PRESS:
BLOGTO.COM This is Korea Town Acid's world and we're just living in it

When entering Korea Town Acid's space, each corner of her studio and home gives you a glimpse into her detailed artistry. There are past posters of gigs she's played, her vast array of equipment and her collection of vinyls that line her wall.

The vibrancy and lively nature of her space transfers into her sound: eclectic, experimental and, in every sense, encompasses who she is.

"I try to navigate the sound that really interacts with me, and a genuine magnetic pull to a certain song or artist," she said. "I really try to go by intuition."

Korea Town Acid, or KTA, has provided Toronto with her heterogeneous collections of sounds since 2009. The DJ has spun at venues such as Bambi's, Standard Time, CODA alongside Pep Rally and Sub Division to name a few.

In many ways, KTA has Toronto nightlife wrapped around her finger as a must-see artist with her smooth yet hectic sounds. The JUNO-nominated artist has played beyond the city, with sets in New York, Montreal, Helsinki, Athens and Berlin.

Prior to meeting KTA in her apartment studio, I followed her sets over the course of a weekend. The first stop was at Bambi's, where she played alongside dj kaspr for Nu-Position.

Bambi's signature semi-pitch black interior contrasted her enigmatic set. With a mixture of deep house, jazz and grime, KTA was able to infuse genre-bending sounds that made the crowd move fluidly.

The next night, at Standard Time's 12-hour party, KTA came on at 9 p.m. and brought the infusion of bossa nova, deep house and hip-hop in one space. At each venue, she donned her signature beanie, each different yet iconic nonetheless.

"The inspiration comes from everywhere, whether it be an unreleased track from a friend or a song I Shazamed in the Uber late at night," she said.

Before she spun at MUTEK Montreal or played at NYC's Bossa Nova Civic Club, she was a 12-year-old who had just moved to Canada from South Korea.

"I was always the kid buried in my headphones; it was always my alternative universe that was my security blanket," she said

KTA spent her childhood listening to K-Pop and being influenced by artists such as Notorious B.I.G and TLC.

"K-Pop's influence back in the day was boom bap hip-hop and jack swing," she says. "It's influenced by North American hip-hop, and spending my childhood here there was no TikTok, YouTube or Instagram. It was MuchMusic."

Throughout her childhood, KTA studied classical music and played piano, learning most of her skills through playing by ear. Describing herself as a 'lazy perfectionist,' KTA always knew she had a strong talent within her.

"One thing I know is that it surprises me that I left Korea so long ago but I'm still very attached to my motherland," she said.

Her childhood influences are present in her past records, Mahogani Forest, Metamorphosis and Cosmos. She's released a plethora of remixes alongside these records, including her recent upbeat mix 'HypeBoy.'

In her August record release, Elephant In The Room, KTA takes a different approach. KTA brings in more elements of glitchy dream-like sounds that emulate notes of underground electro-water tracks.

To the right of her vinyl collection sits the unwrapped record with a painting of an elephant standing still among low-rise buildings. Designed by artist Peter Chan, the elephant's melancholic and halted nature presents the inspiration behind the album.

Elephant In The Room was born from a past relationship of co-dependency and her growth from it. The album itself is a journey through her process of healing.

"This album was written 11 months ago… it was a challenging time of personal growth," she said.

The album features tracks alongside artists Khrono.K, Zander Miller and Hood Joplin to name a few. From start to finish, the intrinsic journey KTA takes you on is finding her way back to herself.

Tracks like 'Mirage' and 'Digital Detox' featuring fast-paced sounds, resonating with the feeling of inner turmoil. Slower, softer sounds from the title track, 'Elephant In The Room', show the complex up-and-down nature of growing and learning.

For KTA, creating her ideas into a final product is a hyper-critical process.

"I want to do well, I want to be content with my sound," she said. When asked what content meant to her, she shared that it meant being confident with what she's presenting and being fully immersed in her sound.

