In West Germany in the 1970s, Krautrock was as fleeting as a comet — but it burned a hole in the music world through which many future artists would pass. Among the handful of artists that pioneered this influential genre, perhaps none has proven more significant than CAN from Cologne. Today, any respectable “Best Of the 70s” album list — whether we’re talking classics or cult hits — will include at least one of CAN’s first five albums, especially their widely lauded sophomore album Tago Mago. A pioneering effort at its release in 1971, this all-time classic still sounds ahead of its time. Fast forward to 2018, and the influence of CAN is heard everywhere — from post-punk to neo-psych, from techno to ambient music.

Damo Suzuki was the second lead singer of CAN, and a rare Asian face in the original Krautrock scene. During his four years in the band (1970-1973), CAN completed a transformation from raw early energy to a deeper, more sophisticated sound. Soon after that transformation was complete, this Japanese hippie quit the band, disappearing from the music scene for a decade before resurfacing in the mid-80s. He never established another full-time backup band, but rather formed Damo Suzuki Network: everywhere he plays, he performs with a group of local improvisers, format always unknown until they hit the stage. This seems appropriate, following in the spirit of CAN. From the 80s to today, Damo Suzuki has worked with hundreds of bands and musicians around the world, referring to his ever-growing network of collaborators as his “sound carriers.”

In October 2018, Damo Suzuki will make his first-ever trip to China. His arrival was made possible in large part by Li Xing, a member of the avant-rock/free jazz band Red Scarf and the guitarist and main arranger for the band of Inner Mongolian musician Haiqing. This past June, while visiting Germany, Li Xing learned that Damo Suzuki was preparing a performance in Paris, and rushed to the scene. After the performance, Li Xing personally invited Damo to perform in China. Many emails later, the roster of Damo Suzuki’s “sound carriers” in China was set, consisting of Red Scarf’s Li Xing (guitar), Lao Dan (sax/flute), and Deng Boyu (drums), along with bassist Du Guangchen. Damo Suzuki’s China tour has been organized by D Force Records, and will including support from D Force artist Haiqing.

Damo Suzuki has released dozens of albums since the 1990s — all live recordings, as he claims to have “retired from the studio.” His China tour will also be recorded live along the way, and its unknown sound will ultimately be released on vinyl by D Force.

Sound Carriers: Red Scarf 

Supporting band: Haiqing

Tour itinerary:

10/17: Qinhuangdao, Aranya

10/19: Beijing, Omni Space

10/20: Shanghai, Yuyintang Park

10/21: Yiwu, Gebi

Ticket: 180 RMB (advance) / 240 RMB

Start time: 10pm

1970 年代的联邦德国，Krautrock 如彗星一般转瞬即逝，却在未来的音乐世界砸出了结结实实的坑洞。这其中，组建于科隆的 CAN 乐队无疑是最具影响力一个名字。如今任何一个以“70年代”为主题的专辑回顾榜单里，无论经典还是邪典，都不应该错过 CAN 乐队的前五张专辑，尤其是发行于 1971 年的『Tago Mago』——当年的先锋，现在依然毫不过时。从后朋克到新迷幻，从 techno 舞曲到氛围音乐，CAN 的影响无处不在。

Damo Suzuki 是 CAN 乐队的第二任主唱，也是 Krautrock 场景里罕见的东方面孔。在他所在的4年里（1970-1973），CAN 完成了从生猛到深邃的蜕变。而后，这位日本嬉皮士退出乐队，从音乐场景中消失了十年，然后在 1980 年代中期重新回来。他没有像功成名就的歌手那般组建自己的乐队，而是以 Damo Suzuki's Network 的形式在全世界进行永不停止的巡演：在每一个地方，和当地的乐队合作即兴演出，每一次表演都是全然的未知。这是 CAN 乐队的精神所在。Damo 和世界各地几百支乐队有过合作，他称他们为 sound carriers。

2018 年 10 月将是 Damo Suzuki 的第一次中国行。促成这桩美事的是吉他手李星，他是先锋摇滚/自由爵士三重奏红领巾的成员，同时也是海青乐队的吉他手与主要的编曲者。故事始于几个月前：6月的时候，人在德国的李星得知了 Damo Suzuki 在巴黎的演出消息，专门跑去了现场。演出后借签名之机，李星邀请 Damo 来中国演出；之后又经过多番邮件联络，最终敲定了全部行程：红领巾的成员李星（吉他）、老丹（管乐）、邓博宇（鼓）以及贝斯手杜光晨将担纲此次的 sound carriers，大福唱片对此次巡演进行全程支持，海青将担任巡演的嘉宾。 

自90年代以来，Damo Suzuki 又发行了几十张唱片——全部为现场录音，他自称已经“从录音室中退休了”。本次巡演也将进行全程进行现场录音，这张全然未知的黑胶唱片已经列入大福的发行计划了。

Sound Carriers: 红领巾乐队 

嘉宾乐队：海青

场次信息：

10月17日   秦皇岛 阿那亚 

10月19日   北京 疆进酒 

10月20日   上海 育音堂音乐公园  

10月21日   义乌 隔壁 

180元（预售）/ 240元（现场）

演出开始时间：22:00