Happy Mid Autumn Moon Festival 2012

Lucky Cat S7 Ep 3 (29th Sept 12) Podcast & Playlist

In this week's show I review the Ai Wei Wei documentary feature 'Ai Wei Wei Never Sorry' (out on DVD Oct 8th). The dim sum lunch box returns with a review of Haozhan in Chinatown, iced matcha shakes and Burmese chilli sprinkles.

Playlist:

• Kung Fu vs Kung Fu Hustle - Dillinger 45 plus audio from the Stephen Chow movie
• Chinese Charleston - Josephine Siao Fong Fong()
• Sunday Girl - Ourself Beside Me
• Shanghai to Hangzhou - audio from my train journey in 2011
• Slowly Fly - Long Shen Dao
• Wrap You Up - Long Shen Dao
• Ghosts of Bush House pt 1 Cantonese subs - from Ghosts of Bush House LP
• Ghosts of Bush House pt 6 Haunted Handle - as above
• Elenurhan(Missing) - music from the Xinjiang/Uyghur region of China
• Moonlight on the Ching Yang River - The Chinese Cultural Theatre Group
• Pussy, Pussy, Pussy - Light Crust Doughboys

Adieu Bush House xie xie for the memories

The Ghosts Of Bush from Robin The Fog on Vimeo.

This week I played a couple of tracks from the beautiful LP Ghosts of Bush. Bush House was an iconic BBC building for many years and home to the World Service. Sadly the idiots in charge of this country, (in the UK we have a half arsed coalition government that no one voted for fyi), decided to obliterate the World Service's budget and close Bush House. Many different languages were spoken in this building and news was relayed all around the world via short-wave radio. I myself visted Bush House a couple of times - in particular to speak with the Mandarin department when I wrote a few articles for their web site. Being a fan of art deco architecture I was in seventh heaven in the building. I don't often feel patriotic but I did as soon as I stepped into that building - there was a feeling of camaraderie oozing out from the very walls of the place.

Sadly the corridors are now empty. Resonance FM stalwart and then BBC World Service employee Robin the Fog recorded sounds from around the hidden corners of Bush House before it shut its doors earlier this summer. Excellent photography and filming from another Resonance FM alumni Hannah Brown.

The vinyl LP has all sold out and is now being repressed see: http://robinthefog.com/

Hell to the Yeah!

Watch the eyeball! www.ironfists.com

Lucky Cat S7 Ep 2 (22nd Sept 12) Podcast

Hong Kong in the 6o's pictured, skilfully avoiding the camera lens. Hey over here you guys! Hope you enjoy the podcast.Feel free to comment. Thanks again to the band for an incredible mix!

UK DVD Release: Ai Wei Wei's Never Sorry

Released on DVD 8th October. Hope to review this documentary on my show this Saturday. The guy who says "I love the culture but I want something new" is like a caricature! I watched teh BBC piece on Ai Wei Wei with Alan Yentob a few years back (when Ai was exhibiting at the Tate Modern) and really enjoyed that.

Andrea Wan

I just stumbled across the work of illustrator Andrea Wan and I really love her surreal style. Andrea is a Vancouver/Berlin based artist who has worked on various illustration projects and also has her own online store. Check out the lovely images on her blog: http://babbletoe.blogspot.co.uk/

Exclusive Hong Kong in the 60s mix on today's Lucky Cat

Today's show features an exclusive mix by hauntological hipster band Hong Kong in the 60s.
Tracklisting:

