Not too long ago, a conversation we had surrounding rising South Korean DJ Peggy Gou led to the general consensus that she was "a fashion DJ". While necessarily not an overt affront, "fashion DJ" seems to connote inferiority -- a lesser kind of DJ who banks on his/her looks rather than musical skills. Given Gou's meteoric rise and her inevitable involvement in the fashion world (she went to fashion school, after all), it's easy to dismiss her musicianship altogether and forget that she's accomplished so much more than just landing luxury ad campaigns.
Besides being the first South Korean DJ to play at Berlin's techno sanctum Berghain, the 28-year-old DJ is a prolific artist behind a handful of stellar gems like It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) and Han Jan on revered London-based imprint Ninja Tune as well as Starry Night, which got released on her own label Gudu Records. Now, ticking off another career goal, the so-called fashion DJ finally puts her name on the long-running DJ-Kicks compilation following electronic music greats ranging from Thievery Corporation and Four Tet to John Talabot and Laurel Halo.
The series' 69th edition contains 19 tracks culled from Gou's personal collection, beginning with Fluresence, the 1993 ambient classic by UK producer Spacetime Continuum. From there, she flits from genre to genre with wild abandon -- her own playful composition Hungboo segueing neatly into Pearson Sound's Earwig and Pegasus' Perseguido Por El Rayo, followed by Andrew Weatherall's deep house treatment of The World According To Sly And Lovechild and Dorisburg's techno rager Rytm804.
At this point, the compilation takes a plunge into the strictly techno-slash-rave territory with varying degrees of heftiness (Kyle Hall's Flemmenup, DMX Krew's EPR Phenomena, JRMX's 3, Shade of Rhythm's Exorcist). Towards the end of album, Gou treats us to the more cerebral soundscapes of IDM with help from The System, Aphex Twin and R-Tyme, before closing off with a selection of floaty numbers (Psyche/BFC's Crackdown, DeNiro's Epirus, I:Cube's Cassette Jam 1993).
The verdict: By putting her own stamp on the prestigious DJ-Kicks series, Peggy Gou has reached yet another benchmark in her career, one that sees her joining some of the highest echelons in electronic. Nothing to scoff at, if you ask us.
Listen to this: Hungboo, The World According To Sly And Lovechild (Andrew Weatherall Mix), Vampirella, Crackdown, Epirus.
THE PLAYLIST
Foals / Black Bull
As it turns out, Foals weren't messing about when they said that they would drop two albums this year. After rolling out Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 earlier this March, the UK indie quartet make good on their promise to follow it up with the second instalment, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2, which is slated for a release in October. No-holds-barred lead cut Black Bull finds frontman Yannis Philippakis and co. going full What Went Down and then some, delivering what could be the heaviest tune out of their entire discography. "We not playing around/ I got a black bull in town… And I'm a world away/ Cause I'm a man of today," Philippakis yowls, embodying a virile bull ready to charge.
Icona Pop / Next Mistake
It's been seven long years since Swedish pop duo Icona Pop dropped their monumental smash that is the Charli XCX collab I Love It. But instead of hopping on today's hottest pop trend for their comeback single Next Mistake, the pair look back to the glorious 90s for inspiration. The result is an infectious anthem that pays homage to "those bad choices you made that were worth it", as band members Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo have put it. Stylistically, it's convincing enough to pass off as a Real McCoy single and, to be honest, it just doesn't get any more 90s than that.
Henri Dunant / Waves
Henri Dunant, a homegrown duo made up of vocalist/guitarist Natthawut "Max" Jenmana and multi-instrumentalist Chatchon Srisomburananont, made their return with a new single Signs a couple of weeks ago. Now, in what looks suspiciously like a slow tease for their forthcoming full-length, they unveil another English-language offering titled Waves. The song, touted as their softest and most romantic to date, comes with fragmented lyrics about being helplessly in love ("You came like waves/ You came like waves/ And all that I could do/ Is float along"). Also here to reinforce the metaphor are distant ukulele strumming and the sound of lapping waves.
Haim / Summer Girl
Summer may be on its way out, but that doesn't seem to faze Haim, the LA sibling trio who have just unleashed onto the world Summer Girl, the first taste of their upcoming third LP. "LA on my mind, I can't breathe/ You're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach," Danielle Haim sings over the bass and drums-driven production helmed by Rostam Batmanglij and Danielle's partner Ariel Rechtshaid (Fun fact: she wrote the song to cheer him up when he was battling with cancer). "I'm your summer girl," she repeats, followed by a sax motif and a "du-du-du-du" refrain inspired by Lou Reed's 1972 classic Walk On The Wild Side.
King Princess / Prophet
Step aside Troye Sivan because there's a new queer icon in town and she's ready to spread some nonbinary love. Born Mikaela Straus, King Princess has been amassing a sizeable following over the span of just a little over a year following the release of her 2018's debut EP, Make My Bed. Here, we're treated to her latest cut Prophet, a sultry, mid-tempo rumination on obsession ("You know what you want, it's only about the money and control… Like it's gold, you're a prophet/ Someone's gonna profit"). This, compared to her previous releases, marks a darker sonic palette, which we hope will creep into her upcoming full-length studio album Cheap Queen.
