"Dude, I Live the Ableton Life": Q&A With Pioneering Chinese DJ Ben Huang Ahead of Migas Gig on Aug 25

While there’s no shortage of techno, electronica and house happenings in Beijing these days, Ben Huang can easily recall a far more dire era.

“At the time, DJs at most clubs would yell in the microphone and just play the top 10 pop songs,” Huang says of the capital’s parched dance scene in the early '90s. All of that prompted him to delve into, and help greatly develop, the underground DJ scene in Beijing in the ensuing years. His efforts have led many to call him the godfather of the club scenes in Beijing and Shanghai, the latter of which he has since relocated to.

Huang will be back in the capital on August 25 to man the sound system at Migas, as part of a summer-long, nationwide tour. Below, the dance floor legend tells us more about making a career out making us all move.

What should people expect from your Migas show in Beijing? What kind of music will you be playing, and why are you enjoying that style of music these days?
I’ll play some funk, nu disco, and house. Some cool retro stuff will be mixed in. No matter what, my set will have a lot of different styles.

That’s all I know for now – I usually don’t prepare what I’m going to play. I just try to take into account what the vibe is like at the party, and then let the music go whichever way it should go. This is why I still love DJing. It’s all about catching the right moment with the right song, at least for me. I like to mix many different kinds of music, in the moment.

One profile described you as "a godfather of the club scene” in China who “brought underground electronica to Beijing in the early '90s." How do you feel about that characterization?
I don’t like it. Who wants to be described as an old guy who started things, long ago? But much of the media keep describing me this way. But it is true that I took part in China’s DJ culture early on. I was playing for really small groups of people that liked it. At the time, they were the most modern, most interesting people here. 

You’ve also been quoted as saying: "When I moved to Beijing, I wanted to introduce the music I liked to the masses. People were listening to '90s pop and club music, lots of Chinese pop and Eurotrash disco ... I started pushing deep house, and people came to the clubs where I worked because they liked the sounds. This club called DDS started my DJ career, back in 1996-1998." Tell us more about, as you put it, "introducing music to the masses."
In the mid-'90s I came to Beijing. At that time, at DDS club I was free to make the kind of pure music I enjoyed. I tried to push everyone there toward international club music.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a very close-minded time. People were quite open-minded. So the people that came took to it quickly. So, throughout parties, we’d make more and more people like it. They would come to our small club every week, and eventually, that helped develop more DJs and more fans. Some are pretty famous now.

Tell us more about how you first began producing, DJing and making music.
Dude, I lived the Ableton life [laughs]. I’ve known this for a long time, quite early. So I tried to mix and match, and get a feel for house production. Once I became familiar with the tools, I began making house style productions. And I made some trip-hop.

I’ve become pretty skilled at all that, after all this time. But I’m not the kind of DJ that only focuses on making my own music, I really like to share my old collection of music that I’ve gathered over many years. Because good songs should be shared with everyone. So being a good DJ is enough for me, playing my favorites is good enough for me. So, while I make my own music and love it, I get so much more out of DJing live. I get so much more out of sharing my collection with everyone.

That collection sounds impressive. What are some of your favorites from it?
There are too many. It depends on the moment – jazz, funk, nu disco, house, breakbeat, experimental, industrial techno. Party music, basically.

What’s next for you?
I just want to keep doing what I like to do: music, art, partying. Photo shoots. Travel. Putting on exhibitions. Maybe even opening a coffee shop one day. And, above all: sharing my lifestyle.

Ben Huang will perform at Migas in Sanlitun on August 25. The party kicks off at 10pm. For more information, click here.

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Photos: Courtesy of Ben Huang, Sina, Midifan, Elvine,