• 01) Hong Kong In The 60s - The Flower Of Quince House
• 02) Jane Birkin - L'Aquoiboniste
• 03) Lio - Sage Comme Une Image
• 04) Charo - Dance A Little Bit Closer
• 05) Harry Hosono & The Yellow Magic Band - Paraiso
• 06) Gigliola Cinquetti - Quizas, Quizas, Quizas
• 07) Ennio Morricone - Samba In Tribunale (from The Cat OST)
• 08) Gato Barbieri - Girl In Black: Tango (from Last Tango In Paris OST)
• 09) Teresa Teng - 忘記他
• 10) Chang Siao Ying - 第二夢
• 11) Ho & Duck - [title unknown]
• 12) Chang Loo - Da Yu Mang
• 13) Liu Yun - Ban Qiao Dui Chang
• 14) The Ocean Tango - Stills (excerpt)
• 15) Margo Guryan - Timothy Gone
• 16) Mai & Yumiko-Chan - Akogare No Machi (from Kiki's Delivery Service OST)
• 17) Dave Grusin - Girl And Tea (from The Yakuza OST)
• 18) Hong Kong In The 60s - Banbury Grove

for more info on the new HK60s EP Collision/Detection (the second project from Long Division with Remainders, a collaborative experimental music project)see: http://hongkonginthe60s.com/2012/07/16/collisiondetection-new-ep-coming-in-august/ Talkover music and final track on today's show is I-Society by Madtone.

Lucky Cat S7 Ep 1 (15th Sept 12) Podcast & Playlist

The Lecture - Jo Jo with The Fugitives (7" 45)

Lucky 7 - The Skatalites with Prince Buster (Tojan Mod CD)

Chinese Title - Rebbeca Pan Wan Ching (Diamond label coloured vinyl LP)

Touching the Ch'In - Madame Tsa Teh Yun (11th Centuries of Chinese Classical Music LP)

Water and Clouds of the Rivers - Madame Tsa Teh Yun (11th Centuries of Chinese Classical Music LP)

(Bangkok Paradise label 7" 45)

Kati Sorn Jai - Nung Lamyong Kularbseemung (Maft Sai and Chris Menist's Bangkok Paradise label 7" 45)

Ripe Cherry - Dennis Alcapone (Jaguar 7" 45)

Kung Fu Master - Solo Banton (Music Addict EP, Jahtari label)

Put It On - The Wailers (Coxsone 7" 45)

Lucky Cat Series 7 Starts This Saturday

I am pleased to announce that I will be returning to the airwaves this Saturday.  Same time (3.30pm GMT), same place (104.4FM in London or http://resonancefm.com anywhere).

For series 7 I have exclusive mixes from the UK & China from a range of musicians.

Topics will include: translating from Mandarin and contemporary Chinese fiction, the Philippines film industry, Chinoiserie and contemporary art (interview with artists Erika Tan).

The Dim Sum Lunchbox returns with East Asian restaurant reviews and recipes.

Any requests / mp3s / char siu buns should be sent to me: luckycatzoe@gmail.com

Big Thanks to Josue for another fantastic illustration, more great artwork here: http://www.freshbrewedillustration.com/

Zipangu Film Festival 2012

I'm back from a summer away from blogging, refreshed after a post-free month or so!

I bring you news of the upcoming Zipangu Film Festival.  This year the festival will be at the lovely Cinema Museum in good ole South London, which I first visited for an Anna May Wong screening last year.  The Festival is on for a brief weekend only and has a superb selection - curated by writer and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp.  So stock up on iced matchas and get yourself ready for a weekend of Japanese celluloid pleasure from 14th - 16th September!

Crossways

Last year at Ziapngu I had the pleasure of watching the rarely seen 30's horror film The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen.  This year another vintage gem is on offer with the 1928 film Crossways dir by Kinugasa (one of the first Japanese films ever seen in the West, with a new score by Minima).

My picks of the festival are both showing on the opening night Fri 14th:

• A short animated film by Atsushi Wada The Great Rabbit 

The Great Rabbit

Somi - The Taekwon-do Woman

• Somi - The Taekwon-do Woman which has never before been shown in the West, co-production between Japan and North Korea, made in 1997.  The film  promises lush, epic martial arts action with a kick ass female lead in Ri Mi Yang (apparently an amateur who was chosen by the North Koreans "because they thought that the Japanese might like her face").
• But there's aso a cat themed movie I should mention!  Chat Noir Lucy which looks fabulously colourful and fun (see pic below).

You really are spoilt for choice, such a great line up.  A connoisseur's festival for sure.
All the details and how to book: http://zipangufest.com/