054. Seunghee

December 2023 | As Seunghee prepares to make a move back to Europe and Seoul after a stint based in Brooklyn, we feel lucky to have connected with her range of creative output. She has hosted events under the banner of Yulheim Electronics alongside DJ Snail at intimate, audiophile venues like Jupiter Disco and Mansions, showcasing artists with a taste for dance music that builds layered, dreamy soundscapes, a descriptor that could also apply to her own DJing. With a patient, colorful, emotional approach and a penchant for abstracted kicks and polyrhythms, Seunghee's sound somehow feels as evocative of an urban landscape as a forest ecosystem, organic and full of life, even when that life may be struggling.

About the mix:

Every time I make a mix, I just put in all the tracks I really like and play them by the BPM, and sort out the ones that mix well. After finishing the mix, I hear it and realize what thoughts and intentions were being made.

This time, it sounded like I was trying to build a conviction. There’s a virtual character and she is trying to say something without losing her tone or deviating from her angle. There are a lot of forces trying to convince her out of her own narrative but somehow she maintains it. At least it shows the struggle.

I am currently making a lot of difficult and big choices in life. These choices will determine my survival. It helps to remember where I come from and which direction I am going. It’s not just about my own wants. I think everyone has a name, background, and roots that connect them to their own destiny. I feel I am in a stage of life where I understand myself better. (I am in my thirties) and the mix is about moving forward without compromising. Hopefully it relates to others who are going through changes.

I used a pair of CDJs and Xone92 mixer with a pair of KRKs & Audio-Technica headphones.

Where did you grow up? How did that shape your sound or the way you relate with music?

I was born and raised in Seoul, where I finished elementary school. I grew under a common dictatorship and protesters who hated the government. South Korea did the makeover 10 times faster than everywhere else around. I remember the freeways and high rise apartments were erected so fast that I thought it was magic. One day I woke up to realize the entire small forest in the plaza over my apartment was gone overnight. I thought the world was ending because so many homeless small creatures and insects started invading the block.

It’s not the most lovely thing to remember but my father was a journalist and I grew up learning about social structures at a young age. It’s basically all I remember. Koreans are obsessed with politics and the media. Most of them can talk about it all night like experts and they get infuriated by any sign of injustice.

I make mixes and am part of a party series based in Brooklyn. I do think about the consequences of music a lot. It’s me being someone from Seoul.

What was the first dance music experience that really stuck with you?

My first rave experience was back in Los Angeles in 2018. Someone took me to this half-demolished Korean church in a shady building somewhere in Downtown. It was interesting, so I visited a couple more “underground” parties, but they didn’t really stick with me. After one year, I found myself buying a ticket to a random warehouse party, as if haunted by something. The venue was a warehouse, enough for maybe fifty people. I stepped on a dog doodie outside on my way and almost cried as soon as I heard the sound. It was a dubby opening set with a few dancers in the zone. I saw smiles on people’s faces and felt warmth spread in my veins. I felt threatened almost as I turned around to see the gray cement wall. A pendulum was swinging in a flash of light.

The next morning I totally forgot about the dog doodie and all the things that used to concern me. It changed everything. The way I perceived space, music, and life completely changed that night.

How do mind-altering substances play into your personal experiences with dance music? Or alternately, what are your feelings on how they impact the community or industry?

I think substances are powerful. All sorts of people told me about the miracles and I cannot say I haven’t experienced them. I do think it comes with a price. The substances are like loan sharks that come back for something in return, but I think it’s totally fine to try things.

Can you share any tracks or mixes created by someone else that really bring you back to a specific time or place?

"Ghosts" by Two Shell. This track takes me back to Seoul instantly every time haha. It feels like a Pyongyang Olympic opening set.

Share a track you've always wanted to include in a mix or set, what you love about it, and why you've never managed to include it.

There are many tracks that I want to play but can’t because they don’t have digital formats. I bought a turntable and need to learn how to use it.

Tracklist

Ex Ponto - In A Quarry… Far, Far Away
Igacorosas - Namegotae
Beats Unlimited - Burn Your Theremin
Javier Salazar - Naucodie
Conforce - Umbra
Dåggěr - Thermal Sparking
ABSIS - Night Shadows
Vardae - Angkor
Pseudobaul - Nature Orchestra
Luigi Tozzi - Sorcery
Luigi Tozzi - Spiral (Rrose Remix)
Zemog - Kapajojoro
Atmos - Qualitat Im Quadrat
Neum - Beezulbubbles
Blasha & Allatt. Phil Berg. Spekki Webu. Ipeo - Elevation
As Sudd - QPP
As Sudd - Sidereal Drift
Maara - Floating In The Swamp

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Published December 2023.

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