DJing In Seoul

Touch music and soul with fingertips.

Anyone who's ever been to a club knows the allure of a DJ. Immersed in the pulse of surging energy, focused and unshaken, a DJ can transport the crowd to another dimension with just a few subtle touches. The crowd, moving as one giant entity, dances in sync. DJs are modern-day sorcerers, casting spells of euphoria through nothing but sound. Today, we had the chance to sit down with UNBORN SOUNDS, a DJ collective based in Korea, to talk about their music and personal taste.

FAKEDEEPLEE

Q1. Do you have a go-to outfit for a successful performance?

I still get nervous and really excited when playing so I try to focus my thoughts and energy on DJing so I don’t get distracted. I always think about my first couple tracks and I wear hoodies with the hood up to cover my head and my headphones on top of it to help me stay focused.

Q2. What first sparked your interest in music?

I started off doing mainly photography and videography. When I moved back to Korea in 2018, I was taking photos/videos in the club on underground youth culture and hosting art exhibitions on my work. The club is where I met a lot of artists and I got asked to take photos for their cover art and even shoot and direct some music videos. Then when Covid started, I started learning to DJ seriously. Way before then, in college, I was a campus DJ and would DJ college parties. I feel like I always knew I was going to be working in music.

Q3. Why did you choose Korea out of all the countries in the world?

I studied film and anthropology with a focus on underground youth culture and Korean film. I studied abroad at Yonsei for a year from 2014-2015 and decided to move back in 2018. 

Film brought me to Korea first but now the music industry is the reason why I stay here.

Q4. What’s your favorite Korean phrase?

빡세다 [ppak-se-da]- I use it to describe a lot different things and love how it sounds strong even when pronouncing it. I like intense things.

Q5. Let’s say you’re playing a set at a new club by the beach in Yangyang this August. What would you wear?

I would have my hair pulled back in a nice bun and wear a cropped black hoodie with the hood on, high-waisted green balloon trousers double cuffed at the bottom, gray crew socks, and white vans.

Q6. Who do you think is the most stylish artist?

Q7. What’s your all-time favorite song, the one you never get tired of?

Kanye West - ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’, Coldplay - ‘Clocks’, Chief Keef - ‘Citgo’

Q8. If you could play a set for a fashion collection, which brand would you choose?

I would love to play for Jil Sander. It's my favorite brand of all time and I love the minimalist expression with maximized ideas. Brand feels both expressive and tight and I think that would be such a fun, experimental, and challenging opportunity. I would also love to play for Telfar. Sonically and ideologically feel I align with how it places an importance on culture, while being expressive, unapologetic, and loud.

Q10. What’s the last thing you Googled and the most recent thing you bought?

The last thing I googled was ’Recipe for banana bread’ and the last thing I bought was a pair of black loafers and a vintage Puma Japanese Soccer Goalie jersey from the app Fruits.

Q11. If you had to choose, wired headphones or Bluetooth ones?  

Wired headphones. I like the idea/feeling of being physically attached to my music and the sound quality is also a lot better because the audio isn’t compressed through Bluetooth.

AUS10

Q1. Do you have a go-to outfit for a successful performance?

I don’t have a signature outfit, but I do have a must-have item—like today, I’m wearing my UNBORN SOCIETY trucker cap.

Q2. What first sparked your interest in music?

My uncle was a DJ in San Francisco, I think that had a big impact on me. Thanks to him, my mom's music taste really got good (taste is still subjective, of course) during her twenties and thirties. So growing up I was always exposed to a wide range of music in the living room. In many ways, my family has been a big influence.

I started DJing in Korea in 2019. I used to go to Itaewon’s SOAP every week to see my favorite international DJs. There I met all the local DJs, including DJ 7ip7o3 who taught me how to use the DJ equipment. I was lucky enough to get to know generous people who gave me opportunities with no strings attached. Without them, I’d probably still be at home just listening to SoundCloud...

Q3. Why did you choose Korea out of all the countries in the world?

It feels like a past life now, but I majored in International Business in college. At my school, you had to study abroad to graduate, and because I’d been exposed to Korean culture through gaming in high school, I decided to go to Korea instead of Japan or an English-speaking country, which most Americans would have chosen. That was in 2012.

Seoul was great even 10 years ago, but life here is even better now. Is there anything Seoul doesn’t have compared to other cities? I don’t think so these days.

Q4. What’s your favorite Korean word?

I really like the word “가.”

It’s just one letter, but it can express so much in a single word. “가~” “가.” “가?” “가자.” “가자!!” “갔어.” I imagine many people reading this will be hearing it the same way I do, while others will have their own interpretations. And if you add in regional dialects, ‘가’ can really take off to other dimensions.

