NO x CN Music Collaboration Project ‘Music by Design’
Returns to Shanghai This Fall with its Third Edition

 

Music by Design is started with the simple desire to create a platform where some of the talented artists from different cultural background would be able to come together and share their ideas. The creation of the song is just one aspect of the overall goals which are to introduce a wider audience to the Scandinavian sound and create better cultural understanding between Northern Europe and China on how each creates and produces music.

 

The exciting lineup this year is composed of Swedish soul singer Elias, Danish producer duo Farveblind, Norwegian musician Bror Forsgren, Finnish singer-songwriter and kantele performer Ida Elina, accompanied with their Chinese counterparts Xixi, ChaCha, Dirty Fingers, and Jasmine Li.

 

 

 

It’s a rare occurrence, but once in a while a fully-formed new talent will emerged from seemingly out of nowhere. That’s exactly what happened when Elias debuted “Revolution” in 2015. Here was an artist with a voice that was truly something else. His sumptuously soulful vocals and knack for writing head-spinning melodies led Elias to capture worldwide attention with his first EP Warcry and hinting at big and exciting things to come from the artist.

From gospel choir boy to promising soul singer, 20 year-old Elias Sahlin is destined to climb the industry quickly. His debut album “Entwined” released in 2018 is the result of thousands of studio hours over three years, chronicling Elias’ journey from the unforgettable and powerful debut single ‘Revolution’ to final puzzle piece ‘The Entwined’.

The album is a powerful collage of musical styles, merging Elias’ signature soul with high-octane dance, sweeping pop and those emotional quieter moments of sincerity, purity and vulnerability that Elias will soon be known for.

Elias is an artist whose tireless work in the studio has produced a truly astonishing debut album.

 

Norway's Ex-Lionheart Brothers multi-instrumentalist Marcus Forsgren has arrived with a new project. Bror Forsgren, or Brother Forsgren, even in name hearkens back to the wide-eyed Norwegian Romantic period. Soaringly ambitious, but rooted in the sweetly earnest International Pop Underground tradition, Forsgren thickly layers orchestral pop pieces that let his falsetto gently glide over compositions that bring to mind Brian Wilson's ambitious work with Van Dyke Parks. So. Very. Amazing.

 

 

With hypnotic live concerts, the Danish producer duo Farveblind quickly has opened both Scandinavian and International eyes to their adrenaline fueled mix of club heavy rave music, pop and techno. 

After two years honing their sound and performing over 100 live shows across Europe that showcased their blazing live energy and mind-blowing visuals, the Danish duo has now kicked things off in a big way with ‘Jewels’, the explosive and gritty first track from their upcoming debut EP which features British rapper Paul Stephan.

“With ‘Jewels’ we’ve channelled all our inspirations, desires and emotions into an explosive, groundbreaking, un-compromised, gung-ho I-don’t-give-a-fuck-sound, marking a new paradigm in the world of Farveblind.” - Farveblind’s Magnus Pilgaard Grønnebæk. Farveblind proves that uncompromising electronic music can be made interesting and exciting with beats that can conquer radio stations, while retaining a mystery that will make you come back over and over again.

 

 

Ida Elina is a singer-songwriter, one of the leading kantele performers in Finland (she received the Kantele of the Year award in 2015) and a groundbreaking artist. Her unique style was developed after seeing a virtuoso slap guitar playing on Youtube which inspired her to discover unusual ways to incorporate Kantele into modern music. Now she is on her way to becoming the first pop kantele-player in the world. 

During her live shows, the audience will be mesmerized by the acoustic versatility that only one instrument and her voice can create as well as discover how the old ancient folk tunes, classical music and pop music of today go hand in hand and transform into something very cool and unique.

Ida Elina’s Youtube covers of iconic pop songs like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” or modern hits such as Farell William’s “Happy” have conquered European audiences.

 

 

After over a decade plugging away in Shanghai’s underground club scene, singer, songwriter, and producer ChaCha has since become a well known and respected artist across several vectors. While her long-running electronic duo with Dutch DJ Jay Soul AM444 channeled her darker, smokier side, drawing on her early experiences throwing parties with Shanghai dub and reggae sound system Uprooted Sunshine, her solo project ChaCha showcases her vocal chops, often in a more polished, pop-friendly setting.

Following exhilarating travels in Madrid in 2011 where she was invited to be the first Chinese artist to participate in the Redbull Music Academy, Chacha materialized her new-found inspiration in her excellent LP Moon Mad, released under the name Faded Ghost, which she describes as her “dark, droned out vocal experimental lab.”

2018 has turned out to be Chacha’s year. She has dropped several heavy-hitting singles and collaborations with both local and international artists, including an exclusive track with iconic Shanghai-based pop singer Akin. And perhaps the most exciting projects of all is her a new solo project, which she will present under the name YEHAIYAHAN with a single to be released this fall.

 

Inspired by her father’s love for Chinese opera, Jasmine Li started her musical journey at the age of 5 when she began to play the Pipa and Guzhen. But it is in her early twenties that Jasmine Li found her own voice and entered the world of electronic music.

Fast forward a decade later, Jasmine Li has become a fixture of China’s electronic scene especially in Shanghai where she has collected residencies in the city’s iconic clubs such as Dada, Shiva Lounge, The Mansion and Downtown (which she co-owned). Within a decade, Jasmine has elevated electronic music in China and remains on the forefront of Asia’s contemporary underground house and techno scene.

2013, she releases her first EP, ‘Everybody Wants Me’ on Lola Records. The three original tracks showcase her talent for creating deep, melodic tech-house. Then in 2015 Jasmine Li along with a trio of Milano performers initiated the concept Sparkling Elements, playing traditional instruments live on house and techno.

Today Jasmine Li is the co-founder and resident DJ of Shanghai’s afterhours club Celia where she enchants the crowds night after night. Her live sets are a unique experience, constantly traversing different moods and genres, blending fresh edgy new sounds with her traditional Chinese heritage.

 

Dirty Fingers sounds like they’re surfing into hell, where all their friends and idols live. It’s the sound of introspection but no repentance, a question without a desire for an answer. If not “perfect, still just right, hitting the goldilocks zone between channeling the band’s forerunners — The Germs, The Cramps, their Beijing buddies Bedstars, early Talking Heads covered way too fast — and creating an energy and semi-damaged surf punk sound all their own.