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| DJ Raiden performs at the 2017 Korea Ultra Music Festival at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, Seoul, on June 11. / Courtesy of UC Management |
Raiden becomes first Asian to contract Protocol Recordings
By Kim Jae-heun
As Korean musicians advance into the global market, more are recognized and active abroad. Psy did it with megahit "Gangnam Style" and K-pop band BTS are taking up the baton to continue the presence of Korean music overseas.
Raiden Han is not yet a big name on the local music scene, but he is undoubtedly the most noteworthy Asian DJ contracted to Protocol Recordings, led by DJ Nicky Romero. Protocol Recordings is a one of the top three labels in the world working with global musicians such as Calvin Harris, Hardwell and NERVO. Han is the first Asian to work with the Dutch label that has been releasing his mix tapes since last July.
Han did not start his musical career with the electronic genre. He was a rocker studying guitar at a college in Japan in 2005 and he remembers dreaming of becoming a rock star.
"I wanted to study in Japan since I was a child," Han said in an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Yongsan, Seoul, last month. "I got into a Shobi University in Japan and lived there for six years. I started playing guitar at a young age and I was engrossed in rock music."
Han returned to Korea in 2011 and started his band, but soon realized it was hard living as a rocker here.
He learned to use turntables through a high school friend who studied music with him and turned his career to that of a DJ.
"I was at a loss in the beginning," Han said. "I did not learn to play the turntable professionally and I just listened to various DJs' music. It was the time when Tiesto and Hardwell were ruling the electronic scene and they would release a new single and mixed tape every week. I heard their music a lot."
Han pursued originality in his music and it was his knowledge and skills in rock music that gave him confidence to become a world-class DJ and apply rock elements to the electronic genre. He had seen other musicians with the same idea become successful, like Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers.
"I always start with guitar when I produce music because I majored in the instrument and I like the rock sound," Han said. "There are many similarities between rock and electronic music.
"Both genres pursue loud electronic tunes and sequence repeats in the same pattern in electronic music, while you play the same riff in rock music."
After learning to handle the turntable over three months with unknown DJ Ahn at the "Double Eight" club in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, Han began to show off his skills at music festivals.
"It is easy to learn basic skills to play the instrument," he said. "It will only take a month. The fundamental of handling the gadget is not difficult. But it is the musical sense that is essential.
"In Korea, it is hard to show a wide spectrum of music at clubs because they want a particular type of music to be played. Festivals are where you can pursue your originality as a DJ."
Han joined the Ultra Music Festival (UMF) for the first time in Korea as a main DJ in 2013 and played the event's theme song titled "Hold On Me" he produced on guitar. It was an opening in collaboration with singer Bada of former K-pop girl band S.E.S.
In the following three years, Han participated in various music festivals in Korea, and abroad with global DJs such as ZEDD, Alesso, Fedde Le Grand and Skrillex at the Amsterdam Dance Event and the Sunburn Festival.
Celebrated Dutch DJ Sunnery James invited Han on stage at "Tomorrow Land" after listening to him play at a party in Singapore.
However, the turning point came when he opened the UMF in Miami in 2015, the music festival shrine to electronic music.
"It was my first time playing jungle terror genre there," Han said. "It was not a popular genre then and I thought it would not go well, but went on with it. Fortunately, it turned out well as people there came from various cultures having no restricted preference on the music style."
Han will join another big festival "Tomorrow Land" in Belgium kicking off Friday next week. He is invited as a Korean representative to play music along with esteemed DJs Axwell & Ingrosso, David Guetta and Steve Aoki.
Han has already received recognition for his music abroad. His work "Hanabi" with celebrated DJ Florian Picasso ranked sixth on the Big Room chart on the world's largest electronic music chart Beat Port on its release April 28.
On January 31, his first digital single "Heart of Steel" was introduced through radio remix tracks of popular DJs such as David Guetta and Martin Garrix. Romero described him as one of the most "expected artists" this year, who constantly inspires him.
Han is also focusing his music career in his homeland too.
This coming August, Han will release a digital single in collaboration with a K-pop group.
"I want to promote electronic music in Korea and I believe collaboration with K-pop can help a lot," he said. "I am planning one with a girl band currently.
"I got the idea from a popular hip-hop show here. Many underground rappers rose to the main stream in collaboration with K-pop. Because I am Korean and my base is here, I want to focus on the Korean market."
