01Profile
A YonYon Photo
YonYon
DJ — Japan
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
YonYon. Born in Korea, raised in Japan.
What do you do?
DJ/singer-songwriter/producer.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
FKA twigs. I saw her performance at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ’15 on the White Stage. Hearing her experimental music with her dance performance in the pure nature was all new for me as it was my first ever outdoor festival experience. It was incredible to have felt her music through eyes and body just before the sun set.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
DJ/club culture in general. The first time I started DJing was in a student DJ society I joined as an undergraduate. As I was being recruited for the club, I was told that you could listen to your favourite music in their clubhouse at a loud volume. Going in and out of the clubhouse and getting to know the people there, I began heading to some clubs. At the same time, I started organising events and learned the importance of meeting some new people, the community and the space through these events. I fell in love with music more and more, and started listening to different genres of music that I have never touched and started to dig deeper and deeper into it. Gained knowledge, too. The club culture that I experienced during my school years has made who YonYon is today.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
In 2019, I performed on the outdoor stage at the music festival called ‘La Magnifique Society’ in Reims (Champagne Park) in France. There was a stage for Asian artists, and I played there as a DJ, but the other stages had local artists performing behind the scenes, so there was hardly anyone there at first, but I kept my own pace. Eventually, the crowd filled until the back of the venue, about 3,000 people if I remember. It was a great experience to play at an event abroad, and get people moshing. The set lasted about 50 minutes and you can watch it in full on YonYon's YouTube channel.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
A conversation with artist/peace activist Yoko Ono. I would love to talk with her, or if it isn’t too much to ask, to collaborate with her on a music and installation project. Her motto, ‘Love and peace’ is also my motto as an artist, too. I once experienced Yoko Ono's installation at the Yokohama Triennale 2011, which was called "Telephone in Maze" and if you were lucky, you could receive a phone call from Yoko Ono herself and talk to her directly…but I was not there at the right moment so this was my revenge!
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Tsha, a young female producer based in London. I first heard of her when she did a remix of Sapporo-born/San Francisco-based producer Qrion's song ‘B4 Montreal’. She had just released her first EP ‘Flowers’ on the NINJA TUNE label in October 2020, which was an organic soundscape of sunshine and plants in the wind, just as the title says really. Her production work is more electro-pop sound-centric, by contrast to the label's image, with a delicate use of sound and shimmering tones that I suppose only a female producer can produce, so you should definitely check Tsha out.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Valenti' by BoA. A musician that I first started listening to repeatedly because she speaks both Korean and Japanese which is my identity to begin with. I discovered through her release in 2003 with the song 'Valenti'. I remember I listened to it so many times and practised it so much for my first vocal auditioning as a junior high school student where I sang, "I'm going to squeeze into my tight jeans".
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay. I began playing electric guitar as mid-teens, then formed a couple of copy bands so I recall myself listening to emo-rock back then. Coldplay was bandmate’s favourite, kept having to hear it all day every day. I ended up liking it.
One record you would keep forever?
'Everything' by Lido. When Lido first came to Japan for Summer Sonic in 2017, I organised an extra show at WOMB, which was a great opportunity to see Lido to perform up close under a great lighting and sound system. I believe Lido was very grateful for the opportunity to meet the Japanese fans. He gave his then-unreleased record which became the unforgettable one.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' by The 1975. What struck me as more interesting than the lyrics was the fact that when The 1975 appeared with one of the longest titles, ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’. It made a big impression on me because it was both the title of the album and its lead single track. It's mostly an instrumental track, but I thought it was interesting to see how you could express your feelings in the title.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Latch' by Disclosure. The tune is still getting played in the club and by myself too sometimes but, the track could get everyone to shout out the lyrics once it gets locked in by the crowd.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'One Kiss' by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa. It is a super catchy track with the superb audio image. You can hear the mix down had been done carefully, and I reference it while balancing vocal and track volume when I make pop music. Like Ariana Grande, too, overground genre’s production team is usually great, and the output sound is really good.
New bands you are listening to now?
I used to listen to Bicep a lot when I first started DJing, but while I was off from listening to them recently, I happened to have received their latest track 'Isle' as a promo for my regular radio show. That track is massive and I went back to their past releases only to realize that they were good from the start. I had to slip my favourite track into the playlist.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
YonYon. Born in Korea, raised in Japan.
What do you do?
