12.24 周六 • Xmas Mirage 平安夜话

很少有 DJ（中国就更不用说了）能像 Knopha 一样在广泛的音乐品类中穿梭畅游。听起来像陈词滥调，但他就是既能自如地用碎拍 techno 击破仓库派对，又同时传递柔和惬意的空灵音乐。

凭借这种多功能性(意味着抗打的技术能力和发现不同风格刁钻音乐的怪异胃口)，Knopha 在中国地下舞曲音乐场景中赢得了一席之地。他是以一种典型的偷偷摸摸的方式做到的 —— 头几年的演出稀疏不定期，间隔中悉心打理自己策划的 Beatween 派对（座上宾有 Orpheu The Wizard, MNDSGN, Yu Su, Mr.Ho, Pender Street Steppers, Bell Towers, PLO Man......)，同时不声不响地挖掘音乐和精进制作。于是当 Efdemin, Hodge, Laurel Halo, Dixon, Project Pablo 等艺人来到国内时，Knopha 成为助燃的最佳人选。而后经过一连串在招待所、Elevator、宀（香港）、Savage（河内）、Darker Than Wax（新加坡）等地作为 headliner 的出演，又给了他机会展现与暖场风格截然不同，面对高峰时刻的另一面—— 他不仅是一个有力的支持者，还隐藏着点燃舞池的深水炸弹。游离在 DJ 台背后的他有着对周遭环境人事敏锐的感知力，随着群体能量的变化升迁同步调整不同形态的律动。

2018 年末 Knopha 在 Eating Music 厂牌发行的《Nothing Nil》 EP（让他本人很意外地）获得了众多圈内好评，其中包括 Hessle Audio 的主理人 Ben UFO。Ben 亲临 Oil（深圳）感受了他的现场后，便邀请 Knopha 为其厂牌在 Rinse FM 的节目录制 guest mix。此前，Knopha 亦为 Red Light Radio, Pender Street Steppers 的 NTS 电台节目献上曲风上天入地，又自成一派的 mix。今年六月，他为在燃音乐发表的新 EP《Gym》所筹备的宣传巡演也即将启程。

当 Knopha DJ 的时候应该期待什么？最优解就是不用带着任何期望。或许你可以想象一下自然的节奏、迷幻的转折、摇头晃脑的打击乐、令人神怡的旋律 —— 作为一曲不曾间断的叙事同时流动。哦，还有他的胡子!

Few DJs on the globe - let alone China - traverse musical worlds as fluently as Knopha. It sounds like a cliche, but he is literally as comfortable smashing a warehouse rave with broken techno, as he is channeling the gentle seaside ambient vibe of his adopted hometown Xiamen.

It's with this versatility (meaning both technical skills and a monster appetite to find different styles of incredible music) that Knopha has earned a place in the top tier of Chinese dance music. He's done it in a characteristically sneaky way - just a few years ago, gigs were few and far between besides his own impeccably curated Beatween events (Orpheu The Wizard, MNDSGN, Yu Su, Mr Ho, Pender Street Steppers, Bell Towers, PLO Man and others). Noone knew how hard he was digging, and learning a production craft. When they caught on, things moved fast - Knopha quickly become the go-to to support cutting edge acts across the country (Efdemin, Hodge, Laurel Halo, Dixon, Project Pablo). But now, after headlining nights himself with Elevator (Shanghai), Minh (HK), Savage (Hanoi), TAG (Chengdu), Zhao Dai (Beijing), Loopy (Hangzhou), and Darker Than Wax (SG), it's dawned on bookers and ravers alike, that he's not just a strong support - he had been hiding peak-time bombs all along.

The Nothing Nil EP, released on Eating Music in late 2018, brought praise from major players including Hessle Audio boss Ben UFO. When Ben came to Oil in Shenzhen, he heard Knopha's warmup and immediately invited him to record a set for Hessle's legendary Rinse FM show. Other standout sets include Red Light Radio and NTS for Pender Street Steppers, each showing a different side of the selector. This summer, Knopha will tour 7 Chinese cities in support of his new EP 'Gym', released on Ran Music.

What to expect from a Knopha set? Safest not to expect at all - but if you must, think organic rhythms, psychedelic turns, head-snapping percussion and entrancing melody - flowing together as part of one unbroken narrative. And a mustache.

TAG 是来自日本名古屋的 DJ 兼平面设计师。13岁时买了唱机开始收集各种不同风格的音乐，16岁时开始在酒吧里做 DJ。以 hip-hop 为中心，其类型横跨 soul, jazz, R&B, funk, disco, house, reggae 等多种音乐风格。DJ TAG 在名古屋时期也曾为主办方举办过很多活动。2010年来到上海后继续做 DJ，囊括 The Shelter 的老牌活动 “SOUL CRATES” 等，在各大 livehouse 放送。

TAG comes from Nagoya, Japan, collecting muisc records of various genres since he was a child. With 14 years of DJ experience, he focuses on hip-hop and plays different music genres as well, including soul, jazz, R&B, funk, disco, house, reggae, inspired by any touching beat. He came to Shanghai in 2010 and continued his DJ performance here after. He performed in bars and his own party and once took part in Shelter’s classical event, “Soul Crates”. Meanwhile, he is constantly invited to play music by commercial organization.

