Play time for stars of Modernsky Now

Singer-songwriter Zuoxiao Zuzhou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Founded in 1994 in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Shuh Tou is known for its driving tunes and poetic lyrics. Moxi Zishi, an ethnic Yi musician based in Beijing, has been a singer-songwriter since 2007. He won fans' hearts after performing on the TV variety show Sing My Songs in 2014. They will join hands to perform the band's classic songs, as well as interpreting other Chinese rock hits, including Zheng Jun's Return to Lhasa.

"Though I have performed live before, I feel honored that one of my favorite Chinese rock bands will perform my songs and we can cooperate on one stage," says Moxi Zishi.

"The shows will be memorable and inspiring for me."

Modernsky was launched in 1997 and has since released more than 150 albums by indie bands at home and abroad. Modernsky founder Shen Lihui, the former vocalist of the Chinese rock band, Sober, has also been promoting Chinese indie bands and bringing foreign indie acts to China via two outdoor music festivals - Modernsky Music Festival, which was founded in 2007, and Strawberry Music Festival, which was founded in 2009.

Besides major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Shen has expanded his music empire into second-and third-tier cities, including Xi'an, Wuhan and Changchun. What's more, on Oct 4 and 5 last year, Modernsky Music Festival made its debut in the United States at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield in New York.

"I believe that the Chinese music market relies heavily on live music," says Shen, giving an example of the four sold-out shows performed by Australian singer-songwriter Lenka Kripac, who is known for her songs Trouble is a Friend and The Show.

In 2011 and 2013, after performing at the Modernsky Music Festival in Beijing and Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai, Kripac signed a contract with Modernsky and launched her first tour in China in 2014.

"People need music and not every city in China has an outdoor music festival every year. We will take the live shows to those cities regularly over the long term. Those audiences help shape the future of China's indie music scene," he says.