The Mix 052: Yetsuby

Yetsuby exists at the intersection between weird and wonderful. As a solo artist and one-half of Salamanda, she's been delighting Seoul's discerning ears with her rugged soundscape of breaks, EBM and jungle for a minute — plying juxtaposing textures and luscious melodies to establish her unique form of dancefloor bewilderment. On the production side, she opts for the avant-garde; creating deeply-personal, narrative-driven music that often has one foot in the experimental and another in the club.

Born and raised in Seoul, Yetsuby - AKA Yejin Jang - had an early introduction to music from her parents “[I would be] picking out CDs with interesting covers from the CD player, playing with the covers, and trying to mimic the sounds on a piano we had in our house,” she says. “Looking back, I was always immersed in music and exposed to a wide range of genres.” As far as the first piece of music she connected with, she remembers being in kindergarten and hearing Bach's 'Cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 140'. “Our house had a huge collection of classical music CDs,” she adds.

Jang went on to study music at university, crediting her discovery musique concrète and avant-garde electronic as deepening her understanding of the "vastness" of the electronic world — though it was James Blake who gave her the push to begin work on her own productions. "Around the same time, I also got into DJing as I began experiencing both in-person and online sets by my favorite electronic musicians, as well as immersing myself in Seoul’s underground club culture," she says.

Read this next: Yetsuby announces release of new 10-track album, ‘4EVA'

Yetsuby found her perfect partner then, when she met fellow Seoul DJ and producer Uman Therma (AKA Jimin Sung) in 2018, with the pair forming Salamanda to explore their leftfield and ambient appetites. Joined together by their love of video game motifs and ebullient sonics, since 2020 the duo have released on imprints such as Métron Records, Wisdom Teeth, Good Morning Tapes and more — travelling together to play at festivals such as Amsterdam's DGTL, New York's Durations and even making their UK debut at London's FOLD alongside Actress and Courtesy for Goodness last year. The success of Salamanda and their bouyant take on minimalism hasn't stopped Yetsuby branching out on her own; while her first solo record game back in 2019 with the Extra Noir-released 'Heptaprism', she gained the intrigue of both South Korean observers and global audiences with her EP 'JIN06', that saw her utilise glitchy trance and EBM on 'Bear Becomes Human' — inspired by Ungnyeo, a Korean folktale where a bear becomes a human woman.

We caught up with Yetsuby ahead of the release of her new album '4EVA' to talk surreal influences, preferring the leftfield and how bass-driven genres feel like wielding the Master Sword on the decks. Check out our interview and Yetsuby's energetic, hour-long mix that combines drum 'n' bass, breaks and more, below.

Your new album ‘4EVA’ is set to land on Pink Oyster Records at the end of this month — can you tell us about the process of creating the record? When did it all start?

Jack from Pink Oyster suggested that I release my music on this label, and that’s when I started working on these tracks. Some of them are developments of sketches I made while playing around with synthesisers, while others are completely new compositions. Many musicians believe that they leap and grow somewhere through new creations and the process. '<4eva>' is the same for me. It contains the most stories among the music I have released and leaves an impression with its colorful use of digital, analog, and acoustic elements. While making this album, I sought how “a genre that cannot be described by just one genre” can reach more people. I made sure that catchy melodies and easily convincing harmonies blend in a way that is characteristic of Yetsuby.

You’ve mentioned that the inspiration behind the final track 'I AM 뇌로운 인간' comes from a childhood doodle by your sister that labelled you a “brain-ful human” — what did that comment mean to you?

My younger sibling, who is six years younger than me, drew a doodle of a human when she was nine years old. Next to it, she wrote “나는 뇌로운 인간” (I am a brain-ful human). The writing was crooked and there were spelling mistakes -the correct spelling should have been “외로운 인간” (lonely human). This music captures the shocking emotion I felt when I saw that drawing and perhaps '뇌로운 인간' is a compound word combining “고뇌” (anguished) and “외로운” (lonely). I hope this track becomes a moment where one can speculate whether the loneliness in this song is mine or the listener’s.

How did you find exploring themes of loneliness and togetherness — are they juxtaposing emotions? Or do you think they are connected?

Loneliness and togetherness... hmm.. Since loneliness is what allows us to realize the value of togetherness, aren’t they contrasting in nature yet inherently connected?

What do you think often pushes you towards the surreal when it comes to inspiration for your music? How does this theme compare to say the Korean folk story about a bear behind ‘JIN06’ ?

I have a natural tendency to enjoy imagining things and find more excitement in surreal elements rather than realistic ones. Since I was young, I’ve been deeply fascinated by animations, comics, movies, legends, and ghost stories. Isn't it fascinating how scenes that are impossible in reality can come to life through artistic mediums like music? In my 'JIN06' EP, the track 'Bear Becomes The Human' was inspired by the Korean folktale where a bear becomes human after eating garlic and mugwort for a long time. I reflected this story in the structure of the track by having an extended intro leading up to the drop. While '4EVA' doesn’t have a direct connection like that track, I believe the album as a whole embodies a fantasy-like atmosphere throughout.

