Chinese Man dropped by Istanbul on Saturday as part of their international Shikantaza tour, which has included shows in Mexico, Canada, China, and Europe – and lasted for more than a year. Chinese Man tours as it does perform: with non-stop energy. If constant touring weren’t enough last year, they decided to put out an album as well. The tour’s name is taken from their 2017 album, Shikantaza, which if you were wondering, is a Japanese translation for zazen, an ancient Chinese Zen Buddhist meditation practice.
I didn’t know much about Chinese Man going into this show, other than they were a trip-hop, dub, jazz and reggae influenced collective from France. I’d listened to their stuff only on Soundcloud, with no idea that their 2007 song, “I’ve got that tune,” was chosen by Mercedes Benz for their promotional campaign, as well the theme song for the French film festival in Hong Kong.
The collective is comprised of DJ Zé Mateo and High Ku and the beatmakers SLY and Leolebug. Saturday, they were joined by DJs Youthstar and A.S.M, who are accompanying them on this tour.
The show was held at Babylon, a converted brewery and perfect sized venue for this event. Unfortunately, it was not filled to capacity, which for me, was ok and meant my friends and I all got up front and centre, with plenty of room to dance. At 50TL a ticket, this show should have been sold out. Honestly, it didn’t really matter, as the crowd, a mixed demographic of 20 to 50 year olds, was enthusiastic and receptive. This was the first time at Babylon for me and it way surpassed my expectations. Compared to concert venues in Canada, Babylon is by far the best small concert hall, with its gorgeous stone work, high wide-arched doorways, clean bathrooms, quick coat check, and average drink prices. Before I even entered the concert hall, I was feeling good about coming.
Fog machines pumping, the show began just 20 minutes behind schedule when 3 figures emerged from the dark in matching black hoodies to take their places behind the turntables. Four red Chinese lanterns and a video screen, projecting images of India: overcrowded trains, women dancing and street life, served as the only light onstage.
After a couple of songs, hoods came off and the 3 MCs took the stage and really got the crowd going. The symbiotic energy of these 3 is truly mesmerizing. Even for an armchair fan of hip-hop, I was entranced by their stage presence. In fact, they reminded me of Cypress Hill in the 90s, with their ability to conjure magic onstage. The passion for their craft radiates through the mics and saturates the audience with a hip-hop balm. It’s the rawness of their lyrics, rapped with such conviction and honesty.
The video component was in itself its own show: images of intergalactic space, psychedelic forest scenes, cartoons and gorgeous females, who had forgotten their skimpy outfits, and instead, wore real clothes, doing their own thing, no men around. A nice backdrop, which added a touch of irony for an all-male collective with a gender-specific name.
The one-and-a-half-hour set was comprised of both old and new songs. If it were a Grateful Dead show, I would have had the playlist memorized and set down to paper within half an hour. Instead, we simply enjoyed what Chinese Man had to offer. After the set was up, Youthstar asked, “Do you want another one? We’ve been told we have another 15 minutes,” to which the crowd resounded, “Ya!” After this, all the members were introduced on stage and then continued to play for another 15 minutes, freestyling, drinking champagne and clearly enjoying themselves. By midnight, they left the stage, genuinely thanking the fans for their support, leaving us with The Doors, “Alabama Song,” in search of that next whiskey bar.
What is the meaning behind the name Chinese Man? Without an interview, my guess is that these guys have found their Zen. Their practice is their music. It is an illuminated meditation on the nature of our human existence, interconnections, human oddities and strengths. It is clear they love what they do and their music reflects this. They have found their happy place and want to take us, their fans, along for the ride It was hard to avoid not getting pulled into the energetic frenzy. I went with a friend who had never heard them before. The next day he asked me if I could put on some Chinese Man.
We left this show feeling high and wanting more. Why is Chinese Man not more popular? I believe the answer lies in the fact that they are not interested in mass marketing themselves. They don’t seem to care about anything but playing the music they love for the fans they are obviously grateful to have.
Images courtesy of the organizer.
