Date: Feb 27th 2014 11:42a.m.

Contributed by:
stonebanks

Few local rockers ever drop a full album in a year. But two months into 2014, Djang San has already released four, throwing all rules of music marketing out the window in the process. We talk to the prolific local tunesmith about his new albums and what it’s like to be a laowai rocking out on a Chinese zhongruan. 

January just saw four unannounced albums by Djang San in four weeks. That’s not something musicians typically do. Usually, it’s an album a year or couple of years. What’s the explanation for this?  

The only explanation is that I’m a genius, probably the son of God, Zeus, the Spaghetti Monster, or a descendant of Jesus Christ, JS Bach, Frank Zappa or my own father coming back in time to write music for my present self. Ha. Seriously, it’s just that I have been very inspired lately, and as I am doing more and more music, it’s becoming easier and faster for me to compose. The albums I just released are all very different and tell a different story.

You have released 24 albums since you arrived in Beijing 14 years ago. Which album stands out to you most?

I have had different moments in my creative process. I’m not sure which recordings I like more because all reflect who I was and what I was looking for at some point in time. I like all of it, but this is really for the listener to decide, not me. I did and do different kind of music, sometimes my recordings are very electronic, sometimes completely folk, rock, jazz, go into world music or completely fall into the experimental genre.

To me all are a travel in space and time, at the crossroads between cultures …