China exists today in a liminal realm, caught between thesocialist idealism of old and a calamitous drive for wealthspurned by recent free-market reforms. This seeminglyunbridgeable gap tears at the country’s social fabric whileprovoking younger generations to greater artistic heights. Theunique sound emerging from Beijing’s underground delvesdeeply into this void, aggressively questioning the moral andsocial basis of China’s fragile modernity even as it subsistsupon it.

A formidable new wave of Chinese musicians is taking thecity by storm. Revolving around four venues spread acrossBeijing, a burgeoning group of performers are working outsidegovernment-controlled media channels, and in the process,capturing the attention of the international music community.They now constitute a fresh, independent voice in a countryrenowned for creative conformity and saccharine Cantonesepop. In Sound Kapital , photographer Matthew Niederhausercaptures the energy of the personalities and performers atD-22, Yugong Yishan, 2 Kolegas, and MAO Livehouse. Theserevolutionary Beijing nightclubs remain at the core of thecity’s creative explosion by hosting an eclectic mix of punk,experimental, rock, and folk performances.

Included with the book are concert posters and illustrationsthat encapsulate the underground scene in Beijing, as wellas a CD sampler of the new music being produced. There isno doubt that these musicians will continue to break groundwithin Beijing’s nascent artistic landscape, helping to pushthe boundaries of an already expanding realm of independentthought and musical expression in China.