- Few dance music artists in recent memory have had as rapid a rise as Yaeji. Since releasing her self-titled debut and her follow-up, EP 2, last year, the Korean-American producer has dominated the underground media landscape, acquiring an international following along the way. Her catchy, bilingual pop-house appeals to both heads and casual listeners, giving her music a unifying quality. It's hard to resist the low-slung bassline in "Drink I'm Sippin On" or her cover of Drake's "Passionfruit." It came as no surprise, then, that her debut Berlin show quickly got people talking, with more than 3,000 RSVPs on the Facebook event. (The venue, Prince Charles, has a capacity of 650.)
I got to Prince Charles early on Wednesday night only to find that the promoter, who had billed the show's start-time as 9 PM, wouldn't let us in for another two hours. When I finally entered the club, the dance floor was packed with fashionable club kids and artists, including Machine Woman, DJ Boring, Mobilegirl, TOXE and Mechatok. Surrounded by a swarm of fans, Yaeji was hard to spot as she squeezed into the DJ booth. But as soon as she jumped on the CDJs, a huge roar erupted from the huddled crowd. The scene felt comparable to a stadium concert: phones were immediately whipped out, flashes bursting continuously throughout the night.
From the moment Yaeji stepped onto the decks, every track was an absolute bullseye shot to the heart, from Mosca's "Done Me Wrong" and Eric Kupper's remix of "It's Alright" by Sterling Void and Paris Brightledge to Loleatta Holloway's disco classic "Dreamin'." While she danced, her messy bun bopped up and down to the beat. If there was even a hint of pretentiousness in the crowd, it evaporated into steamy air as soon as she dropped a remix of Fergie's "Fergalicious."
By the time Yaeji grabbed the mic to perform a selection of her own tracks, my shirt was drenched in sweat. The crowd screamed along to "Raingurl" and hung on her every word as she premiered a new song in whispery, auto-tuned Korean. After the crowd's long, rumbling applause faded and the closing DJ took over, she stayed in the booth to take selfies with members of the audience. The entire room had fallen for her.
Photo credit /
Hanna Kang