“Uniting Asias experimentalists” Bandcamp
“Quirky & Innovative” Resident Advisor
“Totally Irresistable” The Quietus
Forward thinking Asian music label Chinabot bring us an epic triple bill from Korea and Japan – including the first ever UK show from KASAI. This is one of only two of these exclusive shows happening in the UK this year – the other is at Cafe OTO in London – we feel super lucky & proud to be hosting this banging lineup! Chinabot is a platform and collective created to change the dialogue surrounding Asian music, established in 2017.
Kasai reworks Japanese Minyo folk music into rad wonky avant beats that are intriguing and fun and totally moreish, Hwxxng uses traditional Korean instruments to create – what he describes as – post apocalyptic dance music and Oriental Melon are an AV duo blending Eastern philosophy with digital culture to make a spectacularly spellbinding show.
MORE DEETS ABOUT EACH ARTIST BELOW
KASAI
“Listening through the album feels like rummaging through a crate of toys passed down through generations, where nostalgic objects meet more high-tech gadgets. It’s a joy.” – DJ MAG / Eoin Murray
Japanese folk experimentalist KASAI returns for his third release on Chinabot with the emoji-titled 〽️ . Continuing his exuberant exploration of traditional minyo, he incorporates the ancient form into the experience of life and labour in contemporary Japan. “There are many celebratory labour songs in minyo,” says KASAI. “Influenced by these aspects, I created my own minyo.” Drawing on the events of his daily life, 〽 reflects KASAI’s own work as a care worker, garbage disposal worker, father and hobbyist farmer. His creative methods reflect this humanistic impulse, showcasing the voice as a centrepiece; 〽️, written and pronounced as Iori-ten, references the musical notation used where the singer’s part begins in some forms of traditional Japanese music.
His stripped-back rhythms are often characterized by hand clapping on odd-numbered beats, where the influence of gorge and bass music is felt alongside taiko drumming. “Rather than melody, I focus on the rhythm and momentum of the words as they are uttered,” he says. “It is more important about the voicing than singing.” He credits the radio broadcasts of the Riyo Mountains, a DJ duo who research Japanese folk music, for influencing his vocal delivery.
HWXXNG
“It’s a remarkable mixture, and the result is an intense rush of sounds that converse at a ferocious pace; thunderous kicks propel sweet-yet-sharp melodies, disjointed voices and wild FX into a dazzling orbital motion.” – DJ MAG
HWXXNG (aka Jaeho Hwang)is a DJ and producer who navigates between Europe and Seoul, bringing a unique fusion of sounds to the forefront of the club music scene. As a producer, he reimagines traditional Korean instrumentation, seamlessly weaving it into cutting-edge electronic compositions to expand creative boundaries. His DJ sets have gained acclaim for their bold and unpredictable style, where industrial Techno grooves, heavy Bass, and the raw energy of Hard Dance collide with the rhythms of Latin Core, the avant-garde edge of Post-Club, and Experimental influences, all enriched by the evocative textures of East Asian soundscapes.
After releasing his first EP on Chinabot in 2019, he has been featured in Boiler Room, 4:3 Boiler Room, NTS Radio, DJ Mag, BBC Radio 6 Music, The Wire magazine, XLR8R, Nowness, and Mixmag Korea, Nike Air/ Synth Showcase, Coeval Magazine, etc. He is a member of Chinabot but also he is a founder of Seoul based collective called “Fragmented Service” that represents Seoul’s sub-club music scene and curates shows with International artists in Seoul such as ZULI, ENDGAME, Dis Fig, X/O and Bulma.
Also, he has played with very talented artists like Mykki Blanco, Hudson Mohawke, Foodman, Dis Fig, bod[包家巷], Law- rence Lek, Ifeoluwa, Gooooose, Warmchainss, S.O.N.S, Eastern Margins, Sabiwa, Pisitakun, Diamond Terrifier, Neo Geodesia and many other artists.
https://www.chinabot.co/jaehohwang
https://www.instagram.com/jaeho111111
https://soundcloud.com/jaehohwang
ORIENTAL MELON
Oriental Melon is a digital audio-visual artist duo composed of Jaeho Hwang and Sena Oh from South Korea, based in Berlin. Their work fuses traditional and contemporary elements, exploring the intersection of Eastern philosophy and digital culture. By navigating the complexities of cultural identity, they act as a bridge between traditional practices and innovative digital expressions, fostering dialogue that deepens appreciation for both realms.
Sena Oh is a Korea-born, Berlin-based visual explorer. Her creative approach is fueled by a deep fascination with immersive digital experiences and their underlying processes. She focuses on re-examining mixed and overused digital interfaces and media, experiencing and resolving distortions that arise from digital convergence and media interactions. Through this process, she weaves stories with a pataphysical perspective, blurring the boundaries between reality and unreality, logic and illogic, and Eastern and Western cultures. Additionally, she is part of the electronic music label “Hundertrecord” as a visual artist.
Jaeho Hwang (aka HWXXNG)is a Berlin-based DJ and producer from South Korea whose practice explores sound as a site of cultural memory, identity, and futurism. Defining his work as Asian-Core / K-Core, he merges industrial club music with traditional Korean instrumentation, ritual chants, and East Asian sonic archives.
https://www.instagram.com/oriental.melon/
https://www.chinabot.co/jaehohwang
https://www.sena0h.com/