Crater Monde Project Brings Light to China's Up and Coming Electronic Producers

A couple of weeks back, I was chatting with a friend about how bios for electronic musicians are hilariously lacking. More often than not a producer will muse about the gear that inspired their most recent release instead of actually providing details about themselves. So while some producers may garner some attention here and abroad, fans often know little to nothing about them. Crater Monde, the new electronic music project headed by Chengdu musician Liang Yi – known to most as the lead in post-punk ensemble Stolen (who happen to be touring with New Order this fall) – looks to change that.

Liang and co. will celebrate the release of Crater Monde 1 (listen here) at Lantern this Saturday, Jul 6, his new one-two project made up of a vinyl compilation and accompanying magazine that together will shed light on the exciting producers on the rise across China.

Aiming to set a new standard for electronic music magazines in China and more importantly, spark conversations among Chinese electronic musicians and electronic music lovers, Carte Monde will be released annually, providing a vantage point into the constantly evolving electronic scene.

“In a day when the music culture of China is updating too fast and everyone is listening to digital music without the excitement or ownership that comes with the physical object [we believe] readers can build a closer connection with producers through pictures and words.” Besides including production tricks of the trade (gear heads need love too), the magazine will show a more personal side of its artists with in-depth interviews, pieces from musical critics, and musings on the influence of other art forms on their trade.

“Producers in European countries can become superstars if they are good enough, but here we have many excellent electronic music producers who are barely known,” says Liang – who has recruited a killer roster of talent for the first edition – in an effort to combat that imbalance. From Chengdu IDM mastermind 3he to Beijing’s own hard techno junkie Punx, the release will be comprised of nine producers from various backgrounds with a penchant for modular synths and top-notch production. Whether it be techno or ambient music, “no matter where you come from, no matter which record company or label you belong, if your work is good enough we want to include it in Crater Monde.” 

It’s an ambitious project and one that obviously comes from the heart. As such, we look forward to what Liang Yi and his merry gang of noisemakers have planned for us down the road.

Catch the release of Crater Monde 1 at Lantern this Saturday, Jun 6 at 9pm (prior to their regular Saturday night booking). Tickets are RMB 120 on the door or RMB 100 advance.

Heading to the cinema on Saturday? Here's your must-watch movie list for July instead.

Images courtesy of the organizers