Another weekend, another stellar lineup of things to do in Shanghai. Elysia Crampton and Bok Bok are at ALL, Dënver are in town, it's The Cannery's monthly bloc party and it's the Top 100 DJs Fantasty Festival. See below for our full list of weekend picks.
FRIDAY 4
TOKiMONSTA
Jennifer Lee makes a welcome return to Shanghai courtesy of SHFT. Lee - better known as TOKiMONSTA - has worked with the likes of Anderson Paak, Kool Keith and Thirsty Fish, dealing out ethereal electro and hip-hop-influenced beats.
Arkham Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. 10pm. 220RMB; 160RMB (presale); 100RMB (early bird).
A Guy Called Gerald
The musical giant who spearheaded the acid house movement in Manchester in the late ‘80s and later the creation of jungle in the early ‘90s, A Guy Called Gerald makes a welcome return to the decks in Shanghai, dealing in a house sound that ought to go down a treat.
Elevator Fourth Floor, 218 Xinle Lu, near Fumin Lu. 10pm. 80RMB; 60RMB (presale).
Beats Explorer with DJ Tag
This is a journey into beats. A journey which along the way will bring you new colour, new dimensions, new value. This Friday Smash welcomes back Tag and co for a journey through hip-hop, RnB, funk and club tracks, with expert mixing from the Japanese DJ.
Smash 685 Dingxi Lu, near Niuqiao Lu. 9pm. Free.
Kakushin Nishihara + Cyber 69
Asian Dope Boys X GMU Studio present a night of weird and wonderful electronic music and art at ALL with Canada-based DJ Cyber 69 joined by biwa (a traditional Japanese string instrument, similar to a pipa) player Kakushin Nishihara.
ALL Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. 10PM. 120RMB.
Special Favorite Music
Japanese indie-pop septet Special Favorite Music squeeze onto the stage at YYT with support from local funketeers Howhy.
Yutintang 851 Kaixuan Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu. 9pm. 140RMB.
Saturday 5
Dënver
Chilean pop duo (and former lovers) Mariana Montenegro and Milton Mahan, aka Dënver, bring their danceable, retro-imbued funk and rock beats to The Pearl. The indie-pop pair's Sangre Cita album was named one of the top ten Latin American albums of 2015 by Rolling Stone.
The Pearl Theatre 471 Zhapu Lu, near Haining Lu. 9pm. 80RMB; 60RMB (presale).
Elysia Crampton + Bok Bok
Wooozy present an incredible double header with two visionary electronic producers/composers: Elysia Crampton and Bok Bok. The former, whose music has been labelled 'borderless, expansive and intelligent' by Pitchfork, is renowned for her epic, deeply layered and ultimately beautiful electronic compositions. Crampton is reason enough to make it out to this show on her own, but apparently that's not enough for the people at Wooozy, who have decided to put Night Slugs founder Bok Bok on the bill too.
ALL Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. 10pm. 100RMB.
Goose Island BooshKaBaash Festival Offical Pre-Party
Photo courtesy of BooshKaBaash
Check out the acoustic sessions and official pre-party schedule to warm up for Goose Island BooshKaBaash Festival 2017. Each acoustic session will include two lucky prized draws and will have Goose Island beers for sale to help you kick back and feel the vibes. This week it's Luis Coelho, Portuguese musician with roots in Latin, Progressive Rock, and Jazz/Fusion genres.
Shanghai Centre 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Tongren Lu. 5pm. Free.
Bloc Party at The Cannery
Held on the first Saturday of every month, the neighbourhood gathering has barbecue rom Flippin' Freddy, a cocktail bar from Michael 'Punchy' Chen and beers from Boxing Cat Brewery.
The Cannery Bldg 1, Room 106, 1107 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiangsu Lu. 1pm. Free.
Arthur Pita's 'The Little Match Girl'
Pita’s adaptation of this Hans Christian Andersen classic retains the original’s cruelty and misery but adds a comic twist, leaving children and adults starry-eyed and pledging to come again.
Shanghai International Dance Theatre 1650 Hongqiao Lu. Sat 5-Sun 6. 10.30am, 2.30pm. 80RMB-580RMB.
Knuckle Sandwich
Long-running local metal collective Playful Warrior host four female-fronted heavy bands at Inferno with Anonymous Annoyance, Hunimal, Pray for Awakening and Blood of Life on the bill.
Inferno Unit 6-103, Ground Floor, 658 Longhua Dong Lu, near Kaiping Lu. 9pm. 80RMB; 60RMB (presale).
Discosmic Adventure
One of our favourite regular nights in the city, Discosmic Adventure features Italo, boogie, electro-funk, proto-house and disco - all under the masterful eye of Nik Hilp.
DADA 115 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. 10pm. Free.
Lil Akin & VISUDY
Shanghai-based electronic producer Visudy and xibei vocalist Akin team up at Arkham for a night of fresh Chinese RnB, hip-hop and more.
Arkham Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. 10pm. 150RMB; 120RMB (presale).
Phase Fatale
Phase Fatale is the techno project of Berlin-based DJ and producer Hayden Payne. Originally from New York, Payne previously explored the post-punk/coldwave world through various projects over the course of a decade.
Elevator Fourth floor, 218 Xinle Lu, near Fumin Lu. 10pm. 80RMB.
Top 100 DJs Fantasy Festival
How many EDM festivals does one city need? Put such questions to the back of your mind as Dash Berlin, Bass Jackers, Florian Picasso, Shogun Dragon, Lost Stories, Wolf Pack and more ask you to put your hands in the air at Shanghai International Music Village.
Shanghai International Music Village No. 188 Lane 399, Shendi Dong Lu. Sat 5-Sun 6. Midday. 480RMB per day; 780RMB for two days.
Sunday
Deal Your Drummer
Three local bands, all sharing the same drummer, perform at MAO as Insomnia Island and Blinde are joined by the returning FeiMa. The noise-rock trio put out one of our favourite Chinese records of 2013 before promptly dispanding when one member left to study abroad (he's back here on summer holiday, hence this gig).
MAO Livehouse 308 Chongqing Nan Lu, near Jianguo Zhong Lu. 8pm. 80RMB; 60RMB (presale).
Zhan Wang: Forms in Flux
The Long Museum hosts the largest solo exhibition to date of Chinese artist Zhan Wang’s works, presenting sculptures which reflect traditional Chinese cultural elements and craftsmanship, while also addressing various issues of contemporary life and space.
Long Museum 3398 Longteng Avenue, near Ruining Lu. 50RMB.
Valérie Belin: Meta-Clichés
Shanghai Center of Photography's latest exhibition presents works by the world-renowned Parisian artist Valérie Belin. The show is a retrospective of unique photography, from Belin’s very first projects to her latest new media experiments in digital technology and overlay techniques.
Shanghai Center of Photography 2555 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu. 40RMB; 30RMB (students).