There has been a strong emergence of Korean and Asian producers that showcased their talent for creating deep, profound sounds over the years. One of the most respected outlets for this talent has been through Oslon aka Jong-Min Lee‘s labels Oslated & Huinali Recordings. We are thrilled to welcome back Jong-Min for an interview accompanied with a label mix of Huinali’s recent album Mirinae, executed by S-Pill.

1. Hi Jong-min, thank you for contributing yet again to the MNMT podcast with another mix, this time with a Huinali label mix. How are you?

JM: Greetings, I’m pretty good so far, and it’s always my pleasure to collaborate with the MNMT and contribute to it. I’m still doing very well in South Korea, and since I recently adopted a cat, so now I go for walks with my dog and cat, and take them for trips in my car.

2. It has been a turbulent number of years for many record labels, how have you approached and dealt with the difficulties that many labels have faced throughout the pandemic? Can you outline the changes and decisions that had to be made over the past years?

Well, first, based on the fact that I belonged to the underground scene from my teenage years until now, 20 years ago or 10 years ago, before pandemic or after pandemic, we always had a hard time.

As someone who has been part of the underground scene for almost 20 years, I have to say that it has always been difficult, with or without a pandemic.

I viewed the pandemic as often used as an excuse to not do the hard work with regards to music & life in general. So, I just kept running my label regardless of the pandemic.

3. Many people within the Monument community are familiar with Oslated, perhaps most of them are also aware of Huinali, but for those that aren’t, can you outline the differences between both labels? What made you decide to start Huinali?

At a certain point in time I felt bored with techno and how it was developing as a scene, which I’ve been involved in for quite some time. I wanted to broaden the spectrum of our label’s vision, and I wanted to progressively develop classic dub techno and ambient with good talent artists.

Huinali Recordings is mainly a dub techno and dub ambient label with a specific taste, coming from Oslated. ‘Huinali / 희나리’ means ‘Wet Firewood’ in Korean ancient language.

But, to be honest, the genre division for our both labels didn’t matter from quite a while ago. What I think is important now is the relationship between the concept of an entire album and the corresponding time with the artist.

4. Can you dive deeper into the concept behind Huinali – and how does the artwork – which is a bit minimalist – tie into the concept?

Exactly, the most important point of Huinali Recordings is Javier Marimon‘s artwork. If it had not been for him, Huinali would not have been able to maintain its identity. He checks the artist’s entire album, and kindly collects opinions from me and the artist to create abstract minimal artwork with his own unique and solid design.

5. Recently you have moved from Seoul to Jeju, and thus Oslated and Huinali are now Jeju-based record labels. What made you decide to move to the island of Jeju and how has your experience been so far managing the record label from there?

I still have my studio in Seoul, and only the label base has moved to Jeju Island. Leaving the typical scene, I thought that I had to change to a new environment in order to develop, create, and become more pure myself.

Of course, I have loved Jeju Island since the old days, and have visited countless time, while also our resident DJ S-Pill lives here as a local. So, without a doubt, Jeju Island is our main base, and also our camp. The decision to move label base to Jeju island has definitely revealed how flexible label operations are.

6. Are there any plans to host offline label showcases for Huinali? If not, is this something you would be interested in for the future?

I’d say this is still undecided. I don’t think there is any law that requires a label to hold an offline event. I think indiscriminate offline events rather disperses & interferes with the label’s own policy and mission. But, of course, if a good opportunity comes from the label’s point of view, and if many followers really want in the future, I’m still open-minded about its receptivity.

7. Do you have some thoughts to share regarding the development of the deep techno scene
globally as well as locally in Korea?

I always have the idea that an artist should achieve new development every year without being bound by stereotype. Let’s be steady. And what is the definition of the deep? In my opinion, it is about unraveling the storytelling of every day, every moment in depth. What I want to say now is, “The important thing is an unbreakable heart”.

8. Can you tell us a bit about the mix you have prepared for us together with S-Pill?

This is a DJ set of “Continuous Mix” from the latest released compilation album ‘Mirinae / 미리내’, just for Huinali Recordings’ showcase to be released on MNMT.

For this compilation, 18 beautiful and solid producers from various countries dedicated their own deep journey. The album is called ‘Mirinae’, which means Milky Way in Jeju Island dialect. S-Pill performed a great recording despite having a bit of a cold recently. He is still the best Korean local DJ in my opinion. Therefore, I’d like to thank S-Pill, the 18 producers, and the MNMT team for making this showcase happen.

9. Finally, do you have any news to share, regarding upcoming releases on Huinali perhaps?

We will continue with a steady stream of regular releases, and gladly, Huinali’s first vinyl release is also arranged. Now I can say with more confidence, I’m Korean, the label is located in East Asia, and value it. Therefore, I still want to support East Asian artists and find talented friends more than anyone else.

Thank you for the support.
Cheers from Jeju Island.

  • Jongmin Lee, the founder of Oslated & Huinali Recordings.

V.A – Mirinae (Continuous DJ Mix by S-Pill)

Tracklist:

  1. ANSR – M02
  2. Avsluta – Naktam
  3. Doctrina Natura – Szkolna
  4. Earthen Sea – A Spectral Encounter
  5. Sanguine – Mood Neutraliser
  6. ABSIS – Trapped Inside
  7. Emika Elena – Nettaiya
  8. Hogeko – Saki
  9. Noah Lyas – Black Holes
  10. Nils Edte – Sonante
  11. Atomic Moog – Translation
  12. Aspetuck – A Light Brief Snowfall And A Gust Of Wind
  13. Igacorosas – Namegotae
  14. Kohra – Anahata
  15. Javier Marimon – Day 57
  16. Vice City – Whispering Glacier
  17. Ryefield Society – Warm Echoes
  18. Night Sea – w510

Links Huinali recordings: