#42 Plastic Kid

Since we came to a burger place to meet, I’ll start by asking: What is the best burger in Seoul?
Uh, I guess the best burger I’ve had so far has been at this place ( Gilbert’s Burger ). The burgers aren’t exactly the same, but it’s the same owner and vibe as Brooklyn Burger.

Yea  Brooklyn Burger is dope. They have like every hot sauce that I miss from back home over there.
Yea! This place, too. They have Tapatillo! I love that shit.

Where’s the best pizza in Seoul?
[Laughter] Oh, was that question part of the interview? Man, I don’t know, Domino’s? To me, yea.

Yea man. People sleep on Domino’s, but that new recipe is awesome. An extra cheese pizza from Domino’s is the truth. What’s the best fried chicken in Korea?
Traditional, Korean, old-school fried chicken. There is a chicken district around Kyobo tower in Gangnam you should check out.

Yea man. I love 엉토리통닭 in Gyeongridan. Have you had that?
Yea, man! That’s what I’m sayin’! I like that style.

Do you drink soju when you eat fried chicken? 
I don’t drink. I’m quitting for 2 years. I don’t like losing control of myself. Especially when I’m playing music, I want to focus. I never really drank soju back when I drank though, just beer and I would make SoMaek sometimes. People loved my SoMaek mixes, but I didn’t drink them. I just made them for my friends.

What’s your favorite album of 2015 so far?
I have been really into the Big Sean album. I always like Kendrick’s music as well. His new album is jazzier than the last one. I love collecting records from the 70’s and a lot of the new Kendrick stuff is groovy like the old records I like.

Kendrick Lamar said something about how he would have made a happier album had been the world been a happier place right now. Who are some Korean MC’s using Hip-Hop as a political platform in a similar way as Kedrick?
Let me think… Do you know E-Sens? I love his lyrics. He covers a lot of stuff in his songs. You should check him out.

How long have you been into Hip-Hop? When did you start pursuing music as a career?
Around 2002, right after I graduated high-school. I was born in 84.

So you’re my 형. 
Yeah, I’m 형-er than you [laughter]. I call it ‘형-er game’, like  “Who’s the형-est here!?” They have to pay for everything.

When you first started doing music, who was the most influential person involved in your progression as an artist?
I would have to say Soulscape. We used to go digging together before 360 Sounds even started. There still weren’t many DJ’s buying records back then and we always chilled together. He taught me a lot. He is 형-er than me [laughter]. We met because of a mutual friend at church. I had already heard of him so I was stoked when my friend introduced us. This year is 360 Sound’s 10 year anniversary. I think we’ve lasted a long time because we are persistent.

Was it easy to convince your parents that you wanted to do music for a living?
Yea, they don’t care. They know it’s my life and they just love me. Some parents wouldn’t want it, but they just want me to be happy so they never discouraged me.

What’s your favorite aspect of being a DJ? Spinning live, producing,digging?
All of it. I love to share music. I love letting people hear the music I find. I want to introduce the music that most people never got to hear from the 70’s that I love. It’s still so fresh. I guess sharing music with people is what I love most.

What kind of production are you doing at the moment?
I used to do a lot of Hip-Hop, but these days I am doing more 90’s style R&B stuff. First time I made my own music was with a Casio keyboard. I did everything with it, drums and all. I was always a bright and funny kid who liked doing music, but one day I just started taking it more seriously.

What kind of music did your parents listen to around the house when you were growing up?
Hymns. They listened to music from overseas that had been translated to use Korean lyrics, like “Amazing Grace.” However, I have a brother who is 7 years older than me, and he used to listen to stuff like MC Hammer and New Kids on the Block. I remember hearing DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince “Boom Shake the Room.” Songs like that got me interested in music.

What advice would you give to aspiring DJ’s out there?
That’s hard… Maybe I’d tell them to never be a DJ? [laughter] It’s the wrong way in Korea! Please don’t do it! Nah, nah. I’m kidding. I mean, it kind of makes sense at the same time though. I don’t know. 360 wants to make people not just view DJ’s as just DJ’s. It’s not all about night life and girls. We wanted to make people respect the craft and take us seriously. I guess I would tell aspiring DJ’s to just keep digging. That’s most important. Not just for DJing, but for your life in general. You have to know how to balance everything.

Where is your favorite spot to chill when you’re not doing music?
I’m doing Jujitsu these days. I love the exercise. There is also the 360 Record store in Bangbae-dong. I chill there a lot too. Kirin and I are working together a lot these days though, too. We meet up a lot as well. I don’t really go out a lot. Kirin and I have a few tracks coming out this year. I produced one song for him already. It’s a ballad. Not sure if it will be an EP or anything. It’s up to him.

Where is the best place you’ve ever played out?
This spot called Bar Marmont in L.A. It’s a lounge in a hotel. It was my first time spinning in America so I have good memories. This was like 4 years ago.

What can we expect to hear in your mix for Golmokgil?
It’s pretty short, like 35 minutes. It was all recorded from Vinyl. It’s dance-able and chill. Lot’s of 70’s and 80’s stuff from many different genres. I used the turntables to switch the RPM from 33 to 45 so everything is a bit faster like old Kanye West samples.

 Nice to meet you and thank you so much, man!