Shanghai is well known in China as the leading city for club-goers who are looking for dance music. When not in dance clubs, Internet users can go to Udancecn, who describes itself as "China’s first and only 24-hour electronic dance music internet radio station." Founded in 2007 by well-known Chinese DJs with a passion for dance music, the website has grown into both a gathering point for dance music lovers in China as well as an event organizer and promoter for top DJs who travel to Shanghai.
The major function on Udancecn's website is the music streaming player at the top of the page and it allows users to instantly listen to either an MP3 or WMA streaming file of what is playing on Udance's internet radio station.
In terms of DJs, the main founder and most frequent host of Udancecn is Dave K, a techno/house DJ and veteran of Shanghai's clubbing scene since 1998. Dave K invites a wide range of both local and foreign DJs to host radio spots or upload podcasts to Udance.
Along with the "U DANCE" radio channel, "U ROCK" (for rock 'n roll) and "U STREET" (for Hip-hop) categories have recently been added to expand the genre choices for listeners.
In addition to the internet radio functionality, Udance is a gathering point for news and information related to the live music scene in China, especially when it comes to dance music and Shanghai news. The site hosts a listing of dance and electronic music record labels as well as profiles of DJs that have played in China or who are DJing Udance's radio station. A BBS forum where user can discuss various topics, pictures from dance music events and event listings are all available to visitors of Udancecn.
Videos, such as the below, can be found on Udance's official Tudou homepage.
With their resources in the live music community, Udance has been a regular promoter and event organizer in Shanghai and throughout China. Most shows Udancecn puts on involve their roster of DJs or are set up to support well-known international DJs who play in Shanghai, including DJ Sasha and DJ Hernan Cattaneo. Recently, Udancecn was in charge of organizing the electronic music portion of the 2009 Zebra Music Festival in Chengdu. Next month, Udance is organizing an exhibition of clubbing posters that chronicle the development of the British clubbing scene.
