Elie and Will break down the past year. Best bands, best albums, what's been trending and what's impacted the Chinese music scene in 2025, as well as some thoughts and hopes for 2026.
For more detailed lists in the written form, check out the following links:
Beehype: https://beehy.pe/best-albums-of-2025/
Live China Music Wechat: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GznN61SlozcrSIzvXQsStQ
See below links to listen to the albums mentioned, in no particular order of our top picks:
Riot In School - Punk Rock Blasphemy
https://riotinschool.bandcamp.com/album/punk-rock-blasphemy
The Beneficial Society - The Beneficial Society
https://open.spotify.com/album/6G27ZALN3N5wE8UtoKT7pz
Linfeng - Sad But Beautiful
https://open.spotify.com/album/3BdHmNjVippCYm4uLQ7OK2
Wasted Laika - Red Dragonfly, Green Peacock
https://open.spotify.com/album/7KfjHxQBja1UWmF6LlNhlz
鸡毛大 - I Only Sing In Winter
https://open.spotify.com/album/0B96F31OU1L0VlbcCVvSk3?si=llm5CWyrQguPtoO_YupGng
施鑫文月 Gray Gray Sun
https://open.spotify.com/album/3HeO54HGPMW10gcQbllZIz?si=dYR4kvRrRSiUXJHHbqsMvw
Smiqra - Rɡyaɡ̇dźé!
https://hoplites.bandcamp.com/album/r-ya-dz-e
Cola Ren - Mekong Ballad
https://colaren.bandcamp.com/album/mekong-ballad
Khunati - Misty Mountain Pagoda
https://wvsorcerer.bandcamp.com/album/misty-mountain-pagoda
About us:
The mission of the Live China Music Podcast is to shed light on Chinese music, providing listeners with insights and information on the Chinese music scene that they would not be able to obtain elsewhere.
Every episode, hosts Elie Rosenberg and Will Griffith review the latest tracks from bands and artists living in China, spotlighting underground and emerging talent rarely heard outside Asia. Expect 4–6 freshly released songs, artist context, genre highlights, and short audio clips in each ~30-minute show.
Whether you're into Chinese indie rock, avant-pop, experimental electronic, punk, underground hip-hop, post-punk, jazz-inspired sounds, or cross-genre alt music, this is your guide to what's new and compelling in Mainland China's music world.
We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright.
Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to livechinamusic@gmail.com
We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright.
Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to livechinamusic@gmail.com
Credits:
Producer: Elie Rosenberg
Co-producer: William Griffith
Hosts: Elie Rosenberg & Will Griffith
Editor: Elie Rosenberg
