The New York Times : Arts | Korea Rediscovers Its Rock 'N' Roll Soul

(NEW YORK CITY USA) Shin Joong-hyun remembers the first time he took the stage 55 years ago in Seoul. Just 18, he had passed an audition for the U.S. Eighth Army and was selected to play top American hits to the troops. “I was too young to be scared,” the 73-year-old rocker said in a telephone interview, “so I just tried to do a good job.”

Soon, he was playing 20 to 30 dates a month at U.S. military bases all over South Korea, songs like “Guitar Boogie Shuffle,” “40 Miles of Bad Road” and “Rock Around the Clock” — the first song Mr. Shin sang, instead of just playing guitar. “The soldiers seemed to like my guitar playing,” he recalled. “They were really enthusiastic and often asked for more solos.”

Bands that got their start rocking out on U.S. Army bases became the vanguard of a new music scene in South Korea. Mr. Shin was at the heart of it, creating bands, finding singers and writing many of the most memorable rock songs recorded in South Korea, especially from 1968 to 1975.



He has been called the godfather of South Korean rock. Mojo magazine likened him to Phil Spector for his ability to discover talent and create sounds. Mr. Shin’s sound was low-fi and psychedelic, freely mixing genres and, as time passed, it grew ever more wild. His albums typically had short, poppy songs, on the Aside, but side B was for Mr. Shin and the band, featuring free-flowing instrumentals up to 22 minutes long.

“The man was a revolutionary who mixed Western music such as rock, soul, and folk with the sound of traditional Korean music,” said Matt Sullivan, founder of Light in the Attic Records, an American boutique label that in September issued two retrospectives of Mr. Shin’s music.

A government crackdown in 1975, on rock music, marijuana and the counterculture in general, put an abrupt end to Mr. Shin’s career. Changing tastes hastened the public’s amnesia for his music, and he spent most of the next years in obscurity running a live music club. His albums finally began to be issued on CD in the mid-1990s, but there was little mainstream interest at a time dominated musically by teenage-oriented dance-pop and syrupy ballads.

But now, after decades of being mostly forgotten, the music from South Korea’s rock ’n’ roll heyday is more popular here than ever, reimagined and re-interpreted by a new generation of fans.

Park Min-joon, aka DJ Soulscape, is a fan of Korean music of the 1970s and ’80s (PHOTO by Aston ‘‘Husumu’’ Hwang)Park Min-joon, known as DJ Soulscape, is such a fan of the South Korean music of the 1970s and ’80s that he put together a mix CD called “More Sound of Seoul,” featuring 40 obscure and mostly forgotten funk and disco tracks. (Adhering to copyright law, however, means he can only give away the collection, not sell it.)



He scoured South Korea, hitting flea markets everywhere to build an impressive collection of 1,500 old vinyl albums that serve as the foundation for many of his retro-mixes. Mr. Park is enthused that interest in old Korean music is on the rise and said that more reissues were in the works. “I’m surprised at how much young people are into this music,” he said. “But for them, it’s not old music, it’s like something new.”

It’s not only Koreans who are interested in the sound. Mr. Park said D.J.s all over the world enjoy the genre-bending albums. He has spun his retro set in Los Angeles and New York.

Sato Yukie is also a fan of the era. A Japanese musician who fell in love with vintage South Korean music during a 1995 vacation to Seoul, he formed a Korean classic-rock cover band called Kopchangjeongol (named for a spicy beef-innards soup) and moved there in 1999. His band has released two records of covers. “There’s definitely a boom in the old songs going on now,” he said.

Mr. Sato’s bandmate, Yohei Hasegawa, is a guitarist and producer in South Korea, and had a hand in producing the latest album by one of the most important acts in the retro-revival, Chang Kiha and the Faces, a group that came from nowhere a couple of years ago to become one of the biggest bands in the country.

South Korea’s indie scene has long been tiny, but it began to change about 10 years ago when several young musicians, Mr. Chang among them, got together at the student music clubs at Seoul National University.

They formed a variety of minor bands, and, after graduating, four of them created BGBG Records in 2005. The label’s president, Go Geon, wasn’t interested in the music at first, but one of his bands introduced him to the old sounds, like Sanullim and Shin Joong-hyun.



“I didn’t like Sanullim’s unique amateurism,” Mr. Go said, “but I was impressed by their attempts at different genres, especially psychedelic rock.” It was an interest shared by several BGBG bands, such as Broccoli You Too?, Nine and the Numbers — who were co-founders of the label and fellow Seoul National students — and Chang Kiha.