How do you feel your work under your Yetsuby moniker differs from your work with Uman Therma as Salamanda?

When I work as Yetsuby, it does feel lonely sometimes. I even find myself in a battle with Ableton and my instruments. However, the biggest advantage is that I have complete creative freedom—I can do whatever I want, including unpredictable and silly experiments. With no mercy.

Do you feel more comfortable exploring leftfield genres?

Yes, actually, I deeply admire artists who have mastered a specific genre. The fact that their music can be defined within a particular genre is proof that they have a strong and distinct musical identity. In contrast, I love so many different genres and feel a deep connection to a wide range of styles. Rather than being drawn to genres themselves, I’m more captivated by the textures of sound, structures, and other subtle, microscopic details that leave a strong impression on me. That’s probably why I end up creating electronic pieces that are difficult to categorize into a single genre. However, at the end of my musical journey, I hope my music will be recognized as its own genre—the genre of 'Yetsuby.'

The approach to your DJ sets and production seem quite different? What led to this distinction?

As I mentioned earlier, I love exploring and collecting various genres, so I do play a wide range of styles. However, when it comes to the dancefloor—especially during peak time—I mainly focus on EBM, breaks, jungle, and bass music. Fragmented rhythms, seductively chopped vocal samples, and deep, gut-punching sub-bass—how could you not dance to that? For me, these genres are like the Master Sword of the decks. To sum it up, I tend to adapt my selections to match the energy and flow of an event, which naturally leads me to play harder-hitting music. But at the same time, I also love chill and experimental dance tunes, so I often showcase sets with that vibe as well.

How have things changed for you in the lat few years? Has it become more challenging to juggle production, DJing and other projects?

No, balancing DJing and production hasn’t become more difficult for me. If anything, the real challenge lies in the financial aspect. It’s been almost two years since I started living as a full-time musician and freelancer. I don’t have a fixed income. My income is irregular, but with the exchange rate going up, buying music has become much more expensive than before. That’s what has been making things tough for me lately.

Are you glad that global audiences are connecting with the experimental sounds of Seoul?

Of course. It feels amazing to see my music reaching a wider and more diverse audience. For example, on streaming platforms' artist accounts or SoundCloud insights, I can check which countries my music is being played in and how often. The thought of people on the other side of the world listening to my songs is truly thrilling. I also really would like to ask how they came across my music.

Read this next: Seoul's youth-driven streetwear scene is going global

What’s coming up next for you?

In March, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to perform a solo live set, so I’ve been enjoying the process of preparing for it. I’m also working on new music. Following ‘4EVA’, my next releases will include a compilation track and a remix. I’ll continue working with my instruments and creating the music I want to make. That’s the plan!

Can you tell us about this mix?

I put a lot of thought into what music to include in this set, finally I played tracks that I’ve genuinely enjoyed playing on the dancefloor, as well as those that feel incredibly fresh and innovative—regardless of their release date or whether they were made for the dancefloor. The overall genres are hard drum, bass music, and breaks, and as the set progresses, it gets harder and more massive. It’s energetic, intense, yet also aesthetically refined. You might even find yourself speeding if you listen while driving. I’ve also included tracks from some of my favourite Seoul-based producers, so be sure to check out the tracklist.

Tracklist

Asio Otus - Torrente
Tzusing - Esther (Suda Remix)
MM - Dionysus Drums (Original Mix)
Strick - Propane (Original Mix)
Ananda - Embraza (Original Mix)
Polygonia - Akkala (Original)
T5UMUT5UMU, Laenz - Death Blossom
tailspun - Brainworms
Hevlaran - Model To Excite (Original)
Metrist - Higher Higher Dawn
Mount XLR - Ethics
Elpac - BrentryFM
KOI - Lágrimas (w/ Aquamute)
Enayet - Chokkor | চক্কর
enereph - Cold Family
Alec Pace - Fingernail (Original Mix)
NKC - Reticular Beats (Original Mix)
De Grandi - Track 2 (Original Mix)
NET GALA - The Dog (Feat. Supermotel K)
Surgeon - Soul Fire
Longeez - Rinsey
Keepsakes - Quit Your Dancefloor Yarn (Original Mix)
Leese - Roep
JKS - The Cult (Original Mix)
KW - Rats Mixing
The Pleasure Boyz - Daddichill (Original Mix)
Doctor Jeep, Hedchef - Orders Of Magnitude (Original Mix)
CYBERHACKSYSTEM - NXTLVL
Al Storm & Diakronik - Witness The Power
ITSUFO - G RINSE OUT 95-96
SKY LETHAL - Fornever
Boxxy - Deranged Frog
Seppa - Undertow
Guinneissik - London Hammer (Original Mix)
Yetsuby - Aestheti-Q
Yetsuby - aaa2