Join Lantern to Celebrate 10 Y of Thumping Techno This Weekend

Original Tom A. theBeijinger 2020-08-18

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Ten years ago, a small club opened to little fanfare in the shiny new basement of Sanlitun's 3.3 Mall. Unfortunately, the opening, attended by friends of the management and dance music lovers hungry for a place where they could let loose, seemed to signal a false start in those early days of the capital's techno scene: the venue was forced to shut down less than a year in and was replaced by a much more familiar icon of Chinese nightlife, a KTV parlor.

Considering those inauspicious beginnings, no one could have imagined that the club, which shortly thereafter resettled by the west gate of Workers' Stadium, would go on to cement itself as the undisputed hub of Beijing's no-fuss four-to-the-floor techno scene. Yet that's exactly what Lantern came to be.

These stumbles these stairs have seen...

In those early days, the club helped nurture some of Beijing's earliest experiments with techno, providing a testing ground for the founders' musical pursuits – birthing Acupuncture Records, a medium for them to share their collective creative output – and later, the foundation for "China's first electronic music festival," INTRO.

The Lantern crew also put together INTRO, "China's first electronic music festival"

Ten years on, and the two-room basement-level club has welcomed countless local and world-renowned techno DJs through its doors, gone to bed to more sunrises than is healthy, and most recently, upped its game with a complete overhaul of its sound system, matching its gear with the talent it continues to draw.

Venues like Lantern serve to remind us that while nothing in Beijing is sacred, especially in an increasingly volatile environment for late-night entertainment that doesn't adhere to the party standard, long-running temples of techno may be the closest thing we've got.

In by 11, out by 7

So before we head down to Gongti West Gate this weekend to celebrate the club's good fortunes with a two-day carnival of thumping techno, we asked co-founder and manager Weng Weng to look back on some of the most memorable moments from the past decade as well as to divulge some hopes for the future.

Ten years is a huge milestone for any venue in Beijing, let alone a club in the heart of Gongti. When you first started Lantern did you imagine you’d still be throwing some of the city's best techno nights today?

It's been over 20 years since I started DJing and organizing events in 1997. I didn't expect what it would be like today, but I have loved electronic music throughout and my life mainly revolves around Lantern: I am a resident DJ, promoter, booking manager, designer, and sound engineer. I have worked hard for this and although there have been many difficulties along the way, I will persist in making Lantern the best techno club in Beijing.

The club completely overhauled its sound system last year, installing a FUNKTION-ONE setup

Name three Lantern highlights from the past 10 years.

There were many exciting nights for me: the INTRO 2010 afterparty, Booka Shade, Rødhåd, the latest Boiler Room – these are highlights in my memory. Of course, we've had some tough times too, and as such, Lantern has undergone many alterations.

With the power of hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently in terms of running a Beijing nightclub?

I think many of Beijing's clubs don't pay much attention to the unique qualities of their music, as well as the effect that sound alone can have on people. At Lantern, I have always tried to put the most focus on these two aspects, spending a lot of money to get it right. As such, we now use the top FUNKTION-ONE sound system, and nearly every week invite the world's best techno artists to play. In my opinion, music is the soul of the club.

Weng Weng considers Booka Shade and Rødhåd among the Lantern DJ highlights

What can we expect from this weekend's 10 year anniversary party? What are you most excited for?

Lantern's 10th anniversary brings together some of the best DJs in Beijing and China. On the first day, I'm particularly excited for MIIIA from Shanghai and Gordon from Macao. They are the best techno DJs in China. Saturday night will showcase the most important artists in China's techno music industry: SHAO and HWA (AKA Elvis T.), whose works and skills are world-class! Of course, I’ll play the final set both days.

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However, what I'm most excited about is being able to spend this 10th anniversary with a lot of people who love techno.

Finally, who are three artists that you would love to play Lantern over the next 10 years?

Jeff Milles, Cio D'Or, Aphex Twin.

Join Weng Weng and co. this Friday and Saturday, 10pm onwards, for a celebration like no other. Tickets are RMB 80 on the door or RMB 60 advance.

READ: Icelandic Electronica Band Múm Revisit Their Ageless Debut

Photos courtesy of Weng Weng

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