The DJ is taking music lovers back in time with the release of a limited-edition vinyl that pays tribute to the iconic Canto-pop singer. On the A-side is Xiaolin’s cover of Mui’s Xin Ai (Searching For Love), the singer’s own 1987 cover of the 1985 city-pop classic Plastic Love by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. On the B-side: the song’s instrumental karaoke version.

Plastic Love is the quintessential example of the city-pop genre, a form of Japanese pop that reached peak popularity in the 1980s; and has been covered in its original language by numerous artists over the years, including 9m88, Chai and Fujii Kaze. But for Xiaolin, Mui’s Cantonese version of the liberating and bittersweet break-up song hits differently.

“While Mariya’s version sounds cheerful, polished and coloured with lots of synths and a big band, Anita’s version sounds a lot moodier,” she says. “It’s a few keys lower, with her uniquely husky voice … It really adds that slightly more sombre, down-to-earth Cantonese touch, and mature-sounding in a way, as if it’s a woman who’s been through a lot, instead of a teenage girl.”

While this song is a celebration of the essence of Canto-pop, and of the influence of Hong Kong’s culture in the region, bringing it back from the Eighties via a cover is a way of making Mui’s version as classic as the original track—a way to make it live forever. But offering a new version without diluting the essence of the original is a delicate exercise. 

“It was crucial for me to remain as respectful as possible to the original creators of the tune,” Xiaolin says, “[and] to preserve and revive that dated sound rather than modernising it, despite it now being almost 40 years later.”

To do this, she used a mix of analogue equipment she’s been collecting over the years: a vintage Juno 60 Analog synth from Osaka, vintage Korg synth and TB-303 Bass Line from Tokyo. What’s more, she explains, “The way I recorded the vocals was raw and not overly-processed, as it should be,” she says. “Small imperfections and mistakes did not need to be corrected as it added to the rawness. Sometimes when something sounds too perfect and polished, it loses its charm, so it was important for me to preserve that feeling.”

Also working on the record were composer and pianist Daniel Chu on the piano, and Grammy-winning engineer Eric Lau. While only 1,000 physical copies of the vinyl were released, they reportedly sold out at the distributor within four days.

“Frankly I’m quite shocked that it’s going quickly,” she says. “I never took myself too seriously as a singer so did not expect much. I just heard from some of my favourite record shops in Japan that they are hoping for a repress. Crazy!”

The DJ will be celebrating the release of the record on April 18 at Hong Kong’s beloved underground electronic venue Mihn Club. She says that she has set this up as a family event, not a nightclub one, and has invited DJs Cola Ren from Guangzhou and Hong Kong’s Jeremy Cheung for a vinyl-only night—and ordered a small village’s worth of dim sum for the occasion. 

“This series of releases is really just a love letter to the golden era of Canto-pop,” she says. “Everyone is doing this from the heart, so it will be a cute night.”

To help friends and fans prepare for the party, Xiaolin shared with Tatler her favourite Canto-pop classics. Hit play for the ultimate get-ready soundtrack before heading down to Mihn tonight.

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