VA : An Anthology of Chinese Experimental Music 1992-2008

Album artists
ZenLu WFDD Sin:Ned Li Chin Sung Torturing Nurse Wang Fan PNF Ronez
Album labels
Sub Rosa
Release
2009

4CD digipack + 2x16 page booklets

For the very first time, an exceptional and very complete panorama (more than 5 hours / 4cds) since origins (circa 1990) of all experimental and electronic music in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

This anthology features 48 artists from within the Chinese area of influence. It is designed as a journey through what is currently happening underground, under extremely diverse forms. It also looks at the recent past and the key role of pioneers like Wang Fan, Dajuin Yao, and also Hong Kong-based Li Chin Sung aka Dickson Dee who, for almost two decades, has been spreading the word about Experimental music in Mainland China. This album was curated by Dickson Dee on Guy Marc Hinant's invitation. It includes an enlightening presentation on the short yet intense advent and history of the Chinese noise explosion,co-written by Zbigniew Karkowski and Yan Jun.

The Sound of the underground: an overview of experimental and non-academic music in China

The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76) in one way or another eradicated most of the existing culture in China. At the same time as intellectuals were sent to rural labor camps, countless ancient buildings, antiques, books, paintings and various artifacts were just destroyed. This period created an enormous intellectual, cultural and artistic vacuum in China - destruction that in a sense, time is still healing. So tradition of music culture and especially non-academic, purely experimental music, started from 'point blank' scratch sometime in the 80ies. With the market economy introduced in that decade and further media developments in the 90ies, there was a kind of an explosion in youth culture that had been held back for decades. Movements and music scenes that previously never reached China - like for instance psychedelic music, punk or neo-dada started to appear and expanded at astonishing pace. The birth of these alternative rock and punk music scenes that later developed into even
more experimental trends is a direct result of global capitalism and profound change in China's position within the World Order. It however did not develop the same way as it usually does in the West - with one eye looking forward and the other one always glancing at history. It started with 'dakou' and with piracy.
(extract from the booklet) Yan Jun & Zbigniew Karkowski

CD1
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01. Li Chin Sung aka Dickson Dee (Hong Kong) / Somewhere (1994) / 10′33
02. Zenlu (Shenzhen) / Zen (2007) / 9′19
03. Bai Tian (Chengdu) / Wet (2007) / 4′05
04. Cheewei (Singapore) / Evening has arrived (2006) / 8′02
05. Lim Giang (Taipei) / “???” (2006) / 8′41
06. Ang Song Ming aka Circadian (Singapore) / Book radio mixer (2007) / 3′02
07. Chung-Han Yao (Taipei) / Untitled (2005) / 5′02
08. Goh Lee Kwang (Malaysia) / Frong spraying (2007) / 3′42
09. Wu Quan (Beijing) / Weather forest (2006) / 5′04
10. Me:Mo (Beijing) / pro.a (2007) / 4′30
11. Wang Jong-Kuen (Taipei) / Leaving (2006) / 5′40
12. Dajuin Yao (Zuoying) / Psycho Realm (2006) / 5′29
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CD2
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01. Sun Dawei (Beijing) / Crawing state (2007) / 4′14
02. Nara (Beijing) / Dream a little dream (2007) / 6′54
03. WFDD / Wang Fan + Dickson Dee (Beijing/Hong Kong) / Sin (2007) / 8′36
04. Stingrays (Singapore) / 061020 (2006) / 5′18
05. Dennis Wong aka Wong Chung-Fai (Hong Kong) / para_dot (2006) / 5′12
06. Fathmount aka Wilson Lee (Hong Kong) / A yoke of oxen (2007) / 4′56
07. PNF (Hong Kong) / Chi (1994) / 3′11
08. Li Wen Tai aka Vince Li (Hong Kong) / Eat (2007) / 4′57
09. Shenggy (Beijing) / Junggy ’s decay (2007) / 3′05
10. Ronez aka Zhou Pei (Guilin) / Kikusui Back (2006) / 4′57
11. Zhou Ri Sheng (Shanxi) / Noise God (2006) / 7′22
12. Fish (Taipei) / Rusty Crane Keelong (2007) / 4′46
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CD3
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01.Torturing Nurse (Shanghai) / Fugitive (2006) / 14′46
02. Wang Fan (Beijing) / Zero (2006) / 6′28
03. Wuwei + Ulrich Morits (Shanghai/Berlin) / Toy Ships (2003) / 2′48
04. Xper. Xr. & The Orphic Orchestra (Hong Kong) Hickory Dickory Dock (1992) / 1′01
05. Hong Qile (Fuzhou) / j gmc (2007) / 8′00
06. Ying Fan (Taipei) / L2255 mix (2007) / 3′58
07. Dead J aka Shao Yanpeng (Beijing) / untitled (2007) / 3′49
08. Z.S.L.O (Taipei) / 422189 (1997) / 3′09
09. Jedung Kying / Edging + Junky (Guangzhou/Shanghai) Dabao (2007) / 3′01
10. Tats Lau (Hong Kong) / Face The Antagonish (1992) / 2′53
11. Li Jianhong (Hangzhou) / Sod (2007) / 5′32
12. Dino (Taipei) / untitled (2005) / 6′45
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CD4
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01. Wang Changcun (Harbin) Through the tide of faces (2007) / 4′59
02. D!O!D!O!D! / Li Jianhong + Huangjin (Hangzhou) A dark knife (2006) / 5′36
03. Yan Jun (Beijing) / Its more than enough (2006) / 5′35
04. Loga (Fuzhou) / 620 (2007) / 9′22
05. Pei aka Liu Pei-Wen (Taipei) / Bird lady (2007) / 7′43
06. Eric Lin aka Lin Chi-Wei (Taipei) / untitled (2007) / 3′10
07. Alice Hui-Sheng Chang (Taiwan) There she is, standing and walking on her own (2007) / 3′59
08. Ching Shen Ching (Taiwan) / V-zone (1997) / Fuji Wang + Anes: electronics / 7′25
09. Dancing Stone (Hong Kong) / Two (1995) / Nelson Hui: flute + Ling Lee: voice / 2′13
10. Illuminated 6.6.6. (Hong Kong) / Enjoy the silence (1992) / 6′06
11. Juno aka Timmy Lok (Hong Kong) / Possiblilities (1995) / 3′18
12. Simon Ho (Hong Kong) / 5 (2005) / 6′53