？北京一直被看做是中国的创意中心。这里有黑暗噪音，有垃圾摇滚，有嘻哈，有先锋爵士乐。Matteo认为，这一切绝非矛盾，实际上，世界上的每一个大城市都有一个独属于它们的地下音乐气质。无论是朋克，金属，噪音，说唱，还是迷幻无趣。地下是一个概念，包含了一切自由创作出来的艺术，而无关乎任何外部限制

Eric de Fontenay是一位来自美国纽约的“北京人”，也是MusicDish独立小炒的创始人。他在全球范围内为中国和其他国际乐队进行巡演，并将外部乐队带入中国。他的独立音乐品牌成为了了解中国音乐场景和年轻人的文化的窗口。地下文化总是草根的，是创新的，测试的建设的，Eric如是说。他认为，这种文化不仅仅存在于北京，他在中国的各地茁壮成长

Rochelle Beiersdorfer是一个美国铁杆音乐狂人，作家，和中国独立音乐的支持者。她一手包揽The Temper Samplers的建设。她参与了北京的重金属和朋克建设，她热衷于发展地下音乐文化，她蕴含着原始的能量

“我认为音乐是一种听得到的慰藉，是一个时代的缩影。我们年轻时听到的音乐往往就是我们留恋的。”她说，“中国金属音乐的茁壮成长和北京的唐朝乐队分不开关系。作为中国的第一只金属乐队，他们开创了先河。如今，千禧一代和Z世代的音乐在北京响起，开启了中国和北京的音乐新时代”

Deprive的吉他手Jarrod说：“只要有人还在听地下音乐，地下音乐就不会死。北京有着无数的好乐队，更不用说全国各地的宝藏乐队了。想想看，广袤的中国大地上，来自五湖四海的声音和画面交融在一起。舞台上群魔乱舞，酷的让人难以置信。北京有小王乐队，Never Before，而青岛则有Dummy Toys和Demerit...

Deprive乐队：Scott（鼓手）、Jarrod（吉他）、Matteo（贝斯）

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One question will have many scratching their heads. Beijing, capital of China, and underground culture: contradictio in terminis or match made in Heaven?

This particular aspect of Beijing’s urban scenery has been heralded as an epicenter of creativity in China: you can find everything, from dark noise to grunge, rock, hip-hop and avant-garde jazz. “I don’t see it as a contradiction; quite the opposite,” Matteo continues, “There’s an underground scene in almost every big city around the world, be it punk, metal, noise, rap, psytrance, whatnot… The ‘underground’ is that figurative place where bands or individuals are free to express their art without external restrictions on content of lyrics, image or labels.”

Eric de Fontenay is an “adopted” Beijinger from New York, the U.S., and founder of MusicDish*China独立小炒 (dúlì xiǎochǎo). Aside from touring Chinese and other international bands around the globe and bringing outside bands into China, his indie music brand serves as a window into the more alternative, youth-oriented culture of the Chinese music scene and industry. “Underground culture is always the grassroots; it’s the developing, the building, the testing, the innovating. That’s Beijing,” he explains, “This culture isn’t just present in the capital, it thrives here. And the ingenuity radiates across the country.”

American Rochelle Beiersdorfer is a lifelong music maniac, writer and active supporter of China’s independent music scenes–she’s pretty much singlehandedly responsible for The Temper Samplers. Mostly involved in the Beijing heavy metal and punk rock communities, this aficionada works in the shadows of the underground and can definitely shine some light on its raw energy.

“I would say music is a sonic solace and a snapshot of an age. We all have the music of our youth, and that’s often what we stay with,” Beiersdorfer says, “If you ask anyone what made the ground fertile for, e.g., metal in China, it was Beijing’s Tang Dynasty – the first metal band [in China]—headed by musician-turned-writer Kaiser Kuo in the late 1980s. Today, newfangled millennial and Gen Z tunes with altered tones are popping up across the capital, ushering in a new era for Beijing’s indie scene and China’s audial urban landscape by large.”

