PLAYY. Mix #172 – Juheun
Hailing from the stark and unyielding deserts of the southwestern United States, DJ and producer Juheun emerges from the dust with mind warping, and forward thinking takes on techno. Developing his sound from dramatic minimal with curious and intriguing basslines, over the past seven years he has been shaping it toward the pulsing and hypnotic techno that he’s known for today. Just off the back of his expansive multi-city Multiplanetary Live tour, which saw him play dates across America and Asia, we caught up with him to find out where he’s at creatively.
Where would you say you are currently at creatively? What sort of things are inspiring the direction of your sound right now?
I’ve been gravitating more towards the hypnotic and raw side of things lately. Peak time and Driving techno hasn’t been as exciting for me as it used to be. I’ve been really getting into stuff that’s been all about the groove and rhythm and not so much about the buildup and drop. Stripping things back more and taking it even further into the underground.
You were recently on tour. Could you tell us about the experience of Multiplanetary Live?
I had a blast! There’s always something special about being on the road. It’s a bit more work on the preparation side in the studio, along with rehearsing and having to lug around all the gear when traveling. It’s all worth it tho. Playing all your original songs and being able to pull them apart and rearrange them in the moment really brings a different vibe to the performance than a typical DJ set. I had the pleasure of making my debut in Central America on this tour and performed for the first time in Panama City, Panama. I think that was the highlight for me as I love to travel to places I’ve never been, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and trying new foods is always on the top of my list.
Does touring inspire you? How does being on the road affect the music you create?
I love seeing what different scenes are up to. Every city has its own scene, and it’s refreshing to see people who are just as passionate as I am about techno. One of my favourite things is hearing what the local DJs are into and how they play. This is what really inspires me and keeps me pushing. Nothing is more exciting than to receive amazing vibes and energy from the dance floor and bringing it back to the studio with me. I’m also very heavy into producing on the road on my laptop, and I often find myself back in the hotel or on the next plane ride with my mobile studio working on new ideas and beats.
What does 2024 look and sound like for Juheun, and how does this mix reflect that?
As I mentioned above, I’ve been exploring more in the hypnotic and raw side of things lately, both in my DJ sets and in the studio. Taking things a bit faster and speeding things up seems to be the way these days.I still plan to produce and release peak time and driving tracks, and depending on the gig and the event I’ll still be dipping into the harder stuff from time to time. I’m currently in the studio working on my next EP which should be out late Jan / Early Feb of 2024. I’ve been testing out the tracks in my DJ sets and the response on the dace floor has been awesome! On the label side of things, myself and Michelle Sparks are in the final stages of launching our new label and you should be seeing some more news about that soon! To top it all off I’m working on some really exciting collab projects that I can’t wait to share with everyone when we are ready! It’s been a busy year and 2024 looks like it’s about to get even busier!
Follow Juheun
