RADII’s next FREE live music event at ALL goes down on Tuesday, September 17, when we invite two up-and-coming artists from different corners of China, each with a unique and remarkable story to tell through their music. To kick it off, Kunming violin virtuoso Zhang Zheyuan will give a short solo set blending Western classical, Chinese traditional, and international pop tunes. Born in 1991, Zhang has appeared on Chinese television multiple times, performed in more than 20 countries, and solo’d at Lincoln Center. The young musician’s story is as impressive as much for his prodigious skill as for the tremendous hardship he had to overcome to successfully pursue his dreams, as he was born blind.
After the solo set, Zheyuan will collaborate with Shanghai electronic music producer and composer Laughing Ears, whose recent debut album Tidal Effect is one of our favorites of the year. Laughing Ears’ deep, pulsating electronics will merge with Zheyuan’s acoustic violin performance in unexpected, thrilling ways, a mashup of Modern classical and contemporary genre-bending electronica.
The duo set will be followed by Laughing Ears solo, and then a DJ set from RADII to keep the party going. As Zhang Zheyuan is in Shanghai to film an upcoming episode of our RADII Voices short documentary series, we will begin the evening with a short screening of our latest Voices episode: a day in the life of Danny of CasterCrew, China’s most famous b-boy.
When: Tuesday, September 17, 9pm
Where: ALL (2F, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu,near Changle Lu)
How much: FREE
About the artists:
Laughing Ears
Laughing Ears is an electronic music producer based in Shanghai. Her music crosses genres including Experimental, Ambient, Beats, Bass, Footwork and Noise. She treats sounds as building blocks and by layering and combining them, building stylized sound castles of her own. She creates unique beats, then processes them using modulated effects and granular synthesizers. Over the last year, Laughing Ears has gained increasing recognition within China’s electronic music scene, appearing at Shanghai’s most important underground clubs such as ALL and Elevator, and performing for seminal UK web radio station NTS. Her debut album, Tidal Effect, was released in July 2019 by Beijing label Ran Music. Read more about Laughing Ears in RADII’s review of Tidal Effect, one of our favorite releases this year.
Zhang Zheyuan
Zhang Zheyuan was born in southwestern Yunnan province in 1991 with visual impairment caused by congenital retinitis pigmentosa. Drawing on an ineffable love of music, the care of society, and the encouragement of teachers and family, he began formal study of the violin at age 13, embarking on a lifetime journey to seek his dreams in music. In 2009, 18-year-old Zhang reached a personal milestone when he gave a solo violin performance at the Kunming Theater. The following year, he performed a solo set during the closing ceremony of the Asian Paralympic Games, and joined the China Disabled People’s Art Troupe, with which he has now performed in more than 20 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas. In 2014, Zhang Zheyuan participated in a nationally televised CCTV violin competition, making it to the final six contestans. And in 2018, he was honored by an audience at the world-famous Lincoln Center in New York, where he gave a stage performance.
This year, Zhang was admitted to the University of Sheffield, where he will pursue a Master’s degree. Before he heads to the UK, RADII is very honored to invite him to Shanghai for this special performance. Zhang Zheyuan will be featured in a forthcoming episode of our RADII Voices short documentary series later in 2019.
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