Homeless Drunk Genius Strums the Blues

I walked past Caleb many times in Reading town centre before one day asking if I could film him. For a couple of tins of Special Brew, he said no problem. Watch on Youtube Tweets about “#homeless #musician” . Tweet . Follow @dominicswire

Folk Music from Turpan, Xinjiang

Xinjiang’s twenty million population is made up of 47 ethnic groups. In this video we visit Turpan, a region mainly populated by Uyghur people, and listen to some local music. . Watch on Youtube or Youku . Tweets about “xinjiang music” . Tweet . Follow @dominicswire

Breakdancing in Urumqi

Summer evenings in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang in China, are full of people singing, playing games, strolling around… and breakdancing. . Watch on Youtube or Youku

Xinjiang Philharmonic Orchestra Performs Peony

Founded in 1996, the Xinjiang Philharmonic Orchestra is made up of many ethnic groups, including over 30 Han Chinese, 18 Uyghurs, 4 Hui, one Kazak, one Tajik and five Xibe. It specialises in turning folk music into symphonies, such as the one featured in this video: Peony. . Watch on Youtube or Youku

Sound and Food of Xinjiang’s Hui People

The Hui people make up one of 55 ethnic minority groups living in China. Many of them live in Changji prefecture in Xinjiang. Dominic Swire recently visited to sample the sound and food of the area. . Watch on Youtube or Youku

Rapping in Beijing

Three foreigners form a band in Beijing. They perform reggae and rap in Chinese. They gain a small following. But do they have what it takes to make it big?. . Watch on Youtube or Youku

Natsukashii (Japanese nostalgia)

One year ago I was in Japan making this report about the after effects of the 2011 tsunami (In the Wake of the Tsunami) . While there I visited my old local bar in Miyagi prefecture. . In a world of constant change, it’s nice to know some things remain the same. Ten years on, […]