Ma Haiping
Mind Reader EP

In 2012, Ma Haiping quietly made history with The Chinese Connection, becoming the first Chinese producer to release electronic music outside of Detroit—a city whose techno legacy is practically sacred. Since then, his work has appeared on heavyweight imprints like Jeff Mills’ AXIS, yet Ma has remained something of an outlier: revered but elusive.

Now, he returns with Mind Reader, a release on SCAN Records, the newly minted label from Detroit legend, SCAN 7. The EP picks up where his Detroit Futurism aesthetic left off, reimagining techno as a vehicle for paranoia and prophecy in the algorithmic age. It’s a tightly wound, synth-slicked meditation on digital surveillance and manufactured realities—territory that feels all too familiar in 2025.

“Mind Reader” toys with the unnerving idea that our devices aren’t just watching us—they're thinking for us. The highlight, “Sensitive Period,” a 2022 collaboration with Shanghai Ultra, pulses with urgent restraint, while “No Exposed” leans into cold, metallic isolation, suggesting a world where truth has become unknowable. Across the project, classic 808s and funky basslines nod to Drexciya’s ghost, yet Ma’s voice remains distinct—cerebral, tactile, and always one step ahead.