By then, the Internet had ravaged the South Korean music market, leaving indie labels with less money than ever. BGBG’s first two releases did so poorly the label nearly shut down, but by 2007 it managed to release a few more records. To save money, they burned their own CDs and printed their own packaging.

Chang Kiha and the Face’s EP, released in July 2008, was the ninth boutique release for BGBG, but it was by far their biggest hit, thanks to a surprise explosion of Web interest and word of mouth. It was quirky, with witty lyrics and a folksy sound like something from the late 1970s. People loved it, particularly the single “Cheap Coffee,” with its electric guitar hook that quickly transitioned into a bossa nova-esque acoustic bounce. By February, without any marketing budget, BGBG sold 10,000 copies, all hand-burned.



Chang Kiha’s first full-length album, “Living a Nothing Special Life,” sold 52,000 copies — big numbers for an indie release in South Korea these days — and his second full-length album, released in July, is getting his best reviews yet.


장기하와 얼굴들 Chang Kiha & The Faces ‘그렇고 그런 사이 A Twosome’

“Chang’s combination of intelligent lyrics and a fresh sound oozes authenticity,” said Bernie Cho, the president of DFSB Kollective, a digital music distributor. “Plus he put together two of the best videos of the year. Low budget, but very clever.”


장기하와 얼굴들 Chang Kiha & The Faces ‘TV를 봤네 I Watched TV’

Then there are bands like Jambinai, which uses a mix of traditional instruments and f/x pedals to create a sound that is ancient but totally modern.



The Internet also helped Shin Joong-hyun find new audiences. Mr. Sullivan of Light in the Attic Records discovered Mr. Shin when a friend sent him a Youtube link of Kim Jung-mi playing her hauntingly beautiful song “The Sun.” “To say I was immediately mesmerized would be a massive understatement,” Mr. Sullivan said.

http://www.nytimes.com
By Mark Russell

A version of this article appeared in print on October 21, 2011, in The International Herald Tribune with the headline: Korea Rediscovers Its Rock 'N' Roll Soul.

Featured Artists : DJ Soulscape / Chang Kiha & The Faces
Featured Commentator : Bernie Cho [DFSB Kollective]

The Creators Project SEOUL @ Platoon Kunsthalle

(SEOUL KR) After last year’s event at Seoul’s futuristic Kring Arts Center we’re bringing our curated mix of art installations, performances, film screenings and panels to Platoon Kunsthalle.

지난해 크리에이터 프로젝트는 서울의 미래주의적 예술 공간인 Kring 아트 센터에서 서울 이벤트를 진행했습니다. 올해에도 우리는 예술 설치 작품, 공연, 영화 시사회 및 패널 토론을 들고 서울의 플래툰 쿤스트할레를 찾습니다.

Platoon hosts Seoul’s underground arts scene and encourages creative collaboration among subcultural thinkers. Its structure, which was designed by Creators Graft Architects, was constructed from 28 recycled cargo containers, and can be reassembled anywhere, anytime, encouraging the spirit of freedom and flexibility within the scopes of art and design.

플래툰은 서울의 언더그라운드계를 대표하며 서브컬쳐에서 활약하는 사람들의 콜라보레이션을 지원합니다. 플래툰의 건물 구조는 크리에이터 Graft Architects에 의해 설계되었으며, 28개의 재활용한 화물 컨테이너로 구성되어 언제 어디서나 다시 조립될 수 있습니다. 이는 예술과 디자인에 내재된 유연성과 자유로운 정신을 장려하기 위한 디자인입니다.

We’ll be hosting musical performances from DJs and bands like Idiotape, Yuksek, Optimo, Risque Rhythm Machine and premiering a special performance piece from Lumpens and Tiger JK and Tasha of Drunken Tiger.

Idiotape, Yuksek, Optimo, Risque Rhythm Machine과 같은 밴드와 DJ들의 음악 공연 또한 진행되며, 드렁큰 타이거의 Tiger JK와 Tasha 그리고 Lumpens의 특별 공연도 준비되어 있습니다.

Some of the films we’ll be screening are Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire’s Scenes from the Suburbs, Ivory Tower by Chilly Gonzales and Adam Traynor, and Logorama by H5. We’ll also be holding panel discussions with multi-disciplinary design studio Random Walks and interactive designer Eun Joo Shin.

시사회에서 백현진의 영원한 농담, Spike Jonze와 Arcade Fire의 Scenes from the Suburbs, Chilly Gonzales와 Adam Traynor의 Ivory Tower 그리고 H5의 Logorama가 상영될 것이고 디자인 스튜디오 Random Walks와 인터렉티브 디자이너 신은주와의 패널 토론회도 개최됩니다.

