La Boule Noire
23:30
00:00
13.75
250 made his name producing for South Korean hip hop icons like Beenzino, Kim Ximya and Masta Wu. From there, he was tapped to create music for the more mainstream artists like NewJeans, producing some of their biggest hits including ‘Hype Boy’, ‘Ditto’ and their latest singles “How Sweet” and “Supernatural”. He is also an in-demand DJ, playing for Seoul Fashion Week, Maison Kitsuné, GQ, Clocknflap, Tomorrowland, Fuji Rock to name a few.
With his debut album, 250 has looked inwards to his memories of the uniquely Korean popular music genre of ppong-jak or trot to find something new to say. Ppong is a word without a direct translation. The genre has been around since the 1920s and is a uniquely Korean synthesis of a high energy two-beat rhythm and folk scales, with note-flexing vocal style called “kkeokk-ki”. The musical production is done on widely available, cheap mid 20thC electronic equipment, like the unmistakably kitsch shuffle of the 60s beatbox, the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace.
Some call it “easy listening meets Italo-disco” – the sound fell deeply out of fashion from the 1990s to the 2010s. It’s bad taste, comedic, bawdy – and sometimes its erotic subject matter was considered tacky, cheesy and lower class as the sleek Westernized pop styles of the ’90s took over. In the popular imagination, the music was forever entwined with the sorrow and suffering of Korea’s tumultuous 20th century; the war and the division of the country and families. In that sense, the genre carries uniquely Korean associations of “han” nostalgic sorrow and longing.
Ultranöuk
Anöuk Trégan, both DJ and producer, is making a name for herself in the music industry. The figurehead
of a generation that plays with codes, she imposes her protean identity by setting up camera and turntables
with artists who are shaking things up – just like her.
A self-taught musician, she mixes for prestigious brands and appears alongside up-and-coming artists such as Eugénie, Angie and Annaël (Inouïs 2021), whom she accompanies on their festival tours. Her mystical, frenetic, flamboyant persona is gradually coming to life. A cheeky mix of feathers and vinyl that shakes up the codes of dark techno and turns the DJ into a potential fashion muse.
In the darkness of concert halls, audiences immediately recognise her by her devil horn headphones. A distinctive accessory which, under the spotlights, casts an evil shadow across the back of the stage and betrays her sense of showmanship.
Poussin
Thomas GAUTHERIN, also known as Poussin, is a producer, DJ, composer and director of musical projects.
Poussin’s productions are full of energy, combining his eclectic influences – from pop to rock to rap – to create aggressive, melodic club music.
Following his encounter with the Parisian collective Halfpipe Records in 2023, of which he is now a member, Poussin began performing in clubs, with sets at Cabaret Sauvage, Le Virage and Le Point éphémère in Paris. The same year, he took part in the first compilation of the Late 20’s label with his track Backbeat, a light, pop-tinged anthem at 140BPM. Keen to bring more variety to the house music scene and get off the beaten track, he puts together audacious sets that are far removed from the genre’s classic codes. The aim is to bring together a wide audience around electronic music reminiscent of ghetto house, tech house, UK garage and rap.
Scheduled for release in early 2025, Poussin is preparing his first club-oriented EP, bringing together his multiple inspirations and versatility.