60 People, 60 Stories
Sounding out
By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-30 10:11
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 DJ Elvis. T says there are great things in store for Chinese electronic music. Courtesy of Acupuncture Records [China Daily] |
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"Electronic music came from the West, and Chinese DJs haven't yet developed a unique style," the 11-year veteran of the music scene says.
"People want to hear Chinese cultural elements in electronic music, but you can't force it in. That's fake Chinese style. You have to let it happen naturally."
But as nightclub dance floors writhe with swelling ranks of moneyed, young and fashionable Chinese, the country's adolescent electronic music scene is growing into its own identity.
Elvis. T says electronic music has been booming on the Chinese mainland since 2007, when its second wave began.
Gaining a foothold on the mainland after Filipino DJs brought it to the capital around 2000, the genre's appeal faded along with its novelty. Hip-hop usurped its place as the musical new kid on the block and Chinese clubbers' dance music of choice.
Electronic music was brought to Taiwan in 1992 and Elvis. T first stepped into the DJ booth in his hometown of Taipei six years later. But as hip-hop also suffocated the genre there, the scene eroded to "almost nothing", he says.
So he relocated to Beijing in 2007 to get in on electronic music's second coming.
"It used to be impossible to make a living or release your own music as a Chinese DJ, but now there are more ways to do it and more people entering the industry," he says.
Elvis. T earns his income DJ-ing in clubs, releasing his own tracks and working as Acupuncture Records' chief producer. Acupuncture is the first domestic label to release Chinese DJs' music on an international platform, he says.
Very few of the country's DJs have any way to release their music at all, which makes it all the trickier for them to get picked up by international labels.
"First, we need more releases, something for international labels to listen to," he says.
His releases on Japanese label PLUS Records and Malaysia's Asian Music have made him one of a handful of Chinese DJs with music released by foreign companies.
Elvis. T says that in addition to the snags Chinese DJs face in releasing their music, the country's electronic music scene must surmount a lack of public awareness about the genre and an absence of homegrown superstar DJs to inspire other artists.
But things are looking up, he says.
"There are a lot of great things in store for Chinese electronic music, because we have been doing a lot to push the scene," Elvis. T says.
"By now, we know what we want and have a clearer idea of how to get there."
In May, the artist co-organized China's first electronic music festival, Acupuncture's INTRO 2009, in Beijing. About 10,000 people danced in an open-air plaza to performances by 28 artists during the 10-hour jamboree.
"That was a special moment, because the setup, music and crowd were lifted to an unprecedented level," Elvis. T says.
"But it was like a split second compared to all of the preparation; it was kind of like having a baby. I was so thrilled."
Elvis. T describes most Chinese electronic music devotees as "24-hour party people, a fun-loving generation with high consumption power". He says most are 20-somethings working in creative industries, such as design, writing and fashion.
The number of nightclubs has mushroomed from a handful to several dozen in all of the country's metropolises in the last decade. The proliferation of DJ booths means there are more pulpits from which electronic music artists can evangelize the genre.
By now, electronic music has radiated to the country's second- and third-tier cities, and even smaller settlements are opening nightclubs featuring local DJs.
"The more chances people have to attend these events, the more chances they'll get to experience electronic music for themselves and fall in love with it," Elvis. T says.
He says "Chinese electronic music will have a big fan base and bright future" - and that is music to the ears of the country's DJs.
Time line
1949-1960s
Revolutionary music remains the overwhelmingly predominant genre.
1970s
Red music pervades and the Yangbanxi (Eight Model Works), which includes revised Peking operas and revolutionary ballets, become a musical staple. Cantopop emerges in Hong Kong and Mandopop becomes the rage in Taiwan.
1980s
Mandopop also gains ground on the Chinese mainland. Rock is born mid-decade.
1990s
Pop and rock grow, punk appears mid-decade and jazz emerges.
2000s
Electronic music and hip-hop gain a foothold on the mainland, while pop music continues to flourish.
