Viewing entries tagged
Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Kary Ng

January 30, 2012

CANTOPOP STAR KARY NG AT OZONE

The mainstream music scene in Hong Kong is still very much dominated by Cantopop, a genre of music that mainly focuses on dramatic love songs sung by pretty young things. Not exactly my kind of thing but so deeply ingrained into the pop culture here. The huge stars in the game include Edison Chen and Joey Yung, but the scene is changing. TimeOut Hong Kong recently did an interesting feature on the changing face of Cantopop and how it’s starting to delve into the folk and rock territories. The love songs are still there but the sound is starting to evolve with new artists like singer-songwriter Luke Chow and rapper MC Jin breaking new ground.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Kary Ng was apart of a girl group called Cookies when she was 15, then joined a rock band called Ping Pung, and now barely in her twenties, she’s a huge Hong Kong star who can be seen plastered on billboards around the city, selling out arenas, and taking Cantopop to its next level. I invited Kary to come meet me at Ozone, also known as the highest bar in the world located in the highest hotel in the world, to teach me the ways of Cantopop while taking in some delicious cocktails and tapas. You know me, I always gotta get food in there!

PICKLED PEAR AND SERRANO JAMON

Being a huge beauty junkie, I wanted to know Kary’s favorite place to buy all those special cosmetic brands that are exclusive to Asia, so she took me to Harbour City to shop around their Faces department (cue ultra-girlie moment) and yes, I just about died. And between us, I also just really wanted to see what going around Hong Kong with one of their own pop stars would be like- basically, lots of giggling young girls gathering around with their iPhones is what happens.

SHOPPING AROUND HARBOUR CITY

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Hong Kong: Milkteeth in Kwun Tong

January 13, 2012

From the second of meeting Milkteeth, a self-professed freak-folk group, I was absolutely captivated by frontman Joey Basha, a charming 25 year old former sex writer from St. John’s, Newfoundland, who originally moved to Hong Kong for a boy. The romance didn’t last but Joey’s love affair with Hong Kong was serious and he decided to stay to finish university and start Milkteeth with friends Jeroen Brulez, Theo Chan, Dixon Chan, and Paul Yip. 8 days after shooting with us, Joey was found dead in a public toilet near his home in HK. It’s not the type of news you expect to find out over the holidays and needless to say, it was beyond shocking and saddening to hear about the tragic end to such a bright young talent. I’m incredibly thankful that I got the chance to know Joey during his last few days and happy that he got to meet his goal of being on MTV one day.

I met Milkteeth in the Kwun Tong district on top of the Jumbo Industrial building where they had set-up for a special rooftop performance. There are tons of abandoned factories that are made into rehearsal spaces by artists in this area. Milkteeth usually find themselves grabbing some beer at the nearby 7-11 and lugging whatever instruments they can carry up the twenty-odd story buildings and just chill and play music as loud as they want, for as long as they want. Joey tells me this is the essence of “dirty-pretty” in Hong Kong.

After playing a few songs for me, I chatted with the guys about their racy band name (Milkteeth is Asian porn slang meaning ‘barely legal’) and how their honest and at times downright dirty subject matter fits into popular music in Hong Kong, which is dominated by the usually squeaky clean Cantopop. Joey explained that just choosing to play music as a living opposed to more money-making careers like banking or engineering, let alone being openly gay, is seen as rebellious here; but at the same time, he said that Hong Kong can be an encouraging environment for artists like Milkteeth to continue to push the boundaries. It’s a world of contrasts and contradictions… it’s dirty-pretty.

To cap off our day, the boys took me to Senses 99 in Soho for a few celebratory drinks. Senses 99 is a two-story bar that is supposedly someone’s house in an old run-down building with a kitchen-bar/serving area and a stage on the second floor that looks like a rehearsal space. Once you buzz in and walk up the stairs, you'll see pieces of art on the walls that have been donated by its artist-patrons, a TV fish tank, and the young (like kid-young) bartender will do a Jedi mind-trick to ask what you want to drink. Weird but cool, right? Senses 99 is such a rad space and the perfect spot to wrap our shoot and time together.

My love and thoughts go out to Milkteeth and Joey’s friends and family, Joey was indeed an incredibly special soul.

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

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Hong Kong: Simon Yin at Victoria Harbour

January 10, 2012

Simon Yin is a writer/director/producer/actor from Atlanta, Georgia, who has called New York, L.A., and now Hong Kong home. We met at the old Clock Tower near the Star Ferry concourse that overlooks the iconic Victoria Harbour. One of Simon’s films, Supercapitalist, a financial thriller that was picked up at Cannes last year, was shot in this same spot.

Since moving to Hong Kong, Simon’s also created CB FRESH, a sketch comedy show that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, directed music videos for huge Cantopop star Edison Chen and rapper MC Jin, started a production company called Bamboo Star Productions (meaning overseas Chinese, just like him) and directed Zombasians, a horror film in "3DD" starring, you guessed it, sexy Asian zombies.

