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Into the nights Beijing Into the nights Shanghai Into the nights Guangdong Into the nights Sichuan Into the nights Yunnan
Into the nights Beijing Into the nights Beijing
Into the nights Shanghai Into the nights Shanghai
Into the nights Shenzhen Into the nights Shenzhen
Into the nights chengdu Into the nights chengdu
Into the nights kunming Into the nights kunming
Into the nights dali Into the nights dali

CHINA’S HIDDEN SOUNDS

Explore rare and unfiltered facets of China’s underground music and nightlife scenes in RADII Studios’ original mini-documentary series, Into the Night.

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YUNNAN

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REGGAE

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CHENGDU

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HIP-HOP

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SHENZHEN

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ELECTRONIC MUSIC

YUNNAN

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REGGAE

The Chinese Reggae Scene You Didn’t Know Existed

Originating in Jamaica in the late 1960s, reggae music has become one of the country’s most significant cultural exports and found fans worldwide. Reggae has spread to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and — believe it or not — China. Featuring three Chinese reggae musicians of distinct styles, RADII explores the deep connection between reggae culture and China’s stunning Yunnan: province.

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Awarding-winning band Puman’s name is a collective term for the Wa, Bulang, and Deang ethnic groups, fitting, considering they try to fuse the best of reggae and pop music with the musical expression of ethnic minorities.

Artists PUMAN

This reggae group takes its moniker from the old name of the Wa tribe – ‘Kawa,’ which was chosen to highlight the band member’s close connection with their motherland.

Artists KAWA

Awarding-winning band Puman’s name is a collective term for the Wa, Bulang, and Deang ethnic groups, fitting, considering they try to fuse the best of reggae and pop music with the musical expression of ethnic minorities.

Artists PUMAN

This reggae group takes its moniker from the old name of the Wa tribe – ‘Kawa,’ which was chosen to highlight the band member’s close connection with their motherland.

Artists KAWA

CHENGDU

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HIP-HOP

Why This Chinese City Produces More Rappers Than Any Other

Chengdu, the hometown of Chinese hip hop, has raised a generation of famous rappers known domestically and around the globe, including the Higher Brothers and Fat Shady. However, there is more to the story: Wedged between Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Gansu, Chengdu is a melting pot of cultures, and it shows in the local music. RADII interviewed Chengdu-based artists to reveal the stories behind the city’s atmosphere and beats.

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Eddie channels styles ranging from old-school to jazz and makes distinctly Chinese music. His album Blue clocked 50 million views on the Chinese streaming platform Netease Music in 2021 – gaining ‘Diamond Album’ status.

Chengdu Artists

Xia Zhiyu is known for funk and R&B sounds and looks back to the ’90s for inspiration. His mixtape California Dream was recognized as ‘The Best West Coast Chinese Hip Hop Album’ in 2019 by a popular Chinese music-streaming platform.

Chengdu Artists

R&B singer Step.jad hails from China’s Xinjiang autonomous region and was influenced by Blu Cantrell. His song ‘We We’ received more than 7 million views on the Chinese video-streaming platform Bilibili in just one week.

Chengdu Artists

Shark. Fin creates music with poetic and profound lyricism, which isn’t lost on fans: His single ‘I Was the Last Witness for Myself’ achieved 3 million views on Bilibili, China’s answer to YouTube.

Chengdu Artists

Eddie channels styles ranging from old-school to jazz and makes distinctly Chinese music. His album Blue clocked 50 million views on the Chinese streaming platform Netease Music in 2021 – gaining ‘Diamond Album’ status.

Chengdu Artists

Xia Zhiyu is known for funk and R&B sounds and looks back to the ’90s for inspiration. His mixtape California Dream was recognized as ‘The Best West Coast Chinese Hip Hop Album’ in 2019 by a popular Chinese music-streaming platform.

Chengdu Artists

SHENZHEN

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ELECTRONIC MUSIC

996 and Heavy Bass: Electronic Music Is Taking Over China’s Hustle Capital

Boasting iconic venues such as OIL club, South China’s tech capital Shenzhen is a thriving hub for the electronic music scene. A city of immigrants and a land of opportunity, but also a fast-paced metropolis with an extraordinarily competitive working culture, Shenzhen has developed an ecosystem of underground electronic clubs that’s second to none in China.

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Steve Pan is a Chinese DJ, producer, and live performer based in Melbourne. During his live sets, the audience is treated to a hypnotic alternate reality experience deeply fueled by an eclectic fusion of ambient sounds, cassette tape loop recordings, and different elements from techno, bass, downtempo, and other genres.

STEVE PAN

Known across China as one of the nation’s top underground clubs, OIL can only be described as a thunderous temple to China’s electronic music scene. The club’s progressive music policy invites cutting-edge global DJs, such as Mala, Marshmello, and Deadmau5.

OIL: YANGYANG, SHY BEEF

3ASiC is one of China’s leading electronic musicians and DJs. Boiler Room has called him “one of the best bass music producers in China,” and he created the hit song ‘Tao Lu,’ which has more than 100 million plays, with rapper Jony J.

3ASIC

Fake Gentle is an indie rock and electronic band formed in Chengdu, China. With a distinctive musical style and fiercely expressive demeanor, Fake Gentle champions their female perspectives while promoting independence, gender equality, liberty, and self-liberation.

FAKE GENTLE

Unchained co-founder Daniel Power has transformed Shenzhen’s music scene. From hosting monthly parties and China tours with international headliners to launching Unchained Recordings with Lyndon Jarr in 2018, Power is the mastermind behind drum and bass music’s popularity in South China.

DANIEL POWER

Antikawaii is a new Guangzhou team of DJs, producers, and singers. Their music absorbs elements from hip hop, new soul, new jazz, and reggae, and records the dark and disturbing relationship between humans and the societal norms that bind us.

ANTIKAWAII

Steve Pan is a Chinese DJ, producer, and live performer based in Melbourne. During his live sets, the audience is treated to a hypnotic alternate reality experience deeply fueled by an eclectic fusion of ambient sounds, cassette tape loop recordings, and different elements from techno, bass, downtempo, and other genres.

STEVE PAN

Known across China as one of the nation’s top underground clubs, OIL can only be described as a thunderous temple to China’s electronic music scene. The club’s progressive music policy invites cutting-edge global DJs, such as Mala, Marshmello, and Deadmau5.

OIL: YANGYANG, SHY BEEF

Highlights

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