Yeong Die’s August 2023 EP, Dark Void Our Own, is a trippy electronic beat tape: a brief but striking escapade through several dimensions of eerie pulses and textures.
The Seoul-based artist has made a decent number of releases since 2018, both on her own and as one-third of the underground electronic collective Computer Music Club, a self-proclaimed “label, but not really.” I discovered Computer Music Club’s projects first, which sparkle with lively energy and deep, danceable grooves, but also intrigue the listener with some mysterious and elusive sound design.
On Dark Void Our Own Yeong Die really leans into the intriguing side of things, presenting four pieces that each bathe the listener in a unique electronic sound-world of sweeping synths, driving synth ostinati, noisy textures, and electrified bass and drums.
It’s hard not to make the obvious comparison to Aphex Twin, and though I’m sure she wouldn’t deny the influence, these tracks are rife with the uniquely dark mystic mood that makes Yeong Die’s music stand out.
Although every piece has the common thread of being driven by a synth motif that repeats and develops gradually, each piece also has a distinct arc to it: “Dark Void Our Own” (which is also the opener) begins with only a dreamy arpeggio that’s soaked in delay and reverb, along with a crinkly, gradient synth texture. This continues for more than two whole minutes before we are treated to bass and drums, culminating into something that feels like glitchy, spaced-out liquid drum and bass.
“Vision X4” is the calmest of the bunch, just one utterly hypnotic bell sound ringing in a simulated underwater cave, a soundtrack to electronic meditation. “Excuses, Excuses, Excuses” feels more like a frenetic narrative, a layering of synths and vocal samples that builds once again into a groove that feels like a sort of broken half-time jungle beat. “Missing Keys” closes the EP with a spiraling, psychedelic synth arpeggio that is eventually joined by a dreamy announcer’s voice, proclaiming that we can only feel, not fully hear.
I love everything about this project, down to its Renaissance-level cover photo (which apparently depicts the ceremonial migration of the Virgin of Rocio statue in the Spanish Township of Almonte). Yeong Die has given us an unsettling but deeply satisfying musical journey: I found myself amazed at how much depth is packed into this 21-and-a-half minutes of music.
In a wide and exciting world of creative electronic music, Yeong Die and company are putting Seoul on the map. I’m excited to see where she goes next!
Dark Void Our Own by Yeong Die
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Written by Jonathan Paik for Korean Indie.