SinoHaven 華埠
Hong Kong Violence 香港暴力
Chinese
Noise
A living archive exploring Chinese identity, underground music and cultural memory through 25 years of Hong Kong Violence.
01 Introduction
Chinese Noise begins from a simple question: how do cultural histories survive when they exist outside traditional institutions, archives and museums?
SinoHaven x HKV explores the intersection of Chinese identity, underground music and cultural memory through the story of Hong Kong Violence and the people who helped shape it over the past 25 years.
As HKV reaches its twenty fifth year, the project creates an opportunity to document experiences, histories and perspectives that might otherwise remain scattered across events, releases, artwork, personal collections and memories.
02
華埠
SinoHaven
SinoHaven 華埠 is an ongoing documentary project founded by photographer Tyler Chan and researcher Edison Ng.
Through photography, interviews and field research, it documents the histories, identities and everyday experiences of Chinese communities across the Netherlands.
Its aim is not only to record individual stories, but also to contribute to a growing archive that explores how migration, heritage and community continue to shape contemporary Chinese life across generations.
03
香港暴力
HKV
Founded by Kin Wing Lam in 2001, Hong Kong Violence has spent 25 years establishing itself as one of the most recognizable names in the global hardcore underground.
What began as a record label grew into a wider cultural platform encompassing music, visual identity, events, merchandise and an international community.
Its history extends beyond records and events. It is also a story about identity, belonging, creativity and the communities that form around shared cultural experiences.
Founded in the Netherlands by Kin Wing Lam, whose family roots trace back to Hong Kong's New Territories, HKV offers a unique perspective on how heritage, migration and creative expression can intersect in unexpected ways. What began as a small underground project grew over twenty five years into an internationally recognized platform spanning music, events, visual identity and community.
Today, as interest in hardcore and underground electronic music continues to grow in Hong Kong, Chinese Noise creates an opportunity to revisit this story from a broader perspective and document the people, experiences and cultural exchanges that shaped it.
04 The Project
Stories, sound, image and memory.
Chinese Noise combines documentary research, photography, long form storytelling and community memory from within the hardcore underground.
The project consists of two interconnected parts. The first focuses on the story of HKV through a long form conversation with founder Kin Wing Lam. The second expands the perspective through contributions from artists, collaborators, supporters and others connected to HKV.
Together, these voices create a broader picture of the communities, relationships and cultural exchanges that developed around the project over the past twenty five years.
Part One
The HKV Story. A long form conversation with Kin Wing Lam about the origins of HKV, its development and what twenty five years means today.
Part Two
Voices from the Scene. A growing collection of stories from artists, collaborators, supporters and people connected to HKV.
“The label that does more merch than records.”
Gareth de Wijk
Founder & CEO, PRSPCT Recordings
05 Future Directions
Preserving culture while creating new connections.
The goal of Chinese Noise is not only to celebrate HKV's twenty five year milestone, but to preserve a cultural history that has lived through music, design, events, migration stories and community memory.
As a living archive, the project aims to document experiences that are often overlooked while creating a space where personal stories, creative practices and cultural identities can be preserved and shared.
Chinese Noise begins as a digital platform, but its long term ambition extends beyond documentation alone.
As the archive develops, new interviews, photography, archival material and community contributions will continue to be added over time.
One of the project's central interests is exploring what can emerge when different cultural worlds are brought into dialogue with one another.
SinoHaven originates from documentary practice, photography and cultural research. HKV emerged from underground music, rave culture and independent creative production. While these worlds rarely occupy the same space, both are connected through questions of identity, community, expression and belonging.
In the future, Chinese Noise may expand through exhibitions, publications, public conversations and other forms of cultural presentation that bring together perspectives not often found in the same space.
By preserving cultural histories while creating opportunities for new exchange, the project aims to build a lasting record of communities, experiences and creative practices that extend beyond music alone.
06 Project Contributors
Follow the project.