Yaksa (band)
Encyclopedia
Yaksa is a Chinese nu metal
band that became active in the Beijing
Rock
scene in 1997.
Yaksa was among the first of the wave of metal
bands that appeared on the largely underground rock scene in Beijing
in the late 90's. Its original members all came from the interior province of Sichuan
. With its thick, powerful sound and ultra-aggressive growling vocals, the band's style was a departure from that of the punk rock
bands that were the fad of the moment. Yaksa recorded what is widely regarded as the first Chinese nu metal
album, Freedom (自由), released by Scream Records (嚎叫唱片) in 1999. The band followed up their debut three years later with Fa Fa Fa (发发发), adding more vocal melody as well as disc scratching
and sampling
to their sound. In 2006, with Scream Records in shambles, the band independently issued an EP
entitled Keep on Fighting, returning to their heavier roots.
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
band that became active in the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Rock
Chinese Rock
"Chinese Rocks" or "Chinese Rock" is a song written in 1976 by New York City punk legends Dee Dee Ramone and Richard Hell.Openly discussing heroin addiction, "Chinese Rock" was first recorded by Hell's former band, The Heartbreakers, and later by Dee Dee's band The Ramones.-Origin:Hell and Dee Dee...
scene in 1997.
Yaksa was among the first of the wave of metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands that appeared on the largely underground rock scene in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in the late 90's. Its original members all came from the interior province of Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. With its thick, powerful sound and ultra-aggressive growling vocals, the band's style was a departure from that of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands that were the fad of the moment. Yaksa recorded what is widely regarded as the first Chinese nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
album, Freedom (自由), released by Scream Records (嚎叫唱片) in 1999. The band followed up their debut three years later with Fa Fa Fa (发发发), adding more vocal melody as well as disc scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
and sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
to their sound. In 2006, with Scream Records in shambles, the band independently issued an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Keep on Fighting, returning to their heavier roots.
Members
- Vocal: Hu Song
- Guitar: Huang Tao
- Guitar: Gao Xu
- Bass: Gao Yufeng
- Drum: Ma Lin
- DJ: Wang Yue (DIRTY-Y)
Studio albums
- Freedom (自由) — 1999. Scream Records
- Fa Fa Fa (发发发) — 2002. Scream Records
- Keep on Fighting — 2006. Independent/Freedom Road Records
- You Aren't the Loser — 2010. Independent Label
External links and references
- Yaksa @ RiC Wiki, complete biography, discography
Further information
- Official Homepage
- MySpace Page
- Tattoo Studio of Hu Song, Yaksa's vocal
- Tattoo Blog of Hu Song
- Last.fm artist page of Yaksa
- Photo Gallery of YYT of one of Yaksa's Shanghai Gigs (2nd gallery)
- Yaksa in the Tanghui live video