I was fortunate enough to have a Q and A with a guy I have worked with in the past. Jaehun is a super talented EDM producer that puts everything into his craft.
First off, what is your name and where do you hail from?
A: My real name is Jaehun Kim. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, but spent a lot of my childhood moving around in the States.
Seoul Real is a great pun. Where did you get the inspiration for it?
A: Well I honestly the idea came from a combination of my friend, Peter Thipphavong, and a shirt of mines that says the word, "Seoul" on it. He loves puns and was just joking around and said you should be called, Seoul Real, the rest is history.
You were part of a duo known as Rice Bandits, but I see you're now doing your own thing. What sparked you into venturing out on your own?
A: Rice Bandits is actually comprised of three members. I'm still a very proud member but I'm the only one that focuses a lot on producing. The other two are very talented DJs but not quite there in production. But, once all three of us actually work on a track together, I'd be proud to call it a Rice Bandits release.
You have a knack for integrating various sounds from multiple EDM subgenres. Who are some of your biggest influences right now?
A: Oh man, this list is really long. I would say I take a lot from The Chainsmokers, Flume, Porter Robinson, and Kygo. I could go on and on though.
You have been in the studio recently. You mind sharing with us what you've been up to? Is there a solo album in the works?
A: For now, it's a single track, but I wouldn't count out an album if this goes well. ;)
Which DAW and plugins do you like to use the most for your music?
A: FL Studio for creating, Pro Tools for recording. For synths I use Sylenth1, Massive, Nexus, and my new favorite is Serum. In terms of mastering/mixing I love OTT by Xfer which is a multi-band compressor and Kickstart for super easy side-chaining.
I've seen you've done a few collaborations with Jar-No. What has your experience been like working with him?
A: Jar-No is a super talented producer, we have both taught each other and build off of one another, but for the most part he's been teaching me ;).
There was a huge surge of tropical house in the past couple of years, as well as future house. Where do you think the EDM culture is heading in the upcoming year?
A: Future Bass is definitely a genre that is either big or getting bigger. It's so versatile and incorporates a lot of different elements of other genres.
Who are some of your favorite artists of all time?
A: I love old school RnB. Mario would probably be my favorite RnB singer. Tupac and J. Cole are definitely my favorite rappers. EDM is hard because there are so many artists I like and so many new artists popping up every day.
Are you currently studying music production in college?
A: Yes, it's more of a focus on live recording though.
Have you found the experience to be rewarding? Do you find it more productive teaching yourself/trial and error?
A: I find it very rewarding, I've made a bunch of friends from different countries and nationalities, and I've learned a lot about myself in the process. I am mostly self-taught, I'm a big proponent of teaching yourself. How can you ask questions, if you don't know what questions to ask? How do you expect to be taught if you don't want to learn? How do you expect others to invest in you, if you don't invest in yourself?
When did you first become fascinated by music, specifically EDM?
A: My friend Chris Nam actually showed me some early Flux Pavilion and Avicii. Avicii's remix of Drowning by Armin Van Buuren gave me mad feels and my love just grew from then.
When did you start producing your own music?
A: I've always kind of dabbled in it, but I've been taking it seriously for about two years now.
For people who are not aware of your music yet, how would you describe your sound?
A: That's hard because I'm still developing my sound, but I tend to steer towards the more emotional aspect of EDM.
What can we expect from Seoul Real in 2017?
A: More remixes, but I'll be putting a major focus on original content and sounds in 2017. It's gonna be a blast and I hope you all will enjoy.
Lastly, for those who want to start creating their own music, what piece of advice would you give them?
A: You're going to suck at the beginning, and that's okay. Keep going, keep learning, if you're not frustrated and not uncomfortable you aren't doing it right.
Thank you so much to Jaehun for having this Q and A with me. Please check out his music. You won't be disappointed.
Here are his links:
https://soundcloud.com/ricebandits/the-chainsmokers-ft-halsey-closer-rice-bandits-x-jar-no-remix
