Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

“This music is not supported by the regime, but it is the real sound of China,” says Lao Wang on Chinese electronica in The New York Times. He is the founder of Sugar Jar, a Beijing music store that’s one of the hotspots of the city’s vibrant music scene.

Wu Na & Esther Venrooy

20:00 Domzaal – guqin (zither) & electronica

Wu Na is a brilliant player of the guqin, an ancient seven-string zither. She was the first to graduate from Beijing’s music college with a master’s degree in guqin performance. She wants to integrate the classical instrument in contemporary music, performing with Chinese rock stars, while also being active in the avant-garde, blending Western influences with traditional sounds. Esther Vanrooy is a Dutch composer, musician, researcher and professor who lives and works in Ghent. She experiments and improvises with electronica and traditional instruments. After touring China with Wu Na, they will once again perform together at Vooruit.

Yan Jun

20:50 Domzaal – spoken word & electronica

Without Yan Jun, Beijing’s experimental underground scene would never have developed into the burgeoning breeding ground it is today. He earned the moniker of ’godfather of experimental music’ as a founder of the underground label Subjam, the curator of the Mini-Midi festival (part of the Midi festival, the biggest open-air festival for contemporary music in China) and as the author of several books on experimental Chinese music. He also makes his own music: throbbing sound art and minimalist improvisation with field recordings, loops, feedback and spoken word. Hypnotising and atmospheric.

FM3

21:45 Domzaal – Buddha drones

One of the most notable experimental acts in China has to be FM3, a duo that’s taking the world by storm with their handmade Buddha machines. A Buddha machine is a small electronic device that looks like a tiny FM radio and produces a loop of drone-like or tantra-like sounds. It has become a worldwide success and is often used in art installations or by bands such as Kammerflimmer Kollektief and Throbbing Gristle.
Zhang Jian must be China’s most renowned keyboard player, computer musician and composer of film and TV music. He is featured on almost every underground rock release of the past ten years. He formed FM3 together with Christiaan Virant, an American sound artist living in Beijing. They have released several albums on the legendary Amsterdam Staalplaat label. FM3 played three completely sold-out concerts in The Louvre, performing a live score for an old film, and have also been a guest at several international festivals like Nuit Blanche in Paris and Mutek in Montreal.

iLoop

22:30 Balzaal – breakcore

iLoop’s sharp beats are situated somewhere between industrial rock, punk, hardcore and breakcore. His sets are extremely loud and thrilling, and you just have to dance. In 2003, he founded ‘No Me’ a workplace where he assists composers in the technical aspects of their music. His debut EP, ‘Don’t Break My Core’ was released on Shansui Records, managed by his good friend Sulumi.

B6

23:30 Balzaal – minimal techno

B6 is one of the most productive and respected contemporary artists in China, active in several genres, from synthpop to IDM, breakcore, drum and bass and even post-rock. Expect extremely danceable rhythms, playful beats as well as soft and atmospheric minimalism. His last album, ‘Post Haze’, is a milestone in the history of China’s burgeoning independent music scene. Apart from being a pioneer in electronic music, this unique young Shanghai-based artist is also a producer, DJ and graphic artist who has exhibited his work in the UK, Europe and North America.

Sulumi

0:30 Balzaal – digital hardcore

A live set by Sulumi is always a unique experience: pummelling his game boy and his laptop with his entire lanky body, he produces crazy and intense digital hardcore. His pounding electronica, featuring video game sound bytes and 8-bit sounds, has earned him a loyal army of fans, predominantly consisting of young laptop artist inspired by him. But he has also made his way to an international audience of electronica lovers, performing with the likes of Four Tet and World’s End Girlfriend.