Einox is a young Asian artist, living and working in Seoul (Korea). I recently got in touch with his music and decided to sign him on Affin. As there’s not much known about the project yet I was curious to get to know about his influences and how the music is realized.
J: Can you tell us how you got into electronic music? (I can see you’re listening to Jazz and other music as well). When did you start to produce electronic music ?
E: When I was a teenager, I decided to start music. And I started to study jazz. It has been a great foundation for my music. After that, I worked as an amateur jazz guitarist in Seoul for a while. Of course, I’m still a jazz maniac and collecting jazz vinyls. Meanwhile, I was interested in art as a whole, so I went on to study aesthetics. Studying art, I was thirsty for new expressions and fresh forms. And then I finally met electronic music.
In 2017, I got to know experimental electronic musicians in Seoul and was fascinated by their fresh music and intuitive expressions. Then I bought my first synthesizer, and I fell in love with the new senses that this new stuff offers. And with these instruments, I was able to express things that I couldn’t express in jazz. And then I tried different kinds of electronic music. I made Synthpop, Vaporwave, Lo-Fi House, Detroit Techno, etc. Then I got to know Vurt., a club in Seoul. At Vurt., I explored a new kind of music world. And I knew exactly what I was going to do. I try to turn what I want to express into music, without being involved in the form, just like I did when I started music.
J: I observed that you present your music live. What’s the main difference between your studio work and the way you perform live? Do you test new ideas on stage and how does it affect your work when you’re back home?
E: For me, the live set feels like playing an instrument, but when I make a track in my studio, I work like I’m doing a sculpture. Rather than jamming with hardware and software instruments, I design and trim each sound separately, and I add one by one. I prepare a live set based on my studio work. Rather than improvising synthesizing and live with a lot of hardwares, I play with carefully planned audio clips and rhythms with some drum machines. The point is, I tend to focus on the overall live set atmosphere and the composition of the set to communicate with the audience. That’s why I use prepared clips to focus more on my play than improvised synthesizing that have to focus on.
I also try new sounds in a live set. And I look at the crowd’s response. The reaction tells me the direction when I develop that new sound into a finished track. Since I’m still young, I think the way I play can change anytime.
J: Regarding your recent Eps it seems you’re fast to translate your ideas into music (regarding the Eps on Circular Limited and Subosc. What’s the gear you mainly use for producing?
E: I think you seem to understand my work well. As I just said, I value intuitive sound expression in my work. So I start making tracks, and I try to finish the sound design the same day. Of course, mixing and other editing takes a long time. I’ve released two EPs in Circular Limited and Subosc records. If you listen, you’ll see that the two EPs have a slightly different style. This is – as I’ve been telling you over again during the interview- to reveal my intuition without being dictated by one style.
I mainly use the software synthesizers and some semi-modular synthesizers for the sound making and convenience. My favorite hardware synthesizers are KORG MS-20 mini and Behringer Neutron. I’ve used it for a long time, and it’s easy to get the sound I want because it’s familiar to me. Also as a software synthesizer, I love V collection from Arturia. I don’t like some VST of this collection, but the sounds of Moog and Buchla, which Arturia recreates, are absolutely superb. Based on these synthesizers, I use Ableton Live as my main tool. I also use Ableton’s great instruments such as Analog, Collision, Operator. And the basic audio effector and the plug-ins from Waves.
J: You’re from Seoul, a very promising melting pot for new and interesting electronic music. A lot of things happened in Seoul since i was invited from the vurt guys in 2017. Labels like Oslated and Scopavik came up, podcast series were established and the nightlife seems to grow as well. How do you experience the musical development of the city, and what you’re doing besides music, how’s your daily life?
E: Actually, I just stepped into the electronic music scene of Seoul. I don’t know much about past Seoul underground scenes, but as a new face, I think I can talk about the current situation. Even though Seoul’s nightlife and underground culture have improved a lot compared to the past, I don’t think we have the best days yet. Very few new musicians are emerging. I’m very lucky to meet good friends and come all the ways here, but many talented musicians can’t putting their music on the scene. Because in my experience, they don’t know how to start a career. I think we need people, communities, to tow them. Also, the underground scene in Seoul is very narrow. That’s why we need each other’s interaction and help. We need an open community. To be active in this underground scene. I think that’s all I can say about the current scenes in Seoul. I can’t really look into the scene yet.
As for my daily life, when I’m not in the studio, I study aesthetics and art history, and I organize performances or exhibitions. I am also interested in the indie-band scene in Seoul, so I would like to think about the development of music in Seoul. I look for new bands in Seoul and organize performances for them. Also, I organize exhibitions for visual artists in Seoul. Maybe I want every artist in Seoul to be happy as an artist.I am also interested in the band scene in Seoul, so I would like to think about the development of music in Seoul. I look for new bands and organize performances for indie bands in Seoul. Also, I organize exhibitions for visual artists in Seoul. Maybe I want every artist in Seoul to be happy as an artist.
Joachim Spieth 