One of the most intriguing musical events of the autumn will happen on the first weekend in September when KK Null, Keiji Heino, Ramleh and JK Flesh will play in the perhaps-surprising surroundings of the Selfridges department store in London. The events are being put together by designer Yang Li, an avowed enthusiast for all things rattling, rumbling, austere, and electronic. Li’s new collection and music platform Samizdat gives the event series its name, and has previously hosted events featuring the likes of Genesis P-Orridge, Aaron Dilloway and Powell. The Samizdat collection creates merchandise for an imagined band – a pleasing parallel to something that feels rather current, given the Airdrie post-punk scene that features in David Keenan’s book This Is Memorial Device. On Friday 1st September the bill features Keiji Haino and KK Null; on the 2nd, Ramleh and JK Flesh. We have tickets to give away to both of these events – please apply to comps@thequietus.com with the which night you’d like to go to and we’ll pick the winners out of a hat. For more on Samizdat please visit the website. We dropped Yang Li a line to find out more.
Why did you decide to found SAMIZDAT? What was the intention for it?
Yang Li: SAMIZDAT was founded in 2016 because I wanted a platform to interact creatively with and promote musicians which we like and influenced by on a more direct and immediate way than YANG LI. We have built a circle contributors whom where or have become friends – and we all share the similar taste in music. Creativity here is conversational and the team is fluid.
The vital element of SAMIZDAT is to continuously present artists we love through live performances that we call “SONIC DISCIPLINE”
The concept develops music merchandise as original fashion, though an obsession with music and visual language. Like The definition of the word SAMIZDAT refers to the secretive publishing of banned literature, music and arts. In our context we promote what would normally be outside of the fashion scope but important to us culturally.
Above all its fun
Can you tell us about your past events?
YL: From working with Genesis P-Orrige on in 2014 on an art edition Zippo boxset which we also presented two concerts for in NYC and London, to recently staging the world-wide debut of Blixa Bargeld and Teho Teado’s album Fall at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris
The first Samizdat Sonic Discipline event was in Shanghai where Torturing Nurse and Tropic of Cancer played in a warehouse space.
What music were you into growing up and how has this developed into where you are at now?
I moved from Beijing to the western world in the 90s and immediately become a sponge for music and music culture. I was so starved of it while living in China. I listened to everything I could get my hands on, and going to gigs – the more music I consumed the more I wanted something different, it became an obsession and addiction, that’s how I arrived at noise and the avant-garde
Can you tell us a little about the space at Selfridges?
Its basically a purpose built 200-square-metre blacked-out concert venue down in the guts of the Oxford Street department store, there is a state-of-the-art transparent cage which will be used for visuals. Last but not least a very loud PA.
How did you go about putting together these two lineups?
YL: Its really about the music we love, influenced by and feel like to be shown to others who may have never seen them play – essential experiences, also an interesting combination for the dedicated fans to see. We worked with Japanese underground artist Keiichi Ohta on prints for the collection so we wanted to present iconic and pioneering artist from the Japanoise scene.
And can you pick an essential release from each artist?
Keiji Haino – Watashi Dake
KK Null – Guitar Organism
Ramleh – Awake box set
JK Flesh – Nothing Is Free
