Following the previous blog…
Massive fun would be lost if the audience is lacking the cultural context. But still, they can appreciate her work in more of a reduced listening mode. When I was struggling with the way to make this cultural background thing accessible to everyone , Ingrid pointed out it is not my responsibility to do so.
Many reviewers say she makes “土(tu)”(the local, the tacky) become “cool.” Instead of running from China’s grassroots culture the way many artists do, she turns it into something powerful and emotional. The ethos of the original spirit of culture is rare among Chinese artists but rather common among Latino and Black people. Charlie XCX revived the electronic pop of western clubs in the 2000s- DJ Gurl was doing the exact same thing and localised it. Chinese culture has been under Western hegemony for so long that it has developed a habitual inferiority complex: anything ‘local’ is invariably seen as “土(tu)”. Elements considered as “土(tu)” is actually due to the relegation to the bottom of the hierarchy of contempt by capitalist logic. Thus, many Chinese artists shy away from, and even disdain embracing and promoting the spirit of their roots. In fact, non-mainstream culture and hip-hop culture in the US were both emerged under various structural pressures, but they share complete different aesthetic comments. Why have 喊麦 (hǎn-mai) and non-mainstream culture been stifling? Because the right to speak has never been in our hands.
What surprised me the most was the integration of a large number of folk elements. Either non-mainstream pop songs in the 10s or northeastern rap with a strong northeastern dialect, combines with the highly futuristic hyperpop elements. It gives a sense of paying tribute to the past from the future. Listening to her is like walking into a chaotic childhood internet café—flashing lights, skating rinks, stolen CD mixes, forums, QQ show. But the production is strangely modern and artistic. It’s not just cheap nostalgia; it’s more like using “low” culture as rebellion.
One of her album 头七 (Tóu-qi)- named after the Chinese spiritual ritual on the first seventh day of passing, constructs the afterlife of DJ Gurl. This album offers a substantial atmospheric contrast to the 节奏的奴隶 (Slave to the Rhythm) series and features a compelling narrative arc. Inspired from Asian horror movies, she intends to critique the tragedies behind the core element “resentment” with electronic music and to infuse a sense of warmth. The album’s journey begins with DJ Gurl’s death announcement, moves into a ‘life flashing before her eyes’ montage, discussing love, the scene of masturbation and rental house, and ends with the revenge and her last grief.