K-Pop and Cantonese Rap Meets Underground Techno on This Insane Club Mix

What the fuck does K-pop, Cantonese rap, and Vietnamese grime have to do with Future Brown, Rabit and Sophia Grace? A lot, apparently, and this slamming club mix by the elusive duo Tzechar is going to prove it:

Excuse me for jizzing, but this might be one of the greatest mixes I've ever heard. Eastern and Western pop music are rarely talked about in the same breath, but here, they're interlaced effortlessly in a kaleidoscope of jagged club beats. When a track by Shanghai/Tokyo footwork duo SLV segues into Azealia Banks' "Heavy Metal and Reflective," it sounds like a revelation: this mix is about more than just bangers. It's about uncovering the secret musical lineage shared by underground dance music from both sides of the world.

Tzechar describe the mix over email as ""young and dangerous lol like some hyper-reality Gu Wa Zai underground club scene or some shit." (Gu Wai Zai is a series of Hong Kong gangster movies from the 90s, and excerpts from the films are dropped all over the mix.) There's also a conceptual theme here of "thuggin," with each track exploring the concept of a "thug" in popular culture—from the UK grime scene to Asian pop idols.

Ultimately, they hope the mix starts a dialogue about cultural re-appropriation and approximation. "Sophia Grace is legit the thuggest person in this entire mix," they conclude. Who's going to argue?

Tracklist:

Kenji Kawai - "Chant II (Ghost City)"
Throbbing Gristle - "What A Day"
SLV - "Glassed (Chimpo Remix)"
Azealia Banks - "Heavy Metal and Reflective"
Death Grips - "Get Got"
blackhandpath - "STICKUPSIDE"
Yasunori Mitsuda - "Ruined World"
P.O - "I Believed In Me"
Drake - "Dreams Money Can Buy"
LMF - "冚家拎"
Suboi - "Trò Chơi (feat. Touliver)"
Masta Wu - "이리와봐 (feat. Bobby)"
Sophia Grace - "Best Friends (Y//2//K Remix)"
Keith Ape - "It G Ma (feat. Okasian, Kohh)"
Howie Lee - "Xiang" x Block B - "Nilili Mambo"
Alexander Brandon - "Hong Kong Canal (Desolation/Shootout)"
Noise808 - "FLW"
DEMONSLAYER - "Blanka's Quest"
Rabit - "Black Dragons (feat. Riko Dan)"
Future Brown - "Wanna Party (feat. Tink)"
d o w n s t a t e - "w e ' a l w a y s . w i l l"
Koz & Blow Fever - "Balling 大富翁"
TZECHAR - "Ridicurous"
张?…芳 - "月琴"
Samename - "Gishiki"
Nguzunguzu - "Harp Bell"

Michelle Lhooq is on Twitter