The Korean EDM scene
bloomed relatively late compared to some of its neighboring countries, like
Indonesia (with Jakarta, the first House music settlement in Asia) and Japan,
one of the pioneers of the futuristic sound. Seoul is now a hub of EDM as well,
home to a few DJ Mag Top 100 clubs, hosting global dance music events like
Ultra Music Festival Korea and Global Gathering Korea. Many of the local
deejays worked hard to build up to such a scene, and now many of Korean DJs
have tours across the globe. However, the scene was much divided from the
mainstream and K-pop, for better or worse. Then, the EDM started to blend with the
mainstream. Celebrities started to become deejays, G-Dragon of Big Bang started
to sing and rap on beats from world famous EDM DJs like Diplo, Baauer, and Boys
Noize, Steve Aoki remixed a song of SNSD’s. Now, much like how hip-hop scene
landed and emerged, there is an intricate network of EDM, both underground and
over-ground, catching up to the global youth phenomenon of the rise in Rave and
EDM culture. Although the scene is young, there seems to be tremendous focus on
it, culturally, socially, and fiscally. Today, most of college festivals in
Korea are headlined by DJs, and the dance club culture has rooted deeply in the
Korean nightlife. There have been a few international collaborations and tours
done by Korean DJs, and it will be very interesting to see how Korea will mark
its own in the global EDM scene/market. 

1. Collaborative Failures in Hybridity (Skrillex & Diplo w/ G-Dragon & CL - Dirty Vibe)