Thanks for the comment.

I don’t think David’s experiment was knowingly disrespectful, nor was it received as such. David is actually good friends with the management and hangs out there bantering with them regularly to do this day.

Also, even thou half of the people there do not admit themselves being Chinese but Taiwanese uses the same languages and have basically the same culture as Chinese. The fact that they have a vibrant pop industry means the theory that linking Chinese culture to boring music is shaky. The Taiwanese just have 30 more years of pop culture development. However I strongly agreed that the Asian cultures (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) are very susceptible to homogeneity. That also explains why the people ALL told your friend the CD was great.

Though, China isn’t totally devoid of alternative music, because I did find some post-rock bands that were decent, but needless to say they will never get airplay or become popular there.

Ed

Personally, I don’t think the majority of Chinese people have or want to have a good taste for music, even among the college graduates. They don’t care for the type or content of the music. The only criterion for good is that it sounds good and is popular. They don’t care much about ingenuity or what the message the artist is trying to convey.(This is partially the problem of the artist as well, as most of them can only talk about nothing but relationships.)

An American friend of mine once asked me if I thought Jay Chou was a true artist. I said yes. No matter how much some people dislike him, he has creative control over his own style. A more mature artist is David Tao, who has a clear message to send in each album. Music shouldn’t be restricted within the realm of pop culture, it should also engage in every aspect of the society within which it is produced. Lots of Chinese artists haven’t realized that. While John Mayer, Norah Jones, Green Day and Linkin Park are pointing their fingers on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, this side is suffocated with endless depressive relationship crisis.

You do yourself no favours by making a bullish remark like “This is rubbish” only to go on and say that your experience is in a completely different country.

Taiwan has a robust and vibrant pop industry compared to the mainland. Comparisons can not really be made, therefore, between the two places in terms of depth of style and quality.

Actually, I’ve found Chinese pop music is pretty vibrant and different (my experience is mainly in Taiwan – but lots of Taiwan songs and stars transfer to the mainland, the David Tao/Jolin Tsai one being an example).

Sure, they don’t perhaps have the same styles you find in the west, but then this isn’t the west. Instead they have their own chinese influences which appear in their music.

production styles is not an easy issue to educate or create awareness, as i have experienced first hand in japan. first of all, you need a good coach, which means lots of good live shows. then next is getting rid of often misunderstood conceptions of musicianship. this is an issue even in america or europe. for example, with western ensembles, the quality of the rhythm section is paramount. example, motown, stax, etc. drumming is not about brute force. it is more about creating dynamics and being able to create and alter dynamics. however, for many people, it is still “rad” to beat on the drums to hell (you’re actually choking the xxxx out of the drums). if you talk to a drummer about these issues, have them examine good drumming videos closely (http://www.drummerworld.com/index2.html). there are good power hitter drummers, but they are usually an exception and not suitable for an asian physique. then there are other instruments that need to be addressed. then there is also the issue of recording, which is another whole can of worms with differing perspectives……… what can be said though is that despite all this advancements in recording technology, they have only improved upon makeup techniques. the fundamental does not change. sxxx in, sxxx out.

it must be “chinese character” syndrome. striking similarities to japanese muzak or is the other way around? it has been said in japan that the japanese listen to more melody lines, whereas the western ears are comparatively more accustomed to rhythm. slightly unrelated, i have been told that “enka” music that used to be quite rampant in japan originates from korea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enka).

really good point on “parrot learning”, which also happens in japan, due to the use of characters that originate from china. language definitely is a dominating factor, since it does affect thought and process, i mean, how else are you going to consciously manage your brain? a bilingual bloke like me, is often having to swing both ways……… i like being bi.