Re-TROS
From ChaileWiki
Re-TROS (重塑雕像的权利, chóng sù diāo xiàng de quán lì), aka Rebuilding the Rights of Statues
Beijing-based post-punk band, influenced by Gang of Four and other late seventies/early eighties British punk bands.
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Introduction
Formed in 2003 by singer/guitarist Dong Hua, singer/bassist Min Liu and drummer Hui Ma, Re-TROS soon became a sizzling band in Beijing, China. Re-TROS, see themselves as a return to a lost authenticity, want to embrace the basic values from the bygone post-punk era. Once you take the first sip of Re-TROS music, you will find it easily they are inspired by the 70s post-punk ancestors like Bauhaus, Joy Division and Gang of Four. Their music is a renewal of post-punk which incorporated with synthesizers and evocative melodies. Their debut EP Cut Off! was released in November 2005 and was surprisingly propped up by Brian Eno. Brian Eno took part in three songs synthesizing during his visit to Beijing. Want to see the chemical reaction between Re-TROS and Brian Eno? Try the single A Death-Bed Song in the EP Cut Off!
Playing frequently throughout the country, Re-TROS gained a high appreciation from audience. Having supported the tour of their Beijing buddy Ourself Beside Me as well as The International Noise Conspiracy from Sweden in 2004, they had their first tour at 11 cities throughout the country last November. They will carry on with their post-punk movement! Watch out for that!
Lineup
Vocal & Guitar: Hua Dong / 华东
Vocal & Bass: Liu Min / 刘敏
Drums: Ma Hui / 马晖
History
Raised in a family of Nanjing intellectuals, charismatic, sinister Rebuilding frontman Hua Dong was immediately attracted to music in a way that was both unfocused and insistent. He spent a few inconclusive years writing songs, studying in Germany and drumming for seminal Chinese rockers PK14. After meeting bassist Liu Min, who had been playing in bands in the Nanjing punk underground, the pair drifted to Beijing where they were introduced to drummer Ma Hui.
What had been unfocused came suddenly into sharp detail and Rebuilding was formed in March of 2003. The trio began electrifying audiences in Beijing, the beating heart of China’s rock underground, with their riveting, explosive performances.
The trio went into the studio in fall of 2005 to record their debut EP Cut Off! and attracted the attention of legendary composer/producer and all-round nice guy Brian Eno, who was using the studio to record some of his Afternoon Ambient Works. Eno sat down with the band and contributed guest keyboards on several tracks. As Hua Dong puts it, “he wanted something exiting, and there we were.”
In over 5000 years of unbroken civilization, China has produced no analogues, no precedents nor peers for Rebuilding the Rights of Statues, and so they have built a catalogue of influence combed from internet piracy, black market CDs, and mix tapes worn thin from being passed from friend to friend. One can detect a careful ear to an international underground that was both hopelessly enchanting and heartbreakingly unattainable. Hua Dong credits bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division, Television, Pere Ubu, Blond Redhead, Modest Mouse, and the Futureheads among his greatest influences, and acknowledges the incongruities of developing their music in a Chinese environment.
Discography
- Cut Off! EP - 2005, November
Media
- 19 Live videos of Re-TROS playing in Guangzhou and Xiamen from user denyfebe
- 2006 Live video performing 4 songs
Further Information
