FADER Mix: Yaeji

Yaeji is a dreamy producer, DJ, and visual artist based in New York and Seoul. Her recent Yaeji EP, released on GODMODE in March, feels like a meditative dance-floor transport-vessel. Her soft-spoken words (in both English and Korean) are layered over pleasant pulses and delivered in subtly fuzzy melodies; they bubble up feelings and summon visual memories at every close of the eyes and every two-step. “The pairing of dancing and crying is very cathartic and physical,” she says, of experiencing emotion on the dancefloor. "It’s like nothing else. Even though you are surrounded by others, the experience you have is a very personal and introspective one.”

Today, Yaeji’s shared a soul-guiding FADER mix geared toward starting your day right and getting to where you need to go. It kicks off with her feathery light "Passionfruit" remix to get your eyes open and your feet off the bed; moves to a look-in-the-mirror-while-you-brush-your-teeth-and-contemplate-life edit of Shaq P's "Ashley Banks"; and ends with some unreleased magic from Davis Galvin, Photay, and even Yaeji herself. This'll get you from point A to point B, wherever Point B is. Dance your morning away, scroll for the tracklist, and read up to get to know a little more about the mind behind this mix.

Where are you right now? Please describe your surroundings.

I’m at home in downtown Brooklyn. It’s a nice and quiet night. I just finished scanning some photos so my desk is a mess at the moment! I see a bunch of small plants and a poem I was given taped to the wall.

Tell us a bit about this mix — what do you imagine people doing while listening to it?

This mix was made with the thought of getting ready in the morning. It starts with a burst of energy to get you out of bed and jump into the shower. Then it smoothens out for your morning commute! For me it’s the subway ride to work. But I can imagine it would work in different ways when you’re going somewhere.

What are your earliest musical memories?

It must be listening to Christina Aguilera on my Hit Clips player.

What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you? And why?

“What Do One Million Ja Tags Signify?” by Dumar Novy. My coworker who’s a graffiti writer gave it to me and it’s made me see a lot of things differently, not only graffiti. I remember reading that graff marks time and witnesses all that happens on the streets, but its history is compressed to one and what we see is only the top layer. This book has given me a lot of weird thoughts that have made my commutes way more interesting.

What's your favorite music video of all time, and why?

Tough to pick one, but I’ll say Shlohmo's "Beams." I remember I came across this when I first moved back to New York. After watching it for the first time, I thought that this is what nostalgia would feel like once I leave NYC.

Have you ever gotten emotional on the dancefloor?

Yes! My favorite dance floor experiences have always been ones that make me cry. The pairing of dancing and crying is very cathartic and physical — it’s like nothing else. Even though you are surrounded by others, the experience you have is a very personal and introspective one.

What's one song you always have to play when you're DJing a party?

Oh man, my go-to changes a lot, but currently I’m very into playing out the Friend Within remix of "Renegade Master." I first heard it in college at my friend’s house party in Pittsburgh. It’s a cheesy banger that works.

What projects do you have coming in 2017?

I have some new tunes coming along. I’m also collaborating with a lot of friends in different fields to come up with crazy projects! Clothing, music videos, Yaeji & Friends shows, experimental performances, and a curry music festival to name a few. Working with friends makes me happiest!

What's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it?

My specialty is definitely Korean/Japanese style curry. (I honestly owe it mostly to Japanese curry cubes). I make it vegetarian with potatoes, carrot, and onions. But my curry game is tight from practice — I invite friends over once a month for Curry In No Hurry where they bring the tunes and I make the curry.

Tracklist

Passionfruit (vocal edit) - Yaeji
Mystery Track - Aquarian Foundation
Half Hour Jam On A Borrowed Synth - A Made Up Sound
Odessa - Antenna
Shaq P "Ashley Banks" (Tuesdays edit) - Josh Hey
Changes (Original mix) - Mala
Morphine - Boy Harsher
Comb My Hair - Co La
Black Populous - Acemo
??? - Davis Galvin
??? - Photay
Y’all - Sage Caswell
??? - LK
??? - Yaeji