From Peng to Acupuncture, and now Haze, Pancake Lee has made his name with some of Beijing’s best electronic music crews over the years. He talked to us about his school years, dual careers and which Beijing DJ will be the first to pen a memoir.
On childhood
“I grew up in Haidian District. It occurred to me that children were different depending on which district of Beijing they grew up in. The main difference was between those who came from hutongs and those who grew up in residential compounds”
“I was a naughty student at school, but performed well academically. I was popular with the girls. I wanted to grow up to become a mathematician or a historian”
On the day job
“I’m a Principal Consultant at China Insurance Group. I’m responsible mainly for presenting financial plans and family protection plans to clients”
“Having a day job makes my life as a DJ easier. It means I don’t have to think about DJing to make money, just to relax and make some music”
“My day job is something bigger than just selling insurance. It actually solves problems for families who can’t afford emergencies. Every time I sell a contract, I feel happy. It’s about more than just making my commission. The same goes for music. If someone else is happy in the soul, I’ll be happy too”
On music
“One musician I love is Trentemøller. His music and voice are neat, simple and beautiful – his music touches me deeply”
“I started DJing at parties in Beijing in 2003 or 2004. At that time, disco was huge in Beijing. Opening a club was more risky, and the chances of success were much lower”
On Haze
“Haze’s Yang Bing has been one of the most important teachers I’ve had as a DJ. Because of that, getting involved with Haze was an easy decision for me. Our new Haze Club Night will be the resident DJs’ first project as a team”
On books
“I think Jackson Lee should be the first Beijing DJ to publish a book about the electronic scene here. He was the first Beijinger to start DJing, so he’s the best person to write a good book”
Pancake Lee plays Haze's April Fools Day Club Night on Apr 1.
Click here to see the March issue of the Beijinger in full.
Photo: Sui
CORRECTION: Haze's new "Club Night" event launches with the April Fools Day event on April 1, not on March 30 as originally listed in this post.
Haze regulars should also pay attention to two corrections to our 7 Days in Beijing newsletter:
1. There is no Haze Club Night on March 30.
2. We incorrectly listed The Horses as appearing at Haze on March 31. The Horses will in fact appear at Haze on April 2.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused by these errors.
The Cleaver Quarterly: A new print magazine taking a playful look at Chinese food as a global phenomenon. Issue 1 out May 2014
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