Red Pig Flower is a DJ, Producer, Media Artist, Memory Collector and Dreamer. Sheās known for genre-fluid DJ sets and deeply emotional productions. But more than that, sheās a storyteller.
Ahead of her upcoming set at the KEYI Magazine x ELSE event on May 29th, we caught up with her to talk about her artistic journey. We explored how she blends philosophy, sound, and movement, and what practicing love means in a world that often forgets how to connect. From Seoul to Berlin to Brussels, Red Pig Flower keeps evolving while staying true to her core: emotion, contrast, and transformation.
About Red Pig Flower
Red Pig Flower is a Korean artist who lives and works in Berlin. Her creative work spans music, fine art, and philosophy. Born in Seoul, she has lived in Tokyo, London, Berlin, and now Brussels. Each city shaped her sound and her sense of self.
She co-founded Sound Of Vast, a label that brings a warm and playful touch to house and techno. You may have seen her behind the decks at clubs like Panorama Bar, Tresor, WOMB, and Bar Americas. Her sets are always full of emotion, curiosity, and unexpected turns.
Her visual art has appeared at NCCA Moscow, Goldsmiths University London, and the Asia Culture Centre Gwangju. Inspired by Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi, she often explores the tension between opposites: real and imagined, matter and spirit, human and machine.
Red Pig Flower studied mass media at CAU Seoul, time-based art at CSM London, and recently completed a program at LUCA Brussels. There, she was selected as one of their Jonge Kunstenaars 2022. She also received the Best Video Art Prize at Venezia Misteriosa and a Master Mind Scholarship from KU Leuven.
Whether painting, DJing, or producing, she stays rooted in connection. Her work speaks to the beauty of contradiction and the depth of emotion.
Hey dear, so happy to have you on board with our KEYI community! Could you introduce yourselves? Itās been a while since we first metāwhatās new and whatās stayed the same?
Oh wowā yes, time flies. So much has changed since we last met. The biggest shift has probably been in my musical style. Years ago, I was known more for trippy minimal and after-hours sounds. Some crowds still remember me that way and get surprised when they see my sets now.
Over the past years, while running Sound Of Vast with Knock, our label’s sound slowly evolved from minimal into disco and classic house, and that shift had a big impact on me. But honestly, the pandemic changed everything. It made me realize how fragile life is, that we can die at any time, and that real, physical human connection matters more than metaverse bullshit. So I dropped my āartistic ego.ā My sets became more celebratory, more physical. I interact with the crowd moreāI dance, I kiss, I connect. It might surprise people who remember me as darker or more melancholic, but I feel more alive this way. What hasnāt changed? My love for music and raving, my geeky personality, and my curiosity. I’m still very much me, just on a different part of the ride.
From Tresor and Panorama Bar to WOMB and Bar Americasāyouāve played some of the worldās most iconic venues. Do certain cities or clubs feel more like home to you? What do you look for in a space when you perform?
Clubs have always felt like home to me. As a nomad without a fixed place to return to, finding āhomeā is something I believe happens between me, the city, the club, and the crowdāitās a shared connection, not just a location. Iāve fallen deeply in love with certain places, but Iāve never truly felt 100% accepted anywhere. I envy people who have a home club, a crew, a residency. Often, Iām seen more as an exotic guest or a weirdo than as part of the family. But Iāve come to accept thatāthatās who I am.
So when I perform, I do it as if it might be the last show of my life. I give everything. I look for that deep, magical connection with the crowd, as if weāve known each other foreverāeven if weāll never meet again.
Without sounding too melancholic, cities like London, Berlin, Milan, Tokyo, and Seoul will always be my lovers. They helped me grow, nurtured me, and gave me unforgettable memories. And when the familiarity fadesāwhen clubs close, friends leave, or things changeāI feel a certain emptiness. Thatās when I try to freeze those moments with music or art. Maybe thatās why I keep creatingāto fossilize feelings before they disappear.
As a label owner, how do you curate releases? Whatās the idea behind the sound, philosophy, or the artistās spirit when deciding to release something?
Sound Of Vast, I make more conscious and collaborative decisions with Knock, my partner in the label. These days, our identity leans more toward house and disco.
