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S.I.N.G (Super Impassioned Net Generation) is a Chinese female idol group who made their debut in 2015, they initially adhered to a standard pop idol format at first.

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In 2017, they released the single “Moonlight Thoughts” (Ji Mingyue), a song in Chinese Electronic Style, which marked a turning point in their core musical identity. They widely recognized as the first Chinese idol group to adopt the Chinese electronic style, also known as electronic guofeng.

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S.I.N.G became known not just for their music but also for incorporating Chinese aesthetics into their costumes, choreography, and stage design, making them stand out in the highly competitive Chinese idol market.

Their stage designs often featured classical Chinese motifs such as flowing hanfu-inspired outfits, calligraphy elements, and symbolic use of colors associated with ancient dynasties. Since then, they have continued to produce songs that merge classical Chinese culture with electronic music, positioning themselves as trendsetters in this niche.

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The philosophical foundation of Chinese traditional music plays a significant role in shaping the emotional and structural aspects of Chinese electronic compositions. With origins dating back more than 3,000 years, Chinese traditional music is one of the oldest musical traditions in the world, and was heavily influenced by philosophy, nature, and spirituality.

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Traditional Chinese music predominantly centers around a pentatonic scale with a five-note scale system. This scale replaces the seven-note diatonic scale common in Western music, resulting in a simpler, more open soundscape with fewer dissonant intervals.

The most used pentatonic scale in Chinese music is the gong hexatonic scale. Chinese pentatonic modes are flexible that starting on different scale degrees produces different modal flavors which similar to modes in Western music, but with subtler emotional shifts. This flexibility allows each piece to carry a distinct character without complex harmonic tension.

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Musical Characteristic -- Rhythm and Tempo

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Musical Characteristic -- Rhythm and Tempo

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One of the unique characteristics of traditional Chinese music apart is its free rhythm and flexible tempo, especially in genres associated with the guqin, xiao, and silk and bamboo ensemble music (Jiangnan Sizhu).

In much of traditional Chinese music, particularly solo instrumental music, rhythm is not measured by strict meter or a fixed tempo like in Western classical music (e.g., 4/4 time). Instead, the flow of music often follows natural breath patterns, emotional intent, or poetic pacing, what scholars refer to as “flexible meter" or "rhythmic freedom" (Lau, 2008).

This free rhythmic approach is philosophically intentional rather than random. According to Daoist and Confucian aesthetics, music should be in harmony with nature like flexible, flowing, and organically paced. In this sense, the music doesn’t dictate time; rather, time follows the music.

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Unlike Western electronic music, which is largely associated with club culture or pop trends, Chinese electronic artists often use the genre as a way to reinterpret tradition through modern technology.

Electronic textures such as ambient pads, rhythmic loops, and deep bass lines are blended with ancient instruments, which are either synthesized or sampled. This creates a soundscape that’s simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking, blending history with innovation.

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In this sense, Chinese electronic music serves as a cultural bridge between the past and the present, represent a form of expression that respects traditional knowledge while reimagining cultural narratives through the use of contemporary instruments. It reflects a broader movement within contemporary Chinese art: the desire to assert a national cultural identity within the globalized digital world.

By merging cultural nostalgia with futuristic production, groups like S.I.N.G are not only redefining what it means to be a pop idol in China but also playing a vital role in the preservation and innovation of Chinese musical heritage. As Chinese youth continue to seek meaningful connections with their history while participating in global pop culture, this fusion genre stands as a powerful and symbolic form of expression.

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2010s:

Chinese electronic music began commercial crossover and popular fusion. This era marks the entry of electronic guofeng into the mainstream of Chinese pop culture, with traditional sounds fused with electronic production to reach a broader audience.

S.I.N.G changed their musical style with the release of their first official Chinese-style EDM single "Ji Mingyue" in 2017. This shift helped them become popular nationwide and established them as pioneers of electronic Guofeng music.

2020s:

Guofeng EDM became more than a musical style as it evolved into a cultural phenomenon, particularly fueled by Chinese youth seeking ties to tradition through modern platforms.

Platforms like Douyin and Bilibili have also played a critical role, hosting countless viral videos of traditional instruments fused with contemporary music and visual aesthetics, accelerating the guofeng movement’s reach and youth resonance.

Today’s:

Chinese electronic music has raised up global expansion and artistic diversification.

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Most of S.I.N.G's songs are made with instrument sampling and digital synthesis. Traditional instruments such as the guzheng, pipa and dizi are either recorded live or digitally sampled. These instruments are carefully mixed with modern instruments such as synthesizer background sounds, electronic drums and sidechain effects to give the tracks electronic rhythms.

