From Russia, (L) Sainkho and the group Huun Huur Tu will fly to China to join other artists in sharing their brand of music at the Graceland Electronic Music Festival. (Photo : Sainkho and Huun Huur Tu/Facebook)
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find out that the magical place pictured in your fantasy, made of infinite green hills, never ending sunsets and stars all over your head, actually exists?”
Organizers of an upcoming music event ask the public via Facebook this intriguing question. Then they further tickled the curiosity of the people by asking them again what could possibly happen if they hold a music festival right there in that “magical place.”
The first ever edition of the Graceland Electronic Music Festival will kick off at the Datan Paradise Bird Music Park in Fengning, Hebei Province, on Sept. 3-4, according to the event’s official Facebook account.
Disc jockeys, musicians and singers from Beijing and other parts of the world will gather and showcase their respective talents and skills.
Three different stages will be set on the grasslands of Fengning, a Manchu autonomous county located near the city of Datan.
The biggest stage will be reserved for techno music. BB Deng (from Taipei), Cesare vs. Disorder (Italian-born, Brazil-based DJ), Crystal Bones aka Diego, Daniel Ma, Hamoudeh aka Mohammed, Jackson Lee, Jiali, Juliana Lima (from Brazil), Oshi (from France), Ouyang, Pancake Lee aka Da Bing, Rhom Omit, Watermelon Wu, Weng Weng, X.L.F. aka Xiao Lin Feng and Youdai will perform here.
Another one will serve as the venue for deep house--a subgenre of house music--and chill-out--a subgenre of electronic music. 777 (live set), Another Van, BassGuo, Da Yong, Demone, Dizzy Di, Earsnail (live set), John Shaw, Muren, Sun Meng and Wujing will entertain the crowd from here.
The remaining stage will hold performances for psychedelic trance or psytrance, a subgenre of trance music. Atoned Splendor, Bodysnatcher, Core, Devon Sun, E. Ellehcim, Gasse, PsychicNova, Rob, Six Ears, T.E., Trixphonic and Zena will occupy this platform.
Special guests include Sainkho Namtchylak (big stage) and Huun Huur Tu (psytrance stage), both known for Tuvan throat singing or Khoomei (“throat harmony”).
An alumna of Moscow’s renowned Gnessin Russian Academy of Music where she studied Ethnomusicology, 59-year-old Sainkho from Tuva in southern Siberia, Russia, impresses with a vocal range spanning seven octaves.
She has released more than 40 albums and first performed in China in 2003, reported China Daily.
Alexei Saryglar, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Radik Tyulyush and Sayan Bapa compose the group Huun Huur Tu. Also from Tuvan, they formed in 1992, according to their official Facebook account.
Pre-sale tickets sell for 480 yuan (payment includes bus transportation) and 380 yuan (no transportation), according to The Beijinger. On-site buyers will have to pay 550 yuan.
For 9,800 yuan, one can avail of a VIP ticket and receive one Mongolian yurt (a kind of tent); enjoy one whole roasted lamb and vegetarian dishes with accompanying drinks; and get ten passes with bus transportation included.
Organizers will also prepare a string of activities and will designate a resting/sleeping area far from the stages to ensure a quiet surrounding.
