The Joy In Transmission: Yibing’s Path from Mexico City to New York | TROVE 036

Yibing Guo’s (Yibing) musical roots lie in radio.

During her time on the West Coast at UC Santa Barbara (before relocating to New York), she developed an adoration for freeform broadcasting, spending much of it at her local community station. The “choose your own adventure” style and sense of autonomy were instantly alluring.

“I spent so many hours going through the stacks…we had so many great shows on the schedule — a lot of jazz, indie, electronic. I met so many great friends there, some of whom later introduced me to club music, as it didn’t really exist in our sleepy college town.”

One of them was Alex Ho, head honcho of the Moony Habits events in Los Angeles and a member of the SY3 collective. Yibing recalls carpooling from Isla Vista to the city to run amok at the house parties he’d throw.

Her California era spanned four years, and while it might read like a stretch of mischief and late nights, it ultimately gave her a sense of structure she didn’t have growing up in the helter-skelter of Mexico.

The most recent episode is brilliant, spotlighting the musical inquisitiveness of Diego Olivas and his blog FOND/SOUND. As a long-time music writer myself, what Diego’s built with his editorial platform is inspiring. He goes the extra mile, reaching out to artists about the granular details, from vinyl artwork choices to who played a specific bassline on a record. You can peep snippets from Yibing’s recent interview with Diego and stream his guest mix, too.

Playlists need a revival? Take the plunge into FOND/SOUND – a sprawling web of balearic, new age, and left-field nuggets lie waiting to be uncovered.

When DJing, Yibing leans into her radio past, drawing on years as an avid listener and thoughtful selector. Unsurprisingly, these sessions span a broad spectrum: downtempo, house, rave, post-punk, dub, ambient, and shoegaze littered throughout. One of the best places to see Yibing flex these aforementioned muscles is at The Level Party, a New York DIY crew and party series, so keep eyes peeled on their socials.

In recent weeks, she’s been on a serious run: making her debut at Berghain’s Panorama Bar going B2B with Tornado Wallace for Sound Metaphors’ 10-year celebration, delivering a powerful set at Nowadays Sustain Release Nonstop, and with upcoming dates at Solarplexia on April 24, Public Records on May 8, plus a back-to-back at Bar Part Time in San Francisco, the calendar’s looking busy and bright!

Wondering what a few hours with Yibing might actually sound like…? Let’s take a stroll down TROVE lane.

1. Spacer IV | “Sirocco”

This track is relatively simple, with a 2-chord progression playing over a propulsive rhythm section, and a bass line that builds up throughout the song. And yet, it’s so effective at conjuring so many emotions for me… It’s tinged with so much optimism and nostalgia. I also love that it’s 115bpm – a zone that, for whatever reason, always feels elusive to me for this specific style. I got to play this track in the Grove at S-R in its 10th year. It was so special to be able to play that stage, a place where I’d heard so many incredibly inspiring sets during the years prior. It was such a magical experience to play the first set that year, right as the sun was setting and surrounded by so many friends, all of whom I’ve bonded with over our deep love for music.

2. Soft Keys | “Bubbles” (Soap Mix)

Another extremely uplifting track here (the title says it all tbh). I got to play this one on a sunny Saturday, early afternoon at In The Open, the most idyllic place I’ve played music in. The track features some really fun percussion, synths that sound like the clouds are opening up in the sky, a sitar sample and playful, nonsensical vocals that sound like Björk at times. Shout out to Bliss Point for reissuing this one 2 years ago.

3. Pseudopolis | “Dirty Palette Cleanser VIP” ft. Akili, Keya Nemesis, Le Bon, Ejuku

This one is just an absolute mind melter… A UK bass track featuring vocals from Ugandan MC’s Akili, Le Bon & Keya Nemesis, who, according to the liner notes, started “freestyling over this track during a studio break”. The track is so raw, you can almost hear this moment of spontaneous magic happening in real time. I remember being at a sandwich shop on a Sunday afternoon, preparing for my all-nighter at Mansions, when I discovered it. I was so stoked all week just thinking about the right moment to drop this one.

4. Ingus Baušķenieks | “Lidojums Uz Sauli”

The title of this song translates to “Flight to the Sun”. It was originally released in the 1990s in Latvia, recorded in a home studio, directly to tape. On a comment on Discogs under this release, someone mentions that Baušķenieks is from a wave of artists that were “suppressed and only traded via reels during the Soviet era.” There’s something about that context that makes this piece feel even more precious. The song is mostly composed of yearning vocals, a simple bassline, and beautiful synths drifting in the background like gentle waves coming into the shore. I found this song on Stroom, and I played it at a 24hr music marathon last year at ‘Mise en Abyme’, a beautiful, immersive art installation built by Johnny Draper and Richard McDonough. The lineup was filled with people I absolutely love, truly the most inspiring 24 hours I’ve ever experienced.

5. Group Du Jour | “Motion of Waves”

There’s nothing I love more than the drama and tension that a long and sparse intro can create, and the release you feel when the drums finally kick in. Every time I hear this song, I feel like I’m on the brink of something. Instrumentally, the song is pretty simple and minimal, with flutes, guitar and synthesiser, layered with hauntingly beautiful and emotional vocals. I got to play this piece during a Weird Science party with Vladimir Ivkovic a couple of years ago. The memory of being able to play this on a beautiful analog sound system, from beginning to end and in such an engaged room makes me feel emotional. It felt like the right place to let a song like this breathe deeply.

This is yet another reissue – this time from Emotional Rescue. Shoutout all the labels out there unearthing these beautiful gems and giving them a new breath of life fr!! It’s balearic baby!