For her future, KTA plans to spend the upcoming year travelling and focus on her next project. KTA will be performing her first gig of the year at the Paragon in Brooklyn to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

"I don't think I've reached my contentment," she said. "It's always moving on, it's always what's next."

As we ended the night, KTA sat in her studio and spoke about her future, she played an unreleased track and asked what it sounded like to me. From a listener's perspective, KTA will always be a complex sound that many haven't been able to perfect.

KTA finds perfection in the mess.
~~ blogto.com/music/2022/12/korea-town-acid-toronto/





EXCLAIM.CA INTERVIEW

Jessica Cho energetically reaches toward the numerous drum machines and synthesizers that not only make her Toronto apartment's living room table look like an android's innards, but also help her create the futuristic and frenzied music under her alias Korea Town Acid. Among the multitudes of buttons and wires, she points to one of the smaller consoles, a pale white Elektron Model Cycle that she has been particularly fond of as of late. She turns its dials, making it give off a deep-water warble and a soft glow that contrasts sharply with her neon orange painted fingernails and equally bright dyed red hair. "You can make kick drums, a hi-hat, synths with this. It has such a pure design. Its manipulation is so easy!" she enthuses while tapping the groove box's buttons and turning more of its dials as its percussion begins to pop and thud.

Her fondness for colour and sound spectrums is indeed obvious during our recent Zoom call ahead of the release of her new album Elephant in the Room (out today via URBNET) and a run of exciting summer performances, including festival sets at New York's esteemed Paragon and Montreal's MUTEK. She says, "I'm just wrapping my mind around what I will bring with me during my upcoming sets. I have a new mixer with so many effects, which is great because it will let me not bring a bunch of machines. I have to be so intentional now with what I bring to the table for live performances."

That sentiment is evident in her performances and on her songs, because she is by no means a DJ who merely presses play. Cho has made a name for herself by building intricate soundscapes live on stages and in the studio, prompting Cadence Weapon to tap her to produce "Play No Games" on his Polaris Music Prize-winning album Parallel World, and helping her performances and recent albums — Metamorphosis and Cosmos, both released at a breathless pace in 2021 – all gain a fervent fanbase.

Assured and inspired as she sounds before these summer shows, Cho felt the opposite while creating her latest album.

"Right now I'm having more fun experimenting with machines and going harder, because things are kind of back," she says. "But this album captures my state of mind during lockdown, which was a very challenging time for me personally. So this is very moody music."

Not to say she's only getting innovative now, ahead of these new shows. She broke new ground on Elephant in the Room, including running drums through a Elektron Digitakt sampler for a sound that she calls "very experimental." During seven months of lockdown in her home studio, she strived to stay balanced but steadily productive – both for the sake of her artistry and her mental health — by creating some of those tracks meticulously on her computer, and others in one take with a modulator. "And some are layered and have the best of both worlds," she says of the different approaches, adding, "I have a different recording method for every track."


Cho's vast range of beat-making techniques, especially the more hands-on examples, echo her musical origins in a way. But they couldn't seem more different on the surface. During elementary school in her native Seoul, before she moved to Toronto, Cho's mother enrolled her in piano lessons at a music school. "I'd be sent to my room to practice for at least three hours four to five times a week," Cho recalls. Then: a conspiratorial grin, as she adds, "At one point I recorded myself practicing, then turned that recording up loud so it sounded like I was still playing, even though I was reading comic books. My mom was so disappointed." Tough as that period was, it paled in comparison to her cousin's eight-hour practice periods on a grand piano, with the aim of becoming a classical pianist. When Cho heard her cousin play the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, she recalls thinking it was "weirdly complex and really moving, instead of the happy, boring pieces I was learning." But her piano teacher insisted it was too advanced, so young Jessica returned to her room and taught herself one of classical music's most sophisticated pieces, tapping into the elaborate sonic strata and headstrong drive that fuel her music to this day.

"The practices I adopted, and the musical memory and ear I developed then, are still helpful for me today. But, honestly, I'm more of a experimental and intuitive person, and want to be genre fluid," she reflects.

