- Surreal, housey funk from one of Seoul's newest club stars.
- As half of Salamanda, Seoul producer Yetsuby (alongside partner Uman Therma) skirts the edges of the dance floor, focusing on the squishy moments when the sun is coming up and people have moved into the smoking area or corridor. There's a light waft of rhythm as heads continue bobbing and the debate turns to going home or finding somewhere to carry on. On her debut solo EP JIN06, Yetsuby took us back into the main room, offering her take on peak time fare as she edged the BPM counter towards drum & bass and footwork. But even within those genres her music was playful and exploratory, infused with a touch of melodic magic. Her follow-up, Water Flash, makes similarly strange club curiosities with house and electro templates.
"Water Flash" and "Commercial Noise Day" are something like Yetsuby's take on house music. Both tracks let the drums do the talking, burying her usual Jon Hassell-like cocktail of flute and xylophone synthesizers under gently unfolding house loops. If these laidback groovers feel like a natural progression from her Salamanda work, then "Electro Union" is the record's curveball. Yetsuby starts with a melody that could've been plucked from a sci-fi film, but after a few loops she adds an 808 snare and acid squelches. It's an electro banger by way of the Seoul underground. "물먹는하마" ends the record with a lovely bit of New Age homage—replete with gong—that leaves a note of patchouli lingering in the air.
Last year was a big year for Yetsuby. Alongside JIN006, Salamanda also put out their best record to date. Water Flash is another highlight for Yetsuby. It's a little surrealist, like something conjured up in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. On Water Flash, what might taste like a familiar favourite at first bite quickly becomes an explosion of whimsy with each mouthful.
Tracklist01. Water Flash
02. Electro Union
03. Commercial Noisy Day
04. 물먹는하마