BRIEFVISIT

Once considered to be hopelessly lost in the past having been isolated from the rest of the world for decades, China has progressed phenomenally in the last thirty years in virtually every way. Same very much goes for the world of music and although China has produced some of the most enduring and visceral ethnic folk musical expressions in its multi-millennial existence, the nation hasn't exactly been a hotbed of progressive and experimental music that can compete with other parts of that world, but that's changing too and bands like DOLPHY KICK BEBOP 海豚踢 are proof that China is indeed emerging from its cocoon that kept it stilted in so many ways for far too long.

This band comes from the city of Hangzhou and founded in 2014 with the intent to explore the outer regions of space rock, freeform psychedelia and avant-garde jazz and has only played a few live shows. After releasing the EP "Smoke A Haiku Cigarette" in 2018, DOLPHY KICK BEBOP returns in 2020 with the live album BRIEFVISIT which offers a veritable smorgasbord of psychedelic escapism laced with frantic avant-garde jazz, Japanese inspired free improv noise rock along with traces of 70s prog and drones. Looking abroad for an audience this band features English track titles as well as the few vocals scattered through BRIEFVISIT.

The lineup features 31 (guitar), 周一 (bass), 刘中天 (saxophone, guitar), 小萨 (drums) and 沈帜 (violin) and the album BRIEFVISIT has found its way onto the WV Sorcerer Productions label which is based in both France and China specializing in the sounds of the underground which includes noise, drone, ambient, psychedelic, free improvisation and black metal as well as traditional folk and field recordings. While emerging from China, there is really nothing other than the band member names who have retained their Chinese characters that would offer a glimpse of this band's origins. This band has crafted the sounds of the true spirit of avant-garde escapist's paradise with its five tracks that sprawl on, all over seven minutes and one close to fourteen.

While quite the diverse album, there are a few generally characteristics. There is often a drone that oscillates in and out of tune along with an atmospheric backdrop, usually bleak as well as a percussive drive seemingly borrowed from African jazz roots. The most avant-garde sounds emerge from the saxophone squawks that evoke a disoriented John Zorn on a most adventurous day as well as guitar heft that erupts in noisy atonal defiance and avant-garde angularity. The band cites the experimental pioneers like The Plastic People of the Universe, Masayuki Takayanagi, Pärson Sound and Albert Ayler as the true influences of its bizarre concoction of this sonic wilderness and does an excellent job at maintaining a sense of control that somehow navigates the listener through the freeform soundscapes and intangible sonic maelstroms.

This is perhaps the absolute best and most creative avant-garde music i've heard from China so far as i've been scouring the databases looking for lone examples of outstanding thinking outside fo the box characteristics and lo and behold from the city of Hangzhou i have found one. This is a beautiful album that despite being quite wild and adventurous still has moments of melodic beauty to reel the listener back to the reality of tangibility. This is an excellent display of avant-garde music at its best and DOLPHY KICK BEBOP is well poised to compete on the world's stage with an eclectic mix of noise fueled proggy jazz-rock. This is the stuff avant-garde dreams are made of and this Chinese band has transcended its geographical limitations to embark on an exciting world tour of sound. Bravo!