Sweating it out to fist-pump-accompanying dance moves surrounded by rustic industrial walls in a hard-to-reach warehouse well past midnight is cool and all… Now imagine that at a submarine! Shanghai’s underground just got a whole lot deeper, thanks to INSane Label, a division of entertainment hub INS LAND, which recently pulled off a rave so wild, it practically broke the surface. The collective hosted an exclusive, invitation-only electronic music event literally alongside a decommissioned submarine. We’re talking industrial hardcore vibes meets a hulking naval vessel.

Picture this: you’re at the Shanghai Submarine Exhibition Hall, a venue steeped in industrial heritage from the former Jiangnan Shipyard. And there it is, the Great Wall No.191 Submarine, a 76-meter steel behemoth that once patrolled the depths for 32 years. Now, instead of sonar pings, its massive form is echoing with low-frequency resonance and the pulsating beats of House, Techno, and Drum and Bass. What INS Label has done here is crafted an immersive “secret realm” where the mysterious atmosphere of a submarine was seamlessly integrated with electrifying electronic music, creating an unprecedented audio-visual spectacle.

Limited to just 480 hand-picked guests from the core electronic music communities across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, the guest list read like a who’s who of seasoned enthusiasts, top KOLs, and avant-garde artists, with DJs like L, Evin King, Sally, and Sanjin having spun diverse sets.

Jake Lu, founder of INSane, puts it best: “Electronic music is far more than just a form of entertainment. It is a transmission of energy, a carrier of memories, and the most direct and purest medium to express peace and love.” And with the Submarine Secret Party, INSane continues to live up to its philosophy of exploring uncharted boundaries, subverting stereotypes, and turning every event into a unique cultural memory. This is how you redefine urban parties, by diving headfirst into the unexpected.

All images via INS Label.