Page 30 T cjnews.com T HE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS June 18, 2009 And now for something completely different:

Canadian artist brings Yiddish hip hop to China By EZRA GLINTER wildered.” Special to The CJN Whether this harsh assessment is a reflec- ix thousand cheering Chinese music tion of the music or fans were probably hoping for some- the audience is open to thing a little bit out of the ordinary question, but from the when a Canadian artist named So- perspective of Dolgin Called took the main stage at the and his manager, Dan Midi Music Festival in Zhenjiang, Seligman, audiences Jiangsu province. But whatever w e r e e n t h u s i a s t i c Sthey were expecting, Yiddish hip hop definitely about the unfamiliar wasn’t it. tunes. Nevertheless, Yiddish hip hop is what they “My music is kind of got, or at least a rough approximation thereof. Of different anyway, so course, no single label really does justice to the I guess people could music of ’s SoCalled, a.k.a. Josh Dolgin. be bewildered by the A mix of hip-hop beats, rap lyrics, klezmer and music everywhere, Yiddish samples, stick-in-your-head melodies and because it’s not really the unique contributions of a bunch of guest per- normal music. But it formers, SoCalled’s creations are a category unto was a totally rocking themselves. Though Dolgin has made a name for show,” Dolgin said. himself in both Jewish and indie music circles for “ I t ’ s d e f i n i t e l y the energy and originality of his music, this was pretty unique. For the first time he had gone as far as China to play. one, it was totally out “It was crazy. It was fun. It was amazing,” said of cultural context. I Dolgin of the whirlwind eight-day tour. imagine 95 per cent of Dolgin and his band were part of a group of the people have never Canadian musicians that made the trip, includ- heard Jewish music ing fellow Montrealers Final Flash, , and or heard of Jewish Creature, as well as Victoria, B.C.’s Jets Overhead. culture, so it was re- Katie Moore, a Montreal singer and long-time So- freshing to see the Called collaborator, accompanied him on the tour, music just taken for Montreal’s Josh Dolgin, a.k.a. SoCalled, was happy to bring his music to an as did guitarist Lubo Alexandrov, violinist Alex what it is as an art form, audience that had never heard of Jewish music or been exposed to Jewish Chow and bassist Michael Felber. and people got into it,” culture. After landing in in late April, Dolgin and added Seligman, who his crew took to the road, playing in Shanghai, first met Dolgin in a essary feel like you’re walking down the streets of Zhenjiang and Shenzhen, before heading back to McGill University Yiddish literature class. New York or , but we never felt like there . Though the schedule was hectic, the band “Obviously, a lot of the references are lost. But was someone watching,” Seligman said. had a few opportunities to head out, see the sights, the excitement of the people was amazing. It was “I think once we got the rubber stamp, it was and sample the local cuisine. like rock ’n’ roll at the end of the ’50s and early kind of open game, but getting in, you notice the “We had a day off on May Day, so we walked ’60s, this unbridled enthusiasm that you don’t see whole mechanism of control. Two of the shows around checked things out. The violinist in the very often in North America,” he said. we played weren’t officially sanctioned shows, band ate some scorpions,” Dolgin recalled. Though the tour was a success, getting to China so I guess they weren’t supposed to happen, but Audiences got to experience another kind of was a bit of a chore. Seligman got a call in March there’s so much stuff that happens in the under- culture shock, however, once SoCalled started to from Transmission, a British Columbia organiza- ground that no one would notice,” he added. play. According to one local music critic, the set tion that sponsors music industry conferences For Seligman, going to China was also an oppor- in Zhenjiang left “everyone who saw it utterly be- in Canada and China, asking if he and SoCalled tunity to connect with Chinese artists and music wanted to participate. industry professionals. In addition to managing Though the answer was yes, getting SoCalled, he is also the artistic director of Pop visas on time was dicey. In addition to Montreal, a major annual music festival. Though he the normal paperwork, Seligman also has no immediate plans to bring over any Chinese had to submit the lyrics to SoCalled acts, he said that he’s interested in furthering con- songs, a video, and information on all nections with Chinese musicians and exploring the of the band members. Chinese market for Canadian bands. “We just kind rolled with the “It’s still at a pretty nascent stage at the punches,” he said. moment, but there’s definitely a lot of interest be- Though the visa application process ginning to develop. It definitely needs investment was strenuous, once in China there was and cultivation and I think, beyond the mere eco- little government interference. nomics of it, there are cultural, social and political “I didn’t feel watched or anything. issues that arise. But there definitely is potential,” There were tons of cops everywhere Seligman said. and army people, but I never felt under For his part, Dolgin would like to go back, the thumb of some regime. I felt really though he doesn’t know when he might do so. In safe. And welcome,” Dolgin said. the meantime, he’s playing more Canadian shows “I mean you do notice a bit of a and working on a new album. Until his next visit, SoCalled on stage at a Chinese club performing his mix of looming presence, and you don’t nec- the Chinese market will have to come to him. hip-hop beats, rap lyrics, klezmer and Yiddish samples.

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