Poetry in commotion: Young artists capture Hanoi’s spirit in electronic music
Ever since he set foot in Hanoi during a short exchange program six years ago, Robin Marty, a French student majoring in marine science, has been captivated by the robust life brimming in every corner of the Vietnamese capital city. “You always see bunches of young girls and boys driving around on their cheap electric bikes gagging and shouting. Most people smile first, then talk,” Marty wrote in a release note for his 2021 EP Tra Da (Iced Tea). “And it is not uncommon to see people randomly singing in the street, in a shop, on their balcony. “I feel like that’s something we have forgotten back home [in France].” Limebócx members perform at a music event at Hanoi Rock City in December 2022. Photo : Hanoi Rock City Yet, in the meantime, the allure of modernism is gradually taking over the Southeast Asian city as well, Marty noticed. High-rise buildings are turning the city into a massive construction site, with Western influences existing side-by-side with traditional