Sonic Shanghai to break sound barrier in music blast

Sonic Shanghai 2013, a music carnival modeled on Japan's hit Summer Sonic, will rock the city on August 17 and 18 with dozens of big names in rock and pop from China and abroad.

This first edition will be more like a carnival than concert, with a diverse lineup and many musicians and bands performing several times over two days. Most international artists will perform live for one and a half hours.

The lineup includes top US rock band Limp Bizkit, American Nu Metal band Korn, Taiwanese singer Mavis Fan, mainland rock band Black Panther and singer-songwriter Li Quan.

Limp Bizkit is considered a "megaband" as it can cross over into many different styles. It features distinctive kinetic energy and focuses on bold and innovative rock and rap. Their track "Take a Look Around" is the soundtrack for "Mission Impossible 2" (2000).

Black Panther has been part of China's rock history since it was founded in the 1980s. It will play both standards that strike chords of nostalgia as well as new compositions.

On August 6, legendary British acid jazz group Jamiroquai will stage its first concert in China at Shanghai Grand Stage as the prelude to the festival.

Formed in 1992, Jamiroquai has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide with its funky acid jazz. "Virtual Insanity," a famous track, won four awards at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. The band won a Grammy Award in 1998.

Sonic Shanghai will be embedded in China for the next five years as a celebration of youth and urban culture, according to Li Yong, general manager of Shanghai OTV Media Co Ltd, an organizer of Sonic Shanghai 2013. The best and most appealing artists from the international scene will be invited.

"A superb music festival will never be refined to just one type of music, but will be international and diversified, and thus, Sonic Shanghai will become an enduring and significant feature of the city," Li says.

The Shanghai carnival is based on the format of Summer Sonic, Japan's biggest and internationally renowned music festival. It has been held annually since 2000 for two or three days in Osaka and Chiba, with bands performing in both places.

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