"It Looks Like a Gun and Has the Skin of a Snake!”: Temple Rat on Melding Techno and Tradition

When Mei Yuxin first spotted a traditional Chinese erhu fiddle, she thought: “What a very strange instrument! It looks like a gun and has the skin of a snake!” Even stranger is the music she now makes with it, combining traditional melodies with modern techno. Under the stage name Temple Rat, the Chengdu producer and DJ has generated serious buzz in China’s underground electronic scene with that unique musical juxtaposition.

Ahead of her Jan 19 performance at Lantern (as part of the fourth anniversary for Get Connected studio and artist collective), Temple Rat tells us more about combining Chinese music of today and of yore.

How did you first learn to play erhu?
I grew up in a small city in the southwestern part of China called Nanchong. Many parents during that time, in the 1990s, wanted their children to learn violin or piano as a hobby. 

I liked the piano very much, so my mother took me to get some classes. But the teacher felt that my fingers were too short. So after the first piano lesson, the teacher told my mother that I was not suitable. 

How did you handle that?
It was a big disappointment for me, as this was obviously a ridiculous argument from this teacher. But while the teacher chatted with my mum in another room, I saw an erhu in the corner. I thought: ‘What a very strange instrument! It looks like a gun and has the skin of a snake!’ I was immediately fascinated by its interesting look. And because there are very few people interested in playing this instrument, and the length of my fingers was not a limiting factor, I got to chose the erhu.

How did you get the idea to combine the erhu with techno?
Back in university, I had two part-time jobs. I taught erhu on the side during the week, and on weekend nights I worked for Chengdu’s famous TAG club.

At that time, TAG was the first electronic music club in Chengdu that played real techno and not EDM. The main reason why I chose a club for part-time work was that I really wanted to see how the musicians controlled their equipment, and how they did remixes.

What was the club job like?
At that time, I had a key that allowed me to go to the club early. And let me tell you a secret [laughs]: I’d always come early in the evening, bring my erhu to the club, and try to “jam” with various types of electronic music. It was the happiest I’d ever been, which is why I slowly started to do some electronic music with erhu elements by myself.

Does traditional Chinese music complement modern techno?
Actually, traditional Chinese music and techno seem to not match at all! That’s why it’s fun – because people really don’t expect this combination. But we have an ever-growing electronic music scene in China, of which most people just try to copy the West. However, I am trying to implement our heritage into modern electronic music, and I found very interesting connections. 

READ: Electronic Music Looks to "Blow Up" in Beijing

Wow! Like what?
Take the drums of the set I played last year at the Great Wall Festival. It started with traditional war drums (战). Many people may have thought, “Okay, this is now the soundtrack to a martial arts movie playing here!” But then you realize how perfectly these drums blend into a techno beat later on in the song.

So what should people expect at your Lantern show?
I am very excited to be able to perform at Lantern. It’s one of the best techno clubs in China. This time I prepared a mix of erhu and drum machines in my DJ set. I am really looking forward to the 19th, and promise people a truly unique show combining tradition and techno!

Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily.

Temple Rat will perform at Lantern on Jan 19. Entrance is RMB 50.

Photos courtesy of Yuxin Mei