Shaoxing's Little Wizard Discuss Their Decade of Rock Ahead of Thursday's Gig

More and more bands are finding solace in the second and third tier cities of China. This is due in part to Beijing and Shanghai no longer having the appeal or convenience (especially monetarily) that they once had, the emergence of WeChat, Weibo, and other online platforms, as well as a plethora of smaller independent record companies opening in recent years, making it much easier to reach a wider audience. As such, building a fan base becomes less about performing in live houses every week and more about putting out consistent quality work and having the right people to back you. That’s where Little Wizard comes in.

READ: Fête de la Musique Returns to Beijing With 6 Free Concerts

The Shaoxing hard-edged instrumental three-piece have been keeping it real for 10 years releasing an array of top-notch EPs, LPs, and remix compilations that have made them indie darlings. Their most recent release Little Wizard II found its way on to many of 2017’s year-end lists including our own – a ramped up freight train of thundering drums, rip-roaring guitars, and jaded bass lines that strike with ferocity and precision.

This Thursday, Jun 21, they join the Omni Space leg Fête de la Musique (more on the festival's other line-ups here)  where they’ll have the honor to play alongside ferocious and red-blooded French math rock trio Lysistrata, who already proved their mettle with an early evening mosh pit-sparking performance at Monday's launch party.

Below we speak to Little Wizard's guitarist Xu Sai about what informs their heavy soundscapes, living in Shaoxing, and what it's like to have made it 10 years in the music business.

This year marks the band’s 10th anniversary – congrats! How does it feel? What's the most noticeable difference in both your lives and your musical careers?  
There is nothing to balance for us because our members’ jobs are related to music. Some of the first members of our band eventually decided to focus on their careers. 

Shaoxing isn't the first place that comes to mind when thinking of bands with a sound as brutally embracing and instrumentally intricate as yours – how has the city informed your music over the years? 
The influence on us is not informed by Shaoxing. The pace of life in Shaoxing is quite slow and we don’t have so many things to do. If we live in big cities, the band would have fallen apart already. It is because we live in Shaoxing that we have a lot of time to think about music.

Speaking of which – I imagine the scene in Shaoxing isn’t all that big compared to other first-tier cities – but you still choose it as your home. Do you believe smaller cities like Shaoxing can develop both musically and culturally over time? If so, how? 
I think the atmosphere now in Shaoxing is not as good as it was when I was first learning to play the guitar. At present, I don’t think there is any music scene. We have been playing in the band for 10 years which indeed has had an impact on our circle of friends, but it is still not enough.

One thing that defines your music is your ability to cut to the chase and deliver bone-crushing melody cuts, powerful rhythms and other offbeat elements in the span of just a few minutes – how intentional is that and do you consciously chase that quick rush? 
At first, we had intended to make some songs with longer running times. However, we found that we repeated many useless pieces in order to make a long song and later on we just abandoned these songs. For now, we do not intend to think about these things or how we will compose it – we just stop wherever we want.

You guys joined Hangzhou-based label Space Circle last year, who have been making more and more a splash as of late. How did that relationship form? How do they stand out from the rest of the labels out there? 
I met [Space Circle owner] Sun Yi 10 years ago and we collaborated a bit when she was in college. Actually, she helped us get many opportunities to perform in our early years before we were signed to any company. During our last two tours and the release of our first album, Sun really helped us a lot, therefore joining her and Space Circle was simply a rational choice. Both the artists of her label and the style of how they work fits our style, and we’re close, so we decided to work with them.

Some of the more surprising gems in your catalog are the numerous remixes from folks like Gooose, iimmune, and most recently, Taiwanese rapper Peter Fish. How did these remixes come to fruition? What are some other collaborations we can expect in the future? 
It’s not as difficult as you think because we were friends. I just asked for their opinions and they said yes so we made these remixes. I really want to work with other musicians and we will make more of this kind of music. 

Are you excited to be apart of Fête de la Musique this year? What can audiences expect? Any final words to your fans? 
It is our first time to attend Fête de la Musique and we will play some songs that we don't usually play. After the show, we’re going to record our new EP and it will be released during the latter half of the year. I couldn’t have imagined that Little Wizard could stick around for 10 years and it's all been so fast. Thanks to those who love us and those who hate us.

Catch Little Wizard at Omni Space on Jun 21 at 8pm where they'll be playing alongside Lysistrata, Colours in the Street, and Acid Accident.

Photos: Space Circle, 周四早晨