Despite the familial pressure, Cho was far more fascinated by rap and K-pop. No, not today's BTS-style chart toppers. Rather, the more underground and eclectic acts that created subgenres under the K-pop umbrella like Humming Urban Stereo, Roller Coaster and Casker.

One day at music school, Cho's teacher showed her a Yamaha multi-instrumental synthesizer that used bulky floppy discs. At the time, the niche K-pop and Korean movie soundtracks that she ravenously listened to inspired Cho to create "moody soundtrack-y piano things on that Yamaha at school. That was very exciting for me. And, from there, I wanted to learn about other synthesizers and invest in them. Eventually, I sold some of my stuff and busked, and kept trying to find the next machine to express myself."

In Toronto, she would occasionally busk at Kensington Market and other outdoor attractions to boost her exposure. She remembers, "I wasn't busking all the time to make a living or anything. I was really just young and clueless, but when you're that age and naïve, you put yourself out there. But I'm glad because it helped fortify me." She says becoming a finalist at Honey Jam in 2009 "gave me the assurance I needed." She played in bands and in a duo called CHOBO before striking off on her own as Korea Town Acid, dropping her debut EP, Mahogani Forest, in 2018. After the Cadence Weapon collab and her breakthrough album Metamorphosis in early 2021, she capped that landmark year with Cosmos in October. Its key track, "Sobriety," was nominated for Underground Dance Single of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards.

Before she became Korea Town Acid and her career kicked into high gear, Cho made much of her music on a laptop with a mini controller. When her laptop died and she lost swaths of music, "it was traumatizing. But sometimes you need shit like that to have a turning point. That's when I got really into live hardware."

And now, Cho's live beat-building prowess sets her apart and compels the likes of Cadence Weapon to choose her instrumentals.

For Cho, that hardware is so much more than a set of instruments. As she puts it: "My relationship with these machines really affects my sound. The longer I play them, the more they know me inside out, and vice versa. Sometimes in a relationship, you don't talk every day, and that's okay. Then when you talk again, and pick up right where you left off. So yes — these machines really bring out parts of your personality."

~~ Kyle Mullin exclaim.ca/music/article/korea_town_acid_elephant_in_the_room_interview




ABOUT
Korea Town Acid (Jessica Cho) is wildly creative. She is an electronic artist at her core, but that barely scratches the surface of what her sound encompasses. Citing influences as UK future bass, glitch, jungle, and alternative hip hop, KTA fuses these sounds with concepts of movement and texture, to create multi-faceted works that go beyond the club.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Toronto based DJ/Producer Korea Town Acid maintained a fierce but mindful schedule amidst pandemic induced lockdowns. With the ease of restrictions and the gradual return to a version of normalcy, KTA continues to thrive, without hitting pause.

In 2021 she released her full length LP Metamorphosis, a self produced ten-track record, featuring collaborations from Toronto based artist DESIIRE, U.K based Korean pianist and rapper Pianwooo, Seoul rapper PNSB, L.A beatmaker Dreamdave, and New Jersey MC, L.J The Alien. She swiftly followed that up six months later with the release of Cosmos, another self produced full length LP that boasts the 2022 Juno Award nominated track, ‘Sobriety’. She also contributed to Cadence Weapon’s 2021 Polaris Prize winning record Parallel World, producing the track ‘Play No Games’.

Despite touring restrictions in 2021, KTA delivered a notable hardware set as part of Hinter Live, showcased at POP Montreal, and continued her monthly online residency at The Lot Radio in New York.

Korea Town Acid is set to release her latest LP, Elephant in The Room, on August 26th, 2022 via URBNET. The twelve track self produced and mixed album, was mastered by East End Mastering in Toronto, ON, and features a lineup of Canadian guest collaborators, including Zander Miller, Khrono K, and Hood Joplin. In anticipation of the release, KTA has been actively securing live performance sets to showcase new tracks, with appearances at Toronto’s Summer of Seoul festival at the TIFF Atrium, Peprally, and Promise Cherry Beach series. Upcoming performance dates include Vancouver’s Wonderment Festival on July 31st, 2022, and Montreal’s MUTEK Festival on August 25th, 2022.






