http://www.thislondonchick.com THIS LONDON CHICK Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:37:15 +0000 http://www.thislondonchick.com en http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Apollo-18 http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Apollo-18 Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:37:15 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 4212275 <img src="http://payload95.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/4212275/Apollo 18 by jo andre 2.jpg" width="670" height="387" width_o="2048" height_o="1183" src_o="http://payload95.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/4212275/Apollo 18 by jo andre 2_o.jpg" data-mid="22178735" border="0" align="left"/> The band Apollo 18 are one of the most established indie acts in Korea with a great list of achievements including "Rookie of The Year" at the 2010 Korean Music Awards, and MTV IGGY's Artist of The Week. Their more rock sound makes for a fun shake-up alongside your iTunes playlist -- so learn more about this band making fun noise throughout Seoul and into international venues! Where does the name Apollo 18 come from? Dae-inn: I chose the name for the band kind of by accident. Hyun-seok was wearing a T-shirt that said “Aloha 76” on it. The font on the shirt was kind of hard to read, so I thought it said “Apollo 18.” I thought that would be a cool name for a band. I suggested it to Hyun-seok and Sang-yun and they said any name was fine with them, so we became Apollo 18. How did you guys form as a band? Hyun-seok: Dae-inn used to make solo music under the name Jellyboy. He wanted to play some live concerts, so he put an ad online looking for backing musicians. Sang-yun and I were two of the backing musicians he hired. The three of us got along really well, so we decided to make a new band together. But before we could do that, Sang-yun and I had to finish our Korean army service. When our military requirements were complete, we started Apollo 18 in the summer of 2008. How would you describe your music and what artists helped influence that sound? Dae-inn: We play rock music. Sometimes it’s loud and heavy, sometimes it’s got a post-rock feel to it, sometimes it’s a little funky, and sometimes it’s psychedelic. But it’s all rock music. We all like different styles of music and different artists. With Apollo 18 we try to find a sort of middle ground between all the different kinds of music that each member likes. How important are the past awards you’ve received (Rookie of The Year and MTV Iggy's Artist of the Week) to an indie band like yours? And how has it helped gain more exposure to your music? Hyun-seok: We’re thankful that people respect what we’re doing, but awards aren’t important to us. Continuing to create music we think is good and finding ways to share it with people around the world are much more important things. Dae-inn: I think the awards have helped us get more press. If they help more people learn about our band, then that’s great. But like Hyun-seok said, awards aren’t important to us. What other sources of inspiration do you have with your musical style? Dae-inn: We’re inspired by everything we encounter. Good friends, movies, music, art, alcohol, nature, our experiences in different places, and many other things all inspire us in countless ways. What is the creative process like when creating new music? Is it methodical or more instinctive? Dae-inn: All of our songs are created by jamming together. We’re all best friends and we love jamming together and letting songs evolve naturally. We don’t really plan things out when it comes to making music. If Hyun-seok or I feel like singing or screaming when we’re jamming on a new song, we do. If we don’t feel like singing or screaming, the song stays instrumental. You recently toured Canada last month in September. What was that experience like? Sang-yun: Our tour in Canada was very good. The places we saw were really beautiful and everyone we met was really kind. In Canada we played some shows in Ontario and also performed at the Pop Montreal music festival in Quebec. It was interesting visiting Montreal because many people were speaking French and almost all the signs were written in French too. It was like being in a completely other country when compared to the other places we visited in Canada. Dae-inn: We visited Niagara Falls a few hours before our first concert in Canada, which took place at a really cool club called This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton, Ontario. Niagara Falls was an amazing sight to see. I’ve wanted to go to Niagara Falls since I was a child, and I’m really glad I finally got to experience it. How would you compare an international audience to a Korean one? Did you notice any similarities or differences? Dae-inn: The audiences we’ve played for in Korea and overseas have all reacted more or less the same. Audiences in North America are very appreciative during gigs and give many compliments after shows. Korean crowds are very passionate and energetic as well. <img src="http://payload95.