Loud and queer: Discover NET GALA’s electronic music

Based in Seoul, South Korea, NET GALA is a young queer musician characterized by their mix of underground club music with traditional Korean chords. NET GALA started as a DJ, working for years in the famous Seoul’s club Cakeshop. They became a music producer and their first EP, 'Reflection (re: FLEX * ion)', was released in 2019.

With their 2nd EP, ‘신파 SHINPA’, NET GALA explores traditional Shinpageuk theatre in five loud and frantic new creations. Dramatic and expressive, the EP is a political stance against the repression of emotions expected from minorities. As voices of the marginalized are silenced, self-expression condemned, NET GALA wanted to break the sound barrier through the burst of emotion he conveys in SHINPA.

In ‘Dodomzit (A Radical, Cynical Tool)’, NET GALA blends harsh and resonant percussions with the voice of Kwak Yi-Kyung, a human rights activist. The sample comes from her speech on the anti-discrimination law during the presidential election of Moon Jae-in. The echo of her voice sends a strong political message and makes this track a powerful electronic anthem for LGBTQI+ individuals across Korea.

In ‘Shipiral’, an addition to the EP, NET GALA wanted to represent what it feels like to be queer and Korean. Confusion is the watchword, through the descending and ascending spiraling sound that crosses the track, representing how NET GALA feels torn between enforced Western narratives and Korean society’s expectations.

In addition to their musical career, NET GALA runs a queer collective called ‘Shade Seoul’. The organization holds queer events and parties in the Korean capital, a place for LGBTQI+ folks to just exist. In the future, NET GALA wishes to expand it into something more political.

To listen to some of NET GALA’s tracks, scroll down below and discover their musical universe!