DJ Soulscape
Seoul, Seoul, South Korea | INDIE
Music
Press
Korean article link
http://news.khan.co.kr/section/khan_art_view.html?mode=view&artid=200805291720335&code=900307 - KyungHyang Newspaper (May 28, 2008)
DJ Soulscape nominated for 2003 Crossover Artist of the Year for his critically acclaimed album, 'Lovers'
www.kmusicawards.com - Various Korean Media
Some of Korea’s up and coming beat mechanics of the art of mixing vinyl records will face off in a showdown this Friday at S. Bar in Chongdam-dong, southern Seoul for the MTV Motoalert DJ Challenge.
Four finalists will battle it out in front of a panelist of judges and the audience for a plethora of prizes including a trophy, a Motorola cell phone, a trip to London with money to go record shopping and clubbing, and a trip to Singapore, where they will go up against the top finalists from each of the countries where the competition is being held concurrently. An exclusive contest being promoted and sponsored by MTV Asia and Motorola, the MTV Motoalert DJ Challenge seeks to turn the spotlight on to Asia’s next generation of DJs. The countries involved include Korea, China, India, Taiwan and Thailand.
In Singapore, the champion DJs from each of the five countries will duke it out at club Phuture in Zouk, regarded as one of the best clubs in the world. The showcase event will also feature DJ Colette,the ``Best Breakthrough DJ’’ at the 2003 Dancestar Awards.
Two local guest DJs will appear for the event in Korea: the hip-hop wizard on the decks, DJ Soulscape, and techno sensation DJ Dalpalan.
The event will run from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Admission is 20,000 won at the door and includes a drink. - The Korea Times (Oct 7, 2003)
/Occupation and Position./
DJ/Producer and midnight mover
/What neighborhood/city do you closely identify with? What makes your community so unique?/
Seoul, Korea! More specifically 360 sounds: an eclectic collective of local DJs and artists. Since the subculture scene here is pretty small and packed, we’ve all grown up together in this nascent movement as skaters, DJs, emcees, designers and hustler creatively influencing each other. It’s a pretty unique experience to have all the b-boys, stakers, hiphop kids and graffiti artists, photographers partying in one place.
/What’s the greatest item that you’ve dug up a local garage/estate sale? How much did it cost?/
I recently, copped an extra copy of Port Authority record last week at Myung-dong street [an exclusive fashion haven in Seoul, known by some as the "Mecca of Fashion" or the "Young People's Street"]. The record only cost me 1,000 won (approximately 1 USD).
/If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be? Why?/
It would have to be Sang-Woo Kim, who is responsible for the Saucerman Records and is the mysterious record don. Alongside the fact that he had influenced the greatest hip-hop producers, he also has the deepest knowledge and vision for modern Afro-American music in Korea. It’s so fantastic for me listening to him worked with Weldon Irvine, Keni Burke, among others.
/What’s your favorite youtube video?/
One of most known korean soul diva [Kim Jung-Mi]
/Where are your favorite local spots to eat./
Shy-bana, located in French-Town (Bangbae-dong, Seoul). It is a rare spots in Seoul city which specializes in Southern American food.
/What are your favorite local nightlife scenes./
360 Sounds party. Also watching the Han-river around midnight.
/What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?/
Seoul Nakunae - Hae-ddeul-nal. Seoul Nakunae is an amazing Korean soul rock band from back in the 70s.
/What new projects you are building on right now?/
I am currently working on my new album: New Sound of Seoul and also a mix CD, More Sound of Seoul.
http://evilmonito.com/2008/05/31/qa-dj-soulscape/ - Evil Monito (5.31.2008)
Discography
ALBUMS
- '180g Beats' (2000)
- 'Lovers (2003)
- 'Vol.1 Patterns for Words' (2007)
MIX CDS
- 'James Brown Tribute Mix' (2007)
- 'Freshbox Vol.1 - Disco Era 76~82' (2007)
- 'The Sound of Seoul' (2007)
SINGLES
- 'Story' (2000)
- 'Jasmine' (2003)
- 'Dreams' Itinerary' (2004)
- 'Theme For The Han River' (2008)
COMPILATIONS/OST
- Soul Chamber 'Street' ft Def Roy (MP HipHop 2000)
- DJ Soulscape 'Maybe' (MP HipHop 2001)
- Ill Skillz ft DJ Soulscape 'Understand' (2001 Republic of Korea)
- Infinite Flow ft DJ Soulscape 'Dialogue' (2002 Republic of Korea)
- Mountain Brothers vs DJ Soulscape 'Thoroughbred' (MP HipHop 2002)
- DJ Soulscape ft Nuksupshiny & Gaknakunae 'Dreams' Intinerary' (MP Presents 'Change The Game')
- DJ Soulscape ft ChungAhn 'Jasmine' (Happuli A Day : Yellow)
- DJ Soulscape 'Wait and See' (Park Hoon-Kyu Overground Tripper OST)
- DJ Soulscape 'Theme For The Han River' (iriver 37.2 Pink Campaign)
- DJ Soulscape ft Gaknakunae 'Confusion' (Stealth Magazine 5th Anniversary Issue)
MISC PRODUCTION CREDITS
- Infinite Flow 'We Are Music' (Album Producer)
- Elena 'Say Hello To Every Summer' (Album Producer)
- Yoon Jong-Shin 'Lunch Menu' (Track Composer)
- Windy City 'Just Live A Living It Up' (Track Composer)
- P&Q 'Imagine That' (Track Composer)
Photos
Bio
Hip-Hop Artist, Producer, Composer, Party Promoter, Magazine Writer, Record Label Owner...
