Ourself Beside Me Bio

Ourselves Beside Me were first formed in 2005 when former Hang on the Box guitarist Yang Fan joined with veteran musicians Emi (percussion) and Xi Han (base), but it wasn’t until the second half of 2007 that they began performing regularly, first at D22 and then at other clubs in Beijing.  Touted almost from the beginning by D22 regulars as one of the most exciting and innovative bands to emerge from the Beijing scene, these three hard-charging ladies have swept everything before to become among the most admired and inspiring bands in China.

It is hard to describe their sound.  Heavily influenced by New York’s East Village bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s but with a very Chinese obliqueness to their harmonies and musical approach and the typical Beijinger’s bluntness, they combine the rhythmic sophistication of bands like ESG and Bush Tetras with the eerie but jangly, sinuous guitar lines of Bush Tetra guitarist Pat Place and the strange harmonics of DNA.  Amid their drawn-out sessions you can even sometimes hear the long, druggy patterns of the Doors.  This is a band extremely sure of its sound and wholly dismissive of any attempts to mold their image or sound into a more pleasing outline.

After several heavily acclaimed concerts in Beijing’s major clubs PK14 frontman Yang Haisong took them to the studio to record and produce their first CD.  Almost as soon as Bing Ma Si/Maybe Mars was formed, in August 2007, the band was approached by the label to join their roster.  Their as-yet-untitled and eagerly anticipated CD will be released by Bing Ma Si/Maybe Mars in May 2008.