DJ/singer-songwriter/producer.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
FKA twigs. I saw her performance at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ’15 on the White Stage. Hearing her experimental music with her dance performance in the pure nature was all new for me as it was my first ever outdoor festival experience. It was incredible to have felt her music through eyes and body just before the sun set.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
DJ/club culture in general. The first time I started DJing was in a student DJ society I joined as an undergraduate. As I was being recruited for the club, I was told that you could listen to your favourite music in their clubhouse at a loud volume. Going in and out of the clubhouse and getting to know the people there, I began heading to some clubs. At the same time, I started organising events and learned the importance of meeting some new people, the community and the space through these events. I fell in love with music more and more, and started listening to different genres of music that I have never touched and started to dig deeper and deeper into it. Gained knowledge, too. The club culture that I experienced during my school years has made who YonYon is today.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
In 2019, I performed on the outdoor stage at the music festival called ‘La Magnifique Society’ in Reims (Champagne Park) in France. There was a stage for Asian artists, and I played there as a DJ, but the other stages had local artists performing behind the scenes, so there was hardly anyone there at first, but I kept my own pace. Eventually, the crowd filled until the back of the venue, about 3,000 people if I remember. It was a great experience to play at an event abroad, and get people moshing. The set lasted about 50 minutes and you can watch it in full on YonYon's YouTube channel.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
A conversation with artist/peace activist Yoko Ono. I would love to talk with her, or if it isn’t too much to ask, to collaborate with her on a music and installation project. Her motto, ‘Love and peace’ is also my motto as an artist, too. I once experienced Yoko Ono's installation at the Yokohama Triennale 2011, which was called "Telephone in Maze" and if you were lucky, you could receive a phone call from Yoko Ono herself and talk to her directly…but I was not there at the right moment so this was my revenge!
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Tsha, a young female producer based in London. I first heard of her when she did a remix of Sapporo-born/San Francisco-based producer Qrion's song ‘B4 Montreal’. She had just released her first EP ‘Flowers’ on the NINJA TUNE label in October 2020, which was an organic soundscape of sunshine and plants in the wind, just as the title says really. Her production work is more electro-pop sound-centric, by contrast to the label's image, with a delicate use of sound and shimmering tones that I suppose only a female producer can produce, so you should definitely check Tsha out.
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Valenti' by BoA. A musician that I first started listening to repeatedly because she speaks both Korean and Japanese which is my identity to begin with. I discovered through her release in 2003 with the song 'Valenti'. I remember I listened to it so many times and practised it so much for my first vocal auditioning as a junior high school student where I sang, "I'm going to squeeze into my tight jeans".
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay. I began playing electric guitar as mid-teens, then formed a couple of copy bands so I recall myself listening to emo-rock back then. Coldplay was bandmate’s favourite, kept having to hear it all day every day. I ended up liking it.
One record you would keep forever?
'Everything' by Lido. When Lido first came to Japan for Summer Sonic in 2017, I organised an extra show at WOMB, which was a great opportunity to see Lido to perform up close under a great lighting and sound system. I believe Lido was very grateful for the opportunity to meet the Japanese fans. He gave his then-unreleased record which became the unforgettable one.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' by The 1975. What struck me as more interesting than the lyrics was the fact that when The 1975 appeared with one of the longest titles, ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’. It made a big impression on me because it was both the title of the album and its lead single track. It's mostly an instrumental track, but I thought it was interesting to see how you could express your feelings in the title.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Latch' by Disclosure. The tune is still getting played in the club and by myself too sometimes but, the track could get everyone to shout out the lyrics once it gets locked in by the crowd.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'One Kiss' by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa. It is a super catchy track with the superb audio image. You can hear the mix down had been done carefully, and I reference it while balancing vocal and track volume when I make pop music. Like Ariana Grande, too, overground genre’s production team is usually great, and the output sound is really good.
New bands you are listening to now?
I used to listen to Bicep a lot when I first started DJing, but while I was off from listening to them recently, I happened to have received their latest track 'Isle' as a promo for my regular radio show. That track is massive and I went back to their past releases only to realize that they were good from the start. I had to slip my favourite track into the playlist.
YonYon - Capsule feat. Daigo Sakuragi(D.A.N.) Official Video
Yaeji - SPELL 주문 (ft. YonYon, G.L.A.M.) (Official Audio)
YonYon DJ SET (La Magnifique Society 2019 FR)