[AS PUBLISHED IN MALAY MAIL]
Home is where the rave is
By Jordan Barnes
SOUTH KOREA is famous for K-Pop (duh!), plastic surgery, beer and fried chicken joints but hardly a hotbed for EDM DJs.
Enter Justin Oh, a Seoul-based producer, 31, tipped as one of Asia’s leading talents in an industry heavily populated by American and European musicians.
His rise to fame came in 2011 when he was discovered by legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold.
A genius producer with a career spanning four decades, he pitched Oh’s progressive house track Wait For You as one of the top 10 tracks of the year, playing it on BBC Radio 1.
That is some stroke of good luck.
“Magic of the internet!” Oh said of the chance opportunity.
“He’s a pioneer. He is to DJs what The Beatles are to anyone who plays guitar,” he said of Oakenfold.
Raised in Canada, Oh’s path to electronic music came when he saw popular Dutch DJ and record producer, Armin van Buuren perform. He described it as a personal “wow” moment.
“I was probably 18 with a fake ID. It was a different thing to what I’ve heard before.”
He has since been supported by van Buuren on the Dutchman’s A State of Trance platform, along with fellow giants of the industry including W&W.
From a country where EDM artistes are few and far between, Oh’s music is as diverse as it is unique with approach developing from deep house to electrifying dance and recently, a K-Pop collaboration.
He enrolled Sistar vocalist, Hyolin for latest track, Jekyll and Hyde, described as having an “Asian vibe”.
So who better to ask than the globetrotting hit-maker on the reflection of rave culture in these parts?
“Asia used to have a tough time in the dance scene. Now it’s at the forefront.
“Dance music has exploded in the past couple of years with so many festivals and cruises.
“It’s fully matured. Fans know the words to all the songs. Not just the popular tracks but also underground.
“It’s exciting for a DJ to see fans are more educated, more passionate about the music.”
Malaysia has a special place in his heart because as an unknown, Oh starred in his very first festival at the inaugural Future Music Festival Asia at Sepang International Circuit in 2012.
This was followed by a party cruise, “It’s The Ship” two years later and a handful of appearances in Kuala Lumpur over the years.
Where does Oh rank KL in his top cities to play?
“I’d say top three.
“Each place has its own flavour. But definitely KL’s in the top three.”
Oh supported the bill as W&W performed in Kuala Lumpur last Friday in conjunction with Heineken Live Your Music.
Home is where the rave is
By Jordan Barnes
SOUTH KOREA is famous for K-Pop (duh!), plastic surgery, beer and fried chicken joints but hardly a hotbed for EDM DJs.
Enter Justin Oh, a Seoul-based producer, 31, tipped as one of Asia’s leading talents in an industry heavily populated by American and European musicians.
His rise to fame came in 2011 when he was discovered by legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold.
A genius producer with a career spanning four decades, he pitched Oh’s progressive house track Wait For You as one of the top 10 tracks of the year, playing it on BBC Radio 1.
That is some stroke of good luck.
“Magic of the internet!” Oh said of the chance opportunity.
“He’s a pioneer. He is to DJs what The Beatles are to anyone who plays guitar,” he said of Oakenfold.
Raised in Canada, Oh’s path to electronic music came when he saw popular Dutch DJ and record producer, Armin van Buuren perform. He described it as a personal “wow” moment.
“I was probably 18 with a fake ID. It was a different thing to what I’ve heard before.”
He has since been supported by van Buuren on the Dutchman’s A State of Trance platform, along with fellow giants of the industry including W&W.
From a country where EDM artistes are few and far between, Oh’s music is as diverse as it is unique with approach developing from deep house to electrifying dance and recently, a K-Pop collaboration.
He enrolled Sistar vocalist, Hyolin for latest track, Jekyll and Hyde, described as having an “Asian vibe”.
So who better to ask than the globetrotting hit-maker on the reflection of rave culture in these parts?
“Asia used to have a tough time in the dance scene. Now it’s at the forefront.
“Dance music has exploded in the past couple of years with so many festivals and cruises.
“It’s fully matured. Fans know the words to all the songs. Not just the popular tracks but also underground.
“It’s exciting for a DJ to see fans are more educated, more passionate about the music.”
Malaysia has a special place in his heart because as an unknown, Oh starred in his very first festival at the inaugural Future Music Festival Asia at Sepang International Circuit in 2012.
This was followed by a party cruise, “It’s The Ship” two years later and a handful of appearances in Kuala Lumpur over the years.
Where does Oh rank KL in his top cities to play?
“I’d say top three.
“Each place has its own flavour. But definitely KL’s in the top three.”
Oh supported the bill as W&W performed in Kuala Lumpur last Friday in conjunction with Heineken Live Your Music.
Comments
Post a Comment