Digitalluc / Courtesy of digitalluc

Renovations at Blackmarket, a barber shop/event space in central Seoul's multicultural Itaewon, are nearing completion, and its owner, Australian national Beau Walder, is celebrating with a special hip-hop/lo-fi event this weekend.

Headlining the event will be German beatmaker/producer digitalluc. "I'm a massive fan," Walder told The Korea Times.

"When Beau contacted me a few months ago, I had already booked a trip to Southeast Asia but didn't have the return ticket yet," digitalluc said. "He texted me on Instagram and was asking if I would be down to play a gig in Korea and that he wants to book me for a show. Then everything went quick. We booked the tickets, and voila. It was perfect timing."

The event will also feature local talent, namely DJ Son, whom Walder describes as a "wicked well-known Korean DJ," and his friend DJ Log, "both well known for their scratch and original taste in hip-hop."

Digitalluc said he will play a beat set on his sampler for the event, "only original music that I have produced by myself. Playing a few remixes I did as well."

This will be the only chance to catch digitalluc's act during his short three-day stay in the country.

In his downtime, he's looking forward to exploring the city and digging for some records. "I (have) always been interested in Korean history but never visited," he added. "I'm not too familiar with the music scene over there but very keen to find out."

The poster for the event at Blackmarket / Courtesy of Blackmarket

Digitalluc started making beats 14 years ago in his tiny one-bedroom apartment as a hobby. "I spent countless nights producing and always dreamed of reaching a few people," he said. "Never thought that one day I'll be making a living out of it and traveling the world. Traveling and playing shows in different countries and continents is amazing. You meet people you would never meet and it often feels like you know them for a long time already. Music really connects!"

He said he produces music almost exclusively at night and has always had a strong connection with the moon and universe. "If my music were a physical location, it would be on the moon," he said. "I think people in Korea can easily vibe to it because there is no language barrier — most of the tracks are instrumentals, and hip-hop is always super international."

Entry is limited to 60 people and costs 20,000 won at the door. This includes a free drink, plus a screen-printed poster handmade by Walder and signed by himself and all the performers.

After having completed extensive renovations on the place, Walder will continue booking events at Blackmarket with international artists, and he also plans to rent the space out for others to put on their own events.

Visit blkmrkt.co.kr for more information about the show and venue, or linktr.ee/digitalluc for more about digitalluc.