Outtakes
Beats working
Apart from its doe-eyed J-pop cuties, Japan is also known for producing a distinct breed of contemplative musicians - typified by the great Ryuichi Sakamoto - who effortlessly transfer their dreamy soundscapes across various genres.
From the same school is Yoshihiro Hanno, a composer/musician who has worked on film soundtracks and also ambient, glitchy electronica, free jazz and even drum'n'bass.
Movie lovers may have heard Hanno's music on the soundtrack to Hou Hsiao-hsien's 1998 movie Flowers of Shanghai, but the artist has also worked with ex-Japan member Mick Karn on the album Liquid Glass, and was commissioned to perform Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hanno (above right) will be in town tomorrow for a laptop-based performance showcasing the more beat-focused aspects of his sound at the Visual Arts Centre at 7A Kennedy Road, Central. The show starts at 7pm and tickets at the door cost HK$150.
Farewell to an indie-vidual
Back before every other person in Hong Kong was in an indie band, a little club night called Brown Sugar was the bastion of alternative music in Hong Kong, dishing up an array of sounds under its tagline 'indie, alternative, chemical beats and pop trash'.
Brown Sugar has popped up a few times over the years since it left its home at the now-defunct Central nightspot Amnesia, and now that founding DJ Kenneth Yuen is leaving, it's returning for a farewell bash.
Devotees will be rocking up to the last-ever Brown Sugar this Saturday from 9pm at Temple Bar, 41 Staunton Street, Central. Entrance is free.