Deprive guitarist Jarrod, also your humble guide to gumbo courtesy of his Louisiana roots, chimes in, “As long as there are people who enjoy underground music, there will be underground music. There are too many good bands in Beijing alone, not to mention all the great acts nationwide. It’s wild to think that across China, the local scenes have their ‘hometown’ favorites and they always bring the crazy cool to the stage; whenever, wherever. If you’re in Beijing, go see Xiao Wang or Never Before or any project that involves Dann Gaymer. If you’re in Qingdao, go see Dummy Toys or Demerit. And so this list jamson…”

One Man’s Trash…

上世纪八十年代末到九十年代初中国出现了打口碟，大量在美国滞销的磁带和CD在报废后被运往中国丢弃。这些产品随后以极为低廉的价格在中国开始销售，并带来了流行音乐和摇滚乐的春天。Beiersdorfer补充道：“很多在中国音乐行业工作的朋友都会把这个事件看做是自己接触西方音乐形式的契机”。别人眼中的垃圾，未必不会是其他人眼中的宝贝

无论地下音乐听起来多么的放浪形骸而道德败坏，它也终归无法逃离音乐最本质的特点：共鸣与社群。“朋克和其他音乐风格的区别在于，总有人帮你一把”，Jarrod说道，“你可能会在演唱会上摔倒，但没人会踩你。你可能会失意，但永远有人拉你一把。”

“音乐是一种表达媒介，创作者和听众都参与其中。北京的地下爱好者为了纯粹的音乐而来”，Beiersdorfer说，“我相信，在北京的政治中心出现这样的场景，代表着更全面的解放，也代表着那些对现状有用的，创造性的，开放的质疑的出现”

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The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the emergence of the dǎkǒu (打口) phenomenon, i.e., tapes and CDs that, being unsold in the U.S., were scrapped by record companies and shipped to China to be, well, trashed.

“The products were then sold on the streets of China’s cities for a nickel and a nail, becoming a spring for many popular forms of music and rock to flourish in China,” Beiersdorfer adds, “Whenever many of my friends who now work in China’s music industry tell me how they first were exposed to Western forms of music as teenagers and how they found their passion, they will say ‘dǎkǒu’.” One man’s trash truly is another man’s treasure. #TemperTeachings

However ominous the underground’s subtexts are at times–debauched, brash, and coarse– the “community feel” is in fact another riff running throughout its modern-day musical scores.

“What I really think separates the punk scene from all other scenes… is that everyone is so supportive,” Jarrod elaborates, “Yes, there are mosh pits at shows. No, you won’t get trampled or kicked if you fall. Someone will be there to help you up when you’re down.”

“Like any form of art –be it painting, dance, or fashion–music is a medium of expression and involves creators and listeners alike. Beijing’s underground devotees really are there for the music,” Beiersdorfer continues, “I do also believe having this type of scene in a political center represents on the broader, social level, a useful, creative and open-minded questioning of the status quo.”

Temper Tantrums

譬如说，嘻哈音乐开始蓬勃发展，而朋克，独立音乐，和金属音乐则相对低调。中国的地下音乐并非对主流音乐和浮夸的商业化的回应，而是人们在私下里对于自由的表达。那么，这些表达是否会因为音量更大而逐渐进入主流视野，而这样的现象又是否会导致公众的负面看法呢？

Matteo认为，北京的朋克与电子音乐和嘻哈几乎是同时出现的，实际上，它们从未真正进入主流视野。禁忌的刺耳，叛逆的态度，这些地下音乐似乎永无可能开诚布公，但这未必是坏事。地下音乐本身是一个发泄情绪和自由讨论的空间和舞台，朋克等音乐流派不需要得到主流的施舍也能活的好好的。更何况，为了迎合大众而妥协，向大厂牌弯腰屈膝，在创作内容上束手束脚，反倒是对于地下音乐文化的损坏和辱没

Eric回应了这些想法：“爱奇艺2019年的节目《乐队的夏天》带来了改变，给中国独立音乐提供了一个新的平台。它的确成功地让独立音乐获得了更大的曝光，但当独立音乐走入主流视野，随之而来的可能就是对于主流观众意愿的妥协”

