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 Frenzied Hip Hop Rap may not be my first choice of music, but exuberance and expertise combined to impress even this crusty ‘waiguo-ren’ at the Linbury Studio. Together with their talented UK counterparts, the amiable warmth of the Beijing visitors evidently had the same effect on the rest of the audience, too.
I was well beyond the age range of the mostly under-30s Chinese assembly packing a venue that resembled an upmarket cell-block. Beneath stark grey décor and metal fascias, safety nets wouldn’t have been out of place for potential jumpers from the upper walkways –quite a contrast with the mood of the cheerful crowd.
The first half of the two-hour programme show-cased the UK contingent, kicking off with a Hip Hop dance display by BlaZian Invasion, (the name a fusion of black/East Asian)to Johnny Ong and Maryse Ngami’s precise choreography and military-style backing tracks. Clad in black and red sweatshirts, hoods, baggy pants and trainers, the teenage crew were tireless team workers and talented solo performers. The robotic full-body ripples, sudden spasms and slow getting-nowhere moon-walking steps vividly evoked the pressures of urban life.
The pounding guitar and ‘scratchings’ of Hip Hop Rap duo Suki Mok and Kevin Quan (aka DJ Phat ) blasted out a number of ear-rattling pieces. These rising stars of the UK Hip Hop music circuit produced a sound which almost defies description, the hugely amplified ‘scratchings’ ranging in tone from parrot-like screeches to the whirrings of helicopter blades, mingling but never colliding with combative twangs and riffs of guitar chords and electronica. Overhead spotlights, alternately bright pink or yellow shone down on an island of concentrated energy where instruments and musicians seamlessly merged. It was clear from audience shouts and hoots that their efforts were appreciated.
 Next, Dragon Tongue Squad, the trio from Beijing, burst onto the stage, and began moving in restless individual parabolas across the space, rapping into their cordless mikes as they performed a series of tracks from their award-nominated album ‘Crazy 4 Hip Hop’, including the entertaining ‘Chinese Food’. Repetitive lyrics spared my dodgy grasp of Mandarin and the programme provided translations. Invitations to join in choruses or respond to questions, especially ‘Do you want more?' provoked cheers and arm-waving. The individual personas of the diminutive Kirby Lee (Li Jun Ju) with his multicoloured plastic sunglasses, porkpie hat and saucer-sized chest medallion complimented the sombre black-clad gangly insouciance of national free-style battle champion J-Fever (Zhao Hong) and the chubby dreadlocked Crazy Chef (Zhang Nan). Friendly banter with front-row enthusiasts and comments addressed to fans at the back paid tribute to the ‘harmonious’ working relationships which made the evening such a success.
All in all, the highly professional standard of this First Circle of Artists in the Five Circles Festival augurs well for the rest of the programme.
China/UK Hip Hop Rap is Circle One of the Five Circles Art Festival presented by Chinatown Arts Space. Continuing to February 2009, the programme is supported by a number of master classes and workshops run by the artists. |