All weekend we’ll be displaying installations including Frog Xylophone by Yang Sookyun and Earl Park, Meditation by Minha Yang and other works by Kimchi and Chips, Jin-Yo Mok and Quayola.

주말 내내 양숙현과 박얼의 Frog Xylophone를 비롯해 양민하의 Meditation 1109~과 같은 작품을 전시할 예정이며 Kimchi and Chips와 Quayola의 작품도 포함됩니다.

Stay tuned for more programming details!

프로그램 세부사항을 위해 계속 지켜봐 주길 바랍니다!

Download The Creators Project free mobile app for Android, iPhone, or iPad to stay connected during the event.

안드로이드, 아이폰 혹은 아이패드를 위한 크리에이터 프로젝트 무료 모바일 앱을 다운받아 이벤트 기간 동안 정보를 받아보실 수 있습니다.

RSVP here.

여기서 참가 여부(RSVP)를 표시해 주세요.

International Distribution (Idiotape / Risque Rhythem Machine / Drunken Tiger) : DFSB Kollective

Seoulsonic Bands < Galaxy Express & Idiotape > Among Top Asian Indie Acts Invited to Summer Sonic Japan

Eastern promises: Taiwan's Go Chic think the Asian Calling portion of this year's Summer Sonic will be a great way to expose new bands to Japanese fans
Summer Sonic Prepares for an Asian Invasion
By Daniel Robson (Staff Writer)

(TOKYO JPN) Amid all the rivalry between Japanese and South Korean pop groups and the contrived debates about whether the manufactured crap from one country is better than the manufactured crap from the other, fans of independent or alternative music have been left scratching their heads.

Surely there's more to Korean music than just K-pop?

Queen Sea Big Shark, from China, also think the event will help them and other Asian artists gain traction in Japan.The Asian Calling Stage at the Chiba leg of this weekend's Summer Sonic Festival will provide a definitive answer, sticking two fingers up at the slushy ballads and choreographed personalities that dominate the charts across Asia.

That's because, over two days, 16 fresh-faced bands from Korea, China and Taiwan will commandeer the Island Stage (which this year has been moved from its usual tent outside Marine Stadium to inside the Makuhari Messe complex).

"I think the recent K-pop boom will help independent bands from around Asia to find an audience in Japan," says stage director Shinji Taniguchi, an employee of Summer Sonic organizer Creativeman. "Also, the idea behind this stage is for us to capture the attention of Asia — and by extension, the world."

Working with partners in each territory — Bad News, which operates live houses in China; Yescom Entertainment, organizer of the Pentaport Rock Festival in South Korea; and Taiwan's The Wall Music, an integrated agency for independent bands, Creativeman has cherry-picked a strong lineup of bands, some of whom have the potential to go on to big things in Japan.

Many of the acts have already played at international festivals such as mega-conference South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, as well as at regular club shows around the world. Some, including Taipei's neon electro-punk lasses Go Chic and Seoul's centrifugal psych-rockers Galaxy Express, have played shows in Japan before, too.

"The Japanese live scene is much more advanced than ours in Korea, so it's a great learning opportunity for us," says Galaxy Express vocalist/bassist Lee Ju Hyun.

Creativeman, a Tokyo-based agency that operates festivals and tours throughout Japan for domestic and international acts, is open about its reasons behind creating the Asian Calling Stage. Taniguchi cites several, including a hope to bolster Creativeman's presence in those countries with a view to one day possibly booking shows there. But more immediately, he aims to raise the profile of this clutch of pan-Asian bands at Summer Sonic so they will be able to come back for club tours over the coming years.

Boys' generation: South Korean band Galaxy Express will give audiences in Japan an alternative to K-pop, which has now become popular with local music lovers."We already get a lot of visitors at Summer Sonic from China, Korea, Taiwan and also Hong Kong and Singapore," Taniguchi adds. "By putting on bands from those countries, we think more people will be enticed to come to Japan for Summer Sonic, and that they'll be delighted to see bands from their own country alongside artists from all over the world."

Of course, by segregating all the Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese bands into one corner and not mixing them up on stages around the festival with other international bands (which this year include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Image Ltd and The Strokes), there is a risk that the Asian Calling Stage will become a ghetto. Indeed, a cynic might regard it as a hollow gesture designed to placate partners in territories that are growing in importance.

On the other hand, it could put these bands, most of whom are unknown in Japan, into a more attractive context and give them a better shot at getting seen.

"I think it's fine that all the Asian bands are on one stage together," affirms Galaxy Express' Lee. "Sure, it would be fun to appear on a stage with bands from other parts of the world, but the thing is, very few people know who any of these Asian bands are, so I think putting us all on one stage is a good solution."

