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“Jim Kroft is a magnificent composer who showcases his songs beautifully. Parallels can be drawn from Scottish pop-romantic David Bowie and Nick Kershaw” – Rolling Stone (Germany)
This September, Split Works brings Jim Kroft for a debut tour de China. Hailing from the wilds of Scotland via Berlin, this acclaimed singer-songwriter, along with his comrade-at-guitar sidekick Ben Barritt, will be nomadically meandering around China for a slew of shows including an appearance at the famed Modern Sky Music Festival and a residency at Jianghu Bar in Beijing. If his recent tours in the US and Russia are any indication, audiences in both the largest and smallest of cities in China can expect an intimate connection with the sounds of his well versed lyricism.
Inspired by his literary heroes, Jim travelled in his late teens from Mexico City to La Paz, studying ancient civilizations, writing prose, and experimenting in the way a young man does. Returning home to Scotland, Jim Kroft discovered music as a form of catharsis while nursing his mother through terminal cancer.
From there he moved to London where he developed his craft and toured the UK several times sleeping in the back of his old Ford Transit van. At then end of one tour he decided to keep on driving, and he didn´t stop till crashing his van in Berlin. There he was welcomed into the Tacheles Arts Community, where he lived for several years and played a nightly residency in Cafe Zapata.
Beneath the radar of the industry in a foreign land, he quickly cut two independent records with no label backing. The second one of these picked up heavy radio play and Jim became the first artist to break into the German national charts as a purely independent artist. Jim signed a deal with EMI Records, but little did he realize he would be the last artist to ever release a record on EMI. With Universal swallowing the label, Jim was discarded along with most other newcomers.
However with awareness growing about his songwriting – and a new worldwide publishing deal with BMG – he has subsequently played his first shows in the US and Russia in early 2014. Jim is working on the first of a series of EPs which will be released during his residency in Beijing. Post-Beijing he will be touring China, as well as playing V-Rocks Festival in Vladivostock in Russia. From there his next EP will be released during his January 2015 tour on the Zanzibar archipelago.
This is all part of Jim’s self-funded “Journeys” project through his work as an independent film maker (Kroft Films) His credits include work with Universal Music, Virgin Media, Reebok, Paypal, Laphroaig Whiskey – and more important to Jim, a series of musicians and artists in his local Berlin.
Jim´s belief is that modern musicians must develop new skills and utilize entrepreneurial flair in order to combat the demise of the record industry and the modern reality that a new “non-music-buying” generation has emerged.
Split Works looks forward to welcoming audiences across China to experience the artistic ambitions of Jim Kroft.
Jim Kroft Show Information
【BEIJING】
Modern Sky Music Festival, Beijing
Date: August 31 Sunday
Time: 3.30pm-4.10pm
Sky Stage (天空舞台）
【Jianghu Bar Residency, September 1-12】
Date: September 8, Monday and September 11, Thursday
Time: 9.30pm
Venue: Jianghu Bar
Address: 7 Dongmianhua Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nandajie, (东城区东棉花胡同7号)
