Ourself Beside Me

First formed in 2003 by former Hang On The Box guitarist Yang Fan. The line-up changed several times before Yang Fan (Ourself Beside Me’s main vocalist and guitarist) met then-still-a-drummer Xie Han through the internet in the fall of 2005. They bonded immediately and started writing songs together. This version of the band began with Xie Han on the bass (she departed in 2009) and EMI (17), a drummer hailing from Japan, joined the group in 2007, establishing the modern triumvirate. In the second half of 2007, this trio began performing regularly, first at D-22 then expanding to other clubs in Beijing. After several acclaimed concerts in Beijing’s major clubs, P.K. 14 frontman 杨海崧 (Yang Haisong) took Ourself Beside Me to the studio to record and produce their first album. The group was one of the first to join the Maybe Mars label, with these recordings being released on CD as their first album in 2009. They claim inspiration from 1960's and '70s bands such as The Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Can, Tom Waits, Soft Machine and The Fall. While these influences are clearly present in their music, the group is also heavily influenced by New York’s East Village brood of the late 1970's and early 1980's. These influences combine with the Chinese obliqueness of their harmonies and the Beijinger’s bluntness of their musical approach to forge the bands unique and distinctive sound. They combine the rhythmic sophistication of bands like ESG with the eerie guitar lines of Bush Tetras guitarist Pat Place and the strange harmonics of DNA (4). Amid their drawn-out sessions you can sometimes even hear the long, druggy marches of The Doors.