Youquzhi (lit. “Interesting Will”) is a three-member art collective dedicated to exploring the potential of text, language, vocal performance, composition, and sound design within the context of Chinese experimental rap. The collective aims to push the boundaries of genres and disciplines, drawing from the members’ diverse educational and artistic practices, which span composition, music production, rap, animation, visual design, sound design, computer music, and sound art.
Youquzhi seeks to merge the creative techniques and aesthetic preferences of Chinese rap with contemporary art music (also referred to as modern, academic, or avant-garde music). As an “art collective,” they strive to create opportunities for dialogue and collaboration between artistic fields that often lack intersections or even conflict with one another. They believe that both the ivory tower and the bedroom studio risk becoming echo chambers; open and equal exchanges are essential to breaking free from clichés and habitual thinking. Their 2024 releases—the electronic music album Shanjianyefu (Wild Hermit in the Mountains) and the Chinese experimental rap album Wuhuiyou (No Return Journey)—document their ongoing explorations.
Wuhuiyou (No Return Journey) is a interdisciplinary creative experiment spanning three years. It is simultaneously an “artistic research”, a “Gesamtkunstwerk” (total artwork) in contemporary art music, and a “music album” in the context of the industrial music. This project explores how the creative techniques and aesthetic preferences of Chinese rap and contemporary art music can be integrated into artistic practice.
The album incorporates diverse aesthetic influences and compositional techniques, blending hip-hop, spoken word, ambient, glitch noise, Errentai (a traditional Chinese folk opera style), Korean ethnic music and IDM. In terms of text, the three members employ speculative storytelling to transform their lived experiences into poetic, sci-fi-style verses. Using a “fragmented narrative” approach, they construct a vision of a post-human world. This method weaves together multiple perspectives, non-linear and non-logical storytelling, shifting contexts, and stacked imagery to create a sense of maximalist saturation.
The texts were performed in a studio setting with irregular rhythms and a delivery style that de-emphasizes traditional rap flow. Vocal post-processing further emphasizes multiplicity and non-linearity. The structure of each track moves beyond traditional binary or ternary forms of pop music, adopting through-composed forms common in art music. The album as a whole is structured as a song cycle, with music and text collaborating to form a grand narrative exploring human destiny.
In addition to vocals, the album incorporates sound materials generated from digital synthesis, analog synthesis, field recordings, and “recycled” sound materials from previous works. The hip-hop sampling technique is reimagined in the interaction between the two producers, Tian Fu and San Cebai, who iteratively process and pass the same musical materials back and forth to shape the final sound. Each exchange of materials involves recursive sampling, which Tian Fu terms “iterative sampling.” Through this innovative technique, the original musical materials often evolve into unexpected results. This process not only creates a musical narrative that complements the texts but also manifests the interdisciplinary collaboration within the artistic work itself.
Over the course of three years, the members came to understand cross-boundary collaboration as a continuous process of “mutual permeation.” By the end of the Wuhuiyou project, the techniques and aesthetic preferences of rap and contemporary art music had become inseparable within the work, making clear boundaries difficult to define. The three creators themselves were profoundly and subtly influenced by one another in ways they view as sustainable.
This sustainability is evident in two key ways: the reshaping of individual artistic aesthetics and the creation of a positive dialogue with the music market. The release of Wuhuiyou on NetEase Cloud Music generated a wealth of feedback from listeners. These responses will directly or indirectly influence the trio, laying a foundation for their next interaction with the market.
An improv-mini-album
It was very hot in Guangzhou during the Three Dog Days of summer. These three people met for the first time and spontaneously created this music together. Such a gathering wasn't easy for them. To continue making interesting music, they decided to establish this label: "有趣志Youquzhi" (which can be translated to "The Fun Ambition").