Yin: Subaqueous Boom Bap from Yunnanese Producer StrawberryPapa

Yin (音, “music”) is a weekly RADII column 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.

Speaking of Kunming hip hop: here’s a chilllllll way to end the work week, a suite of in-the-zone hip hop instrumentals from Kunming-born, Beijing-based producer StrawberryPapa (草莓爸爸):

This lo-fi beat tape is the ninth release from Eating Music, who’ve been on a roll this year and are gearing up to host their second annual summer camp soon, which will undoubtedly yield even more SP 404-filtered realness in the months to come.

In the mean time, StrawberryPapa’s debut album Underwater/Fantasy delivers the goods for fans of lovingly textured, old-school beatwork. Liberal use of vinyl crackle (and the cassette format in itself) give the LP an appropriately submerged feeling throughout, and Papa’s monk-like dedication to the genre shines through on every track. Dude knows his way around the old jazz standards. This is the kind of album I can see soundtracking a lot of long summer nights.

From the liner notes:

The purpose is pure: this is one of the ultimate escapes from the hustle and bustle of city life for the urbanite. Let’s just wait a while, chill and find yourself a paradise in the concrete jungle where there may be a quiet forest, a flowing river, a perfect vibe with good energy grooves, and a moment of peace in you.

Sounds lovely. Stream/download/physically purchase this album-length “mixture of Yunnan’s chillaxed swing and Beijing’s urban coolness” over at Eating Music’s Bandcamp.

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