“Elephant In The Room” once again explores the boundaries between club and home listening. Spread across 12 tracks, it features collaborations with fellow-Canadian artists Hood Joplin, Zander Miller, Khrono.K and Driftnote helping KTA navigate through moods, tempos and styles




EXCLAIM.CA
Toronto-via-Seoul producer Korea Town Acid — a.k.a. Jessica Cho — has announced plans for a new album titled Elephant in the Room, arriving August 26 via URBNET.

The pandemic-born 12-track record features an all-Canadian roster of collaborators — Hood Joplin, saxophonist Zander Miller, rapper Khrono.K and Cho's mentor, Driftnote — joining in on the effort, which is due to land one day before her upcoming MUTEK performance.

"I had so much change and growth at that time in my personal life and my spiritual health," Cho tells Exclaim! of a seven-month journey transitioning between lockdown and re-entering the world. "I always find album recordings are [a] part of me at that time. It resembles and reflects that time of myself ... It's a snapshot during that moment."

The first taste of the album comes on July 22 with Calgary artist Hood Joplin's edit of "Heart Breaker." The pair worked on the track remotely after teaming up at Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp on a one-off track released during lockdown.

"I'm very grateful to collaborate with female artists — and especially Canadian artists," Cho says of the experience, "We actually did a track together called 'Jupiter' that we released on Bandcamp during the pandemic. She's an amazing producer. We collaborated [at Bass Camp] and we got to collaborate again."

With her Promise Cherry Beach performance in the books, the producer has lined up numerous live appearances throughout summer, including shows at the TIFF Atrium, NØMAD (for Pep Rally) and the Annex Hotel in Toronto, plus a set at Vancouver's Wonderment Festival. Find tour details via Cho's Instagram.
~~ exclaim.ca/music/article/korea_town_acid_details_new_album_elephant_in_the_room
~~ Allie Gregory and Megan LaPierre





MUSICISMYCANCTUARY.COM
We are thrilled to present a first taste of the upcoming album from our talented friend, Toronto-based producer and DJ Korea Town Acid.

Her newest work is titled “Elephant In The Room” and once again explores the boundaries between club and home listening. Spread across 12 tracks, it features collaborations with fellow-Canadian artists Hood Joplin, Zander Miller, Khrono.K and Driftnote helping her navigate through moods, tempos and styles.

We asked KTA three questions about her newest album and share an exclusive upfront listen to “Idiom”

Can you tell me about the creative context and process in which the new record was made?
Coming out with a full-length album seems like It’s world building. conceptual, progression, changes of direction, try and error, it’s a whole journey till you eventually let it go.

I built a small modular rack and new laptop last fall and started recording in december thru may. I try to fire everything up and really play by ear and try to capture the organic moments in the studio. It’s unpredictable but that’s what’s exciting about the creative process. believing in one’s machines fullest-potential.


Music Is My Sanctuary · Exclusive Premiere: Korea Town Acid Idiom (feat. Driftnote)
There are many different styles, emotions, tempos spread across the record. Both in your production and DJIng you seem to always want to explore the boundaries…
My assumption is that I have ADHD so my mind wonders, I am also a curious person ,I get easily excited about stuff and get bored of it quickly, I always try to push the boundaries, so I don’t get tired of what I do and keep my interest in different baskets whether that’s productions, DJing or playing live hardware, and use all mediums of music, digital, vinyl, hardware, vsts, etc. I keep these different sources as my stimulation of interest intact in rotation.

What is your unrealized musical dream?
I would like to do work overseas, visit Seoul and do sound scoring for film producers like Bong Joon Ho or Park Chan Wook, and work with rappers like E SENS, Kim Ximya and CL. Also interested in learning and curating “Music Therapy” sessions.

