Admittedly Residents’ Hour‘s first exploration into the Far East is long overdue, but it was important for our first Asian episode to be special. We now proudly mark our first pitstop in South Korea’s bustling capital: Seoul.
Little stands in the way of hailing Cakeshop as Seoul’s flagship club for international dance music. We even attest to this ourselves, having thrown our first ever South Korea party in collaboration with Cakeshop last month. Here, we chat at length with resident Wood X about Seoul’s scene and the importance of cultivating the local newcomer artists. Dive into his hourlong warm-up mix, and read on to get the scoop on what makes Cakeshop unique.
“Cakeshop is an interesting place. It’s become more than a club in a sense. It resists a lot of the norms that clubs in Seoul have become known for. It’s smelly, loud, dirty, dystopian, energetic, magnetic, kinetic and — above all — authentic. Our doors have been open for almost four years now, and from the first party up to this very article, the club has operated at a nosebleed pace. I wouldn’t trade the chaos for anything. Cakeshop sticks out.
“The glowing red neon sign attracts many of Seoul’s subcultural pockets. Artists, musicians, DJs, rappers, gays, drag queens, the fashion world, art school kids and the nocturnal dancers can all be found on any given Cakeshop night. In terms of the vast amount of bookings, there isn’t much time for promotion, so the club-goer has to be ready to expect anything. We aren’t a hip hop club, nor are we a house club. The space is simply Cakeshop, and it becomes whatever the mood calls for when the first track blasts out of the soundsystem.”
“It simply began as an idea. Sam and Gabe had been doing well promoting their respective nights and the parties grew in size and reputation. The next step was a space, giving Gabe and Sam a laboratory space to test out their experiments. This kind of thing rarely happened in Seoul.
“I became involved early on. I was playing some shows within the first year, but it was a lot to handle so I stepped down for bit. During this time, I just enjoyed being part of the crowd and getting to see such a range of guests roll through the club. About a year later, I was back playing. As the shows started to pick up, so did my confidence. By the time my own night ended at our other spot called Pistil, I was playing Cakeshop almost every week. Sam and Gabe are family now. The transition into a DJ residency was therefore pretty organic.
“The real reason for Cakeshop’s success is the way in which they all work together. Everybody shares the same outlook of music being the driving force. We don’t even have security, yet we rarely encounter problems. Our dancefloor is made up of kids from Seoul supporting other creatives who want to take care of their scene.”
“This mix was recorded last Thursday, when we welcomed back Roche Musique’s Zimmer. Roche Musique is a Parisian label that has a huge following in Seoul, so I could tell that the energy would be high at this one. The warm-up set had a quick pace, but also leant a hand to the next DJ. I had some new songs to play, and it’s always nice to be in a position where the tracks can breathe a bit. Some house, some disco, some vocals, take a deep breath, have a dance, get a drink, talk to your friend — the room will build if you don’t rush it.
“I wouldn’t trade the chaos for anything. Cakeshop sticks out.”
“Mixing fast and just plugging as much as you can is disorientating; and jacking the tempo sucks the life out of the night way too early. The resident is not the star, and it’s imperative that the warm-up DJ acknowledges the importance of their role. They create the night’s energy that lasts until the lights come on. A good warm up DJ or resident can lend their palette to different nights without sounding corny.
“Again, I have to reiterate how grateful I am to the owners and staff at Cakeshop. I’m in a unique position where I work with the people I love and care about, and can call friends. I get to witness the music scene in Seoul becoming stronger and more inclusive — with things like internet radio station Seoul Community Radio adding so much to Korea’s flourishing scene. Also, with the amazing local DJs I’ve met and shared the booth with. I’m in debt to the homegrown talents that are the sons and daughters of the real Seoul. They’re the pillars of this scene.”
Tune in in a fortnight’s time, when we serve up our first ever jazz special of Residents’ Hour.