How Hong Kong DJ Nanogram is bringing a taste of European industrial sounds to the city

Nanogram, Hong Kong DJ and owner of experimental party collective Entropy, grew up listening to various types of music, from alternative to electronic. Having learned to DJ aged 17, he then went to university in Boston, in the United States, when “everything was happening”, he says, in regards to the burgeoning techno music scene. At first, Nanogram dabbled in the more commercial genre of electronic dance music (EDM). But he finally found his niche when he discovered collectives such as the South Korean experimental techno group Constant Value. “I grew up listening to a lot of indie stuff and band music,” he says. “Around 2016, I went to one of their events in Tokyo, where I saw DJs who blended industrial techno and post-punk. They made it work in the club, which was really cool to me.” Nanogram says that at the time his music was “going in a more commercial direction”, and even the underground techno sounds that he encountered were “a relatively accessible part of the underground scene”. Techno was already in full flow in Europe at the time, but it hadn’t fully reached Hong Kong. The few techno clubs that existed in the city were small, with sound systems that left much to be desired. Hong Kong’s indie music scene through the eyes of seven female artists “The most developed scenes were obviously in the West, but these parties I went to in Japan and South Korea were extremely inspiring. Some of the Japanese venues were small but had impeccable sound systems which are essential to playing more layered music, and they took a lot of pride in what they did. It’s good to learn from our neighbouring countries.” In 2018, Nanogram founded his club collective, Entropy, and booked musicians with “hints of industrial influences”, whose work may be more accessible to the public ear. He gradually transitioned towards “the next phase”, having felt “more confident to do what I wanted to do […] a one-of-a-kind sound system, programme and management of European standard”. What he truly wants is to introduce more left-field industrial techno shows to Hong Kong venues, such as “live performances with drones and ambient sets in-between”. “I wouldn’t say that’s anything too innovative,” he says, “but it wasn’t around in Hong Kong much unless you went to small private warehouse parties.” In June 2023, Entropy celebrated its fifth anniversary with a special live performance at Mihn, in Sheung Wan, with Berlin-based duo Years of Denial, consisting of French musician Jerome Tcherneyan and Czech performance and music artist Barkosina Hanusova. Led by Hanusova’s vocals, the duo explore the genres of post-punk, goth and industrial rock, in a mesmerising showcase of sonic and performative art. It was a rare event in Hong Kong and left a lasting impression. “I’d been following the band for years,” says Nanogram. “When I went to Berlin for the first time, in March 2023, and got to meet their agent, I pushed for an Asia tour. I think Years of Denial’s music aligns with my vision for Entropy.” Years of Denial holds sentimental value for Nanogram, having been recommended to him by Albert Leung, a vinyl store owner who died in late 2019. He met Leung while digging through the store’s records. “He imported all this industrial stuff, really cool records, and told me how the older generations in 80s and 90s Hong Kong would listen to British post-punk music. I learned a lot of interesting music history from him.” When it comes to his category of techno, Nanogram feels “sometimes people have these misconceptions about industrial music” as being loud, noisy and harsh. It is why he wishes to bring another side of the genre to Hong Kong. “Years of Denial has this sort of romanticism that’s really interesting,” he explains. “Just because the culture and the scene have not yet boomed in Hong Kong doesn’t mean they aren’t meaningful.” Currently, aside from calling on Japanese, South Korean and European DJs, Entropy is led by Nanogram himself alongside resident DJ Yong Ying, who joined in April 2022. Nanogram says he saw “a very good instinct about mixing” in the young DJ, who started out only in 2021 but has already proven herself to be a worthy asset to the collective. Meanwhile, Nanogram’s next experimental club night will see the arrival of yet another Berlin-based duo, Soft Crash, who will grace the decks at Mihn on February 23 – Pablo Bozzi, a music producer and “live artist,” and Phase Fatale, a resident DJ at Berghain, one of Europe’s most infamous techno clubs. Nanogram says the event will be “euphoric” and “uplifting with Italo disco influences”. He adds: “I like thriller, horror and sci-fi movies. And being born in Hong Kong, I’ve always loved our city’s brutalist aesthetic, but it doesn’t reflect in the music. Industrial sounds can be heavy and intense, but they can also be a moving and emotional musical experience.”