Q5. Let’s say you’re playing a set at a new club by the beach in Yangyang this August. What would you wear?

If you know you know, but black tank tops are very much in among the DJs here in Seoul this year. Today, I’m wearing one right now under my white T-shirt. So I’d probably just tie my hair up, wear a tank because it's the beach, and throw on some swim shorts.

Q6. Who do you think is the most stylish artist?

Definitely not me. I don’t think I have the right to judge anyone’s fashion, especially with the way I dress (laughs). There’s a famous photo of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears from the 2001 American Music Awards, I still think about that fit all the time. So, I’ll go with Britney.

Q7. Do you have any particularly memorable moments related to music?

In 2023, Bruno Mars came to Korea and I somehow ended up being the backup DJ for the unofficial after party. I wasn’t used to that kind of stage, and I ended up making a big mistake during the performance. Now, whenever I hear Bruno Mars’ songs I feel pain in my heart. But I still play them sometimes, as to not live in perpetual agony…

Q8. What’s your all-time favorite song, the one you never get tired of?

Michael Jackson’s ‘Get on the Floor’ or Burial’s ‘D2 Unite.’       

My first-ever CD as a kid was Michael Jackson. I remember carrying around my CD player and listening to him all day long.

When I was in high school, I started getting into electronic music, mainly listening to techno and trance DJs like Tiesto. A friend introduced me to the British producer Burial, who, as far as I know, used one of the worst music production softwares of the 2000s. But that was what really influenced his sound. It made it simple and rough. Listening to his tracks from that era it feels very far away from what we’d typically think of as music. I think Burial played a big role in sparking my love for non-traditional genres.

Q9. If you could play a set for a fashion collection, which brand would you choose?      

I really believe it’s important to support local or friend-owned brands rather than well-known ones.

Q10. Do you have a personal philosophy when it comes to music?

Q11. What’s the last thing you Googled and the most recent thing you bought?

The last thing I Googled was English grammar... After living in a non-native language for 10 years, I feel like I’m becoming fluent in zero languages. Aside from food and transportation, the last thing I bought was an entry ticket to Ring, my favourite club in Seoul.

Q12. If you had to choose, wired headphones or Bluetooth ones?    

Despite naming my AirPods after my phone number, I’ve had them stolen twice.  So for now I’m  using some wired earphones I bought from GS25.

ARNOLD

Q1. Is there something you always do before a performance?

Before going on stage, I try to read the room and the atmosphere of the venue. Then I try to focus in my head on a few songs that would fit that vibe and the rest is just on go.

Q2. What first sparked your interest in music? 

Since I was a kid, I was always interested in digging for underground/niche music that people wouldn’t find out about. You know how people say, ‘If you think you could do better than someone, maybe you’ve got some talent’. Every time I went to clubs or parties, my friends and I would complain over and over about DJs using the same playlist or the same songs. So, I thought, why not just try it myself?                    When I first came to Korea, it was either radio hip-hop, EDM, or techno. I lived for half of my life in Côte D’Ivoire (West Africa), so I wanted to push some of the sounds I grew up on in the scene here. 

Q3. Why did you choose Korea out of all the countries in the world?

First came to Seoul as an exchange student at Korea University in 2018 for a year from Atlanta, GA; then moved back to Seoul to pursue my Master's Degree at Korea University.

Q4. What’s your favorite Korean word?

Q5. Let’s say you’re playing a set at a new club by the beach in Yangyang this August. What would you wear?

UNBORN SOCIETY white logo T-shirt, UNBORN SOCIETY trucker hat, Messenger bag, mesh shorts, Shades & Yeezy slides.

Q6. Earlier, Austin mentioned always wearing an UNBORN SOCIETY cap. Is that a brand run by UNBORN SOUNDS?

UNBORN SOCIETY is a brand I’m currently directing. I’m in charge of everything from clothing design to overseeing the campaign shoots. While it shares its roots with UNBORN SOUNDS, you can think of it as an almost independent brand. Right now, we’re stocked in a few select shops in Korea, and we’ll be launching a new collection soon!

 UNBORN SOCIETY Campaign ⓒUNBORNSOCIETY instagram

Q7. Who do you think is the most stylish artist?

Andre 3000, by far. In Korea, it’s CAMO because I usually do her styling haha!

Andre 3000 ⓒvogue

Q8. What’s your all-time favorite song?

Q9. If you could play a set for a fashion collection, which brand would you choose?

Q10. Do you have a personal philosophy when it comes to music?

Q11. What’s the last thing you Googled and the most recent thing you bought?

Q12. If you had to choose, wired headphones or Bluetooth ones?