Ben Huang
From Music-China Wiki
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|
Contents |
Although born in Shanghai, Ben Huang began his assault on the world of djing in Beijing, back in the old days, before the flowering of clubs and club music in the PRC.
Ben loves this music so much that he passed up a career in the fashion industry to work as a dj. Ben regularly plays at a variety of venues in Beijing and Shanghai. Their ultimate event was the first ever rave on The Great Wall, the first to get permission from the traditionally reluctant authorities. Ben first brought Technasia to China and supported and organized Derrick May to play in Beijing.
Biography
Shanghai born Huang set off on his creative path as a student of modern dance and fine arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He then dipped his toes in the fashion world but with a major climate shift on the way in the dance music scene, Huang gave up a budding career in fashion and found his calling in the Beijing music scene. Self taught Huang single-handedly kick-started Beijing’s club scene back in the mid-nineties, before anyone knew what club culture or electronic music was. China’s open door policy had not opened enough to let in the developments going on in the rest of the world, with the influx of music being heavily filtered from the mainstream pop culture trends of neighboring Taiwan and Hong Kong. “At the time no one knew what it meant to be a DJ, and what house music was. House, Techno and Electronic music was underground in China at that time.” Ben Huang introduced the young funky things of Beijing to the international sounds of 'real' club beats. Strange as it may seem, there simply was no club scene in the Peoples Republic of China. Huang created one all by himself - scraping together records from friends and peers, and via mail from Hong Kong and Europe. Huang collected and nurtured his own avant-garde style in the underground clubs of Beijing and Shanghai. His creative expression comprised of varying styles from experimental, nu jazz, tech house to minimal techno. Huang’s music transported Beijing and Shanghai’s small underworld and kicked down its doors to the sounds from Detroit to Berlin. “Music inspires me. I use music to inspire people. I just trust my feeling with any music I hear.”
In no time, Huang became one of the most heavily sought after DJs in Beijing and Shanghai. His sounds impressed European promoters and made him one of the funkiest exports to come out from the Middle Kingdom. Huang became one of the first ever Chinese DJs to break into the international scene, playing in venues from the Parisian Elysee-Montmartre to the famed Zurich Street Parade, alongside the world’s best. He has shared the stage with the likes of Laurent Garnier and Ritchie Hawtin, and burned the airwaves on Paris’ Radio FG. Back home, Huang helped organize the ultimate rave event The Great Wall Party, which was the first to get permission from the traditionally reluctant authorities. Huang first brought Technasia to China and supported and organised Derrick May to play in Beijing. He also brought superclub Gatecrasher to the PRC. An unofficial DJ for Louis Vuitton (China), Huang has been asked to churn out the grooves for the fashion giant’s opening launch parties in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Hang Zhou and Tsing Tao. Ben Huang is indeed the pioneer of clubbing in China and has garnered praise and respect from his peers at home and abroad. His current mix work for artists like Faye Wong keep him one of the most in-demand DJ’s in China.
Taken from Spoilermusic
Major performances
Zurich Streetparade, Club Q, Spidergalaxy, Club Supermarket, Club Tosee, Via Felsenau... in Switzerland ; Gibus, Elysee montmartre, radio FG, studio 287... in Paris France .
International DJ Supports & Organised in China :
Derrick May ( Detroit ), Laurent Garnier ( France ), Technasia (HK/France), Richie Hawtin ( Canada ), I-Cube ( France ),
2001 ANOTHER BREAK ON THE WALL @ GREATWALL BEIJING CHINA
2002 SNOW MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL, Yunnan CHINA
2002 MIDI MUSIC FESTIVAL BEIJING
2002 STREET PARADE, ZURICH , SWITZERLAND
2002 illuminate the great wall Music festival
2004 LILLE 2004 CAPITALE EUROPEENNE DE LA CULTURE
2004 China Electronica Music Beach Festival
200 4 FORMULA 1 after party Shanghai
2005 Norah Jones Post Party BEIJING SHANGHAI
2005 CHIVAS 2070 China .
2005 AMSTERDAM China Hong kong Festival , Asian dance night met dj Ben Huang,
2006 Midi music festival BEIJING
2006 CHIVAS Milan Life Style Party Shanghai
2006 Beijing Pop Festival
On May 3rd, 2010, he performed at the Midi Music Festival 2010.
What others say
“DJ Ben Huang is one of the best Chinese minimal DJs at the moment, who has a reputation for burning the dance floor with his excellent turntable skills ” - DJ Tootekool
“Watching Ben Huang spin was really nice. Other DJs in town need to skip their Saturday night gigs and gawk over his technical brilliance. He really is the best techno DJ in China ” - DJ Jackson Black
“ while most European Dj s just enjoy themselves, putting one Tune after another, Ben is wizarding around mixing and scratching like a fool, heating up the crowd. You can t resist his flow ” - DJ Micrometropolis
Contact information
Contact: djbenh@hotmail.com
Participated Festivals
Midi Music Festival 2010, May 1st-4th 2010
