Making modern music

A recent show in Beijing celebrates the release of an album, Modern Sky 9, the ninth compilation released by indie record label, Modern Sky, aiming to introduce new voices.

It's a Thursday night. With breeze delivering the relaxation of summer, chic young people gather outside Tango Club, one of the most popular indie live house venues in Beijing, waiting for the show to start.

As the time approaches 8 o'clock, they flood into the venue and are ready to greet six groups of indie musicians, who they may never heard of.

When the light goes out, three triplet sisters walk onto the stage with a variety of musical instruments including a harp, a drum and handbells.

The three sisters - Du Bing'er, Du Fei'er and Du Xue'er - known as Floruit Show, all graduates of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, were trained in classical music since they were children. They performed two of their original songs, How Can I Let You Stay and Horse.

"The independent music sector is larger and stronger than ever," says DJ Fang Zhou, who was the host of the show. "The night is a big one for the young artists."

The show celebrates the release of an album, Modern Sky 9, the ninth compilation released by indie record label, Modern Sky, aiming to introduce new voices.

Besides Floruit Show, the album also features 11 young artists, including So Far So Good, which comprises five members from the Chinese mainland, the United States and Italy; Sugar Cat, an indie band from Taiwan, and singer-songwriter Wu Xuwei, better known by her stage name, Noshiva.

Modern Sky, one of the largest indie record labels in China, was launched by Shen Lihui, lead vocalist of rock band, Sober, in 1997. Now, it's home to over 100 bands from China and abroad.

Since 2007, the label has also held the annual Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing and now the outdoor music festival is held in around 20 cities in China every year attracting tens of thousands of music lovers.