CHINA FROM ALL ANGLES

On our June episode of SoundCheck, Wes Chen, host of hip hop podcast thePark, and Bryan Grogan, culture editor at RADII, talk about some of their favorite tracks from the month, by the likes of Psy.P, Limbo Limbs and MIA AIM, and also discuss the controversy surrounding Mandopop artist Kris Wu.

Born in Taiwan and based out of Guangzhou, 21-year-old DJ Sulk has been a rising force on the Chinese club scene, as he cut his teeth in the shadowy Shenzhen club Oil, before taking his talents to some of the best clubs in China.

This month for our china.wav mix, he mixes Faye Wong with French composer Francois De Roubaix and more.

On our June episode of SoundCheck, Wes Chen, host of hip hop podcast thePark, and Bryan Grogan, culture editor at RADII, talk about some of their favorite tracks from the month, by the likes of Wang Yitai and Aire, Yadae and Bloodz Boi, while they also discuss the stories behind some of their current favorite summer songs from Chinese artists.

This week we welcome Slowcook, a Beijing-based DJ who has been cutting her teeth at integral club Zhao Dai. Slowcook runs her own monthly gender-equal party called G2Gather, made a stunning appearance on Boiler Room last year and just recently announced the launch of her new independent radio station Baihui.

This month she mixes Mandopop with British techno and more.

Tracklist:

Flore - You Were Here

The Future Sound of London - Cascade (Part 1)

Kamus - Wallace

Guava - SZD Orion

Pessimist - Empty Words

Laksa - FWD Ghosts

ESTHER - Granite

PlayPlay - Signaling

UNIIQU3 - LSD

Rose Bonica - Destitute

Kim Anh - Recovering

王菲 - 不再儿嬉

Run Tings - Something To Dance To

Sam Goku - Fusing Bubbles

TSHA - Demba (feat. Trio Da Kali)

DCYY: https://dcyy.bandcamp.com/album/home-fitness

Cross x Talk: Join Iron Mic's Dana "Showtyme" Burton & Bohan Phoenix for “Culture vs Hate”

In the wake of Anti-Asian attacks and to commemorate the end of AAPI Heritage Month, the two creative legends and Wes Chen of thePark talk with RADII on how stereotypes fuel racial hatred and paths forward using culture.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Asian diaspora has suffered an incredible rise in discrimination and violent hate crimes. Attacks on Asians in 16 of America's largest cities soared by a never before seen 164% in the first quarter of 2021. 8 in 10 Asian Americans told Pew Research that violence against them is increasing.

Advocates for Asian Americans have blamed anti-China rhetoric that was fueled by former President Donald Trump, but some have also argued that Sinophobic bias is prevalent on both sides of the aisle. So where do we go from here?

Dana Burton, Bohan Phoenix, and Wes Chen will join RADII in the “Preservation of the Human Race” Club on Clubhouse to discuss both the history of ingrained stereotypes against Asian immigrants - Yellow Peril, the Model Minority Myth etc. - and how a love for and sharing of culture (music, hip hop, art) can pave a path forward out of hate.

INTRODUCING:

Dana “Showtyme” Burton was born and raised in Detroit. After moving to China nearly two decades ago, he has since been working tirelessly to utilize hip hop as a connection point between American and Chinese communities. He is the founder and creative director of Iron Mic, China’s first branded entertainment agency, and has been referenced in publications ranging from CNN to the Cambridge History of World Music.

Born in Hubei province in China and raised in New York, Bohan Phoenix is an acclaimed bilingual rapper who has worked with the likes of Higher Brothers and Vava. He has been a great RADII friend and CROSSxTALK veteran, including weighing in last year with MC Tingbudong on Asian rappers for the Black Lives Matter movement.

(https://radiichina.com/black-lives-matter-and-asian-communities/)

Wes Chen is a podcast host and presenter who has headed up China’s longest running hip hop podcast The Park since 2006, proving instrumental in the rise of some of China’s biggest hip hop stars, and becoming the country’s most mainstream hip hop podcast in the process.

SHOW NOTES:

2:12 - 16:15

The model minority myth, its origins, how it effects all minorities in America, how it has created stigmas specifically towards the Asian community, and the role it plays in the recent rise of sino-phobia.

16:15 - 21:00

The lack of recognition of Asian-American experience in America culture and history and how people of Asian decent are continually deemed as foreign in the eyes of mainstream America.

21:00 - 28:18

How geopolitics have effected race relations among US citizens of different communities, and how fear inducing media rhetoric has fueled the divide amongst Americans of different cultures.

28:18 - 34:40

Can music, art, travel, education, and experiencing culture, work against the mainstream media that is pushing a narrative that enforces tribalism and bring people together.

36:00 - 44:30

Differences in how media on both sides of have handled issues without nuance, and how it has effected the minds of actually people in different countries.

44:30 - 47:14

Bohan Phoenix - But I still love you

47:15 - 52:30

Tribalism being played out on social media platforms.

52:30 - 1:03:45

Shared appreciation of art and culture being the tool of the people to raise awareness and to reach people and bring perspective.

1:03:50 - 1:26:35

Lack of diversity in the entertainment industry in America, more specifically Asian representation, stereotypical roles, and how this phenomena plays a part in society.

1:26:45 - end

MC Jin - Stop the Hatred f Wyclef Jean

Wang Changcun (aka ayrtbh) and Benjamin Bacon (aka SoundSpade), two Shanghai-based artists whose practices bend the line between coding and composition, discuss with host Josh Feola the impact of Artificial Intelligence on creativity. Is AI a tool? A separate consciousness that can be collaborated with? Both? Neither? Full info: http://radiichina.com/b-side-china-ep-13/

On this episode of the podcast I take stock of overseas milestones achieved by Chinese artists operating at both the mainstream and underground levels in 2018. The audio was recorded from a talk on the subject I gave at Shanghai space Subland, which was followed by a debate with German music critic Fabian Peltsch, who asks important questions such as: Why should it matter to Chinese artists to "go global"? When we say "global," how do we distinguish between "the West" and other parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia and Africa, where China is actively seeking to build influence through large-scale projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative? Most importantly, are we stuck with Kris Wu as the go-to artist to represent Chinese music on international charts? Full info: radiichina.com/b-side-china-ep-12/

Three co-founders of the one-of-a-kind Nightlife Residency discuss their pilot program in 2018, overlaps and fissures between the gallery & club worlds in Shanghai and Beijing, and how these different subaltern cultural spheres intersect in China's major cities today. Full info: https://radiichina.com/b-side-china-ep-11/

Host Josh Feola talks to photojouranlist Cong Yan, video producer Emma Sun, and music promoter/comic book artist Krish Raghav about stereotypes shaping the different “China narratives” that dominate Western news media, corporate branded content, and music journalism. Full info: radiichina.com/b-side-china-ep-10/

“The way we consume culture is actually determining the content of the culture itself” — visual artist, writer, and one half of Shanghai Restoration Project Sun Yunfan discusses the impact of tech on art

Full info: https://radiichina.com/b-side-china-ep-09/