Mysterious Techno Artist Guan to Hit the Desk at Fruity Space, Dec 8

Masked Producer GUAN to Unleash His Brand of Dark Techno on Fruityspace, Dec 8

Kyle Mullin | Dec 7, 2018 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 1915 reads

The mysterious and masked Hangzhou producer GUAN has been busy recently, unleashing his harsh, abrasive strain of electronica on clubgoers while touring his debut EP Barbaric Kung. Ahead of his Dec 8 show at Fruityspace, the enigmatic artist and founder of one of "China's pioneering electronic music labels" FunctionLab, tells us more about his eerie creative process.

Can you tell us a bit with how you created the intense sounds on "Deal With Ghosts"?
Most of the sounds in "Deal With Ghosts" are made with an Elektron’s Analog Four and RYTM. I was trying to create a texture that’s similar to the banging of a metal surface, and within that effort, I would let synthesizer modulation lead the way for more sound inspirations. I usually prefer synthesized sounds to specific samples. And the vocal samplings are taken from me.

What aspects of Barbaric Kung are you most proud of and why?
For this EP, I did a lot of thinking in terms of how to break the limits and conventions of techno music. I wanted to add to it a cinematic atmosphere so that it goes beyond entertaining the dancefloor. At the same time, I still managed to keep the immersive power specifically brought by the structure of techno. I was also trying to create enough variations in each track to keep the audience’s mood flowing.

What has your experience been like in Shanghai and Hangzhou’s club scenes?
I think Shanghai and Hangzhou are quite different despite their geographical closeness. Shanghai has a more developed club scene. Meanwhile, the music scene in Hangzhou is more diverse and inclusive. You can hear very different types of music in one night at the same place. Both cities are quite open to fresh new sounds, which is good.

How do you use visuals to augment your music?
I think visuals are very important, but not because they serve to offer explanations to the music. I hope to build a connection between visuals – including wearing masks on stage and in promo photos – and sounds while playing live sets. When people hear me playing and look at the visuals that may or may not relate to it, they are provided with more dimensions of imagination, which adds stronger theatrical tension to the sounds.

Tell me a bit about who you are in your daily life. Who is the person behind the GUAN alias?
What I do in daily life is also related to music and art. I’m continuing my master’s studies in media at China Academy of Art. Music became a major form of expression of mine because I had a lot of anger when I was young, and music seemed to be the best way for me to express myself.

I played in punk bands before I got into electronic music. Then I put on masks, which narrow my eyesight down to 60 degrees, and I felt immediately invincible because there was a feeling of having a hidden identity with the mask on.