What’s up, SeoulGrid? Sorry about the delay in posting up the club guide this week. My already crazy week unexpectedly got a bit crazier… [My plane crashed on this mysterious island, then we got attacked by this big black column of smoke, and... Ok, so I'm just really irresponsible, and I spent the past week catching up on "Lost" instead of working on SeoulGrid. Look, I'm sorry, alright?!]
Midterms finish up this week for the university students among us, and you know what that means — the clubs are going to be wild this weekend in celebration. A few quick updates… The good: Club Heaven has free entry Friday night! The bad: Club Volume is still closed on Friday (and maybe Saturday too?) for renovations. The ugly: I’ll be in Tokyo this weekend, so you all will have to party it up without me. Yeah, I know you’ll miss me — but don’t worry, I’ll still be partying hard on the other side of the East Sea. Unfortunately for me, I’m gonna miss some great shows in Seoul this weekend.
Read on to find out what’s up, and prepare yourselves for yet another epic weekend of the chaotic debauchery that is Seoul’s club scene…
Friday, April 23rd
Saturday, April 24th
SeoulGrid Top Pick:
Daishi Dance @ Heaven 
Party Info:
Fri @ Answer: “Drive Tunes Gifting” (Housegraphy Records)
Guest DJs: “Housegraphy Records” — Baram, KINGmck, Hyde, S-Pill, LocoSoound, BaekSeung
It seems Club Naked shutting down has mixed things up quite a bit. I remember seeing a lot of these guys DJ at Club Naked back in the day, and now I guess they have a bit of freedom to play at other parties as well.
These guys are really talented — some of the shows they put on at Naked when it first opened were incredible. (I started going to Naked much less frequently as time went on, so I’m not sure if they continued in the last months before it closed). Two of them would DJ simultaneously, often creating new music on the fly, blurring the boundary between a DJ set and a live performance.
This party is described as “House Mixset for Driving.” [That name makes me think back to my midnight to 4am drives on I-95 during my college days... Speeding down an empty road, listening to good music in an almost trance-like state -- there's something way relaxing about being alone out on the open road.] So chug a Red Bull, crank the volume, push the pedal for the floor, and enjoy! But remember to check your rear-view mirror periodically for those flashing red and blue lights.
Fri @ Eden: “EZ-House”
Resident DJs: EYou, Ziro
Nothing much to write here — Eden’s resident DJs usually play tech-house and minimalism. I can’t find a decent quality video of their resident DJs online.
Club Eden: More Information & Directions
Fri @ Heaven: “Mash Up Da Rave”
Guest DJs: Clubber Langz (UK), Mackay (Ireland)
Video is of Clubber Langz playing at Elune in Busan with an MC.
Note that although Club Heaven also lists “Shut Da Mouth” as a guest DJ, I’m not listing them because on last week’s poster it read:
[Club heaaaaven... How many times do I have to tellll youuuu... You can't just randomly list your resident DJs as guest DJs some weeks. It just doesn't make sense.]
Anyway, actually guest DJing tonight are the Seoul-residing Clubber Langz from the UK and Ross Mackay from Ireland.
Free entry: From what I gather, you can get in this show for free if you arrive before midnight and say “Clubber Langz” at the desk. So if you’ve been wanting to check out the club scene but don’t feel like paying a W30,000 cover, here’s a good chance to do so.
[Top Pick] Daishi Dance Sat @ Heaven
Daishi Dance. This dude just makes beautiful music, plain and simple. I had a lot of trouble picking out just one song to post here. I picked this one because it’s more upbeat, but some of his other songs, while more mellow, are absolutely amazing. Check out Romance For Journey and I Believe to see what I mean — I could seriously listen to this stuff all day.
He’s a resident DJ in Japan who’s known for mixing it up by performing with three turn tables. He’s toured with Studio Apartment, and collaborated with artists such as Big Bang on multiple hit songs — for instance, he composed and arranged Haru Haru.
The ironic thing is I really want to see this show, but the one weekend I make it to Japan, he’s coming to Seoul. On the plus side, it seems Heaven has worked out a monthly deal to have Daishi Dance play on the last Saturday of every month. So if you can’t make it this weekend either, at least we’ll be able to catch him next time. For those of you who can make it, enjoy — it’s gonna be a seriously awesome show.
Club Heaven: More Information & Directions
Sat @ Answer: Hed Kandi: “Twisted Disco”
Guest DJ: Luke Neville and Live Percussionist Deano
[This mix was done by someone random on youtube, but I'm including it because it's a sampling of Twisted Disco tracks released by Hed Kandi.]
I’ve said it before — Hed Kandi DJs always put on a great show. It’s Twisted Disco — it’s gonna be funky, a bit retro, and it’s gonna make you want to get down. I still highly recommend Daishi Dance, but if that isn’t your thing and you just want to party, you can’t ever go wrong with Hed Kandi.
Club Answer: More Information & Directions
Sat @ Eden: King Unique (UK)
When I checked out some of his tracks, my first thought was “Yep, typical Eden minimalism.” But then the song went on, and bam, a hint of electro? Ok, so this is a DJ who isn’t afraid to mix it up a bit. It’s still a tad minimal for my tastes, but for what it is, I like it. Here’s another track — slow build, but pretty epic: Yohkoh
I think this will definitely be a better than average night at Eden as well. How’s that, Seoul club scene? It looks like our main megaclubs are three for three tonight with good shows, each one a different style. Just take your pick, and enjoy.
Club Eden: More Information & Directions
Sat @ Volume: Atomic Pulse (Israel) “Psyche Saturday”
Heaven’s taking a break from psytrance this week, so the newly reopened Club Volume is filling in. I’m not a fan of this style of music personally, but if goa/psytrance is your thing, then don’t let me stop you from rocking out in the new Club Volume.
Ok, let me post a disclaimer — to be honest I’m not entirely certain Volume is reopening this Saturday. One of their promoters told me they were closed until further notice for renovations (including Friday), but this event on facebook and partyluv doesn’t seem to have been cancelled, so I’m assuming Volume is reopening and it’s still on. If anyone knows for sure otherwise, let me know and I’ll update this post. Otherwise, I guess it’s a safe bet that this Saturday is happening at Volume.
Closing Comments:
Woohoo! It’s almost 6am on Friday morning, but at last I’m finished and can post this up. I hate you all. [Haha, I kid I kid. I have a special place in my heart for each and every one of you. You're all special. Have a cookie. Have two cookies.]
By the way, this is the first time since my return to Seoul that I’ll be missing a weekend of clubbing. Yeah, you know you have a problem when you’re going on vacation, and one of the first thoughts that crosses your mind is, “Aww man… I’m gonna miss a fun night at the club.” And it’s not even a legitimate complaint, since I’ll be clubbing in Tokyo anyway. But still… There’s just something magical about the Seoul club scene that I can’t seem to tear myself away from.
Hey, some may call it addiction. I call it dedication.
Party hard, Seoul clubbers. I’ll see you all next week, and in the mean time, enjoy your weekend. Cheers!
James
Attn: Promoters: Want to make sure your party gets included in a weekly update? Send an email to parties@seoulgrid.com with the information and flyer. We’ll check it out, and if it meets our standards we’ll include it. Thanks!