来自上海，Kevin Shao 又名 Fat-K，驻扎于POTENT及 ENDTRO Studio 的联合创始人。最初专注于 old-school hip-hop 的即兴节拍，而长达十余年的磨练使他从懵懂的野生状态演变为更为鲜活的多元表达。Fat-K 善用节奏与氛围完成独具辨识度的叙事，亦能在追新猎奇的过程中融入旧学派的经典音色——80s pop, disco, 源自上世纪末的 hip-hop 旋律都是他的心头之好。伴随不断拓宽的音景，颇具前瞻性的视野，Fat-K 先后与 Red Bull 3 Style 冠军 Shintaro & Eskei83、DMC 传奇人物 DJ Brace，Shortkut 及 Yuto 同台演出，如今的他正成为本土场景中不可或缺的音乐人之一。

Shanghai born DJ Fat K, aka Kevin Shao is one of Shanghai’s most sort after mix-master. With over a decade at the forefront of China’s club scene, Fat-K’s success as a versatile hip hop DJ / selector has seen him forged his own individual path as the head resident of Potent & a co-founder of ENDTRO Studio, winning the respect of industry peers, club owners & legion of fans along the way. His improvisational music instinct, has over the years led him to sculpt and evolve into his individual unique style, perfecting between the realms of old school hip hop, disco and classic 80’s melodies. With a constantly expanding soundscape and his forwarding thinking vision, Fat K has supported alongside Red Bull 3 Styles champions Shintaro & Eskei83, DMC legends, DJ Brace, Shortkut and Yuto, thus making him one of todays most indispensable DJ’s in Shanghai’s local DJ community.

看不见肌肉的“肌肉”李，DJ MESUCLE LEE 来自武汉。成长在一个热爱音乐的家庭，使得他很早就有机会接触到世界前沿的 hip-hop, New jack swing, Funk, Disco 等音乐文化，并逐渐爱上了这些音乐。2015年，毕业于音乐学院的他，在武汉开始了自己的DJ生涯。不久之后，这个音乐风格多变，以 Hip-Hop/Funk/Disco 为主的 DJ 开始逐渐为人所知，并开始被邀请到音乐节和各类 CLUB 进行演出。频繁的演出和露面使得他收到了许多邀请，最终他选择加入武汉V2CLUB，成为这家独树一帜标杆俱乐部的 RESIDENT DJ。在朋友的邀请和引荐下，MUSCLE LEE 开始活跃在上海的各类音乐场景中。之后，他去到了 NINJA SHANGHAI，成为这家 HIP HOP 爱好者最喜爱俱乐部的一员，也在此期间积累了与国内外著名 DJ 及制作人团队等明星艺人合作的经历。

MUSCLE LEE 对于不同风格音乐的理解，使得他的 DJ 演奏风格从不拘泥于某种特定的曲风和类别；大胆的音乐采样和独特的现场呈现方式，和他游刃有余的表演，总是使得台下的听众感到惊喜并为之疯狂。MUSCLE LEE 的名号已经开始日渐耳熟能详，他渴望在这个浪潮下开拓出新的文化和道路，并致力使现有的音乐能衍生出更多内核。

"Muscle" Lee, who can't see muscles, DJ MESUCLE LEE is from Wuhan.Growing up in a family that loves music, he had an early opportunity to get in touch with the world's leading music cultures such as hiphop, New jack swing, Funk, Disco, etc., and gradually fell in love with these music.In 2015, he graduated from the Conservatory of Music and started his DJ career in Wuhan. Soon after, the music style changed, and DJs, mainly Hip-Hop/Funk/Disco, began to gradually become known, and began to be invited to perform in music festivals and various clubs.Frequent performances and appearances made him receive many invitations. In the end, he chose to join Wuhan V2CLUB and became the Resident DJ of this unique benchmark club.With the invitation and recommendation of friends, MUSCLE LEE became active in various music scenes in Shanghai. After that, he went to NINJA SHANGHAI and became a member of this HIP HOP enthusiast's favorite club. During this period, he also accumulated experience of cooperating with famous domestic and foreign DJs and production teams and other celebrity artists.

MUSCLE LEE’s understanding of different styles of music makes his DJ performance style never constrained to a specific genre and category; bold music sampling and unique live presentation, and his easy-to-do performances always make him offstage Listeners were pleasantly surprised and crazy about it. MUSCLE LEE's name has become familiar with each passing day. He is eager to open up new cultures and paths under this wave, and is committed to making existing music derive more cores.