They blended ancient and modern styles for contrast and transition which makes many of their songs feature dynamic changes. For example, opening with the atmosphere of an ancient instrument like a guzheng or dizi solo, and then transitioning to a high-energy EDM rhythm. This creates a contrast between traditional tranquility and modern vitality, enhancing the emotional impact.

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【SING女团】「寄明月」正式版MV、电子国风单曲_哔哩哔哩_bilibili

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Western Modal System:

Often creates musical tension and release through half-step intervals and dominant-tonic relationships.

Chinese Pentatonic System:

Maintains tonal ambiguity and modal fluidity, which aligns with aesthetic ideals of calmness and natural.

Tied historically to concepts like the five elements theory and broader cosmological frameworks, with each pitch sometimes symbolizing natural forces or directions and instruments used to express those symbolic associations.

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Western Rhythmic Pattern:

Tends to rely on precise rhythmic grids such as bars, beats, and metronome markings.

Chinese Rhythmic Pattern:

Treats rhythm as fluid, with frequent use of agogic accents (emphasis through duration) rather than metric ones. This gives the performer interpretive freedom and makes the music feel more meditative and expressive, rather than mechanically timed.

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S.I.N.G is more than a fusion of tradition and modernity; they are the intersection of two musical philosophies, interpreted and reconciled for a young, digital-native Chinese audience.

The emphasis of traditional Chinese music is on natural flow, symbolism, and emotional nuance. Modern pop music, especially in the idol industry, focuses on catchiness, structure, and mass appeal.

S.I.N.G finds its niche not by choosing one or the other, but by creating songs where both sensibilities coexist. They play a curatorial role by bringing historical instruments and aesthetics into the contemporary spotlight, but they also play a transformative role by incorporating these tools into contemporary song structures and digital production.

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They used a combination of ancient Eastern instruments and Western modern music to create this song.

The most striking element is the use of traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng, pipa, and dizi. These instruments introduce pentatonic melodic phrases in the intro and interlude, creating a classical Chinese soundscape. They are presented in a melodic rather than decorative way, which means that they carry the key thematic content of the song rather than just background sound effects. Chinese plucked string instruments such as the pipa, guzheng and guqin often carry deeper cultural connotations and play smooth melodies that combine poetic stories and literati spirit.

In contrast, the modern instrument layer is composed of electronic background sounds and the atmosphere created by the synthesizer lead sound. The beats played in Trap-style, featuring hi-hats, snare rolls, and sub-bass, place the track in a modern rhythmic structure.

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Traditional Chinese music is often dominated by pentatonic scales, which is particularly evident in the phrases of the guzheng and pipa. These scales create a timeless, poetic and wistful atmosphere. However, the vocal melody of the song follows more of the Western diatonic pop music, creating a melodic duality between classical and modern. This fusion of modal systems is one of the keys to the song's success in crossing different cultural styles, with the pentatonic scale used for instruments and the diatonic scale for vocals.

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They follow traditions in pop music forms which the song’s rhythm section follows a 4/4 time signature and uses the “Verse-Pre-chorus-Chorus-Bridge” structure typical of global pop music.

However, traditional Chinese music is often free-tempo or looping. S.I.N.G solves this problem by introducing pipa and dizi phrases at moments of low rhythmic intensity, such as intros or transitions, retaining their flowing quality while keeping the song’s structure tight.

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Lau, F. (2008). Music in China : experiencing music, expressing culture /. Oxford University Press.

NAN, C. (2024, October 23). Ancient, modern elements in harmony for new generation. Chinadaily.com.cn. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202410/23/WS671837a1a310f1265a1c900b_3.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Pizà, A. (2023, February 14). Chapter 4: The Music of China. Listening to the World. https://pressbooks.cuny.edu/apiza/chapter/chapter-5-the-music-of-china/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Thrasher, A. R. (2000). Chinese Musical Instruments. Oxford University Press.

Xi, C., YuChe, L., & Jie, W. (2025, June 29). Traditional Chinese music shares poetic tales, literati spirit. Copyright 2021 by the Global Times. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202506/1337239.shtml?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Zhou, Y., & Yu, F. (2024). Integration of traditional Chinese music: an evaluation of the interactive influence between traditional music and aesthetic thought. Trans/Form/Ação, 47(5). https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-3173.2024.v47.n5.e02400180

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Musical Characteristic of Traditional Chinese Music

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Musical Characteristic of Traditional Chinese Music

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Traditional Chinese music predominantly centers around a pentatonic scale with a five-note scale system. This scale replaces the seven-note diatonic scale common in Western music, resulting in a simpler, more open soundscape with fewer dissonant intervals.

The most used pentatonic scale in Chinese music is the gong hexatonic scale. Chinese pentatonic modes are flexible that starting on different scale degrees produces different modal flavors which similar to modes in Western music, but with subtler emotional shifts. This flexibility allows each piece to carry a distinct character without complex harmonic tension.