A window into the raves of Hong Kong Art Week

Every March, Hong Kong gets a second wind after a quick post-Lunar New Year nap: Art Month. The weight of the month is skewed towards the end, where Art Week commences with international art fair Art Basel and Art Central. The slew of other events throughout the month: ComplexCon, HKwalls Street Art Festival, Hong Kong Sevens and more, brought in new and recurring visitors from all over the world.

Where there are people, there are parties (and where there are parties, there are afterparties.)

Art spaces—both institutional and independent—transform into platforms of possibility, expression, and cultural exchange, presenting a full week of parties and afterparties. There is some sort of shift in the landscape, there is movement, and there is music. Here are some of the sounds we heard.

At The Line Between Us, a collaboration between Panic Library, Cakeshop Seoul and alternative art space Current Plans, we heard deconstructed club with elements of hyperpop, trance, ambient from South London's MRWIZE; hardcore, experimental club, and trance from Kuala Lumpur's AMBII; deconstructed club, baile funk and hyperpop sad girl edits from Hong Kong's own Baby Diwata.

Innovative, shapeshifting music collective slash creative think tank Yeti Out teamed up with Cakeshop Seoul to throw their annual joint party (circa 2016). At Rave In The Sky, we heard new-age gqom interspersed with amapiano from STATE OFFF (Amsterdam); techno, acid, trance, hardcore from Canada-based hainafromchina; breakbeat and UK bass from Seoul's untitled (2).

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Presented by Yeti Out’s independent label Silk Road Sounds, we bathed our ears in a hypnotic and healing performance by WildRide (comprised of YEHAIYAHAN and Taiga, from Xinjiang and Mongolia via Chengdu and Shanghai). The trio utilises nomadic instruments—Morin khuur, bass drum, Doshpuluur—and blends Tuvan throat singing with electronica.

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At No Rest For The Wicked, we heard hyperpop-influenced experimental electronica from LimboLimbs, a noise set from LOUSY, and a captivating performance by xiexie3lla. At Dragon Town Trap House, Tokyo hip hop legend Loota, DJ Sinta of Double Clapperz (Tokyo), Tedman Lee and the Yeti Out crew wrapped up the week by sweating out the room.

A legendary figure in the experimental Japanese music scene since the 80s, noise rock legend ∈Y∋ debuted for the first time in Hong Kong as a solo act with his latest project FINALBY ( ). Organised and produced by The Xevarion Institute, the event featured other sound artists Kanta Horio and Taiki Niimi as well as visual artist Cosmic Lab.

Cheryl Chow is a freelance writer for Mixmag Asia. Follow her on Instagram.

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