This is the second in a series of posts recording my efforts to organise and present my research archive of publications related to experimental music and sound art from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Today’s post brings us up to date with the current selection on display. These are the most recent items received for the archive, some old, some new, with a little background to each item.

(Artist, title, format, date, link)

Top row, left to right:

1. 何颖宜 Rania Ho & 王卫 Wang Wei, WuJin logo patch, embroidered patch, WuJin 2024 Link
   • Notes: Wujin is a small artist-run bar in a hutong (traditional alleyway) in the centre of Beijing, doubling as performance space with a focus on sound experiments.
2. 苍蝇 The Fly, >z, cassette, China Record Corporation/JingWen Records/Scream Records 2000 Link
   • Notes: An early example in China of a punk/grunge band investigating genre boundaries.
3. Christiaan Virant & Zhang Jian, Buddha Machine SE, grey plastic, electronics, O-card, limited edition, FM3 2024 Link
   • Notes: Since 2005, Virant and Zhang (aka the band FM3) have produced a series of editions of these iconic Buddha Machines, which play short loops of ambient music.
4. nnscya, 批 PIE, box with fluff, eraser, beads, plastic box, limited edition, self-published 2024 Link
   • Notes: This object was produced to accompany the EP release by emerging Hong Kong-based artist Annisa Cheung (aka nnscya). In their music, they weave vivid dream pop elements with washes of processed vocals and electronics. nnscya is an alumni of the 往來 Exit-Entry series which I co-curate.
5. 周韌 Zhou Ren, 榨取, cassette, Rock Records & Tapes/China Fire Records/Magic Stone 1996 Link
   • Notes: In the late ‘90s in China Zhou Ren was, “an important bridge between the alt that stayed alt and that which went punk.” (Campbell, J. (2011). Red rock: The long, strange march of Chinese Rock & Roll. Earnshaw Books.)

Bottom row, left to right:

1. Various Artists, 摩登天空 1 Modern Sky 1, cassette, Modern Sky 1999 Link
   • Notes: An important series of compilations from the major independent record label Modern Sky, solidifying their role in popularising the electronic pop music scenes in China around the new millennium.
   • “…Modern Sky’s compilation records are the first opportunity for Mainland listeners to buy, on a regular basis, new music that is considered ‘alternative’ even in the West.” (Guo, J., & Su, F. (1999, December 3). Modern Sky Empire. 新北京 Beijing Scene, 6(8), 4–5. Link )
2. Various Artists, 摩登天空 2 Modern Sky 2, cassette, Modern Sky 1999 Link
3. Various Artists, 摩登天空 3 Modern Sky 3, cassette, Modern Sky 1999 Link
4. 掛在盒子上  Hang On The Box, For Every Punk Bitch & Arsehole, CD, Arrivederci Baby!/Cherry Red 2003 Link
   • Notes: Formed in 1998, Hang on the Box were a groundbreaking punk band in China, and a rare example of an all-female group. This particular CD is also significant as it was published by Cherry Red, an influential record label outside of China, giving the band access to an international audience.
5. mafmadmaf, B.T.R., cassette, Jyugam 2023 Link
   • Notes: Two recent cassette releases from this Guangzhou-based designer and musician, offering ambient-adjacent soundscapes and field recordings.
6. mafmadmaf, 家字的由來 = The Origin of the Chinese Character ‘家’, cassette, Jyugam 2023 Link
7. Reckoner, Instructions Unclear, cassette, self-published 2019 Link
   • Notes: A recent visitor to Hong Kong, Reckoner aka Sumanth Srinivasan is a NYC-based live-coder/musician working between song-structures and algorithmically-generated elements.