Photo: Paul Chin (self-portrait)
Multidisciplinary artist and beloved DIYer Paul Chin is among Canada's most singular talents and enduring creators. Born and raised in the Cayman Islands, and actualised in Toronto, Chin – once called an "internet luminary" by Gita Jackson of Aftermath – has dedicated his whole life to "doing it for the culture". From professional illustrator, to community organiser, to recording artist and DJ, Chin has cemented himself as one of your favourite artist's favourite artists, time and time again.
Chin, presently focused on "preserving and prioritising documentation of artistry" within the famously hostile music industry, is now at the helm of artist-owned neo-record label Sanzuwu Group, an outfit formed with Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist/speech language pathologist Go Yama. When asked about how starting an indie label aligned with his goals, he responded: "I've been at this for a long time, and I got to a point where I realised that it didn't matter how good I've become at my craft; even institutions with all the resources in the industry weren't going to invest in what I've got going on. I'm an obsessive distiller of the human experience; that's why I make music, but that's not interesting to execs or A&Rs whose employment is instead contingent on inexpensive acquisition and reproduction of trending aesthetics, according to some data in a spreadsheet."
Always quietly present when something exceptional is going on, Chin has had a hand in securing a Polaris Music Prize-nomination for A Short Story About A War by Shad (Secret City Records), been hand-picked for a nationwide tour of Japan with Grammy-nominated DJ and engineer Daddy Kev (Alpha Pup Records, Low End Theory, Scenario), served as the artist in residence at Todohyo in Toyooka, Japan, won an Applied Arts Award with Chairman Ting and Snoop Dogg, and assembled a veritable cast of legends to support his own records such as Shigeto (Ghostly International), Kid Koala (Ninja Tune, Arts & Crafts), and Madison McFerrin.
His latest project (and Sanzuwu Group debut) begins emerging in November 2025, beginning with the first chapter, an EP simply titled PROFESSIONAL.
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