Tongue

(Shetou)

Rock group

Tongue has the distinction of being the only Chinese rock band from Xinjiang province. In this region of western China, populated by the Muslim Uighurs, Islamic culture is a major influence on musical life. For the six members of Tongue, whose Han Chinese parents were relocated to the provincial capital of Urumuqi as part of the post 1949 frontier population project, the Uighur cultural environment exposed them to musical sensitivities alien to mainstream Han culture. From such an unusual set of musical valences Tongue was formed in 1997 to ‘create some new music’, and in the summer of that year they moved to Beijing. By 1999 Tongue’s sound had solidified into an eccentric sonic blend of contrapuntal guitar fuzz, horrorflick karaoke keyboards, thunderbottom sprints and dirges, and beatnik hallucination rap. The band quickly developed a following which led to a two-record deal with Modern Sky’s Badhead label (see New Sound Movement, Modern Sky Records). Their first record, Little Chicken Hatches (Xiaoji chuke liao), was released in early 2000. Their second was mired in conflict between the band, who had entitled the work The Painter (Youqijiang), and their new management company, Beijing Pulay Music, who spent an exorbitant sum on mastering the record in England and retitling the work This Is You…(Zhe jiushi ni…), all without the band’s approval.

Tongue has seen almost no money from both record releases. Thus, while remaining one of the most respected entities in the Beijing live-music scene, success remains elusive for the band, whose hampered potential is indicative of so many musical artists living at the mercy of a dysfunctional Chinese music industry. Tongue includes: Wu Tun (b. 1972) on vocals, Wu Junde (b. 1972) on bass, Guo Dagang (b. 1970) on keyboards, Zhu Xiaolong (b. 1973) on guitar, Li Hongjun (b. 1970) on guitar, and Li Dan (b. 1975) on drums.

MATTHEW CLARK