Every scene has a history. This is Seoul’s, told from the booth.
Clubs, crews, records and the rooms that closed, from a DJ who has been behind the decks since the late ’90s.
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Latest
The Twelve Clubber Types: Every Result In The Clubber Type Quiz
The twelve types of clubber from the DJ Diaries quiz. What each one is good at, what it costs, and the Seoul and world rooms where each belongs.
Start here
The Seoul Nightlife Report
343 respondents. 44% chose Itaewon. Our own survey of the people who actually go out in Seoul, run in late 2024. Free to cite.
Latest Reads
Beatport vs Bandcamp: The Battle for Electronic Music Sales
Beatport pays 50% to artists and sells to DJs. Bandcamp pays 85% to artists and sells to fans. The difference…
Sync Licensing: How Dance Music Gets Into Film and TV
A single well-placed sync can out-earn a thousand Spotify streams a day for a year. Most producers have no idea…
The Rave Era: from Warehouse to Field, 1988 to 1994
The Criminal Justice Act 1994 criminalised music characterised by “a succession of repetitive beats.” The parties had already changed the…
Play with the history
127 genres, 11 machines, one quiz and eight face-offs. Press play.
The Seoul Scene
Documented from inside, since the early 2000s. Nobody else is writing this down.
From the Glass Booth to the DJ Booth: One Continuous Line Through Korean Nightlife
Music dabang, rock cafe, club: the sixty year lineage of the Korean DJ told as one continuous story, by a…
Pentaport 2026 Review: Ten Years Away, and Korea’s Rock Festival Grew Up
A first hand review of Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2026. What changed in ten years, how to survive the heat,…
Building a DJ Career in Asia: The Network, the Bookings, the Path
The path to international bookings that most Asian DJs have taken went through Berlin or London first. Whether it has…
The Quizzes
Thirty-six questions, about ten minutes, twelve possible results each. English or Korean. Share yours, argue with ours.
What Kind of DJ Are You?
Selector, technician or showman. Twelve DJ archetypes, scored on six hidden traits.
What Kind of Clubber Are You?
Front row or back bar, first in or last out. Twelve ways to be on a dance floor.
Your Perfect Venue & Trip
Warehouse, basement, rooftop, listening bar. The room you were actually built for.
Which Era of Dance Music Are You?
Chicago 1985 through Seoul right now. Which decade of dance music you belong to.
What Festival Are You?
Field, forest, beach or city block. The festival that fits how you really behave.
New: Find Your Sound matches you to one of 127 genres in eight questions. Every result across the five quizzes, with its trait axes and type code, is listed in the full directory. Or start from all quizzes.
The Dig
Genre Encyclopedia
127 genres mapped, defined, and traced to their source.
Genre Tree
Sixty years of dance music genealogy, one interactive map.
All Tools
Sixteen tools and charts: timelines, face-offs, trend waves and the tempo bridge.
The Machines
The 808, 303 and 909, plus a step sequencer you can play.
From the Booth
Feeling Factor Vol. 46: Jazzy, Deep, and Soulful House
Jazz chords, deep house grooves, and soulful vocals across one unhurried set. Mixed in Seoul, built for late evenings rather…
Get Down Vol. 6: Soulful House and Disco Through the Cold Months
Soulful house and disco for the cold months: warm basslines, strings, and vocal cuts that lean toward the dancefloor. Mixed…
Get Down Vol. 2: A Live Disco & House Mix from Seoul’s Christmas Eve
Recorded live in Seoul on Christmas Eve: disco and house played to a real room, in the order the night…
Every genre, year by year.
From 1940s roots to 3-step, 127 genres on one timeline. Each one has the year it took shape, where it happened, the labels that carried it and an official track you can play.
Start Here
Six pieces that explain how this city actually goes out. If you read nothing else, read these.
Going Out in Seoul
Which district for which night, and why they are not interchangeable.
Why Seoul Clubs Have Kitchens
The one detail that explains how a Korean club is actually allowed to operate.
Euljiro, a.k.a. Hipjiro
A tool-shop district that became the most interesting night out in the city.
Seoul on Wax
LP bars, record shops, and the DJs still playing vinyl in this city.
The Fall of the Gangnam Megaclub
Burning Sun, COVID, and the end of a business model.
How to Start DJing
The beginner guide, written by someone who has been doing it for 25 years.
Planning an event in Seoul?
Twenty-five years behind the decks. Weddings, corporate events, club nights, and festivals across Korea and Asia. A small team, led by me, not an agency roster. Honest advice, careful planning, and the right music for your room. Tell me about your event and I will send you a quote.