RADII Mix: New Tunes for Year of the Rat

Yin (音, “music”) is a weekly RADII feature that looks at Chinese songs spanning hip hop to folk to modern experimental, and everything in between. Drop us a line if you have a suggestion.

Happy Year of the METAL RAT! To celebrate we’ve put together a feature-film-length mix of new tunes that’ll be soundtracking our 2020. Premieres, previews, demos and deep cuts from some our favorite artists covering a wide geographical and genre spread. Stream it below, and find a full track list below the embed.

[00:00] Zhang Ke – “钟声2″ — play rec, forthcoming

[00:37] Deadly Cradle Death – “Deadly Keithyeetal” — Maybe Mars, forthcoming

BurgerSuicideClub performs at a RADII event at ALL, Shanghai, November 2019

[05:36] BurgerSuicideClub – “Second Hand Wig” — demo; look for a debut release from this Shanghai band in 2020

[10:02] Mirrors – “Within an Endless Dream” — Ruby Eyes Records

[15:31] 工工工 – Rhythm n’ Drone III — excerpt from an upcoming, self-released cassette; watch for 工工工 to embark on another ambitious tour in May

Yin: Beijing Duo 工工工 Channels Spartan Groove on “Phantom Rhythm”

The band's spare, barely-there rhythms were hashed out in a former Beijing bomb shelter

Article Oct 18, 2019

[18:54] Wang Zijian – “热风” — WV Sorcerer, forthcoming

[23:45] The Bad Molds – “Dancing with the Dead Lover” — Spacefruity Records, forthcoming

[26:30] Gatsby in a Daze – “Volcanic Elegy” — Ruby Eyes Records

Guangzhou’s Qiii Snacks Records is Capturing the Sound of Southeastern China

Article May 22, 2018

[32:39] Nein or Gas Mus – “A Story of Chaosreload” (demo) — Qiii Snacks, forthcoming

[36:02] Tingting x Xi Chenchen x Blurrycloud – “Sleepy Winter” — Eating Music, forthcoming

Artist, Entrepreneur, and Vinyl Visionary Cookie Zhang Wants to Change China’s Taste in Music

Article Sep 11, 2018

[39:44] ver_1015e – “Dark Disco” (excerpt) — RAN, forthcoming

[41:11] L_Y_Li – “Chasing the Sun” — RAN Groove, forthcoming

Yin: Writhing Club Track “Invertebrate” by Hangzhou’s GUAN

Article Oct 12, 2018

[44:05] GUAN – “Drone A” — preview from an upcoming release by the Hangzhou producer and FunctionLab co-founder

[48:35] kaishandao – “demo” — preview of coming attractions from the Chengdu underground pot-stirrer

Scene Report: Chengdu’s Underground Music Scene Flourishes in the Cracks and Shadows of a Construction Boom

An insider's guide to the Sichuan capital's bubbling hotbed of creative music culture

Article Apr 13, 2019

[50:21] Stolen – “Electric Echo” (remix) — from an upcoming EP remixing some earlier tracks from New Order’s favorite band, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a comprehensive China tour this year

[54:57] GG Lobster – “Adoration of Sons” — just released on FunctionLab

Listen: Hangzhou Producer GG Lobster Fucks Up Punk Classics

This total curveball from the co-founder of Hangzhou label FunctionLab is definitely the best 21 minutes of 2019 so far

Article Jan 17, 2019

[59:03] T5UMUT5UMU – “Thunder Squall” — FunctionLab, forthcoming

[01:02:13] Vengeful Spectre – “The Expendables” — early contender for heaviest of 2020, released last week by Chinese Metal purveyors nonpareil, PEST Productions

Listen to Our Chinese Metal Megamix

'Tis the season to keep it evil

Article Oct 22, 2019

[01:09:00] Sheng Jie – “Menbasaitunabo” — this solo album by classically trained violinist and consummate experimentalist Sheng Jie (aka gogoj) is set to finally get a proper release this year, from WV Sorcerer x Maybe Noise

[01:14:14] Wang Xiao – “The Son of Black Horse River” — WV Sorcerer, forthcoming

Yin: Two New Releases Channel the Sound of the Steppe and Northwest China

New forms and new sounds taking inspiration from different geographical pockets of China's diverse ethnic folk soundscape

Article Jan 17, 2020

[01:19:22] 白金花 – “额尔德尼赛罕” — from the excellent, recent Sound of Walking compilation

[01:24:40] Shushu & Swimful – “Things You Don’t Need to Know” — preview cut from a forthcoming collaboration

[01:28:45] Bloodz Boi – “Hey Moon” (ft. Katie Vick) — Bubble Gum Violence, forthcoming

“Like a Cyborg Mutant”: Multimedia Artist Jiafeng Digests Modern China

Article Jul 12, 2018

[01:31:55] jiafeng – “圆寂美少女” — a taste of protean artist jiafeng‘s latest incarnation/avatar

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More great music from China:

The Best Chinese Music of the Decade, Via Its Most Influential Record Labels

The curators, self-publishers, cassette dubbers, taste-makers, scene-builders and community sustainers who gave underground Chinese music a whole 2010s vibe

Article Dec 13, 2019

City Mix: Heady Brew from Chengdu

The sound of Chengdu: mechanical, industrial hammering against warm, floral tones, all doused with a generous amount of chili oil

Article May 22, 2019

CITY MIX: Something in the Hangzhou Water

Article Aug 14, 2018