Exclusive: DJ Justin Oh Talks Working With SISTAR’s Hyorin, K-Pop/Drama Favorites, And More

Justin Oh, one of South Korea’s top EDM artists, recently made a stunning comeback with “Jekyll & Hyde,” featuring SISTAR’s Hyorin! “Jekyll & Hyde” is the first K-pop dance crossover single to be released on the label as well as the first Spinnin’ Records track to feature a K-pop artist.

The Korean artist brings a unique sound with this release, incorporating different genres like K-pop, EDM, Future Bass, and Trap.

If you haven’t already, check out the music video for “Jekyll & Hyde”:

Meet Justin Oh:

You’ve worked with Younha in the past. How was it different working with SISTAR’s Hyorin for “Jekyll & Hyde”?

I think each singer has his or her own vibe. It’s all about finding the right vocalist for the right song at the right time. Younha has one of the best ballad voices; it’s beautiful and has just the perfect amount of melancholy and hopefulness, so she was perfect for “Stay With Me”! ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ has a more mysterious, cool, sexy, bad-ass feel to the song, so, naturally, Hyorin was the perfect artist to bring on board for this song! If you listen to a lot of SISTAR’s music, there is always a little bit of mysterious sexiness about their songs and performances.

What was the best part about working with Hyorin?

The best part about working with Hyorin is working with Hyorin. She is super dope and definitely one of the coolest icons in K-pop. Hyorin is actually super cool off-screen too! Rather than just “singing a song,” we wanted the singer to play a “character” for ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ and I think Hyorin nailed it perfectly! She’s a real artist.

Are there any K-pop artists or groups that have caught your eye lately? That you’d like to work with?

Zico. TWICE. BLACKPINK. Yoon Mi Rae & Tiger JK. Dean, Crush. Who knows, we’ll see!

Any favorite K-dramas? How about a favorite overall TV show?

“High Kick Through the Roof” — one of my older favorites! I think [Lee] Kwang Soo is pretty funny and cool. And favorite overall TV show, I love “Futurama”!

What’s one thing you want people to know about “Jekyll & Hyde”?

Check out the music video! We shot in four different countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia!

When performing live, how do you handle mistakes?

Luckily, it doesn’t happen often, but when they do, I usually manage to fix them very quickly and act natural. Hopefully no one notices! (hee hee)

Do you have a special pre-performance ritual?

Nothing super special, but usually after the show, I love to eat. Whatever the local food is in the country I am performing in! Indonesia – Martabak, Singapore – Chili Crab, Malaysia – Mamak, Japan – Ramen, India – Biryani, Vietnam – Pho, etc.

Do you have any advice for people aspiring to be DJs? Beginner setups/software you recommend?

The best advice I can give is YouTube. You can learn anything on YouTube! It’s basically how I did it.

In terms of equipment, I use Pioneer Nexus CDJs and Mixers for performing and Ableton in the studio.

What are your guilty pleasures?

Reese Peanut Butter Cups.

Biggest/weirdest fear?

Swimming in the middle of the ocean.

What are you working on right now? Any specific plans for the rest of this year?

Right now working on a lot of new music. Also, I think 2017 is the year I am going to unveil something quite big!

Looking forward to more awesomeness from Justin Oh! Until then, check out the Korean version of “Jekyll & Hyde” below, and catch Justin at ULTRA KOREA in June!