In this blog post, we’ll examine how electronica has gained popularity in South Korean popular music, as well as its musical characteristics and influence.
The Popularization of Electronica
A long time ago, on October 9, 2010, “Global Gathering,” a world-renowned electronica music festival, was held at Nanji Hangang Park in Seoul. I attended the event myself, and I heard that as many as 20,000 people gathered there. There was a reason so many people flocked to the event, even though the ticket price—about 80,000 won—was not exactly cheap. This was because the event featured famous DJs who are rarely seen in South Korea, such as Armin van Buuren—who ranked among the world’s top DJs—Fatboy Slim, a pioneer of electronic music since the 1980s, and Justice, who enjoyed immense popularity not only overseas but also in South Korea. The fact that such a large audience gathered demonstrates that electronic music is no longer a genre enjoyed solely by a select group of enthusiasts. Furthermore, if you look at the songs that topped the music charts at the time, you can easily find tracks based on electronic beats. Through this, I’d like to examine how electronic music has taken root in South Korea.
Characteristics and Spread of Electronica Music
First, let’s take a look at electronica music. Electronica refers to music produced primarily using electronic instruments such as synthesizers. It is further categorized into various genres—such as trance, house, techno, and drum and bass—depending on the tempo of the beat and the characteristics of the electronic sounds used.
Until the 1990s, hip-hop was at the center of popular music. While hip-hop still wields significant influence in the United States today, electronic music culture experienced substantial growth, particularly in Europe, at the start of the 21st century, and various genres of electronica began to gain widespread popularity. Consequently, techno music was introduced to the South Korean public through advertisements and other media. However, since ballads and dance music dominated the pop music charts through the early to mid-2000s, electronica was still unable to shake off its image as music for enthusiasts.
Nevertheless, a gradual shift was taking place within club culture. In the early 2000s, hip-hop led the club scene, particularly in Hongdae, but from the mid-2000s onward, clubs centered on electronica began to emerge in Gangnam, and the trend in club music gradually shifted toward electronica. The influence of Europe and Japan played a significant role in this change. In Europe, electronica had already established itself as the defining genre of club culture, and in Japan, it was beginning to gain greater popularity than hip-hop. This trend influenced South Korea as well, leading to the gradual emergence of clubs centered around electronica. So why do people like electronica?
The Appeal of Electronica and Its Current Significance
The most distinctive feature of electronic music is its repetitive electronic beats. At the time, popular music trends also frequently centered on repetitive lyrics and beats. People enjoy these repetitive lyrics and beats because they are easy to sing along to and highly addictive. The simple repetition of electronic sounds lingers in the listener’s memory and keeps coming to mind. This is precisely the key appeal of electronic music.
Of course, repetition alone cannot fully explain the popularity of electronica. Even within the repetitive beat, various changes take place. When listening to electronica, you’ll often find compositions where multiple sounds are added sequentially as a single beat repeats. A common pattern is one that starts with a simple beat, gradually adds drum beats and other instrumental sounds, and then returns to the original composition. While a continuously repeating beat could easily become monotonous, these varied changes within the repetition prevent the listener from growing bored. When combined with human vocals and repetitive lyrics, the result is not merely simple music but a highly addictive musical experience.
In this way, electronic music has established itself as a major genre within South Korean popular music. In today’s popular music, various elements of electronic music—including EDM—are widely utilized across multiple genres, ranging from dance music to pop, hip-hop, and idol music. While electronica was once primarily encountered in clubs, it has now naturally permeated popular music as a whole. In this regard, electronica can be considered one of the major trends in South Korean popular music.
