Miao Wong and Acupuncture commit to local techno

“No! No! No! I’ll kill you guys ... Oh my god, this feels fucking incredible!”

These are the words of Miao Wong, manager of Acupuncture Records, who is dressed to the nines in head-to-toe black and wearing her trademark stilettos while luxuriating in the fountain pool of Alfa’s lounge. Nihilism be damned, the gods of Beijing nightlife were looking on proudly moments before as City Weekend’s editors tossed Beijing’s sexiest svengali into the water.

Without missing a beat, Wong surfaces, shakes off like a kitten, plants kisses on the cheeks of her tormentor-cum-instigators, then saunters to the dance floor, leaving an awestruck trail of enamored journalists and nightlife denizens behind her.

More missionary than libertine, Wong favors minimal tech-house over a midnight swim or any other pleasure of the flesh. “My favorite part of the job is dancing my ass off all night,” she enthuses. “We have to try to convince people that the reason to come to our parties is to listen to our music.” Wong is the kind of woman who will always take one for the team, which is saying a lot considering her team. Weng Weng, Acupuncture DJ and de facto big brother of the group, describes the label’s members as “eight Chinese DJs who want to push the local techno scene and produce techno by ourselves. We just want to share that feeling with all the partiers.”

Since the label’s official inception in September this year, Acupuncture has already organized some of Beijing’s best parties: the twice a month “Minimal Hit” party series and the monthly “Beijing Techno All-Stars” party at different underground venues, as well as their first large-scale party, “Spooked”, in the 798 Art District. Acupuncture has finely honed the principal ingredient for a perfect night on the dance floor: long hours of the most visceral minimal tech-house in Beijing.

“I try to come up with original venues and themes that represent the feeling of our music,” explains Wong. “These parties reflect the qualities in our name, Acupuncture (‘wen zhun hen’): steady, accurate and hard.”

As we go to press, Wong is busy preparing the next large-scale Acupuncture party at the 6M Studios. “The Beijing Techno All Stars is bigger, features all of our eight DJs and a VJ, with a wider range of techno,”Wong says. “The Minimal Hit parties are gatherings of the scene with a focus on minimal tech.”

Of course, there are a number of great tech parties in Beijing, but Wong and her crew have a more specific mission. “We don’t want to throw parties that are attended mainly by international students who probably won’t be in Beijing a year from now,” Wong declares. “We are committed to promoting local DJs, educating the local community and establishing a local culture that is informed about and involved in electronic music. We’re focused on developing a true, local scene that will last.”

THE DETAILS

Beijing Techno All Stars

Add:

Sanlitun South Street, East of Pink Loft, 南三里屯粉酷南的东边

When:

Sat, Nov. 17, 9pm to dawn.

How:

Free before 11pm. ￥50 after.

by Rachel Simhon