This 3 episode documentary series explores emerging music subcultures across major cities in Asia, focusing on electronic dance music in Beijing and Shenzhen, China; trap music in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam; and rap music in Bangkok, Thailand. Each episode will delve into the sociocultural issues and influences behind the rise of these genres in Asia, featuring interviews with local artists, fans, and authorities. The documentary aims to provide an insider perspective on these underground music scenes and their significance within the changing cultural landscapes of Asia.

1. TUNE IN RADAR:
EMERGING MUSIC IN ASIA
In Asia, fresh new cultures with massive followings have spun across
major cities, from the heart of Bangkok all the way to the soul of
Beijing. By speaking to some of the leading, prominent figures in
these subcultures, we unveil unseen social pressures from family,
economy and society.
As we slide through automatic doors into underground bars and
ride in old-school Chevys through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, we
open eyes and minds to a rather invisible buzz around Asia.
This is our finger on the pulse of the regional music scene.
DURATION: 3 EPISODES X 10 MINUTES

2. In China’s restrictive society, freedom in arts and culture
face a day-to-day struggle with conservative Chinese policy.
In Beijing and Shenzhen, fans of electronic dance music
(EDM) rave through long, inebriated nights.
While Xi’s government is scrambling to arrest the epidemic,
the Chinese society has already begun to feel the impacts of
cultural pressures, led by followers of EDM. Proponents of
cultural preservation resist foreign influence.
Power-hungry officials struggle to balance doing their jobs
and being on the good side of high-ranking public figures in
government.
Partygoers, revellers and EDM fans are facing the colours
of law. Tourists visiting raves are getting arrested and
beaten by local law enforcement.
EPISODE 1
BASS DOWN LOW
Electronic dance music in Beijing and Shenzhen, China

3. Bass Down Low delves deep into the complex web of
sociocultural issues within Asia’s largest population.
EDM local legend DJ Mickey Zhang is all primed and
ready to bring us through his version of a journey into and
through the world of EDM. He interacts with EDM fans,
tourists and local authorities. EDM fans mix it up with the
police. We venture into the underground party scene in
Shenzhen to find out how it is truly threatening cultural
preservation in conservatism. We find out what goes on
behind mass police arrests.
We speak to the urbanised peoples of Beijing and
Shenzhen to uncover deep-seated sentiments within the
communities. We chat with both foreign and Chinese DJs
for their take on China’s EDM scene and uncover what it
takes to be at the forefront of resistance against Chinese
government control on arts and culture.
TECHNOLOGY
DRUGS
FREEDOM
MUSIC
CHAOS
“BASS DOWN LOW PROMISES TO LEAVE
AUDIENCES WANTING A LITTLE MORE
THAN JUST THE BASS.”

4. In February 2016, authorities raided an underground tunnel rave in the city of Shenzhen.
A total of six Britons were arrested among the 50 held in police custody in one single
raid. Even though the names were withheld, we obtain a face-to-face recount of the raid
from one of the individuals involved, named Ray Hecht. This is a measure for the depth of
our legwork into the underworld of EDM in these cities, providing an unexplored angle to
this phenomenon of cultural uprising.
Examining these issues head-on and meeting revellers in these Chinese cities from all over
the world, including the UK, we realise the cultural significance of these illegal raves.
It’s a whole lot more than just drugs and bass – an outlet for development in a society of
restraint; a sovereign space for oppressed personalities to mature.

