Seems that Muse has done very well in it’s first year. Now it seems that Muse, earning back all it’s investment within the first year of operation has bought up the old Wynn Win place and is planning to open a new location there. They will probably keep the old location. Though Muse is not one of my favorite places, in fact I rarely go there, it is nice to see a place that actually opens up and makes it happen. With the slew of cars and clubs opening then closing within three months, Shanghai is a very harsh landscape. The decor of both places, both have that whole “overly white” motif going, so I can see how the Muse guys would like Wynn Win. Perhaps they are not brave enough to use more than one color? Either way, I am sure Muse will have plenty of challenge filling the cavernous whitespace that is the old Wynn Win.

Good luck guys, and see you at the opening!

What does it take to make a celebrity in China. There are many elements, but I can one thing for sure, and that is good PR and Marketing. Upon doing the Artistry tour, one of the artists I had to contend with was Hu Yanbin (胡彦斌) as well as the band Hua er (花儿). Now, I am not going to say anything about what my opinion of his music is, but I can say that he seems to enjoy what he is doing and people (at least some) like what he is doing. In short, he is popular so people are happy. What I do wonder though, is how long does this popularity last, and how much of it comes from the singer/talent himself?

What I have seen, especially in the Asian celebrity scene is celebrity performers which seem to be controlled far too much by their respective managers and companies. It seems as if these companies see the talent as just another product to be packaged, and when this one is no longer interesting, cast it off and find some other new one. Unfortunately, I think this formula, while it does showcase some good talent, all too often burns out great talent.

Perhaps instead of focusing on churning out the temporary super-pop hits, focus on creating entertainment with more longevity, albeit perhaps without the immediate popularity and immediate money stream. Perhaps this all comes back to the culture I have experienced here in China, where the focus is on making as much as you can now, and not concerning yourself with long term gains.

China has some amazing talent out there. Let’s just hope some more make it through the giant marketing machine of the industry to create some new classic entertainment.

Here are some more of my pictures from the Hennessy Artistry tour:

I recently had the pleasure of having Soler perform at one of my events for Hennessy. They are an interesting mix of ethnicities that would make your head spin. Their passion has always been for the music, and you can tell in the way they play. They are one of the very few bands to make it big in Hong Kong/China that has real talent.

It is refreshing to see a group of this caliber that are truly passionate about their music and not just after fame and glory. Upon talking with them you learn just how charming and humble these guys really are. All in all, a refreshing break from the norm around here.
Also of notable mention are the DJs from Union music, hailing from around the world, but now finding themselves around the world. They quickly learned what the Chinese expect and play what Chinese people like, yet still manage to play really good music in my opinion. Anybody that has been in the DJ business knows that is sometimes a hard line to ride.

It seems you can’t have a weekend these days without some brand doing some event somewhere. Big brands have the money to flaunt to throw a big bash, so other people, who also have excess cash can throw it at buying the brand. The bottom line is generally these parties have better DJs, VJs, performers, decoration and everything. Is the experience better? Things that are “branded” have money behind them, so you can generally expect better things. Put an ad on something, it gets more money so it can be better. Simplicity.

Then you have the party brands, Resistance Asia, Antidote, Rennaissance and the like. They focus on making the party itself a brand name. These parties are driven by teams of elite DJs encompassing a general theme for the party.

So which is better? I would say they are one in the same. Branded parties have the money to get the top DJs and themes, but party brands focus exclusivley on the DJs and themes, so it is just a matter of your personal preference. Either way, you can expect to party all night long.

Here are some pics from a recent Hennessy party on their “This is Me Tour”. They brought in the amazing live act Spirit Catcher, as well as renowned DJs Jef K and Sasse who ripped up the tracks like there was no tomorrow. Also, the VJ team factoid mesmerized the crowd with their mind warping visuals.

