Contemporary Hong Kong Music is a lively mix of traditional Chinese cultural tunes and Western musical influences. The breadth of music in Hong Kong includes Classical Music as well as the more modern Mandarin Pop, English Pop and Cantopop.
Modern Hong Kong music is a development of the region's vocal and instrumental variations that were prevalent in colonial times. The colonial music tradition in Hong Kong started when the British took administrative control over the area. The first documented and recorded instance of music culture mixing was the Si Doi Kuk. The Si Doi Luk was a rendition of Mandarin language songs that were popular in the 1920's. The British administration established the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra between the two World Wars.
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The Baak Doi record company was the first musical company to bring out commercial recorded audio music in Hong Kong. The development of music in Hong Kong was further accelerated by the rise of the communist regime in China. The 1960's saw the first versions of Cantopop making their presence felt in the Hong Kong music arena. This unique local musical stream was popularized by musical bands like Roman and the Four Steps and Lotus among others.
Contemporary Hong Kong music has been influenced by musical trends from all over the world. The presence of North American music is distinctly felt in the Hong Kong musical scene. The advent of modern audio technologies like mp3 and File Sharing Software has greatly helped to increase the popularity of Hong Kong music beyond the city's borders.
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