Matthew Byrne | Writer, Founder, Digital Marketer

Review written by Ekaterina Shmeleva

Chengdu’s First Spittunes

Born from the Spittoon Arts Collective, Spittunes is a project that pairs a band or musician with a poet to collaborate on a special piece inspired by the poet’s work. Chengdu’s first Spittunes event took place at Berlin Haus — seven collaborations across an evening that moved between hip-hop, love poetry, multilingual spoken word, grief, and comedy.

The Performances

Arya and Billye opened with a hip-hop collaboration that set the energy for the night. Lyrics by Arya, music by Billye — a piece about the messy middle of life that had the room responding from the first line. “Heart in the chamber, dark arrangements… No one got it easy man, fuck it, we made it.”

Wenwen and PapaDoc followed with something completely different — Wenwen’s poem Love You, Jeff accompanied by PapaDoc’s music. A raw, realistic piece about love, far from the sentimental. “You cared about me and touched me soft. I never meant it as an insult but nothing, nothing can bring you back to my pillow.”

Julee and Alex performed Omomi — a word from Nigeria for someone you love. Julee’s voice and Alex’s beats cast a spell on the room. “I stretch out my passion to hold on to yours. It is cold.”

Kaiser performed alone — a piece written and delivered in three languages, English, Urdu, and Punjabi. No music, but none was needed. A dark meditation on inner voices and struggle, lit with striking metaphors. “My future is trying to bury my past so my present can survive.”

Sandy and Dr BB brought the audience to Nigeria — Sandy’s storytelling about her experience as a Nigerian in Nigeria, accompanied by Dr BB’s music. Powerful, emotional, immediate. “Comfort that I’m feeling, it’s nearly suffocating, like a snake was sliding over my skin and trying to swallow me up… but it’s the suffocation that I really appreciate.”

Annie and Jacob performed Whale Fall and Whale Fall Part 2 — a piece about expat goodbyes that had the audience moving between laughter and tears. “Everything is shed, abandoned, like a whale fall. That’s what it’s like when an expat leaves us. People leave behind all sorts of random stuff. Including… me.”

Penney and Jacob closed the main performances with a tribute to a colleague who had recently passed. A poem about John — a reminder to live fully while there is oxygen in the lungs. “Be passionate, be fearless and brave, know your own mind, and take no shit… but remember to be kind.”

Sasha K and Alex brought the evening to a close with two poems overflowing with love and sensuality. “I’m his deepest sin… We dance till the sunshine is red in our hearts.”

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Originally published on the Spittoon WeChat channel, 2019. Review by Ekaterina Shmeleva.

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