*Editor's Note: This article marks the begining of a weekly travel blog by Natasha P, a CJLO correspondent currently on exchange in Beijing, that will cover her experiences training in Beijing Opera and living in China.*

8 months of training, 4 performances, 6 hours of paperwork, 14 hours in transit and now I find myself sitting in a hotel room on the other side of the world looking out over Beijing.

Mutek’s Nocturne 2 was the Modeselektion night – a night of forward thinking party music whose main room line-up was curated by Germany’s Modeselektor.

Brett Dennen took the stage in front of a packed house at the gorgeous and historic National Theatre. While I disapprove of his music generally, the songsmith has an undeniable charisma, and set against the smoky, softly lit backdrop of the National’s stage his 6’5” frame is impossible to ignore. His entrance was marked by screams from the crowd, many of whom had obviously come just to hear him play.