Inner spaces Into shanghaI’s underground musIc scene

sIgproducer

dIdJeLIrIumproducer & storYteLLer

chachaproducer & sInger

acId ponY cLuBproducers

ceeZYproducer

mhpproducer

hamacIdeproducer

Inner spacesInto shanghaI’s underground musIc scene

a photo documentarY BYBenoIt FLorenÇon

www.Bureau36.comphotographY@Bureau36.comBureau36.tumBLr.comFaceBook.com/Bureau36

under the thIck LaYers oF concrete, BusIness and poLLutIon that coat shanghaI, there are a group oF taLented producers and mcs shapIng the musIcaL Landscape oF thIs eVer-growIng cItY.

mIXIng Quotes and ImagerY, Inner spaces Is a photo documentarY IntroducIng these taLents and VoIcIng theIr opInIons on dIFFerent aspects oF the cItY’s musIc scene.

Inner spaces Is an hYmn For the LocaL underground moVement.

mIaproducer

steVen LorenZproducer

JaY.souLproducer

sunBIZproducer

empFaBproducer

*LLndproducer & VJ

tZu sIngproducer

“I wouLd LIke to see musIcIans Be more Independent In the Future, get more orIgInaL Ideas and Learn aBout QuaLItY controL. QuantItY doesn’t mean anYthIng, copY won’t takeanYone anYwhere, respect YourseLF and keep the musIc reaL, and Learn how to coLLaBorate, that’s the most Important thIng.”

chacha

chachaproducer & sInger

guizhou native chacha startedher musical career fronting for a rock band in 1998. In 2011, she became the first chinese national to ever be invited to the red Bull music academy. chacha has been mcing with shanghai reggae crew uprooted sunshine since 2007 and is currently part of the duo am444 with beatmakerJay.soul.

soundcloud.com/chachachinawww.am444.com

“I BeLIeVe It’s wIdeLY acceptaBLe here to use hIghLY QuestIonaBLeproductIon technIQues that wouLd normaLLY compromIse an artIst’s IntegrItY. thIngs that wouLd normaLLY Be Frowned upon or Joked aBout are aBLe to get BY, and In some Instances, praIsed. I don’t thInk that Is good For anY tYpe oF artIstIcenVIronment.”

hamacIde

hamacIdeproducer

Born and raised in atlanta, usa, hamacide relocated fromnew York to shanghai in 2010.his first album under the nameLeYode was released on prefuse 73’s label eastern development in 2007.

www.hamacide.com

“mY parents are cooL. theY are proud oF mY musIc. theY do care aBout the moneY, and keep askIng me “anY Beat saLes these daYs?”. But It’s easY to make them happY.”

ceeZY

ceeZYproducer

23-year-old shanghai-nativeceezy started producing music 4 years ago. he currently lives with his parents and produces from his bedroom.

site.douban.com/classizy

“there Is a reaL craVIng For noVeLtY and orIgInaLItY rampagIng through shanghaI and chIna. It’s not necessarILY a BIg waVe, But It’s here, BLoomIng In manY uneXpected pLaces, growIng strong through taLented artIsts who reaLIZe the essentIaL Bottom-LIne: an artIst’s onLY home Is art, not an aBstract IdentItY BeLongIng to passport and Language.”

dIdJeLIrIum

dIdJeLIrIumproducer & storYteLLer

tahiti native didjelirium hasbeen living in shanghai for more than 5 years. affiliated with the shanghai reggae crew uprooted sunshine, he’s signed on doshy’s label, robox-neotech, appearson aquasky latest album and is part of original Fools. he’s also a novelist and a motion-graphics designer. soundcloud.com/didjelirium

“I BeLIeVe Fame and moneY damage creatIVItY. LocaL musIcIansmust Be pure, studIous. the onLY waY to make the musIc scene eVoLVe Is musIc ItseLF. more LocaL producers wIth dIVerse stYLes, more dJs more reLeases, more amaZIng LIVe perFormances... don’t mIX anY FashIon and FancY stuFF wIth musIc to deVeLop. that wILL kILL musIc.”

mhp

mhpproducer

shanghai native mhp, alsoknown as “shanghai’s son oftechno” has been producingmusic since 2000. part of theshanghai-based VoId crew, hehas also composed soundtracks for movies, animation films andcommercials.

soundcloud.com/mhp

“In shanghaI, I thInk there Is stILL a BIg gap Between the chInese and the ForeIgners: there are LaowaI cLuBs and chInese cLuBs. onLY Few pLaces LIke YuYIntang are reaLLY mIXed.”

acId ponY cLuB

acId ponY cLuBproducers

French natives clement pony and Laura Ingalls, aka acid pony club, met in sound engineering school almost 10 years ago, before meeting again in shanghai from where they run their studio and label disques poney.

www.disquesponey.com

“mY Father Is VerY supportIVe oF mY musIcaL career, But Because oF mY creatIVe mode and personaLItY, It Is dIFFIcuLt For me to Be In contact wIth BusIness, that’s whY mY FamILY stILL hopes that I can haVe other sources oF Income to support mY musIc.”

sIg

sIgproducer

Qingdao native sIg relocatedto shanghai a few years agowhere he’s been producing beats from his bedroom studio. his first album sad mirror was released on shanghai label pause:music in 2011.

site.douban.com/sig

“there’s a Lot oF cooL and VerY taLented musIc cats out here,Both chInese and ForeIgn and sInce It’s a prettY smaLL scene, eVerYone Is kInd oF connected and seems wILLIng to heLp the whoLe scene eVoLVe.”