DJ SOULSCAPE
Born in Seoul circa 1979, DJ Soulscape spent his early childhood days nurturing his eclectic taste for superfly music by rummaging through his parents record collection and tuning into the US Armed Forces AFKN radio station. Discovering new tunes was a fun, carefree hobby until one fateful night, in front of a TV set, he experienced an epiphany. While watching Herbie Hancocks live performance of Rock It at the 1984 Grammy Awards, he gazed in awe as Grandmixer D.ST turned simple turntables into scintillating, scratching machines. From that moment on, he knew right there and then, he wanted to become a DJ. And from that day forward, he dedicated his formative school years to scouring obscure, back alley record shops, religiously amassing a library of the rarest of rare LPs to launch his DJ career.
Cue to 1998. Deep in the heart of Seouls avant-art district of Hongdae, DJ Soulscape quickly made a name for himself in the underground club circuit. Besides locking down a coveted DJ residency at the legendary hip-hop hotspot, Master Plan, he emerged as the turntablist of choice for many of Koreas top hip-hop acts. When Master Plan decided to transform its club business into a talent management agency, DJ Soulscape was one of the first artists signed and in 2000, he officially debuted with MC Penny as part of a duo called, Soul Chamber. However, after just one single, the pair disbanded. But all was not lost. Soon after the breakup, DJ Soulscape took the K-Pop industry by storm with the release of his critically acclaimed, breakthrough solo album, 180g Beats.
Unfortunately, right when the album hit the charts, DJ Soulscape was forced to fulfill his mandatory 2 year military service and as a result, all promotional activities came to a sudden halt. Upon successfully completing his army duties in 2002, he resumed his DJ pursuits but surprised anxious fans by releasing an electronica/lounge EP under the name, Espionne. Adding more intrigue to his increasing mystique, DJ Soulscape continued his magical musical detour in 2003 when he reassumed his old identity and compiled Lovers, a concept album based on and inspired by the theme of love. Record critics fell in love with it and rewarded his experimental effort with a Crossover Artist Of The Year nomination at the Korean Music Awards.
In 2007, DJ Soulscape continued to push Koreas beatmixing boundaries by presenting an innovative, instrumental album entitled, Vol.1 - Patterns for Words. In conjunction with the webzine, HipHopPlaya.com, he encouraged fans to freely record their own lyrics and vocals on top of his tracks and upload their mashups in an open mic contest so that online listeners could critique and vote for their favorite versions. In May of 2008, DJ Soulscape followed up on this bold collaboration with his first ever digital single, Theme for the Han River.
Although he has been a headlining DJ at numerous hip-hop events big and small, DJ Soulscape decided take the citys burgeoning party scene to another level. At the end of 2005, he teamed up with DJ Jinmoo, Plastic Kid, and others to form a Seoul-based DJ crew called 360 Sounds. As the 360 Sounds parties began to expand, they joined forces with Hongdaes Club Tool in early 2007 to organize the immensely popular, monthly party series, Fresh Box.
In addition to his high-profile roles as the music director for major studio films, indie flicks, radio shows, video artworks, and websites, DJ Soulscape is also the head of his own indie music label (Strange Sweet Sounds) and a frequent music columnist for publications such as GQ, Marie Claire, and Bling magazines.
LOCAL GIGS
* DJ Spooky (Seoul 2007)
* DJ Andy Smith of Portishead (Seoul 2005)
* DJ Krush (Seoul 2004)
* DJ Shadow (Seoul 2003)
* Pusan International Film Festival (Pusan 2007)
* Resfest Digital Film Festival (Seoul 2005/2006)
* Sonar Festival (Seoul 2006)
REGIONAL GIGS
* Club Muse (Shanghai 2008)
* Club Harlem (Tokyo 2006)
* Formoz Festival (Taipei 2003)
AWARDS & HONORS
* Top 100 K-Pop Albums of the 20th Century (2008 KyungHyang Newspaper)
* Top 89 Cultural Leaders in Korea (2005 Bling Magazine)
* Crossover Artist Of The Year nominee (2003 Korea Music Awards)
Links