Ticket: 30RMB (door)
—
Date: September 12, Friday
Time: 9.30pm
Venue: Snail Hostel
Address: 73 Daxing Hutong, Dongcheng District (东城区交道口南 大兴胡同73号(近北新桥))
Ticket: 30RMB (door)
【CHANGSHA】
Date: September 16 Tuesday
Time: 9pm
Venue: 46LIVEHOUSE
Address: -1/F, Xiangcai Mansion, No.52 Xinmin Road (新民路52号 湘财大厦 负一楼)
Ticket: 40RMB (door) / 30RMB (student)
【NANCHANG】
Date: September 17 Wednesday
Time: 8pm
Venue: BLACK IRON LIVEHOUSE
Address: No.188 West Beijing Road (北京西路188号)
Ticket: 40RMB (door) / 30RMB (student)
【WUXI】
Date: September 19 Friday
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: XIETU ROAD BAR
Address: No.260 Hubin business Road (湖滨路商业街260号)
Ticket: 40RMB (door) / 30RMB (student)
【NINGBO】
Date: September 20 Saturday
Time: 9pm
Venue: CMK LIVEHOUSE
Address: Qianhu Tiandi Plaza, No.399 North Qianhu Road (钱湖北路399号钱湖天地广场)
Ticket: 40RMB (door) / 30RMB (student)
【SHANGHAI】
Date: September 21 Sunday
Time: 9pm
Venue: Yuyintang
Address: 851 Kaixuan Road, near Yan’An Xi Road (凯旋路851号，近延安西路)
Ticket: 40RMB (door)
About Split Works:
Split Works is a Beijing and Shanghai based concert promotion agency. Since 2006, we’ve been putting on killer parties and shows throughout Asia, working with brilliant artists from across the globe. In 2009, we launched JUE | Music + Art and also produce branded campaigns through our sister company, communications agency Splatter. We love China, we love music, we love you.[:zh]
“Jim Kroft创作的歌曲美轮美奂，能看到英国浪漫主义流行音乐教父David Bowie和Nick Kersha的影子。” —— Rolling Stone (德国版)
Jim Kroft出生于英国，在音乐圈闯荡多年，是一位经验丰富的创作型歌手。
童年时代，父母的离异促使他对摇滚乐产生了兴趣，因为摇滚乐能帮助他释放日常生活中被压抑的情绪；然而他真正开始接触吉他则要追溯到后来母亲因病去世。了解Jim的个人经历对于理解他的音乐非常重要。
跟随着Primal Scream和Travis的脚步，Jim从爱丁堡搬到了伦敦。在那里，他在The Libertines乐队的隔壁房间写歌录歌；当过Mando Diao的暖场；演遍了整个伦敦可以演出的地方。然而，Jim一直在默默等待着的，是一个更大的机会，而他不知道伦敦能不能提供他想要的东西。于是，他用一辆小货车将他的人生搬到了德国。
刚到柏林时，Jim加入了Tacheles 艺术社区，并在Zapata咖啡馆做夜间驻唱。呼吸着异国土壤的气息，Jim灵感泉涌，创作和录制了很多歌曲，分别在2010年和2011年发布了两张独立专辑。尤其是第二张《The Hermit & the Hedonist》，倍受音乐圈推崇，并在德国电台广为传播，也使Jim成为了首位打入德国音乐排行榜的独立音乐人。随后，Jim被百代唱片EMI相中并签约，但是，谁也想不到，他的2013年3月发表的第三张专辑《Lunatic Lullabies》，竟成了百代唱片EMI被收购前发行的绝唱，亦被载入史册。
但是，Jim的音乐事业并没有就此打住，反而马不停蹄地跬步前行。很快他与BMG唱片公司签约，并于2014年初在美国和俄罗斯举行了大型巡演。目前Jim正在专心录制他的第一张EP，预计将在他在北京江湖酒吧驻唱期间发布。之后他将辗转大陆各个城市进行巡演。紧接着第二张EP计划将在2015年1月在他在非洲巡演期间发布。
Jim目前还在进行一个名为“Journey”的项目——独立录制自己的巡演纪录片。他的合作伙伴包括环球唱片、Virgin Media、Reebok、Paypal、Laphroaig威士忌等等世界知名品牌商——当然最最重要的还要数柏林当地的音乐家和艺术家们。Jim一直意在传达一个理念：当代独立艺术家除了创作作品，还需要着眼和把握身边出现的商机，来抵如今抗唱片行业的低迷以及“人们不再花钱买音乐”这个现实。
这一次，我们有幸将Jim Kroft邀请到中国，他将和他的黄金搭档——吉他手Ben Barritt一起，加入8月底举办的摩登天空音乐节的演出阵容，并从九月起在北京江湖酒吧驻唱两周后，在中国六个城市展开巡演，让全国各地的乐迷都能领略到这位英俊小生的独特音乐魅力！
演出信息
【北京站】
摩登天空音乐节
日期：8月31日 星期天
时间：15:30 – 16:10
舞台：天空舞台
【江湖酒吧驻唱, 9月1日-12日】
日期：9月8日 星期一 & 9月11日 星期四
时间：21:30
场地：江湖酒吧
地址：交道口南大街东棉花胡同7号
票价：30元（现场）
日期：9月12日 星期五
时间：21:30
场地：蜗牛de家
地址：交道口南大街 大兴胡同73号
票价：30元（现场）
【长沙站】
日期：9月16日 星期二
时间：21:00
场地：46 LIVEHOUSE
地址：新民路52号 湘财大厦 负一楼
票价：40元（现场）/ 30元（学生）
【南昌站】
日期：9月17日 星期三
时间：20:00
场地：黑铁 LIVEHOUSE
地址：北京西路188号
票价：40元（现场）/ 30元（学生）
【无锡站】
日期：9月19日 星期五
时间：20:30
场地：斜土路酒吧
地址：无锡市 湖滨路商业街260号
票价：40元（现场）/ 30元（学生）
【宁波站】
日期：9月20日 星期六
时间：21:00
场地：CMK LIVEHOUSE
地址：钱湖北路399号钱湖天地广场
票价：40元（现场）/ 30元（学生）
【上海站】
日期：9月21日 星期日
时间：21:00
场地：育音堂
地址：凯旋路851号，近延安西路
票价：40元（现场）
关于Split Works
Split Works是一家基于上海和北京的外资音乐演出公司，一直和诸多国际品牌进行合作，始终围绕音乐、品牌、创意和青年文化组织和推广各类活动。2006年成立至今，Split Works已为Sonic Youth、Diplo、Owl City、Jose Gonzalez、Ghostface Killah、Andrew Bird等众多艺术家举办过中国及亚洲地区的演出，并成功举办了2007年 “十跃”音乐节以及2011年在北京上海跨城上演的黑兔音乐节。从2009年起，Split Works每年春季主办的《觉》音乐+艺术节是一个为期三周的，将国内外的优秀音乐人、创意艺术家和爱好者聚集在一起的开源城市音乐艺术节。[:]