The Mix 068: DJ co.kr

Getting Roll Deep's Riko Dan to seal your debut EP with a producer tag is the stuff usually reserved for UK bass royalty. Despite being based nearly 5,500 miles away, DJ co.kr is as much of a regular fixture on London's soundsystems as some of the genre's finest. Counting some of the global bass scene's brightest stars as fans, this rising Korean producer has enlisted everyone from Venezuelan Raptor pioneer Dj Babatr to Dublin trance aficionado Tommy Holohan to Baltimore club expert JIALING for remixes — while his party, Ghetto-Ray, and his knack for playfully blending bass and dancehall, East Coast club and UK funky have helped shepherd in a new movement in his home city of Seoul.

DJ co.kr (pronounced Dee-Jay-Ko-Ker) credits Seoul's storied Cakeshop nightclub as the catalyst behind his dance music obsession. Having first visited the iconic Noksapyeong Station-neighbouring venue while on leave from his military service as Seoul's Metropolitan Police Department in 2013, co.kr recalls his first experience in the club was like stepping into a "whole new world".

"Hearing the music I used to listen to on my earphones blasting out of a big soundsystem... that first feeling is indescribable," he says. "Back then, the underground scene in Seoul wasn’t really active yet. Most clubs played tourist-style EDM, and there wasn’t much focus on music itself. But Cakeshop was different — everything was centred on music, and the DJs were clearly on another level". DJ co.kr would eventually learn the ropes from Y.T.ST of the 360Sounds crew, who he heard DJing at the beloved venue that same night.

Read this next: South Korean venue Cakeshop celebrates eighth birthday with compilation and launches new label Carousel Records

Fast forward 12 years, and DJ co.kr has become a flag-bearer for UK bass sounds across Seoul, hosting the likes of Yetsuby, Ahadadream, MileZ and Ryota at his Ghetto-Ray party — while an eye-watering run of releases on labels such as Biroso Records, Steel City Dance Discs, Fools Gold and Solabeam have managed to capture the attention of everyone from Bianca Oblivion to TVSI. As he prepares to release a new EP alongside the collaborator of his 2020 debut 'SOUNDBWOY', as well as fellow Seoul bass head h4rdy, we caught up with DJ co.kr to talk the ever-changing nature of dance music in his home city, his current obsession with female MCs, and why he approaches a one-hour set "like a slice of pizza". Read the interview and listen to his mix, below.

I had such a great experience working with Lady Lykez and NyNy in the past that I wanted to create another fusion of female MCs and dance music; I immediately thought of Brazilian legend Deize Tigrona and TT The Artist (aka Club Queen), and I reached out to them. I just wanted to make something to get people dancing and, honestly, I had way too much music piling up – so I decided to release them without much planning. I still have a lot of tracks waiting to come out [laughs].

Steel City Dance Discs meant a lot to h4rdy and me, it was a huge step forward. Lately, I’ve been listening back through their catalogue and getting drawn into the string and pad sounds that give this emotional spaciousness, even though they’re dance tunes. h4rdy and I have been having a lot of conversations about this recently. We used to focus mostly on drums and groove, but now that spatial depth feels like the next step in our mission. S.C.D.D continues to inspire us, and even though I don’t know what the future holds, I’d love to keep working with them.

You made your production debut with the 2020 EP 'SOUNDBWOY' – how was it to get features from Riko Dan and Magugu? Did it feel like a full circle moment?

That was my first EP. It wasn’t so much about making an “album” as it was about solving a simple problem — people didn’t know how to pronounce “DJ co.kr.” So I thought of the dubplate culture and asked Riko Dan to shout out my name. That’s how the track was born. Because of his shoutout, a lot of people started recognising it as “pronounced deejay koh-ker.” The tracks on that EP were also exactly what I wanted to make at the time — Baltimore club, UK Funky, and even Korean traditional street performance music.

I feel proud. I used to look up to artists pushing UK sounds and now those same artists are shouting out my tracks, it’s hard to put into words. Just this month, TSVI played 'Pika' on his Rinse FM show. He’s one of my favourites and now we’re even DM'ing each other [laughs]. I haven’t played in Europe that much yet, but I really want to feel that live feedback in person. Hopefully I’ll be sharing space with them soon. Even now, my No.1 Spotify audience is in the UK.

Being Korean, not British, gives me a different angle, I think it comes down to exploring genre fusion. As a DJ, I often mash up different genres and, as a producer, making grime or dubstep and putting a grime MC over it didn’t feel particularly special to me. Take 'SOUNDBWOY' for example: Riko Dan spits over a Baltimore club beat. I’ve been exploring that kind of hybrid for nearly 10 years, so maybe it’s only now starting to get attention.