Matteo则笑哈哈地说，“我讨厌那个电视节目和它所代表的一切。唯一的好处是为一些场地带来了更多的客户，因此我希望他们可以用这些钱来改进他们的音乐设备……也许它可以作为观众更多地进入音乐核心的途径：我们都是从某个地方开始的。对我来说，我从 Green Day 开始，到最后是 Crass、Nails 和 Drop Dead。除此之外，那东西简直令人憎恶。那里的乐队已经非常有名并且关系很好。以前有人用音乐做真人秀，我一直不喜欢。另一个层次的恶心来自节目的“竞争性”，让乐队和艺术家竞争。音乐是艺术，因此是个人的。

Jarrod 从另外一个角度看待，“那个节目有点... ‘有趣’——至少可以这么说。我认为它的一线希望是向那些可能没有听过过载歌曲或鼓手演奏超过 120bpm 的歌曲的人引入新的声音。如 Matteo 所说的，大多数人接受新的声音都需要跨过踏脚石，人们的口味在进化。”

“吸引我们到地下，尤其是重音乐的，是音乐本身，以及我们发现的自由感。朋克、金属等真正的独立乐队，都有一个天花板，就是虽然许多乐队都签了厂牌，但你几乎在任何地方（广播台），都听不到 Spazz、Weekend Nachos 或Regional Justice Center。他们刺耳的声音或极其叛逆的歌词根本不适合播出，” Deprive说。

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Hip-hop has risen to the surface and spilled over into your average Chinese first-tier street scenery. Punk, indie and metal: not so much. Yet China’s alternative scene doesn’t appear to be a response to the bloated nature of the crafted and contoured mainstream hip-hop or C- slash K-pop slickness, but more a sense of freedom people find in being under the radar. So will the louder genres ever rise to the surface or do they come with one too many lingering negative associations?

“I’d say that Beijing punk has been around for the same time (if not longer) as EDM and hip-hop (roughly mid-90s). The fact that it has never really risen to the surface I guess is due to the harsher sounds and rebellious lyrical content and attitude. I don’t think this is really a bad thing. It used to be a stage to vent and speak freely of what one thought of socio-politico issues. I think this might be coming back with some of the new bands,” Matteo replies, “Punk and heavy music in general thrive whilst hovering under the surface. Coming up for ‘airtime’ would mean compromising: a more accessible sound, more accessible content, bending to music industry trends.”

De Fontenay echoes these musings, “iQiyi’s 2019 The Summer of Bands was a game changer for the scene, giving Chinese indie bands a new platform to make their music heard. But when indie music gets more mainstream, it may bend to the will of new audiences.”

Speaking of said iQiyi show… “Oh, I loathe that TV show and everything it represents haha. It’s only merits are bringing more customers to some venues and therefore money which I hope they could use to improve their music equipment… Maybe it could act as a gateway for audiences to get more into the core of the music: we all started from somewhere.. for me, I started from Green Day, to end up with Crass, Nails, and Drop Dead,” Matteo picks up the beat, “Apart from this, that thing was an abomination. The bands on there were already quite well-known and well-connected. Making a reality show out of music has been done before and has always been disgusting. Another level of nausea comes from the ‘competitive nature’ of the show, having bands and artists compete. Music is art and therefore personal, subjective… How the heck do you even judge which art is better?!”

“That show is…. ‘interesting’–to say the least. I think its silver lining is introducing new sounds to people who may otherwise not have heard songs with overdrive or a drummer playing anything over 120bpms,” Jarrod tunes into the budding composition, “To build off what Matteo said, most people get into other styles of music by walking across the steppingstones and being open to new sounds. Peoples’ tastes evolve.”

“What attracts us to the underground and (for us) to heavy music in particular, it’s the music itself, and the sense of freedom we find in being under the radar. There is this glass ceiling that exists for punk, metal, powerviolence -real, by first definition, indie bands. Many get signed, but you will hardly ever hear Spazz, Weekend Nachos, or Regional Justice Center on the radio almost anywhere. Their harsh sounds or extremely rebellious lyrics are just not the thing to air,” according to Deprive, live. Well, at least I know Green Day. #yaliveyalearn

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