JaY.souL

JaY.souLproducer

amsterdam native Jay.soulstarted sampling music 15 years ago. he currently resides in shanghai where he’s part of the am444 project with local vocalist chacha. their first ep eye wonderwas released on shanghai label pause:music in 2011.

www.jaysoul.netwww.am444.com

“haVIng more support From the commercIaL sIde oF the IndustrY wouLd Be IdeaL, there are dope musIcIans and producers In chIna, wIthout a douBt, But these Yet to Be dIscoVeredIndIVIduaLs need a VIaBLe, reLIaBLe, and honest pLat-Form In order to Be heard. nothIng comes From tak-Ing a short-cut In LIFe. You haVe to BeLIeVe In what You’re doIng.”

sunBIZ

sunBIZproducer

Born in Vancouver, sunBizmoved to shanghai in 2007.he released his debut albumLove before everything in 2011. he’s currently fully employed at massive music studios where he produces tracks for commercials,movies and video games.

www.sunbizonline.com

“It FeeLs LIke It’s growIng steadILY In the non commercIaL Background whIch Is a good FeeLIng to haVe. the stuFF IhaVe seen and LIstened to oVer the tIme here was most LIkeLY InFLuenced BY 8-BIt arcade game musIc and hIphop/trIphop-Ish Beats.”

empFaB

empFaBproducer

empfab, short for emperorFabulous, started creating music when he was 16, both producing electronic music and fronting for a punk band back in his native germany. after moving to shanghai he went fully into heavy bass beat production. his firstself-released ep toddler came out earlier this year.

soundcloud.com/empfab

“Young peopLe here haVe a Lot oF pressure durIng chILdhood, theY don’t haVe Free tIme to care aBout or eXpLore art and musIc. BesIdes, there are too manY restrIctIons In chIna to haVe proper underground partIes. noIse compLaInts, outdoor eVents restrIcted to end BY 10pm, no cLuBs aLLowIng You to pass FLYers outsIde; thIs makes It VerY hard... But we are trYIng.”

mIa

mIaproducer

Born in chengdu, sichuanprovince and partly raised inVancouver, canada, mIa movedback to shanghai in 2008 andstarted her own label, mooxrecords.

soundcloud.com/mia-li

“when I started dJIng I was pLaYIng the easIest stuFF (commercIaL eLectro house), and peopLe were supportIng me a Lot more than now. But thIs genre soon got me Bored, and I started pLaYIng more dark eLectro (as In mY productIons). thIs Is when peopLe Began to not understand mY musIc, and so there has Been Less support.”

steVen LorenZ

steVen LorenZproducer

producing music since the young age of 14, French-born steven Lorenz grew up in shanghai. now 21 and fully part of the Intransik Beats crew, he’s been releasing music on different International labels and played all over china.

www.intransikbeats.com

“I want peopLe to put work out that reaLLY reFLects who theY are, and that theY put BLood sweat and tears Into. I FeeL manY Young artIsts are more concerned wIth haVIng a reLease out than a truLY personaL reLease. It FeeLs more LIke craFtsmanshIpthan artIstrY.”

tZu sIng

tZu sIngproducer

malaysia-born tzu sing bought his first mc505 when he was a teenager. he moved to shanghai 4 years ago after finishing his education in the us. he’s currently part of the techno/house crew VoId and has been producing the stockholm syndrome partiesalong with VJ olivepixel and dJ drunk monk.

soundcloud.com/tzusing

“contemporarY chInese Beat scene Is oF a VerY hIgh standard and QuaLItY In generaL, But thIs oFten appLIes onLY to specIFIc stYLes and genres; You hardLY eVer hear somethIng that You can’t aLreadY put In a BoX. I wouLd LIke more suBgenres toemerge”

*LLnd

*LLndproducer & VJ

French natives Laurent Lettrée and nathalie delpech both started experimenting with music and visuals in the 90’s. respectively music producer and analog VJ, *LL and *nd have been working together under the name *LLnd since 2003.

www.llnd.orgsoundcloud.com/nodj-sessions

Inner spacesInto shanghaI’s underground musIc scenecredItsphotographY: BenoIt FLorenÇonLaYout: shane hurtcopYrIght © BenoIt FLorenÇon / Bureau36.com 2012aLL rIghts reserVeda BIg thank You to aLL oF the Featured arIsts For theIr tImeand eVerYone InVoLVed at one poInt or another In thIs proJect.