What is the biggest challenge for you working within the Seoul scene?

Seoul is a city that’s sensitive to trends and the club scene definitely reflects that, even the venues themselves tend to shift their sound based on what’s popular. From a club owner’s perspective, that’s understandable — it’s a practical reality. But that’s why I deeply respect and support DJs and club owners who stick to what they love. 

There are local DJs and club owners who love music so much that they invite artists they admire, even at their own expense if sales might not cover it. One club I know that does this is Modeci. I also hope there are more DJs like Sina Hill and Bojvck, I fully support what they do. If something gets a bit of hype, suddenly more DJs start playing that genre. Personally, I try to build that movement, but Seoul’s trend-driven nature makes it hard to gather that kind of energy. I think part of the reason is that Seoul’s music scene is still relatively young.

What do you think makes Seoul's scene so unique? What about the city has continued to inspire you for the last seven years?

Seoul is a city that changes quickly. The music scene moves just as fast, and there’s a unique energy in how genres collide here. The scene may not have a long history, but that actually creates more room for experimentation and freedom. There are local artists and clubs here who stay true to their sound while constantly trying new things. Their persistence and passion always inspire me. Even though Seoul is trend-sensitive, there are people who take those trends and flip them, creating something new. That constant motion and potential — that’s what keeps me going.

How do you usually prepare for a DJ set?

I don’t plan my sets rigidly, I think of a one-hour set like a slice of pizza. For example, I might group 10 minutes of one genre, then switch. So I’ll map it out like A–F–C–H–S–D, mixing up genres in that order.

What's coming up next for you? 

With h4rdy, we’re planning a release on Nervous Records — on my own, I’m also planning to release music through other international labels. There’s still so much I want to share.

Can you tell us about your mix?

This mix is not only a showcase of electronic and house music from Seoul, but also a way to introduce global listeners to the vibrant artists shaping the city’s dance music scene. I wanted to highlight the organic collaborations that happen between local artists and international guests who’ve visited Seoul, alongside some of my previously released music and upcoming collaborations with h4rdy.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter

Tracklist

DJ co.kr, h4rdy & Logan_Olm 'Top Shotta' [Intro Edit]
Logan_Olm & INVT 'We Inside' (Culebra Vip)
Deetron 'Mind & Body'
Bojvck '왼쪽과 오른쪽 그리고 다같이 춤!'
RITCHRD 'WAIT'
STIPP & Alec Dienaar 'H-Tool 03'
BRUX ft. DJ ADHD 'U$ELE$$'
DJ Wiggle 'Stop Fidgeting'
Justin Jay 'Chloe' (DJ co.kr Dubplate Edit)
DJ co.kr, h4rdy & Nyny 'Serious'
DJ co.kr, TT The Artist 'Masida' (Oldboy Remix)
DJ co.kr, h4rdy & TT The Artist 'ID'
Camille Doe 'Don't Stop'
DJ co.kr & h4rdy '??????'
DJ Love 'Rhyme Killa'
BRLLNT 'Acid Beat'
Black Pink 'Jump' (Tekno Edit)
DJ co.kr 'Rude Bwoy Ting' (Tommy Holohan Remix)
Maoupa Mazzocchetti Ft. Clara 'Mantequilla' (Pariah Remix)
DJ co.kr & Deize Tigrona 'Pika' (Dj Babatr Remix)
Dj Yirvin 'Ya Yahoo'
DJ co.kr & h4rdy 'Toma'
REYY 'PUT4 RARA' (SHEYY FLIP)
Rohaan 'Loca'
Crosstalk 'MAMADA DUB'
DJ Zinc '138 Trek' (Zed Bias Remix)
Joy Orbison 'flight fm'
DJ co.kr & h4rdy 'ILL E SAM SA'
Princess Superstar & Hamdi 'Counting'
O'Flynn & Frazer Ray 'Count You In'
DJ co.kr, h4rdy & Killa P 'FM23' (Y U QT Remix)
Onhell & MC Han '??????'
DJ co.kr & h4rdy  'Rundun Dub'
Backdraft ft. MC Spyda '2000 & More' 
DJ Pool 'Gotta GO' (h4rdy Remix)
Nia Archives 'Off Wiv Ya Headz'
KolourFm, Anais & Pmoney '??????'
DJ co.kr & h4rdy  '??????'
Spray & L-Like '??????'
JAEL & Sister Nancy 'Nancy Junglist'
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam' (DJ co.kr Dubplate)