"There are many good Asian bands who people might like, but it's hard to discover them," echoes Sonia Lai, guitarist/keyboardist with Go Chic. "This stage could be a good way to introduce them to the media and to the fans."

Kazutoshi Chiba, founder of Bad News, knows all about this. He opened the music venue Mao Live in Beijing and Shanghai with the express aim of helping to raise the quality of independent bands in China, where rock 'n' roll is a relatively new concept and where a shortage of equipment and know-how has made it hard for bands to progress.

Chiba selected all eight of the Chinese bands appearing on the Asian Calling Stage. He says he feels grateful to have this chance to put bands from China together with bands from Korea and Taiwan here in Japan.

"We should combine our power as Asian neighbors and work together to take the sound of Asia to the rest of the world," he says. "It's all about cultural exchange; the bands need to help each other in their respective territories to succeed.

"

Japan is a difficult market for foreign bands to crack. Its music business operates in a unique way; over 80 percent of music sales are made by domestic artists; and even the rock charts are dominated by bands backed by a major label or management company. Few concert agents or promoters are willing to take a risk on an unproven artist, and the DIY route involves ludicrous costs.

"Getting hold of a visa to perform in Japan is quite difficult for a Chinese band," adds Fu Han, vocalist with Queen Sea Big Shark, an electro-rock crossover band whose overseas tours have included the United States and South Korea. "Also, we don't know how the Japanese music industry works yet. I think it would go more smoothly for us if we had a management company in Japan."

Of course, if these bands didn't believe there were opportunities for them in Japan, they wouldn't bother coming. There's the allure of playing in one of the world's top-three music markets, for one thing. Japan was the first Asian country to integrate a Western music-business model, for better or for worse; and the huge J-pop section you'll find in music stores around Asia attests to the fact that Japanese pop culture is plenty influential.

"I've been to see some festivals in Japan before, which made me want to show the Japanese festival-goers how a Chinese band does it," Fu says. "It was my dream to play at Summer Sonic."

"Have any Taiwanese bands been successful in Japan before?" Lai asks rhetorically. "In all Asian countries, to some extent, people and the media tend to follow Western culture and pay less attention to their neighboring countries' culture. Fortunately, some people have started to notice that and they're trying to make something different."

The Asian Calling Stage is part of the Chiba leg of the Summer Sonic Festival at Makuhari Messe on Aug. 13 and 14 (ticket prices vary). For details, visit www.summersonic.com. Taiwanese bands Sunset Rollercoaster, Go Chic, Matzka and The White Eyes will also play Taiwan Calling at Daikanyama Unit in Tokyo on Aug. 15 (6 p.m.; ¥3,500 plus drink; [03] 3462-6969).

Asia is calling, but what is it saying?

In their own words, our top picks for the Asia Calling stage at Summer Sonic describe their sound:

Queen Sea Big Shark (China): "We try to create a surreal world of music, design and performance that the audience can come inside of and get lost."

Galaxy Express (South Korea): "I think our shows are pretty passionate, energetic affairs fueled by primal emotion."

Go Chic (Taiwan): "We hope we can make people dance and scream and spray beers around, because that's what we'll be doing on stage."

Rounding out the bunch, don't miss: Raunchy postpop provocateurs The White Eyes (Taiwan); sassy electro alterna-Gaga unit W&Whale (South Korea); low-key IDM (intelligent dance music) group Sunset Rollercoaster (Taiwan); moody postpunk trio Rebuilding the Rights of Statues (China); indie-rock fashion victims The Koxx (South Korea); melodic emo songsmiths Perdel (China); and genre-hopping folk-via-rock-via-jazz six-piece Namo (China). D.R.

International Digital Distribution (Galaxy Express / Idiotape / W&Whale) : DFSB Kollective

BBC News : South Korea's K-Pop Craze Lures Fans and Makes Profits

Super Junior, who with 13 members are one of the world's biggest boy bands, are household names across Asia
(SEOUL KR) : Miwa Tanaka is browsing in the Hottracks music store in downtown Seoul, lost in thought at one end of the Korean-music aisle.

The racks in front of her are seeing a brisk trade - but Ms Tanaka is taking her time, considering a fistful of compact discs in her hand, their bright "buy-me" colours competing with her glittery eye-shadow.

She is not pleased at having her shopping interrupted. Neither does she understand our questions, in English or in Korean.

Ms Tanaka is Japanese. She is on holiday to do a little shopping, and immerse herself in Korean culture. And by culture, she is not talking about just the old palaces and modern art.

"My whole family is really into Korean music and TV dramas," she says. "We make sure to watch them together at home all the time."

