Nojiji is a music collective that has been at the heart of the avant-garde noise art scene in China since 2004. Its community of self-selected outcasts focus on digital and analog sounds, free jazz and warped post-rock.
The music label was founded in Raying Temple, an industrial arts space that became a utopia for Beijing residents in search of experimental and electronic music. Since the iconic building was demolished in 2012, Nojiji has had to secure a new base camp and use alternative methods to champion underground music in China.
By capturing performances from some of the members of the noise-music scene, Sonic Wandering is an homage to Raying Temple and its spirit, which still lives on today.
“This film opens a door to a different time and space where the sounds of Raying Temple still echo,” says Wei Qiong, director of this film. “Nojiji might now take a different form, but it’s still on the same musical journey.”
“China is both a source and destination for new ideas and the avant-garde”
Sonic Wandering forms part of Notes From The Underground, a pair of films curated by acclaimed Australian-Chinese fashion designer Yang Li, which shines a spotlight on China’s subcultures and forms of self-expression. “These films explore the energy within one of the most exciting, creative countries in the world today,” says Li.
“China is both a source and destination for new ideas and the avant-garde,” he continues. “It has leaped from an agricultural country to an economic and creative powerhouse in a matter of thirty years, and this transition has produced a unique, multi-layered, creative ecosystem.”
___
Subscribe to NOWNESS here: http://bit.ly/youtube-nowness
Like NOWNESS on Facebook: http://bit.ly/facebook-nowness
Follow NOWNESS on Twitter: http://bit.ly/twitter-nowness
Daily exclusives for the culturally curious: http://bit.ly/nowness-com
Behind the scenes on Instagram: http://bit.ly/instagram-nowness
Curated stories on Tumblr: http://bit.ly/tumblr-nowness
Inspiration on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/pinterest-nowness
Staff Picks on Vimeo: http://bit.ly/vimeo-nowness
Subscribe on Dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/nowness
Follow NOWNESS on Google+: http://bit.ly/google-nowness
source
