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Written under Namsan, after dark.

The DJ Diaries

The DJ Diaries is written by a Canadian DJ with thirty years in the booth, most of them in Seoul, holding residencies and playing venues, hotels and events across Korea, mostly house and disco. This is where those rooms get written down: where to go tonight, how the night actually works, and the history behind the sound.

Start with Seoul →Book a DJ
Painted view of Seoul at night from palace rooftops, with Namsan and N Seoul Tower lit up behind the city남산 Namsan and N Seoul Tower, from the palace

A great set at three in the morning is one of the more honest things a person can make for other people. No lyrics to hide behind and no story to lean on.

If you’ve been in that room, you already know. If you haven’t yet, this site will help you find it.

Why I do this

Seoul’s nights deserve a proper record.

For a city with this much happening after dark, there isn’t a lot written down for the people in it. Visitors get lists of clubs that closed years ago. Locals get scattered posts, group chats and the memories of whoever was there. Not much of it is in both English and Korean, and almost none of it is written from behind the decks.

I want to add to that. To write down what’s already been built here, by the DJs, crews and rooms that did it, keep it up to date as things change, and follow where the scene is going next.

Every piece is checked against published sources, including the Korean press.

Records on the shelves of a Seoul LP barNeon signs on a Seoul street at night

Who it’s for

Whether you landed this week or grew up here.

The Han River at night in Seoul, with Banpo Bridge, the Floating Islands and N Seoul Tower on Namsan
Visiting SeoulA few nights, done well→Which neighbourhood suits which mood, how late things really run, and how to get back to your hotel once the subway stops.
 Crowded Seoul street under neon signs at night
New in townFind your rooms and your people→Work out what you like on a dance floor, then find the crews, parties and venues that play it.
 A narrow Itaewon-dong alley at night, lit tent bars and stacked crates, Seoul
Grew up hereYour scene, in the bigger story→How Itaewon, Hongdae and Euljiro connect to Chicago, Detroit and Berlin, and what Seoul gave back.
The Dance Music Encyclopedia →Eight quizzes →The Seoul Nightlife Report →Bookings →

How I work

How you can trust what you read here.

  • Every fact is sourced.Claims link to where they came from, in English and Korean press. If something can’t be confirmed, I say so.
  • Written from the booth.Thirty years of playing these rooms comes first. Research backs it up.
  • Kept up to date.Clubs open and close, so pages are checked again and updated as the city changes.
  • Other voices are credited.Interviews are marked as interviews, and quotes say who said them.

The story so far

Fifty years of dance music, and where Seoul fits in.

Scrapbook collage of a 1970s New York loft party: a DJ at two turntables beside crates of records, hands holding a record sleeve, and a crowd dancing under a mirror ball

1970s

New YorkDisco and the loftsIn downtown lofts and discos, DJs learn to blend one record into the next so the dancing never has to stop.See the era →
Scrapbook collage of a 1970s Seoul music cafe: a DJ in a glass booth lined with LP records reads a request slip, a hand passes a paper slip across a coffee table, and customers sit at small tables

1970s

SeoulThe dabang DJ boothIn music cafés called dabang (다방), a DJ behind glass spins LPs and reads out the request slips passed up from the tables.Read about the request slip →
Scrapbook collage of 1980s Chicago and Detroit: a drum machine and bass synthesizer tangled in cables, an elevated train over brick warehouses, and a DJ at two turntables facing a dancing crowd

1980s

Chicago and DetroitHouse and technoDrum machines, cheap synths and Black club culture build two sounds the world still dances to.Meet the machines →
Scrapbook collage of late 1980s British rave: a line of cars on a dark country road, a huge crowd in a field under lasers, a smoky warehouse rave with a DJ at turntables, and dancers in bucket hats

Late 1980s

BritainAcid house and raveThe music leaves the club for warehouses and open fields, and a whole generation finds the all night party.Go to the rave era →
Scrapbook collage of 1990s Seoul near Hongik University: a red brick alley with stairs down to a basement, art students walking with backpacks, and a basement dance floor with a DJ at turntables and crates of records