“The Elephant In The Room” drops August 26th, via legendary Canadian imprint URBnet.
~~musicismysanctuary.com/exclusive-premiere-korea-town-acid-idiom-feat-driftnote




GLOSSIMAG.COM
Born in Seoul, Korea, Korea Town Acid has been honing in on her craft in clubs for years. Whether she’s collaborating with rappers and singers or crafting experimental compositions informed by her classical music roots, the Toronto-based artist has a reputation for wowing the electronic music crowd. Using hardware, analogue and digital polysynths, drum machines and samplers, Korea Town Acid embraces improvisation, often dreaming up unpredictable soundscapes with moody textures on the spot.

Underneath her signature bucket hat is an artist who’s hard to define by one term alone, making her an exciting act to follow. This past year, she released two projects, received a nod from the Juno Awards and produced “Play No Games” off Cadence Weapon’s Polaris Music Prize-winning album, Parallel World.

Glossi Mag connected with Korea Town Acid to discuss her career, DAWS and VSTs, and what she’s up to next.


Congratulations on your recent Juno Awards nomination for Underground Dance Single of the Year with Sobriety! How does it feel to be recognized in that way?
It definitely gave me reassurance that I am on the right path [pursuing] music. Definitely feeling more inspired and grateful about everything that’s happening. Also the pressure to keep up the good work.

You released two projects in 2021. While Cosmos showcases your skill as an electronic musician, Metamorphosis highlights your producer abilities. What have you liked about collaborating with others in this role?
I love collaborating with rappers and vocalists because they contribute their own essence and vibe, utilize their voice as an instrument and elevate the entire track. It conveys more depth into the storyline and everybody loves vocals, it’s a proven fact!

What role do you think nightclubs play in building inclusive communities? How can club culture improve?
Keep trying new things and being open-minded, [have] diversity in bookings and make the environment [one where] people feel free and comfortable in their own skin.



Artist Korea Town Acid poses for the camera. She is sitting in front of windows and a plant on a brown chair. She has a pink and blue scarf wrapped around her orange hair, and is wearing a dark blue denim jacket, white pants and black shoes.
Photo Credit: Paddington Scott



Even as DAWs and VSTs have become the tool of choice for many, you’re known for using hardware. What do you like about keeping things analog?
I also use DAW and VST for post-production and editing tools for recordings. What I love about the hardware is that you are not looking at the computer screen, you are more directly engaged with the machine itself and learning about how certain different [pieces of] gear help you to navigate the destination of sound. It’s trial and error, and I love exploring different machines. It might sound odd but sometimes the limitation helps you to achieve your sound vision faster. Like cutting to the chase and working within the boundaries of the machines. Sometimes too many options make you struggle [to move] on quickly when it comes to decision-making. I am not biased about gear though — it’s all about the inspiration, idea and execution.

How does your classical musical foundation inform your work as a producer and electronic musician?
Because of my classical foundation, I have developed a big passion for polysynths [which] allow me to do different chord progressions and express emotions through the chords. A trained ear always helps [as does] intuition. With or without the classical background, it’s important to capture the feel and the groove.



Artist Korea Town Acid stands on a window. She is wearing a head scarf, orange top, black jacket, black pants and black shoes.
Photo Credit: Paddington Scott



You’ve performed in cities across the globe. What is a gig that stands out most to you?
One of the most special nights out from the tour was Helsinki, Finland — everything was done in the finest way. I also enjoyed visiting back in my hometown of Itaewon, Seoul. I hope to go back to perform this year.

What are you working on next?
Anticipating a new album to drop this summer with my label Urbnet. It’s called Elephant in the Room. I have been working on it for the last seven months. I believe the album is about growth and reflection. I can’t wait to share it with y’all. Some travelling is coming up — [I’m] playing a set in Brooklyn N.Y., Victoria, B.C. and [playing live] at Mutek Festival in Montreal at the end of August, as well as some local gigs like a live showcase set for Summer of Seoul at the TIFF Bell Lightbox opening.
~~ Rachel Romu
~~ glossimag.com/a-conversation-with-korea-town-acid/