In what has felt like a very busy 2015 live music season, the upcoming Korean edition of the world-renowned dance festival Global Gathering(GG) offers one last chance to shake your tail feather. Despite the original UK-based event being cancelled for this year, GG will take place on Saturday, October 3rd at Jamsil Stadium for the second year in a row after previously being held at Caribbean Bay and at Hangang Park. Bringing it back to Seoul was a great idea, and with EDM seemingly getting more popular in Korea by the year, it will be interesting to see how well the GG 2015 goes. The event, which is also held all over the world, has previously bought some of the hugest DJs and performers in the world to Korea.
However, in the years since it came to Korea, the competition has increased for EDM events. With UMF firmly entrenched, and other events like 5tardium and Life in Color Korea drawing huge numbers, it is up to GG to offer something new. So far, just a few names have been announced, so let’s see who they have so far.
The line up so far has some quite newish One last dance! names on the EDM scene, including The Chainsmokers, a DJ/production duo from the US who made a name for themselves with the song “#selfie,” one of the hottest dance tracks from last year. Love it or hate it, that track
and video helped them swiftly rise up the ladder as a sought-out live act. Follow up “Kanye,” featuring SirenXX, showed a different vibe, and their live sets are well known for a fantastic party vibe. From London, Mat Zo will be bringing his bag of tricks to Korea. His album Damage Control was nominated for a Grammy Award for best dance album in 2014, and his collaboration with Porter Robinson, “Easy,” helped them both gain traction. He also made a few headlines earlier this year on Twitter when he listed his issues with the EDM industry, and even revealed which famous DJs use ghost producers—it’s safe to say he didn’t make many new friends.
The line up so far has some quite newish One last dance! names on the EDM scene, including The Chainsmokers, a DJ/production duo from the US who made a name for themselves with the song “#selfie,” one of the hottest dance tracks from last year. Love it or hate it, that track
and video helped them swiftly rise up the ladder as a sought-out live act. Follow up “Kanye,” featuring SirenXX, showed a different vibe, and their live sets are well known for a fantastic party vibe. From London, Mat Zo will be bringing his bag of tricks to Korea. His album Damage Control was nominated for a Grammy Award for best dance album in 2014, and his collaboration with Porter Robinson, “Easy,” helped them both gain traction. He also made a few headlines earlier this year on Twitter when he listed his issues with the EDM industry, and even revealed which famous DJs use ghost producers—it’s safe to say he didn’t make many new friends.
For Drum & Bass fans, two DJ/producers from the UK’s Hospital Records, Nu:tone and Keeno, will both be performing. Nu:Tone is a very experienced remixer, having worked on songs from Adele, Emeli Sande, Roni Size, and many others. He has released four albums of his own and DJed all over the world, so he brings a wealth of experience and deep bass. At just 21 years of age, Keeno has already released his debut album and carved himself a niche with his moody, orchestral take on the genre.
So whilst they (so far anyway) haven’t announced the huge names and grizzled veterans that usually come for these festivals, they have some hot names bringing new energy and one can also expect a great roster of local performers too. Expect three zones and one day of dance fun before the warmth leaves Korea and we head into the musical “off season.”