Play time

The founder of the label Modernsky hopes to shape the future of China's indie music scene by creating a brand for live performances, Chen Nan reports.

Music fans can enjoy a series of live shows presented by the country's largest indie music label over the summer.

Called Modernsky Now, the shows start on Saturday, and the first part of the tour will see 14 of the label's singers and rock bands perform in such cities as Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Ningbo.

"We have been planning Modernsky Now for a long time and we want to build it up into a livehouse music brand in China," says Shen Lihui, the founder and CEO of the label Modernsky.

Headlined by Zuoxiao Zuzhou, Moxi Zishi and New Pants, the shows will feature the performers, who have different music styles, in seven pairs.

According to Shen, the label will organize nearly 100 live shows by the end of the year, and he expects the number to double next year with more singers and bands paired together, including Miserable Faith, Second Hand Roses and Zhang Qiang.

"China's music consumers, especially young people, are willing to spend money on live music. These shows will bring a fresh performance experience to fans," says Shen.

Singer-songwriter Zuoxiao Zuzhou, who is known for his experimental sounds and obscure lyrics, will pair with pop singer Yu Kewei, who rose to fame after she achieved fourth place in the 2009 season of Hunan Satellite TV Station's Super Girl, one of the most popular national singing competition shows in China. In the Modernsky shows on July 10 in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and July 11 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Yu will perform songs from Zuoxiao Zuzhou's latest album, We Need a Troubadour.

Peng Tan, the former vocalist of China pop-rock band Dada, who went solo in 2006, will perform with his wife, the model Chun Xiao, on July 10 in Nanjing and July 11 in Ningbo. Since they married in 2009, they have released songs together every year on Valentine's Day, including Our Little World and I Do.

"These shows will not only be a special treat for music lovers but also be something different for us," says Moxi Zishi, who will perform with the rock band Shuh Tou in unplugged shows in Beijing on Saturday, in Guangzhou on July 17 and in Shenzhen on July 18. A month ago, he flew to Dali in Yunnan province, where the band is now based, to rehearse for the show. The band will perform a few songs of Moxi Zishi in their hard-driving style.

Founded in 1994 in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Shuh Tou is known for its driving tunes and poetic lyrics. Moxi Zishi, an ethnic Yi musician based in Beijing, has been a singer-songwriter since 2007. He won fans' hearts after performing on the TV variety show Sing My Songs in 2014. They will join hands to perform the band's classic songs, as well as interpreting other Chinese rock hits, including Zheng Jun's Return to Lhasa.

"Though I have performed live before, I feel honored that one of my favorite Chinese rock bands will perform my songs and we can cooperate on one stage," says Moxi Zishi.

"The shows will be memorable and inspiring for me."

Modernsky was launched in 1997 and has since released more than 150 albums by indie bands at home and abroad. Modernsky founder Shen Lihui, the former vocalist of the Chinese rock band, Sober, has also been promoting Chinese indie bands and bringing foreign indie acts to China via two outdoor music festivals - Modernsky Music Festival, which was founded in 2007, and Strawberry Music Festival, which was founded in 2009.

Besides major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Shen has expanded his music empire into second-and third-tier cities, including Xi'an, Wuhan and Changchun. What's more, on Oct 4 and 5 last year, Modernsky Music Festival made its debut in the United States at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield in New York.

"I believe that the Chinese music market relies heavily on live music," says Shen, giving an example of the four sold-out shows performed by Australian singer-songwriter Lenka Kripac, who is known for her songs Trouble is a Friend and The Show.

In 2011 and 2013, after performing at the Modernsky Music Festival in Beijing and Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai, Kripac signed a contract with Modernsky and launched her first tour in China in 2014.

"People need music and not every city in China has an outdoor music festival every year. We will take the live shows to those cities regularly over the long term. Those audiences help shape the future of China's indie music scene," he says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn