Increasingly popular with Beijing expats and the local A-list crowd, hedonistic China Doll is luring party people back to Sanlitun¡¯s bar street area in droves. And it's not the club's mildly titillating murals and videos, it's the music. Under the guidance of Zhang Youdai, the first Chinese DJ to make Rolling Stone magazine, some of the brightest names on the local and international DJ circuit are throwing down on China Doll's turntables, putting a fresh spin on the dance music scene.
Ai Wan, Shanghai-born actress and China Doll owner, recalls the recent glowing appraisal of her club by Tim Healy, one half of electro-rock duo Coburn which threw a landmark set at China Doll last month. "Tim enjoyed playing so much that he said he actually wanted to come back and do another set at 5 a.m.," she relates. Ai is not surprised by her club's popularity, "China Doll is about creativity, change and tapping into Beijing's artistic renaissance," she explains. "Hence our policy of bringing in gifted, innovative DJs, Chinese or foreign. They don't have to be big names, as long as they have something original to offer."
As well as regularly hosting foreign DJs, China Doll also boasts some of Beijing's top Chinese mixers. Youdai thinks Leslie Jiachao, one of the three local residents, is "the most talented DJ in Beijing right now." The two have worked together since the Cloud 9 days, and were the first Chinese DJs to play the Berlin Love Parade last year. "Having Youdai here is a real plus," Ai says. "He knows his dance music and is an expert at picking out the brightest names. We aren't going to rely on bringing in the number seven DJ in the world, or those who live off their reputation, like some of the other clubs in Beijing. China Doll's music policy is about giving Beijing audiences something dynamic, exciting and on-the-edge."
Youdai is clearly proud of his young charges: "There are two types of DJs in Beijing right now. The first play at the glitzy megaclubs like Banana and Babyface. These guys are commercial mixers-they please the crowd but have no taste or style. The second type are individual and artistic, but they rarely fit into a club atmosphere. When I took over as musical director here I wanted to find DJs who were a fusion of the first and second type. It wasn't easy."
DJ-ing since the age of 17, Leslie Jiachao has seen Beijing clubs come and go, but maintains China Doll is the best platform. for dance music in the capital. "The crowds here are great¡ªthe right mix of Chinese and foreigners. I used to get a little nervous when I shared the stage with the likes of Paul van Dyk or Sasha, but now it's just pure excitement every time."
from cityweekend
