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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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Martin Atkins
Made in China/Stare Directly at the Sun: Beijing Pop 2007
Invisible Records
I finally got my vacation to China through Martin Atkins and all I can say is: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart!" Martin Atkins (former drummer in PiL, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface and more) traveled to Beijing in Fall, 2006 and returned with some of the most ingenious sounds Beijing has to offer. In Made in China, Atkins presents traditional Chinese music (and I mean traditional Chinese music…) in truly a westerner's style ("Mostly Hulosi" and "Fortune Cookie"). A sensational treat, "Hand Drum" builds feelings of exhilaration and excitement like that of being engrossed by an extremely challenging match of Pong. However, after some time, the tracks start to run together and lose the individual flavors, due to the varying beats. The varying beats in question can easily be overlooked though, because Made in China captures the beats of life not only in Beijing, China but also Chinatown, San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Stare Directly at the Sun: Beijing Pop 2007 runs the gamut of punk, rock and pop. Each track offers a different slice of music from the Beijing scene. From the bubbly edge comes "Mario and the Peaches" by Caffe In, who, oddly enough, remind me of a Chinese version of Aly & Aj. "Fight Your Apathy" by Demerit brings back punk-filled memories of "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte. Then there is "ChiAn" by Voodoo KungFu, which is a mix of Gregorian chants meets heavy metal. Is that even possible? Yes, it is. The choices of Beijing underground culture are pretty satisfying. It's just enough to whet the appetite for more. Stare Directly at the Sun: Beijing Pop 2007 ends with the theme of revolution and freedom as proclaimed by Rococo in "We Just Free". Oh, if only you could be set free for the rest of the world…
—Julie Arca
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