niederhauser’s “sound kapital” shares chinese indie with world ///

November 2nd, 2009

I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Niederhauser last year over a Sichuan hot-pot dinner in Beijing with some mutual friends. Not only is he an extraordinarily talented photographer, but he’s also a great dinner guest – perhaps one of the wittiest people I’ve ever met, hysterically funny at times.

Matt’s been brilliantly photo-documenting the Chinese indie (I refuse to call it underground) music scene in Beijing for the past few years. Together with some help from Cult Youth illustrator / designer Chairman Ca and acclaimed producer / sound engineer Yuli Chen, Matt recently published a book titled Sound Kapital with Powerhouse Books (to buy it, link here). In word and image, the book captures the energy of the personalities and performers at some of the Beijing scene’s staple music venues: D-22, Yugong Yishan, 2 Kolegas, and Mao Livehouse. There is also a great article about Sound Kapital on The Economist’s More Intelligent Life blog – to check that out, link here.

We’re big fans of Matt’s work – not simply because of the aesthetic quality of the photography (which is superb, no doubt), but more importantly because of Matt’s contribution (conscious or not) to giving Chinese indie music a “larger stage.” He has taken it out of the clubs and out of the under-represented “underground.” He’s made it just a bit more accessible, giving it a chance to be served up to a much broader audience in China and abroad (dare I say “the mainstream”). As uncool as doing anything for the mainstream might sound for hipsters the world-round, this is something Chinese indie music and the Chinese creative community in general desperately need. Neither will thrive without increased media attention and awareness-raising / education among the so-called “uncool” mainstream. Bravo Matt. Thanks for your contribution.

Below we’ve shared a sampling of Matt’s photography. I’m sure some of these are included in Sound Kapital, get the book to see the full collection – your coffee table with thank you. For more Chinese indie music on NeochaEDGE, link here. /// AjS