5. In Vietnam’s history lie a moment in time where listening to
music was just a method of getting by the days.
As the world became obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine
and retail, there came a slow and steady record of
economic progress.
A strong middle class of considerable influence is built and
sustained in the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Youth born out of families in the middle and higher class
follow a novel strand of music that has been bubbling
underneath the veil of tradition in the recent years.
The trap music community in Vietnam is, in fact, inspired by
the American trap subculture. Internet-savvy Vietnamese
youth have since localised trap music and culture.
EPISODE 2
TRAP CITY
Trap in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam

6. Trap City is an insider’s look at the trap subculture
in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Female Vietnamese
rapper Suboi brings us through the days in the life of
a female trap artist – performances at sold-out shows,
collaborations with international artists and being a
woman in the Vietnamese hip-hop community.
We meet the Spacespeakers hip-hop crew, with presence
in both cities, as they tell us about the inspirations behind
their music, the production process and have them show
the differences between the trap subculture in America and
in Vietnam. We meet the trap music fans and follow them
as they shop for the latest wardrobe must-haves before a
trap party.
PARTY
FASHION
PROGRESS
ATTITUDE
BEATS
“TRAP CITY UNCOVERS THE SOCIOECONOMIC
FACTORS BEHIND THE RISE OF TRAP SUBCULTURE,
A YEARNING FOR A DISTANT DREAM AND
AN ARTISANAL REVAMP OF A COUNTRY IN
TRANSITION.”

7. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, where the daily grind makes up much of local life, we do
not expect to find a thriving British enclave. All becomes apparent when we follow Ian
Paynton, a British hip-hop artist based in Hanoi, as he takes us through his journey in the
Hanoi rap scene and the trap artists he has made friends with along the way.
Besides that, we meet Dzung, the founder of Dunkare Magazine, as he introduces us to
local trap acts and schools us on the trap scene. Through our interaction with people with
an established presence in the scenes in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, we exhibit a rather
concealed side of Vietnam society – extraverted, unrestrained and open to meeting and
sharing stories with individuals from the Western hemisphere.

8. In the recent years, the political situation in Thailand has
remained tense, rampant with violent protests and civilian
demonstrations. In contemporary Bangkok, where hip-hop
has maintained a stable footing within mainstream culture,
the output of the hip-hop culture has become more obvious.
There are people in Thailand filling the positions in the
various arms of hip-hop – breakdancers, dance crews,
emcees, DJs, graffiti artists. Ever since homegrown hip-hop
group Thaitanium ‘pioneered’ hip-hop in Thailand, rap has
been a big part of Thai culture.
Currently, rap music shares the spotlight with international
EDM in nightclubs jam-packed with foreigners and
fashionable locals. The spirit of hip-hop is very much alive.
EPISODE 3
BANGKOK FLOW
Rap in Bangkok, Thailand

9. Bangkok Flow trudges through the Thai hip-hop community,
led by hip-hop artist and sound designer UNDA. We meet
the members of Thaitanium, who bring us through their
shows at local venues and a brief explanation of their lyrics.
We visit some of the best hip-hop clubs in Bangkok, to
uncover some of the factors providing a sustainable reach
for a popular music genre in Thailand.
We roam the streets of Bangkok and the surrounding
vicinity to discover the links between the sentiment of the
community and the lyricism in Bangkok rap. With UNDA
and Thaitanium, we pop by the studio and see a rap record
take shape. We converse with renowned hip-hop artists
in America about the Thai rap scene and leave a lasting
impression of the inherent values of rap culture.
LYRICISM
B-BOY
REPRESENTATION
EMCEE
STREET CULTURE
“BANGKOK FLOW PROVIDES AN IN-DEPTH
PERSPECTIVE INTO THE RAP CULTURE IN THAILAND’S
CAPITAL CITY, AS IT GOES, AS WELL AS GROWS, WITH
THE FLOW OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, POLITICAL
MATURITY AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRESS.”

10. As one of the busiest Southeast Asian capitals in the region, the observance of foreign
presence comes without surprise. In the rap scene, it is easy to spot Western influences in
fashion, music and lifestyle. As UNDA rips through the streets of Bangkok with us, we are
introduced to his fellow Thai-American hip-hop artists.
While investigating the scene, we inhale an air of advanced globalisation within the city of
Bangkok. However, things go deeper than it all seems – through Bangkok Flow, we realise
that an airport holds the power to bring in an urgency for sociocultural integration.