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/4212275/Apollo 18 in Hamilton- Ontario This Ain-t Hollywood.jpg" width="670" height="276" width_o="2048" height_o="844" src_o="http://payload95.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/4212275/Apollo 18 in Hamilton- Ontario This Ain-t Hollywood_o.jpg" data-mid="22178686" border="0" align="left"/> Were there any particular songs you enjoyed playing during your set? Dae-inn: Our set lists in Canada focused more on our older songs. We played “Warm” from our Red album at a few of the shows. “Warm” is probably our prettiest song. We don’t play “Warm” live so much nowadays, so it was fun getting to play it in Canada. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the song. Hyun-seok: We loved getting to share our music with new crowds. And all of the feedback we received from people was great. Many people came up to us after our shows and said things like, “You guys were f#cking awesome.” It put big smiles on our faces to receive compliments like that. What was your most memorable moment during this tour? Why? Sang-yun: We have lots of good memories from our concerts in Canada. One of the most memorable moments came when we got pulled over by the police in Montreal for speeding. It was late at night and our manager was driving. He wasn’t thinking straight, and after he pulled over to the side of the road he began to get out of the car. The police yelled over their PA system to stay in the car. We were all scared and a bit worried. But when the police officer came to speak with us, he was a very kind man. He let us off with a warning and told us to follow the speed limit on the highway. We got lucky. What do you have planned next? More tours? Any new musical releases? Sang-yun: We’re working on our next full-length album now. We’re hoping to have it finished before the end of the year. It will probably have around 10 new songs on it. Hyun-seok: We hope to do more international touring next year. We have nothing planned yet, but we’d love to play gigs in North America, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan in 2013 in support of our new album. Photo Credit: Apollo 18 For more about Apollo 18 check out their Facebook page and Twitter Buy Apollo 18 Music on iTunes and YesAsia Don't forget to 'Like' on Facebook! HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ The band Apollo 18 are one of the most established indie acts in Korea with a great list of achievements including "Rookie of The Year" at the 2010 Korean Music... http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Sentimental-Scenery http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Sentimental-Scenery Mon, 06 Aug 2012 02:43:44 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3815777 <img src="http://payload75.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3815777/There_is_nowhere_else_in_the_world_Cover.jpg" width="400" height="400" width_o="400" height_o="400" src_o="http://payload75.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3815777/There_is_nowhere_else_in_the_world_Cover_o.jpg" data-mid="20190062" border="0" align="left"/> Sentimental Scenery's music is really something to shout about. Using a semi-minimalistic approach with grand execution, his music, with its sweeping messages, contains a lot of substance and the end result is always a beautiful and touching sound. Have a look at what the creator of this sound had to say... Lets start off with an introduction. 일단 소개부터 시작할게요. Hello, I’m Sentimental Scenery. 안녕하세요 센티멘탈 시너리입니다. Where did the name Sentimental Scenery come from? Sentimental Scenery라는 이름을 어떻게 지으게 되셨나요? I get a lot of inspiration from visual aspects so I wanted to use something that meant scenes or imageries. And I originally liked the word “sentimental”. I worked with music for short films before starting out as Sentimental Scenery, so I was already comfortable with the world “scene” from working with movies and using terms like “scene #1, #2”. I think that’s why I chose the word “scenery” out of all the words that meant the same thing. 