In recent years, the vibrant underground club scenes in urban China have been set abuzz by both local and global attention. Women and queer people active in the scene, whether as DJs, producers, promoters, or simply partygoers, are connected not only through their shared passion for electronic music but also through the sense of “belonging” that the scene seems to promise. However, experiences of “unbelonging” within the queer or women-centred club scenes are not uncommon. Through an interdisciplinary lens of cultural studies and music sociology, my research aims to uncover the complex social dynamics that are often overshadowed by the emancipating narratives constructed around the club scene. My analysis draws on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Shanghai, with interview data collected from musicians and partygoers as well as abundant media materials from digital platforms.
Even as I have continued to analyse the emperical materials gathered as part of my fieldwork in the summer of 2022, the scene has transformed drastically. Prominent underground venues like Elevator and Heim, where much of my fieldwork was conducted, have now closed. For the remaining clubs, featuring international acts in their programming has almost become the norm. At the same time, however, Shanghai-based DJs, producers, and promoters continue to experiment in their musical practices, using local digital streaming stations such as BAIHUI and byyb radio and touring as labels or as party collectives in nearby cities like Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Saigon, to name just a few. The evolving nightscape of Shanghai (and urban China in general) presents both challenges and potentials, all of which call for more critical examination aimed at better understanding the social, political, and economic mechanisms that interweave with its sonic vibrancy. This task requires collaborative efforts by institutions and researchers. Institutions’ structural reflexivity, tangible support, and streamlined processes are necessary in order to sustain more in-depth and field-based research, which in turn has the potential to amplify marginalized voices. For researchers, developing a reflexive methodology and cultural sensitivity to their respective areas of interest is crucial to capturing and decoding the layered narratives embedded in transient contemporary life.
In view of the closure of the abovementioned venues, my research may have fulfilled its initially unexpected archival agenda. But even so, I believe in the resilience of the scene and hope that someday we can rave freely together on the dancefloor in Shanghai.
In the new research column “Early Stage Researchers”, up-and-coming academics at the mdw offer glimpses into their intriguing and wide-ranging research activities.