It seems these days, you can’t go somewhere and not see a fashion show. In Shanghai these days, no event is complete without it’s very own fashion show. Elite bar has taken this to the exteme apparently giving you a fashion show every day! I was recently at the Elite Bar opening, where they had not one, not two, but three completely separate fashion shows! There can’t be that many different show can there? Well apparently not, as you take a look, I saw the same show twice over the span of a couple of days:

Here is a model from the Elite Bar VIP Opening

Is this the same model with the same clothes, 2 days later at the Bund 18 party?

The shows seemed to have completely different choreographers, but they are the same models, with the same clothes. Though the Elite Bar show had a well known choreographer, I preferred the Bund 18 show. It is also fun to see how many times I can see the same model in the same clothes different times.

Though, these shows are really not as easy as they appear. For any show, it is choreographed just as any other show would be. It takes effort to put on a good fashion show. The show has to be rehearsed beforehand, as timings are very crucial in a time like this. You don’t want a gaffe like models running into each other because there are too many on the runway, or having people come out on the wrong musical cue. Perhaps not as difficult as a dancing show, but a good coreographer can turn models walking around into a beautiful show.

For instance, at the Elite Bar show, we saw a man and a woman, first walk out, then notice each other. They met, looked at leach other longingly, then walked off together. As they left, bubble machines spurting white bubbles showered over the runway, giving the impression of falling snow in the spotlights. It is always good when they turn it into something a bit more entertaining like that.

At all these shows, it is always amusing to watch the photographers scramble to get about 50 pictures of every model at the end of the runway.The models “run the gauntlet”, as they enter the end of the runway; the den of the photographers, are attacked by countless bursts of flash like a lightning show. Now you know why models like to wear dark glasses!

While amusing, Shanghai’s fashion shows seem to still lack the professionalism you see with international fashion shows. They make up for this by adding fancy choreography and lighting, which, while interesting and visually appealing, still does not make it feel like a real fashion show, at least to me.

Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure:

Elite Bar VIP opening

Bund 18 Luxury Goods Event

For those of you who missed the Improv game-show at the Acting up! event yesterday you missed a doozy! The audience was laughing their ass of at the hilarious antics! They will be doing it the 3rd Monday of every month from now on.

Read more about it at the SAA website.

The new Tanghui bar is turning into an artists den. On most nights they have live bands rocking it up. Mondays now they host actors and other industry people in “Acting Up“. Actors can meet like minded thespians, and a lot of improv has been seen going on around.

Now Tanghui is calling all those aspiring musicians to come down and match wits in the Battle of the Bands! There will be several rounds all on upcoming Saturdays and Sundays, finally culminating in the final battle on September 23rd and 24th.

If that wasn’t enough, the East West Theater company is preparing to stage a murder mystery event at Tanghui sometime in September. A real whodunit type party, the guests will have to figure out who killed who. The EWTC performers have not disappointed yet, so I am looking forward to this one!

One way or another, I see Tanghui as becoming the haven for those performer and creative types in Shanghai. Rock on!

Update:
Tanghui will also be hosting a pemiere of a short movie this coming Sunday. It was shot entirley in Shanghai by locals anf foreigners living in Shanghai. For those apiring filmmakers, it will be a great opportunity to show what Shanghai based talent can do!

Most people in the bar/club business can agree on one thing. The lifespan of the typical club is not long in Shanghai. Only in a few rare cases do clubs last longer than the 3 year mark.

A lot of clubs are opened by local Chinese with too much money on their hands. They go into a club, and think, “hey this is cool, I’ll open a club too! I can make money and have fun!”. Unfortunately this spells ultimate doom for these clubs that are supposed to somehow magically just work. It takes more than money and hope to run a successful business guys!

For those few that have made it, like Guandii and Babyface, they have hit a goldmine. Though, even established places like Park 97 are feeling the strain these days.

Anyhow, the newer clubs in Shanghai are getting more and more ambitious. With the new Pier 1 complex, Wynn Wins or whatever it’s called and the like, these clubs are getting outrageously large and expensive. Can Shanghai sustain these clubs? I doubt it, but time will tell.

Keep an eye out for Arena club-house and Juli-Anna Bar/Club/Music Place, two new clubs which, like all the others claim to have “something different” that will attract hordes of customers.