default#21

default den haag is happy to invite you to a free program in the Central Library involving a conversation with three important figures from the open-thinking Beijing experimental music scene – Sun Yizhou, Zhu Wenbo, Zhao Cong. The program will also feature performances by Sun Yizhou and ‘No Performance’ (the duo of Zhu Wenbo & Li Song).

This event is following up default#20 which will be taking place on Thursday, 23rd of January, in The Grey Space in The Middle, Paviljoensgracht 20-24.

Read more about it here default#20

Sun Yizhou, Zhu Wenbo and Zhao Cong have all brought forward divergent ‘music unlike music’ ideas to the post-2000 eai discourse, including performances and compositions which defy easy categorisation. While an interest in electronic devices and daily objects may be a common ground, often here the concept is more important than the tools; exploring situations, rather than predetermined outcomes.

Their publishing practice under the labels Zoomin’ Night (Zhu Wenbo) and Aloe Records (Sun Yizhou), as well as affiliated concert programs, have substantially shaped the current experimental sound scene in Beijing, expanding to encompass a larger international network, with Zoomin’ Night actively adjusting to possible conditions for the past 15 years and Aloe Records being established in 2022.

The movement Sun Yizhou, Zhu Wenbo, and Zhao Cong are affiliated with has in the past been described as ‘non-music Beijing scene’ by themselves and others. The confronting engagement in the spatial and political dialogue with contemporary life in Beijing, both a ‘reflection of’ and somewhat of ‘a radical reaction towards’ reality, can be considered a lineage, creating what can be called “a low music for a low life”, as has been described by their collaborator and friend Yan Jun. The lack of access to venues with in situ sound systems, and, consequently, the use of venues with hard restrictions on loudness, or spaces with no electricity plugs – like outdoors or public underpasses (as in Zhu’s more recent ‘Underpass concerts’ series) –, encompass the conditions and inform the aesthetics considered central to experimental sound in Beijing. This pushes artists to use ’simple’ things for performing and to not rely on a sound system, as described by Sun Yizhou in his interview with Daryl Worthington (The Wire Magazine - December 2024, Issue 490). Many of their performances are documented on Sun Yizhou’s & Zhu Wenbo’s YouTube channels, and an extensive amount of works from Sun, Zhu, and Zhao have been released via their own and other labels, showcasing the variety in practices and approaches they’ve developed over the years.

Alongside them, the London based artist Li Song will accompany the program, whose approach with mechanical devices and portable speakers could be traced back to his time in the Beijing scene. He is also a member of the computer network music ensemble ‘[ _ _ _ ]’ together with Shuoxin Tan and Jia Liu, with whom he gave a talk at the default x Central Library event back in October 2023.