Mini Midi is a part of Midi Music Festival, which is the earliest and largest outdoor music festival in China. The Mini Midi, first occurring in 2005, as the experimental stage of Midi  Music Festival

Mini Midi, held together with Midi Festival annually, is sponsored by Beijing Midi Productions and undertook by Sub Jam.

The Mini Midi Festival is a non-profit event, presenting a wide variety of adventurous modern music including: experimental, avant-garde, improvised, electronic, noise, and sonic art. The Festival is one of the only two music festivals of its kind (the other is 2pi Festival in Hangzhou) and is also a extension of ‘Waterland Kwanyin’, which is a weekly free event since 2005. The team of the Festival is fundamentally made up of volunteers.

The 1st Mini Midi was a three-day event featuring 22 acts, the 2nd Mini Midi was a four-day event presenting 23 acts, and the 3rd Mini Midi was a three-day event bringing 27 acts, including Staalplaat Soundsystem, Jan Jelinek, DDV, FM3, Xiao He, Wang Fan, Dajuin Yao, Lin Chiwei, Sulumi, Li Jianhong and more from Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Datong, Tsingdao, Taipei, Germany, Canada, Japan, Korea, America, Holland and Malaysia.

The first to the third Mini Midi was hold in Beijing Haidian Park.

<About Mini Midi 2008>

The fourth Mini Midi Festival will be occurring on 1-3 May, 2008, at the Drive-in Movie Theater, at the grass in front of 2 Kolegas Bar and indoor. Free for everybody. 2 Kolegas Bar is the place of experimental music series—‘Waterland kwanyin’. The program includes conversation, outdoor performances and electronic music party. It is not only a meeting of artists and audience, but also a party of promoters, critics, indie labels and institutions. The Festival is a gathering for the entire scene as an ecology system. Performance itself is not the most important point, while cultivating and sharing is the highlight of Mini Midi.

The number of outdoor artists is less than usual, however, casual grass atmosphere and open noise spirit is lasting. Andy Guhl, from Switzerland, the first confirmed foreign artist, member of Voice Crack, is the hero of international underground and noise scene. “Zero and Sound”, the first generation noise project in Taiwan, will appear in Mini Midi for the first time after absence the stage for ten years. Fujui Wang, ‘the bel canto noiser’, another artist from Taipei, the editor of <NOISE>, a member of ‘Ching-Shen-Ching’ and ‘eTat’, and as Head of Computer Music Laboratory, Center for Art and Technology of Taipei National University of the Arts. By now, the following artists are on list: Li Jianhong, JIMU, Hong Qile, Wang Fan, Li Zenghui, Xiao He, FM3, Wu Quan, Yan Jun, The Wedding Beast, Justin Pedro, TronOrchestra+SAM2+SomeMoreSams+, 8GG, 10, Li Tieqiao, Mafeisan and Bruce Gremo…

The two-night indoor performances feature special performances of the Shanshui label and Staubgold label, including electronic music, DJing and party.
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New Music China Archive will set up mobile exhibition in Mini Midi for the first time.

Sugar Jar and other independent organizations will hold exhibitions dedicated to promote their productions.

Mini Midi 2008 is the gold season of noise, the blossom of China independent scene. Consisting of collaborations among various independent organizations: Sub Jam, Kwanyin Record, Sugar Jar, New Music China Archive, Wu Ya, Elvita & V’s Life Sign, Neocha，2 Kolegas Bar, D22, YuGongYiShan Bar, Borderline... as well as individuals and volunteers, even separately, the ultimate goal of the festival is to create an open minded, communicated, free festival.

<PROGRAM>

1 May (Thursday)

• 14:00-17:00 Atlantic Waves showcase / Experimental Music Festival Conversation, 2 Kolegas Bar
• 17:00-22:00 Outdoor Performances (TronOrchestra+SAM2+SomeMoreSams+, Fujui Wang, Hong Qile, 10, Janek Schaefer, FM3+Yan Jun+Wu Quan+Wang Fan) (on stage and everywhere on the grass outside the Bar)
• 22:00-01:00 Special Night of ‘Shanshui Records’ (SULUMI, Dead J, iLoop, BAIFAN, Mclovin. Video: Gogo J), 2 Kolegas Bar (indoor)

2 May (Friday)

• 14:00-17:00 Staubgold showcase / Independent Label Conversation, 2 Kolegas Bar (indoor)
• 17:00-22:00 Outdoor Performance (The Wedding Beast, Li Jianhong, JIMU, Zero and Sound Dismiss Organization, Andy Guhl, Li Zenghui + Li Tieqiao + Justin  Pedro + Xiao He + Mafeisan + Bruce Gremo) (on stage and everywhere on the grass outside the Bar)
• 22:00-01:00 Special Night of ‘Staubgold’ Label (Joseph Suchy, Mapstation, Reuber, Klangwart), 2 Kolegas Bar (indoor)

3 May (Saturday)

• 19:30 “Noise Movement in 90’s Taiwan” Conversation, 2 Kolegas Bar (indoor)

1 May– 3 May

• New Music China Archive: 1, opening exhibition “Sound Fata of Both Sides Across the Straits”; 2, Investigate of Contemporary Chinese Music.

<About Staubgold & Goethe Institute GEM Series>
Staubgold is an independent label based in Berlin famous for its numerous releases of German electronic music and avant-garde music. Staubgold’s great artists include Faust, Embryo, Leafcutter John, Rafael Toral and more. Amongst the label’s top releases, we can mention: the CD of ‘Haunted Weather’ the book writen by English music critic David Toop; the remixes of FM3’s Buddha Machine released under the name of ‘Jukebox Buddha’, as well as the superstar collection ‘Childish Music’, a compilation of naïve sounds from international artists.  

During the afternoon conversation of 2 May, Staubgold’s head Markus Detmer will give a retrospective of Staubgold’s history and explain how to develop and promote an independent label. The objective is to explicate a few key points on label management.  

The Special Night of 2 May will feature four acts including Joseph Suchy, Mapstation, Reuber and Klangwart who will perform and Dj until late. The visit of Staubgold was supported by Goethe Institute (China). It’s a part of GEM (German Electronic Music series) project.

www.staubgold.com
www.goethe.de/ins/cn/pek/zhindex.htm

<About the Conversation “Noise Movement in 90’s Taiwan>
Besides the two days of Music Festival, Lin Chiwei, Fujui Wang and more guests will give an extra lecture on Noise Movement in 90’s Taiwan at the evening of 3 May, still at 2 Kolegas Bar. Topic will cover the following issues: the relationship between noise movement and society, the international noise scene; various aesthetical viewpoints on noise. During the lecture, videos and pictures will be presented. For this occasion, Beijing will host the rebirth of legendary <NOISE> mag, as well as other homemade underground publications, posters and objects. This conversation was co-curated by Sheng Jiao.

shengjiao.wordpress.com