Even for my own album, Knock played an important role. I produced many tracks, but he cut more than half because they didnāt align with the labelās direction. His curation is sharpāsometimes even coldābut itās necessary. Since he stepped away from DJing to focus purely on label management, he listens with a detached, objective ear. I, on the other hand, get emotionally attached to almost every trackāthatās the DJ in me.
While he leads on musical curation, I focus more on communication, collaborations, and visual identity. For our 5th anniversary, I curated five cat paintings and spent months researching the right artists. I also brought more women into the label, such as Akiko Kiyama and Cinthie, which was important to me. For Practice Love, it took nearly half a year to find the perfect painter for the cover, because I believe an album cover should visually express the story behind the music.
Last year marked our 10-year anniversary, and now weāre looking ahead to the next ten. Our dream is to become a label that contributes something meaningful to the history of house music. Thereās still a lot of work ahead, but most of all, we want to stay humble and keep moving forward.
Your recent production āPractice Loveā feels deeply personal. Can you tell us about the emotional or life moments that inspired the title and concept of the album?
Itās really hard to live in the world right now, with wars, division, and people constantly arguing. Sometimes it feels like everyone is just looking for a reason to hate.
Before creating Practice Love, I knew I wanted to tell the story of my life through music. Iāve been DJing for over two decades, living nomadically, growing up in multicultural environments, and connecting with people from all over the world. That international spirit was essential to the album, from the sounds to the visuals. I worked closely with the painter behind the album artwork to include city skylines of the places that shaped me. I also added lyrics in English, Japanese, and Korean to reflect my roots and experiences.
What Iāve learned through all of this is simple: love matters. Connection matters. Money and genre donāt. I expressed this in the albumās artwork and track titles, which are often quite narrative, each one reflecting a personal philosophy or moment in my journey.
Itās not just music to meāitās an offering. A reminder to myself and others: practice love.
Thereās a beautiful visual consistency to everything you touchāyour cover art, your videos, your performances. How do you approach visual identity? And what do you think about to connection between them?
Before I was a musician, I was a painterāand I still am, whether Iām actively painting or not. I studied time-based fine art at CSM in London, and music has always been part of my artistic languageājust another medium that moves through time.
For me, everything needs an aesthetic that tells a story. Track titles, album covers (when I have control), performancesāthey all need to be intentional and crafted with care. The world is already overflowing with noise. If youāre not adding something thoughtful, whatās the point of adding more?
One of my favorite films is Lady Vengeance. The protagonist, Geum-ja Lee, says:
āIt has to be pretty. Everything should be pretty.ā
Even when sheās tying a ribbon on a murdererās wrist, thereās a sense of ritual and visual poetry. That contrast between violence and beauty has always stayed with me, and I think that duality exists in art, in music, and in life.
Youāll be performing at our summer special event at ELSE on May 29th, alongside legends like DJ Hell and Umwelt. What can we expect from your set, and what will you bring to the event?
Yesāwow. DJ Hell and Umwelt are legends. I grew up looking up to them, so to be on the same lineup is an absolute honor. For this Else show, I plan to do what I love mostāsomething between energetic house and techno. As the last track on my album says: āNo genre, only music.ā
Expect an outdoor summer rave energy, though of course, the plot can always change depending on the moment.
Looking ahead, what can we expect from Red Pig Flower in the coming months? Any new collaborations, releases, or visual projects on the horizon?
Right after the Berlin event, Iāll head out on another Asia tour. On June 7th weāll host a Sound Of Vast label night at WOMB in Tokyo, highlighting me and DJ Sodeyama, both of us just released an album on our label. Then Iāll hit some of my favorite citiesāKyoto, Seoul, Bangkok, and a few more.
Iāve also applied for a US visa. If that comes through this year, Iāll finally start playing in the States. Fingers crossed.
As for visual work, Iāve got a new vinyl release on the way with a track I made with my friend Ryan in the Vitalik studio in Ibiza. Matthew Jonson did a remix, and Ryan just asked me to make a music video for it, which, of course, I said yes to! Any creatively challenging project is an honor.
You know meāIām always open to adventure. If it brings joy and challenge, Iām in.
Donāt miss Red Pig Flowerās electrifying DJ set at the ELSE x KEYI Magazine summer special on May 29th! Expect a journey through sound, emotion, and raw connection.
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Our next event : ELSE – Berlin – 29.05.2025
