Based in Seoul, Chae is a member of Antidote Project and she’s known as a vinyl collector and for her eclectic and refined sets. She shares with us her experiences from her participation for VOICE run by Magico and Antwork until her DnB performance at Boiler Room last summer. 

Where do you come from and how was your childhood?

Both of my grandfathers were artists. My paternal grandfather was a well-known photographer of his time. I vividly remember a striking monochrome photograph he took, which hung along the staircase to the second floor: a semi-nude woman in a traditional Korean skirt, partially exposing her chest as she played a Korean wind instrument. My maternal grandfather, on the other hand, discovered his passion for art later in life, teaching himself to paint and eventually expanding his talents to calligraphy, ceramics, and stone art. He was also an avid stone collector, often using stones as a medium for his work. Although my parents were both from Seoul, I was born in Daejeon, where my father worked in Daedeok Innopolis (Science Town). While he stayed in Daejeon for work, the rest of our family—my mother, brother and I—moved in with my maternal grandparents in Ilsan when I was seven. We lived there for about two to three years before moving back to Seoul. I spent nine years in Seoul, then left for the U.S. to continue my education. In California, I lived with my aunt and completed middle school in just one semester. Afterward, I moved in with an American family and completed high school in three years, graduating a year early in my desire for independence and freedom, before heading to college on the East Coast. I enrolled in an art school in Rhode Island, starting as a Painting major before switching to Graphic Design. At the time, I had little background in graphic design but chose it to be in the same major as my best friends. Unsurprisingly, I struggled due to my lack of experience. After my junior year, I took a gap year and returned to Korea, where I discovered a new passion: electronic music.

How did you discover electronic music?
My first exposure to electronic music was quite run-of-the-mill. During the summer of 2013, between high school graduation and starting college, I spent many nights out with friends at commercial nightclubs in Seoul. At the time, EDM and synth-pop were dominating the scene, and I generally enjoyed going out to clubs to dance. In 2015, the vaporwave movement hit the U.S. hard, which sparked my interest in other subcultures, like the 2010s Korean-American Hip-hop scene in L.A., skateboarding, and graffiti. Then, during my gap year in Korea in 2016, I was introduced to Seoul's underground music scene, discovering genres in the order of Disco, Hip-hop, and Techno.

Your main music influences?
Nature and People.

Your first experience with Djing? 
Before my official debut night, I had the chance to do a B3B with Bruno Schmidt and Magico at an after-party for Voice, the most popular party throughout the 2010s, run by Magico and Antwork.

Mountain or sea?
I used to prefer the sea, but as I get older, I prefer the mountains. I enjoy swimming in mountain streams.

Your first vinyl you got?
Jonny Nash’s "Passive Aggressive" happens to be the first vinyl I added to my Discogs collection.

How many vinyls do you have in your collection? 
My Discogs collection currently shows 970 records. I keep selling and buying to keep them in circulation.

What does vinyl represent for you?
Vinyl represents substantiality. It weighs; it wears; it bents; it melts; it breaks, it takes much more time and effort to handle. It’s unwieldy, but that’s what life is about. I gladly embrace the inconvenience and its slower process. 

Your favourite record labels? 
It is, and always will be, Slow Life. It's more than just a label, it's a lifestyle.

Your favourite record stores? 
Junction Records, operated by S.O.N.S. (French producer and resident at Ring Seoul, Editor's note). It is one of Seoul's premier record shops, offering a curated selection of both second-hand and new vinyl releases. It is a must-visit for music enthusiasts exploring the city.

Your best gig? 
My best gig was Boiler Room Seoul in July (video below). It was my first time playing for Boiler Room and my first time performing a DnB set in public. The energy was insane—it was something else entirely.

Your top venues in South Korea?
Nyapi. Arga. Teller. Ring.

Antitode Projekt in 3 words?
Intimacy. Freedom. Recreation.

Your ritual before a gig?
I do quick yoga if I’m at home. Then, I use a natural oil that I always carry with me. It’s my real essential oil, it helps clear my mind and supports my breathing and posture.

Your Top 5 festivals?
My festival experience so far has been limited to The Air House in Korea, which I've attended since 2018. This October, the Mool Stage (It’s one of the three stages from the last Air House - ‘Mool 물’ means water in Korean.) was incredible, floating right on the water. Next year, I'm planning to go to Dimensions in Croatia. I'm also looking forward to experiencing Atypik in France, Experiment Intrinsic, Houghton, and Waking Life in the future.

The Dj set which blue you away the most? 
Desyn. Listening to his set at Hoppetosse for the Seekers party in 2019 felt like time travelling, from the dawn of the Earth with primal scenes of monkeys to the end with a cosmic space war, and then back again. He was a true wizard behind the decks.

If you could teleport yourself…
I’d love to see prehistoric times, but only if I could be safe from any dangers or outside threats!

If I tell you AI?
Smart, helpful, Secretary.

If you were not a Dj… 
I’d be an artist or an artisan—someone who creates or crafts with their hands.

Without music life would be…
Monotonous. 

Your top 5 new releases
- Abacus "Hyggë"
- a.s.o. "Rain Down" (Purelink's Say Less Mix)
- Skat "Is Dis Love"
- Amon.Cin "Fishtown"
- Youandewan "Dolphin Splash Keyboards"

Your top 5 old releases
- Needs "So Many Things" (Karimi Jazz Version)
- Metamatics "Swimmer"
- DJ Food "Dark Blood" (MLO Nu Blud Two Mix)
- Pure Science "Be-Dup"
- Spacetime Continuum "Funkyar"

Something to add?
Health is wealth! Listen to your body and take care of your soul. Wishing everyone love and happiness.

Interviewed by Sabrina Bouzidi