For discerning dance, head back to Mine

Clubbers of a more discerning disposition will have an extra option in Seoul come Saturday.

Robb Harker has been working in Korea’s club scene since 1998. Disappointed with the lack of underground options, he decided he would try to help fill the gap with Mine, a club night dedicated to underground sounds.

He chose Argentinean DJ Ernesto Ferreyra to headline the first night.

Ferreyra, who is based in Germany, describes his sound as a mix of Latin groove and Northern minimalism. He started DJing in his early teens and spent some time building his career in Montreal, especially in music producing. 

“I wanted to launch the night with a DJ few people were likely to have heard of but at the same time an artist that I know will deliver the goods,” Harker explained, adding that Cadenza Records, the label Ferreyra is associated with, was putting out some amazing music.

The event on Saturday will be centered on deep house, but future nights would cover different styles of music. He said the main aim of Mine was to let club goers hear good-quality music that they might not have heard before.

“Very few places are willing to take chances to educate their customers,” he said. “Instead they play what they think the people want to hear in order to keep them in their venue.”

Harker, who helped set up Hongdae’s M2 and now runs an agency booking international DJs at clubs across Asia, said he benefited from the commercial side of the industry, but he also wanted to contribute to its creative development.

“I book a lot of commercial DJs into Seoul through my agency so while I complain the scene may be too commercial, I’m also contributing to it. Mine is an attempt to offset that commercial footprint.”

The same trend can be seen in the rest of Asia, Harker said, but he feels more responsibility for what is happening here.

“The club scene in Seoul is healthy, as can be seen by the numbers of people on dance floors around the city on any given weekend. It does feel though like it’s lost its sense of direction.”

After Mine’s inaugural night, Harker is departing for a six-week tour of Australia with another act. When he returns he plans to make Mine a monthly event starting in February or March.

Mine opens Saturday at the Money Lounge in Sinsa-dong, Seoul. Support DJs are Unjin, Mang Esilo and Flamenco and entry is 20,000 won including a free drink. For more information about the event call 010 6426-6972.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)