KOREAN WAVE

Bands such as Kara and Super Junior have become household names in much of Asia. They belong to a new hip generation of South Korean artists that has launched the musical genre K-pop.

Coupled with the success of Korean TV shows and films, they are part of a wider cultural movement here that has become known as Korean wave.

Ms Tanaka has already spent $500 (£304) since she arrived in South Korea and she is not the only one being lured by the country's new cool culture.

On the other side of the aisle, manager Jae Chol Youn is stacking copies of an album by Girls Generation.

"In the past, it was just Koreans who were buying our music," he says.

"But in the last few years, more people from China, Japan and South East Asia have been buying here, and the sales have been steadily rising."

The number of people who visited South Korea specifically to attend events such as album launches, concerts and awards ceremonies doubled to 34,000 in 2010.

Still more came to visit the set of a famous soap opera or movie.

Music store manager Jae Chol Youn says there are K-pop fans all over the worldTWO CENTS' WORTH

Mr Youn says K-pop has proved such a hit in Asia because it offers something different, but is still familiar enough for audiences to relate to.

And the fact that K-pop's unique style is attracting foreign fans is something that benefits both the people who visit South Korea and the bands whose music they like.

That is why Ms Tanaka is stocking up on Korean music in Seoul. A CD that costs 15,000 won in South Korea ($13.81) is four times more expensive in Japan.

In fact, according to music industry veteran Bernie Cho, K-pop stars do much better financially when they sell their music abroad, rather than just at home. His company, DFSB Kollective, markets and distributes a range of Korean music.

"If you bought a single on iTunes in the US, you're paying around $1," he says.

"In Korea, the price was originally 50 cents, it dropped to 12 cents, then it dropped to six cents. And the artists are getting 35% of that - they're making two cents a download."

According to Mr Cho, many of K-pop's top acts are selling 100,000 or 150,000 albums straight after release. It is an impressive number in any major market.

"Music is so heavily discounted in Korea that a lot of them are looking to go overseas, or are relying on their popularity to boost their income in other ways, like acting or advertising," he says.

That diversity of roles is helping to spread their appeal to other countries, as well as to other areas of the South Korean economy. Many tourists who come for the music also buy the clothes and cosmetic brands promoted by Korean stars.

According to South Korea's Trade and Investment Agency, income from cultural exports like pop music and TV shows has been rising by about 10% a year. In 2008, it was worth almost $2bn.

CHANGING FACE

The success of the South Korean economy was, for decades, laid at the door of the big "chaebol" or family firms.

While conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai still form the backbone of the country's financial structure, many people now believe that the Korean national brand itself is changing to reflect this new passion for Korean wave.

Mr Cho cites the English-language websites devoted to Korean wave, which attract more visitors than the Korean-language versions.

For people under a certain age, all across Asia - and increasingly in Europe and the US too - the South Korea of today is just as likely to be associated with pop music or TV dramas as with cars or microchips.

https://www.bbc.com/news
By Lucy Williamson (BBC News, Seoul)

AllKPop : K-Pop Covered By Monocle on Bloomberg

K-Pop is getting some more global attention, and this time from “Monocle on Bloomberg“.  Founded by Tyler Brûlé, the hour-long weekly show delivers some of the most interesting stories around the globe for a cosmopolitan audience. Its tagline?  ”A briefing for global affairs, business, culture & design.”

In this week’s Monocle on Bloomberg, they prefaced their coverage of kpop, saying, “In the global soft power stakes, Korea’s pop music industry is the country’s most potent weapon.”

Top 3 Overseas K-Pop Sites (AllKPop/Soompi/PopSeoul) vs Top 2 Korean Music Portals in Korea (MNet/MelOn) : SOURCE (Alexa.com) as of February 21, 2011Bernie Cho, head of the DFSB Kollective, an agency that assists Korean artists with marketing and branding, was interviewed by Monocle.  He commented, “It’s not just about the numbers, but where we’re getting those numbers. The top three kpop blog sites, fan sites, in English, they generate more web traffic than Korean music portals, in Korean, in Korea…When you look at the top stars, the bulk of their traffic is not coming from Korea.”

MTV Asia’s VP agreed, saying that Korean music was popular in most of the markets they were in.

VIPs will probably take special delight in Monocle’s interview of GD and TOP, and its coverage of their Youtube debut (an industry first).

“Music is no longer the business.  If anything, it’s become a business card.  If it becomes popular, it leads to other opportunities – that is where they make money.”

SOURCE : AllKPop.com (SarahSusiePak)



Monocle On Bloomberg (Episode 5): http://www.monocle.com/monocle-on-bloomberg/#