Cakeshop

Cakeshop occupies a basement in Itaewon, central Seoul, with an outdoor terrace, and opened there in 2012. Its address is 34-16 Itaewon-dong. The building was formerly used as an illegal strip club and is among the area’s oldest. Exposed concrete and steel, dark red lighting, a large dance floor and several lounge spaces shape the warehouse-style interior, which holds about 200 people.

The club’s programming spans UK bass, garage, disco, hip-hop, R&B, gqom and dembow. Promoters behind events there include darklightkr and Planet Turbo; performers have included Mordecai and Shins, while NAAFI, Hyperdub and Butterz have featured on its bills. In March 2021, Cakeshop started its in-house label Carousel Records with the compilation CRSL 001. The club’s tenth anniversary in 2022 was marked by pop-up events in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul. Its team also operates the sister bar Pistil.