I was curious as to why Simon (and a slew of other young talent like him) would leave the country that his parents worked so hard to emigrate to "for a better life with more opportunities," to only go back to the very country they had left to do so, decades ago. Simon joked that his mom cried for 10 days when he told her he was going to move to Hong Kong to jump into the lucrative world of filmmaking. His internal pull-back to Hong Kong pays a great deal to the fact that because the city is so small, everyone’s like 2 degrees separated, which makes for a super tight-knit community that harbours creativity. For example, Simon’s friend in New York from his MTV Chi VJ days, knew someone from the online artist community Alive Not Dead (founded in part by the same people behind Rotten Tomatoes) and from there, he got to meet other likeminded talent and just started creating… and hasn’t stopped since.

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Hong Kong: MC Jin

January 10, 2012

After parting ways with Simon Yin, I made my way to Wan Chai to meet MC Jin (who coincidentally is buddies with Simon and have worked together on a music video- there’s that 2 degrees of separation Simon was talking about earlier). Jin was waiting for me at a basketball court that he regularly frequents and I got to show off some of my (non) b-ball skills while getting to know the Miami-born rapper. Surprisingly, I actually made the one-shot for camera. Like a champ.

Jin’s been living in Hong Kong as a rapper and actor for the past four years and like fellow expats, Jin’s determined to shake up the culture in HK. You may recognize Jin as the first Chinese rapper signed to a major label after winning seven battles in a row on BET’s Freestyle Friday on 106 & Park, inducting him in the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame. His first single, Learn Chinese, featured Wyclef, and from there, Jin’s collaborated with Kanye West, featured in Far East Movement's "Millionaire," introduced President Obama during his Presidential campaign in New York City, and is pictured on ads across the city. Many fans questioned Jin’s choice to move to Hong Kong and the rapper explained that in the few years he’s lived in the city, he’s experienced more opportunities for acting and music than he has ever had prior in the States. For a dude with as much as hustle in him as Jin, that makes being in Hong Kong a no-brainer.

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Hong Kong: Tigerbombers in Lamma Island

January 7, 2012

Hong Kong’s Tigerbombers is a trio commonly described as 'Surfer-billy' with a vicious kick of riot grrrl and comprised of Arthur Urquiola on guitar, Natalie Belbin on bass, and Jasmine Robertson on drums, with all three sharing vocal duties. The band is heavily involved in the burgeoning indie scene in Hong Kong, especially the lone lucky male, Art, who previously used to be in at least 6 bands, including Six Pack of Wolves. I had only watched, and loved, the band’s two youtube videos (below), before I reached out to them to see if they would be interested in helping me get to know their city and was stoked to find out more about their sound, the music community they are helping to build, and what a typical day in Hong Kong is like for them.

Natalie and Art met me at Central pier no.4 after their Clockenflap set and we made our 25-minute journey via a very bumpy but scenic ferry ride (make sure to pack whatever anti-motion sickness methods work for you or you will definitely not notice even a hint of the beauty) to Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island, where Natalie lives. Lamma Island (population 5000) is home to numerous bands like David Bowie Knives, Transnoodle, and Dark Himaya, and DJ's Songs For Children (a couple who's promoted international acts in Hong Kong such as Asobi Seksu, The Drums, and Deerhoof).

Natalie tells me that Lamma is known in HK as the 'island with all the hippies.' There’s a chill vibe that instantly washes over you here as soon as you touch ground at Yung Shue Wan, which is such a drastic contrast to the hard hustle of Hong Kong. On Lamma Island, you’ll find loads of little organic 'green' cafes, leash-free dogs running about, graffiti, lush jungle, and a beach with a massive power station.

We take a walk through the jungle with Natalie’s dog to Hung Sing Yeh beach to check-out the power station that was built in 1972 and supplies energy to Hong Kong Island. Here, they have BBQs and jam with their instruments into the morning light. Natalie’s friend Makha, an incredible Senegalese djembe drummer, can be found here playing on the beach on any given day.

As we walked to Natalie’s house, I noticed that there weren’t any cars on the island… because there are no cars or even streets for cars. Bicycling is the mode of transportation here, which I can only imagine results in a very interesting scenario when moving house.

By the time I finished my Lamma Island experience, the sun was gone and I full-on entered delirium. I had no idea what I ended up saying at Natalie’s house (was I even speaking in sentences… in comprehendible English?). Jet-lag was proving to be a mega-bitch for me here in Hong Kong but it was only day 2 and I hadn’t vomited yet on any of the choppy boat-rides (it’s the small victories that count), so I was determined to kick the time difference’s ass… tomorrow.

Thank you so much to Natalie and Art for being my Lamma Island guides for the day! xx

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Hong Kong: Pains of Being Pure at Heart Goes to Ladies Market

January 5, 2012

Our first day in Hong Kong was also the first of the two-day Clockenflap music festival. This year, the free festival, now going on its 4th year, set-up at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade and included a line-up dedicated mainly to local bands mixed in with international artists like Santigold, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

After the band’s soundcheck, I met up with Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s Kip Berman and Peggy Wang at the Clockenflap grounds. Since it was both our first time in Hong Kong, we had to experience what the city does best… FOOD. So we headed for lunch at the legendary 24-hour Tsui Wah Restaurant. Tsui Wah is a popular late-night joint for those post-boozing and partying with its signature dishes being the crispy bun with sweet condensed milk, spicy seafood and lemongrass noodle soup (my fave), and sizzling fried noodles with king prawns. We had all that plus about five more dishes with drinks like “Creamy Corn,” which Kip ordered and actually really loved.

I DON'T KNOW WHY KIP HAS CHOPSTICKS, WHILE PEGGY AND I WERE GIVEN FORKS. IRONY?

While stuffing our faces, we talked about life since the release of their second album, Belong, which came out earlier in the year, and our first jet-lagged impressions of Hong Kong. Since I grew up in an area where Asians were the minority and with a family that’s not typical Chinese (my parents are neither Cantonese or Mandarin but rather Hakka from India), I never really connected deeply to popular Chinese culture and was hoping this trip would help me to better understand that side of my identity. It was interesting to also hear Peggy’s perspective on growing up in a predominantly white neighbourhood and what it was like growing up Asian(watch the video at the bottom to see our interview).

After our feast at Tsui Wah, we walked over to Tung Choi Street, better known as Ladies’ Market, in Mong Kok (an area notorious for being a sneaker haven) to shop for some really rad cheap deals. The entire market is about 1km long with hundreds of stalls selling everything from watches, purses, clothes, and trinkets on each side. It's like Canal Street on acid. We found a small stall selling funny custom tees and I got to use my smooth bargaining skills.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart was leaving the next day so it was awesome that we got to hang before their Clockenflap set and get introduced to the best of the city together - eating and shopping, two things that Hong Kong kicks most cities' asses at.

"I PEEPED YOU ON THE PHONE AND EVERYBODY WANNA COME BACK TO THAT BODY"

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Hong Kong: First Impressions

January 5, 2012

After more than 24-hours of transit from Toronto to Hong Kong via a stopover in the always glamorous Newark airport, we arrived in the bright neon lights and crowd-filled streets of Hong Kong - also known as Asia’s world city. What does “Asia’s World City” mean exactly? I had 6 days to find out.

DRIVING FROM THE AIRPORT INTO TSIM SHA TSUI AT NIGHT

At first sight, Hong Kong can be overwhelming but if you're like me and you love big cities and actually get an adrenaline rush over the energy that emanates from crowds and the possibilities that come along with it, then Hong Kong is your spot and 4 million fellow visitors last year also agree. I’m counting on this adrenaline to help me transition to the 13-hour time difference. So far, I was dying to clean away my day-old in-flight grime and dreaming of my hotel room.

An exceptionally spacious and friendly hotel that takes the best of urban modern design, The Mira is located on the Kowloon side of the island in the heart of the action-filled Tsim Sha Tsui district. Walking distance is the Star Ferry, Hong Kong’s beloved subway (the MTR), and Knutsford Terrace (Kowloon’s nightlife epicentre).

First things first - order room service and charge batteries… We’re always charging batteries- laptop, video camera, photo camera, go-pro, cell phone, etc. It’s the bane of our existence on trips, often nearly causing fires in our rooms every time. I was already preparing my apologies to the Mira. Fortunately, the extremely friendly staff at the Mira had the foresight to have a bunch of 20-pound power transformers for our adaptors and happily delivered them to our rooms.

After an amazing much-needed bath and eating my weight in room service, I hit the sack and proceeded to wake up 3 hours later and staying awake until breakfast. Welcome to jetlag, folks. Day 1 is sure gonna be a pretty one, and the pretty one ain't gonna be me.

THE VIEW FROM MY ROOM: THE KOWLOON PARK.

INFO:

The Mira

118 Nathan Road

Telephone: 852 2368 1111

Email: reservations@themirahotel.com

Website: www.themirahotel.com

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:

MILKTEETH IN KWUN TONG

SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

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Fave Photos of 2011

January 2, 2012

Happy new year, friends! I'm starting to get my shit together (caught the nastiest cold that spanned the entire holiday week... woe is me, it's fiiine) and will be rolling out my tales from Hong Kong soon, promise. To say the least, this trip was beyond any of my expectations and preconceptions that I had about the city and was the perfect jet-lagged way to end a whirlwind year that also included incredible trips to Iceland, Denmark, Portugal, UK, and Thailand.

In the meantime, here are some of my favourite photos of 2011 that I was able to capture in between eating my face off and being blown away by the talent in all pockets around the world.