Various

GROUNDBREAKING! this four-disc collection of music from 1992-1998 might be one of the most amazing compilations of recent years, featuring more than four hours of music by 48 artists. The depth of the Chinese underground music scene is vast and widely varied, and until recently, quite inaccessible to westerners; by releasing this compilation, the Sub Rosa label has done the world a great service. Featuring pioneers like Dickson Dee and Dajuin Yao alongside more contemporary acts like Stingrays and Li Jianhong, the sonic eclecticism of the scene is on full display. From the Yellow Swans-like pulsating noise of Torturing Nurse to the ambient lullabies of Cheewei, there is much to offer here—even some non-electronic acts are represented, such as the utterly bizarre wailing garbage-folk of Z.S.L.O., which recalls Sun City Girls' most fucked-up moments. A real gem, give this to an experimental music nerd and watch the pants tent grow tall as a sequoia