1990s

SeoulHongdae finds a beatAround Hongik University in Hongdae (홍대), studio cafés and small bars turn into the city’s early dance clubs, packed with art students and music fans.See how Seoul mapped its nights →
Scrapbook collage of 2000s Seoul club nights: a crowded street of clubgoers seen from behind, two wrists with plain paper wristbands, a packed dance floor under coloured lights, and a DJ at vinyl turntables

2000s

SeoulThe Club Day yearsFrom 2001 to 2011, one wristband on the last Friday of the month opened a dozen or more Hongdae clubs, while Itaewon built its own late night strip.Read the Seoul story →
Scrapbook collage of the 2010s Seoul underground: a hillside alley of stairs at night, friends talking outside a doorway, hands digging through a crate of records, and a woman DJ at CDJs facing a small packed room

2010s

SeoulThe underground finds its feetSmall rooms in Itaewon and Haebangchon build their own DJs, crews and labels, and the sound gets deeper.Meet the rooms →
Scrapbook collage of 2020s Seoul: dancers in sunglasses at a red brick warehouse day party, friends walking home at dawn above the city, an old alley strung with lights, and a DJ at CDJs facing a daytime crowd

2020s

SeoulDay parties to after hoursAfter the quiet years, the floor spreads across the city: Seongsu warehouses, Euljiro bars, day parties and after hours. It still works the way it did in 1970.See where the night went →

Open the full timeline →

A rooftop party at night in Seoul with festoon lights, a DJ table and Namsan Tower on the skyline

Bookings

Planning a night in Seoul?

Club nights and private parties, company events and weddings. Good music is good music: tell me the crowd and the feeling, and I’ll find the DJ who fits.

Book a DJ

Get involved

The scene is bigger than any one room in it.

Writers, promoters, DJs and readers all keep this site honest. Pick what you have for us and the form writes the email for you.

Pitch a piece

We publish essays, profiles, scene reports and guides from people with something real to say. First person is welcome, and so is Korean. Pitch the idea before you write the whole thing, and for more ways in, see Work with us.

A pitch of one line or a bare link won't get a reply. Tell us who you are, show us work you've already made, and give us the angle only you can bring.

No music, please. We don't take music or mix submissions, so please don't send tracks, mixes or promo links.

At least one handle or profile link.

0 / 80 words

At least 80 words.

The button opens your email app with everything filled in, so nothing is stored on this site.

The button opens your email app with everything filled in, so nothing is stored on this site. Planning a paid event instead? Use the booking form.

Find us on Instagram

How we work. Some images on this site are made with AI and captioned “Illustration:”. We never make AI images of real people. The articles are written by DJs, and AI tools help with research, fact checks and grammar afterwards. The ideas, opinions and stories are our own. Spot an error? Email hello@thedj-diaries.com. Fixes go in the corrections log, and methods are on the Research page.

Work with us · Citation and attribution policy

Quick answers

Who runs The DJ Diaries?

Me, The DJ Diaries. I've lived in Seoul since 2002 and played its house and disco rooms for more than twenty years. I write every piece on the site; guest writers are welcome, and anything they send carries their name.

Is The DJ Diaries a magazine or a booking agency?

Both, in a way. It's an independent publication about dance music culture and the Seoul scene, written by me. Separately, I play house and disco for weddings, company events, pop ups, private parties, club nights and festivals, booked through the Book a DJ page.

Does The DJ Diaries interview artists?

Not yet, but that's changing. Interviews with Seoul DJs, crews and venue people start in late 2026, and each one will be clearly marked as an interview. Until then, artist and venue pieces come from research, public sources and my own nights in the rooms, and opinions are labelled as opinion.

Can I write for The DJ Diaries or get my event featured?

Yes. The Get involved section on this page has one form for pitching a piece and another for sending us an event, with the date, venue and lineup.

How do I get in touch?

Use the contact form on this page, or email hello@thedj-diaries.com for bookings, corrections, syndication requests or anything else.