Mixmag Asia Radio: K.Woon's crate digging leads to dark & dissonant spaces

Fresh out of the pandemic, Kate Woon aka K.Woon is a dedicated digger who spends most of her time stuck between IDM and free jazz. In between, she’s on the perpetual hunt for golden nuggets of electronic, techno and noise.

In the span of about two years, she’s been invited to play at nights hosted by some of Hong Kong’s more forward-thinking entities; her club debut for Mihn quickly cemented Woon quickly became a go-to DJ for adventurous organisers looking for edgier sounds.

Prior to diving into the world of DJing, she was already immersed in curating music at her sales and marketing desk job; for her academic research, Woon studied the impact of streaming platforms, social media and how algorithms shape the music discovery experience.

When K.Woon is not DJing, she plays the roles of party organiser, private club manager and vinyl library specialist.

Where are you based?

I was born and raised in Hong Kong.

What’s your favourite thing about the music scene there?

One can find all genres of music in small and bigger parties in bars, well-equipped warehouses and performance spaces in Hong Kong found by music lovers and producers. The communities come in various forms and sizes yet are very diverse and are closely connected, especially post-pandemic. We just need cheaper and more open space for outdoor festivals though.

In five words, what do your DJ sets sound like?

Pulsating mirages in desolate nights.

And in three words, how would you describe yourself?

Crate-digging nerd.

What recent trends in music have you been paying attention to? Have you caught onto them?

Mixed genres in a single track and multi-genres in a mix of at least 140 bpm and above. Techno with trance, bass with techno, house with bass, bass with electro, garage, breaks with dub...etc. It is a great way to confuse machine learning and AI. It sometimes confuses the audiences or even the DJs and promoters too.

The most popular trends in the underground scene among youngsters in HK are hard techno & drum ‘n’ bass. The other recent trend is soul, funk and disco revival. There are growing young crowds searching for upbeat soul funk dance vibes, they often don’t show up at techno or drum’n’bass parties.

Are there any producers and DJs in Asia that have recently caught your attention?

My favourite labels are The Observatory, Ujikaji and Midnight Shift in Singapore as I discovered them when I lived there. I am going to parties in HK and listening to more HK artists recently, my favourites are:

VNWave: A Gang of Four bass and experimental collective. Solid music knowledge and productions, forward-thinking and open-minded to various genres and ideas. Energetic DJ sets, remember to check out their new compilation release in September.

Circle: They produced the first footwork compilation in Hong Kong. It opens up other dimensions of music discovery.

SubMurder: They are producers and DJs releasing the darker side of sub-bass music and industrial compilations at the end of this year.

From pre to post pandemic, what has changed & what hasn’t changed about your life in the music world?

I only started DJing during the pandemic. Nanogram encouraged me to play at his label Entropy as my club debut. It’s also fun to b2b with Jo.D and she refined my mixing skills a lot. While sorting out record collections during the lockdown, JayMe encouraged me to mix on vinyl records. Misty Penguin encourages me to produce music. I explored the experimental side of soundscape at SAAL before 2019 and at 20alpha post-pandemic.

I haven't stopped digging and sorting records since I started, except that I am focusing more on records that are handy for gigs nowadays.

Now there are so many more parties in various genres and curations that are going on in the underground scene. It’s truly amazing how all these talented DJs, producers, artists, audiences and dancers finally connected together and the audiences are so open-minded in exploring all these possibilities. The communities are getting more vibrant than ever in Hong Kong since the 90s.

Tell us about the inspiration behind this mix - what drove your thoughts and emotions, and how did you curate your selection?

The mix is inspired by my latest gig, MSSV001 by VNWave. Each of the DJs had performed a unique set of their own yet very consistent theme throughout the whole night. The night was distinctive for the audience, the venue, VNWave and myself. This mix is curated upon the music I heard that night and from the new releases I discovered recently. Then look for similarities in my collections based on the signature sounds of these tracks which are more upbeat and dancefloor friendly.

What equipment did you record this mix on?

Allen & Heath 92 and Pioneer CDJ2000 Nexus 2 and Technics SL1200MK2.

Where can we hear you playing next?

- August 12; All-vinyl deep house all night long for Lemna of the Alchemist (HK)
- September 2; Techno set for Wigwam, Beijing (CN)
- Sep 29; All-vinyl techno set for Acadana’s 8th anniversary (HK)
- November 18; All-vinyl cosmic set for Bad Time Disco (HK)