It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) was the title of the track that at long last consumed the name Peggy Gou into the personalities of electronic music fans in 2018. Presently, the Berlin-based, South Korean DJ is perhaps the greatest ability on the scene, cheered at her shows in a way typically saved for pop stars.
Her imaginative sound, which she calls ‘K-house’— a mention to K-pop—has played similarly as a very remarkable job in her prosperity as her design accreditations. Peggy Gou is a style symbol; she represents another age of dark shirt-wearing DJs who presently don’t converge into the murkiness of clubs, yet celebrate uncommon looks and use them as an indispensable piece of their exhibition. At the present time, however, the 29-year-old is dressing like the vast majority of us in lockdown: “I’ve just worn hoodies, workout pants and my glasses for quite a long time,” she tells Vogue .
Peggy Gou’s Career
The title of Peggy Gou’s celebrated 2016 EP “Seek for Maktoop”, takes its name from the Arabic word maktoob, derived from the concept of destiny. Peggy, born in South Korea, has already glimpsed any number of potential destinies; designer, model, pianist, writer, editor and stylist. However, as time passes and trends fade, a constant, electronic pulse has proved irresistible to the DJ and producer since childhood.
To say the past few years have been busy for Peggy Gou would perhaps be an understatement in a scene loaded with overstatements. Prolific in the studio, and in turn, behind the decks, 2016 saw the release of no less than four EPs across three labels. Her two-part ‘Art Of War’ series on Rekids, for which Peggy also designed the distinctive artwork and commissioned challenging, inventive remixes from both Galcher Lustwerk and Terekke, was interspersed with a contribution to the coveted ‘Phonica White’ series of 12”s.
Peggy could once regularly be found digging in the legendary London record store, and the result, ‘Day Without Yesterday’ / ‘Six O Six’, was a pair of offbeat club anthems that led neatly into the aforementioned ‘Seek for Maktoop’ – released on Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour Records – a record on another altogether different, no less atmospheric house tip, celebrated on Resident Advisor for its “sparkling groove”.
This combination of playful curiosity and open musical experimentation – not to forget her signature, MPC-led rhythms – have already contributed to Gou’s rise. Her eclectic record bag has resulted in personal invitations to play alongside much respected and knowledgeable tastemakers such as Jackmaster and The Black Madonna across clubs including De School, Sub Club and Panorama Bar, with appearances at scene-leading festivals such as Les Nuits Sonores and Dekmantel. Both her club sets and a growing vault of online mixes speak fondly to an open ended musical philosophy, complimenting a style that can veer seamlessly and creatively between pumping techno, playful house and more abstract compositions.
Of course, Peggy Gou isn’t the only DJ to lay claim to such a diverse range of influences, from J Dilla to Patrick Cowley, the Yellow Magic Orchestra through to DJ Sotofett. But few filter such inspirations from such a unique angle, energised by dance music’s rich and diverse history, herself staking a personal claim with refreshing curiosity and undeniable style.
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