The International High School Battle of the Bands is happening this May 5 at Modernista, one of Beijing’s most distinctive live music venues.
One of the faces behind the success of this 12-year-old venue is Nuria Cimini, Modernista co-owner and event organizer. Originally from Barcelona, Cimini has been living in Beijing since 2006, when she arrived to complete her studies in Chinese language. After some years, in 2011, she opened Modernista along with three other friends, driven by her love for music and creative entrepreneurship. She has organized, and mostly witnessed, more than 3500 live music shows at Modernista.
Cimini has been essential to the success of this event and has also agreed to serve as one of our panel of judges for the contest. As a veteran of booking and enjoying hundreds of bands over the past 10 years, she’s in a perfect position to do so.
- Can you give a brief history of Modernista? What makes it one of Beijing’s most unique establishments?
Modernista started in 2011 as a casual endeavor among friends. We were just a group of friends wondering what it would be like to expand our living room space into a bigger playground where we could keep exploring and nurturing what Beijing had to offer in the years after 2008.
I think it’s a pretty accurate expression of the place and the time where it was born, and of the people who have been part of it. It’s nothing you can easily reproduce; it’s unique and has a lot of personality, because it was a project conceived a lot more as a personal life changing experience, much less as a business.
Over the past 12 years, Modernista has become a cherished part of the people who called it home. It has grown from a small bistro to a two-story cocktail bar and restaurant, hosting daily performances and employing two dozen people.
- How has live music evolved in Modernista?
We always had live music in our minds when we started, but our resources were very limited in the beginning. We only had a very small, intimate stage next to the entrance window. Our neighbors wouldn’t allow anything like a drum set (not that it could fit anyways), so bands who were playing at that time had to figure out a lot of things. Live music was a part of the scene but not Modernista’s centerpiece.
When Modernista expanded to the bigger space in 2014, we had more resources and more experience: We built the space as we had imagined at the beginning, with a full round balcony that puts the stage at the center of the space, in the style of traditional theaters and cabaret houses in Europe. We paid a lot of attention to how things sound and how both the audience and the performers would experience the space. The work we did at that time helped develop a richer live music scene and really put the artists in the spotlight, creating some unforgettable experiences for both the musicians and the audience.
- Given the sheer number of shows you’ve watched over the years, can you offer some advice on how a band can deal with stage fright or technical issues during their performance?
When you’ve witnessed many shows, you can see a lot of things going on the stage which most people in the room wouldn’t notice. Sometimes equipment fails, musicians are nervous or a bit lost, or there are disagreements on stage. In those cases, most of the audience can’t really tell.
I remember an extreme case once when half of the band just decided to stop playing in the middle of a song because of some argument they were having and everyone noticed something was going on, of course.
Some technical issues can really disturb a performance if not handled properly. That’s why it’s important to have technical professionals that musicians can trust to assist them as much as possible. We have that here at Modernista, and I believe that really makes musicians more comfortable when playing here.
- What are some of the factors that make a band stand out from the crowd and impress the audience?
Music has the advantage in that it can be communicated without words, so when musicians interact with their audience, they can choose to do it in many different ways.
Each band’s style varies and the energy also depends on the audience you have.
There are so many shows that have created a memorable impression both on us and the public, and all for different reasons. Some musicians aren’t necessarily great stage performers, but their craft is incredible, and they are cohesive and smooth. The experience is well thought and put together nearly perfectly. That’s more than enough to really impress the audience.
On the other hand, some bands are really good at the interactive and stage presence part of the experience. They are full of fun ideas and very creative, they know how to put a show together and get everyone to have a blast, even without being technically perfect. Often a combination of both elements works best.
Then there are times when there is just a talent so inspiring or the music is so beautiful that it just hits you and you can’t really explain how.
- Tell us about some of the more memorable shows you’ve witnessed at Modernista.
I remember specifically a night when Trinidad and Tobago singer KC covered Prince’s hit Purple Rain. The entire room just held its breath and tears while watching.
Another was a particularly mind-blowing Miles Davies tribute by the J. Kyle Electric Band. It was so powerful that the musicians finished the show and left the stage in silence, with the room in silence too. That alone was truly impressive.
On a different note, our most shocking experience was Zimbabwean dancehall performer Winky Di. He had a room full of crazed fans waiting for hours on end, just for him to appear suddenly around midnight, jump directly on the stage from the back of a car and give a frenzied hour-long performance. I don’t believe he had time to breathe even once. He disappeared exactly the same way he came, just like a magician. I’ve never seen people so angry, then so happy.
Finally, sometimes it’s also the audience who build a memorable impression alongside the band, simply because the interaction during a performance always goes both ways. For example, the energy shown in our long-standing Brazilian nights which date back to 2012, including bands such as Mama Funker, Templo do Samba and more recently Quebra Cavaco. Or the vibrant energy that emerges every time cult band Gong Gong Gong has played. This is because of the way these bands and their audience interact so intimately and casually at Modernista in comparison to other big stage venues.
Don’t miss this chance to witness Beijing’s 12 best high school bands battle it out at Modernista on the afternoon of Sunday, May 5 – and raise money for a good cause at the same time! Tickets will go on sale later in March, stay tuned to Jingkids & the Beijinger for announcements.
The event is sponsored by Modernista, Our Learning House, Jingkids, the Beijinger, Home Plate BBQ, Confident You, and Brevity of Motion Sounds.
We’re also looking for additional sponsors and volunteers. If you are a sponsor, you will get tons of exposure and a chance to connect with international school students, parents, and administrators. If you are a volunteer, you will have a blast and gain valuable experience. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please send an email to 25eloisew@wab.edu.
Images: Modernista