시각적인 부분에서 모티브를 얻는 경우가 많기 때문에 풍경,장면 등의 의미를 넣고 싶었어요. Sentimental 이라는 단어를 원래 좋아했었고요. Sentimental Scenery 활동 전에 단편 영화음악들을 작업 했었는데 Scene #1 #2 이런식으로 scene이라는 단어가 자연스럽게 익숙해졌어요. 풍경이란 단어 중Scenery를 선택하게 된 이유 중 하나인 것 같아요. How would you describe your music? 음악에 대해 어떻게 설명하세요? Sentimental Scenery will be a project that won’t limit itself to specific genres. It’s been called electronic before but I don’t think I’ve yet to do electronica so it’s a bit burdensome. Sentimental Scenery 는 장르에 구애 받지 않는 프로젝트로 진행 할 예정입니다. 일렉트로닉이라고 불리는 경우도 있지만 아직 일렉트로니카 음악을 하지 않았다고 생각하기에 부담스럽습니다. 어떤 음악을 한다고 딱히 설명하기 힘든 프로젝트를 하고 싶어요. What musicians do you look up to? Do you have any that inspired your musical sound? 존경하는 뮤지션이 있으세요? 누구한테 영향을 많이 받으셨나요? More than being inspired, I have a lot of musicians that I like. I listen to a lot of band music, like Coldplay, Keane, Thirteen Senses and Sigur Ros. 존경한다기 보단 좋아하는 뮤지션은 많아요. Coldplay나 Keane , Thirteen Senses , Sigur Ros 기타 등등 많은 밴드들의 음악을 주로 듣습니다. You’ve made 3 full-length albums with Harp Song + Sentimentalism, Soundscape, and There Is Nowhere Else In The World. How would you compare and contrast each of the albums from one another? Harp Song + Sentimentalism, Soundscape, There Is Nowhere Else In The World 3 앨범을 만드셨어요. 각 앨범을 비교 했을때 차이점이 뭔가요? I think each of the three albums has its own colour. Harp Song + Sentimentalism is a soft pop album that’s more of an easy-listener. Soundscape is more focused on house rhythm than its predecessor and there are even tracks that have more weight. It’s also my first full-length album. 세 앨범 각각 다른 색이 있다고 생각해요. Harp Song + Sentimentalism은 편하게 들을 수 있는 말랑한 팝 앨범입니다. Soundscape 는 전작에 비해 좀더 하우스리듬을 중심으로 하고 무게감을 주는 트랙도 적절히 삽입했습니다. 첫 번째 정규 앨범이기도 합니다. There Is Nowhere Else In The World는 엠비언트와 포스트록적인 요소가 가미된 인스트루멘탈 앨범 입니다. 스페셜 앨범이기에 방향성을 자유롭게 잡을 수 있었습니다. Where did you draw inspiration from for There Is Nowhere Else In The World? There is Nowhere Else In The World을 만들때는 무엇에서 영향을 받으셨나요? It’s a winter themed album so I based that album on my sentiments and images of winter. 겨울 테마 앨범이기 때문에 살아오면서 느꼈던 겨울에 대한 느낌이나 감성을 토대로 작업했습니다 There Is Nowhere Else In The World contains a much more serene, almost cinematic tone throughout. Was that a conscious decision from the early stages of planning that album? If so, why did you decide to apply that particular style? There is Nowhere Else In The World는 굉장히 안정되고 조용한 시네마틱한 톤을 갖고 있는 것 같아요. 앨범 작업을 처음 할때부터 계획한건가요? 그렇다면 언제 그런 스타일로 만들기로 결정하셨나요? 그리고, 왜 특별히 그 스타일로 결정을 하셨나요? There is Nowhere Else In The World is an album about my favourite season, winter. The winters I have known have a quiet and peaceful feeling so I worked with that tone, and you could say that it was planned to be that way from the beginning. The planning for the album started October of last year. There is Nowhere Else In The World 는 제가 제일 좋아하는 계절인 겨울을 테마로 만든 앨범입니다. 제가 느낀 겨울은 조용하고 고요한 느낌이기에 이런 톤으로 작업되었고 그렇기에 처음부터 계획되었다고 볼 수 있겠네요. 앨범 계획은 작년 10월에 결정했습니다. What is your creative process? Do you have a process or are you more instinctive with creating your music? 창작 단계에 대해 말씀해주세요. 음악을 만드실때 단계가 있으신가요 아니면 더 본능적으로 만드시나요? It’s different every time. Sometimes I use specific images as motives, and sometimes I just create. Majority of the time, I do decide the scale of the song (room, hall, vast nature, etc.) first. For the winter album I just built on the concept of winter and wrote each song consecutively. 매번 다릅니다. 특정 이미지를 모티브로 시작하는 경우도 있고 그냥 만드는 경우도 있습니다. 대부분의 작업에서 곡의 규모(방, 홀, 광활한 자연 등) 를 정하는 걸 기본적으로 제일 먼저 하긴 합니다. 겨울 앨범 같은 경우는 겨울이라는 상징 하나만 생각 하며 한 곡씩 연속적으로 쭉 작업했습니다. Do you have any specific lyrics in any of your songs that resonate with you? If so, why? 노래 중에 특별히 공명하는 가사가 있나요? 있다면 왜요? I think out of all my songs, the ones without lyrics resonate better. 제 작업들 중에선 가사 없는 음악이 더 울림이 깊은 것 같습니다. You’ve worked with artists like Hee Young on Tune of Stars and Mizmo Mari of Paris Match on the track Spring Breeze. What was it like collaborating with them? And which do you prefer - working solo or collaborating with others? Tune of Stars의 희영, Spring Breeze에서는 Paris Match의 Mizmo Mari 같은 아티스트와 일을 하셨는데요, 그들과 함께하는 작업은 어떠셨나요? 그리고 솔로로 일하시는게 더 좋으세요 아니면, 다른 아티스트와 공동 작업 하시는게 더 좋으세요? As for Hee Young and Mizmo Mari, they were both abroad at the time so we did a lot of work online. Different from working together in a studio, it was just receiving their work so it was a different kind of fun, waiting for the products. I’m used to working alone but working collaboratively has its perks, such as coming up with brand new ideas or having variety in the sound. I like both processes. 희영씨나 미즈노 마리씨 같은 경우는 모두 해외에 계셔서 온라인으로 작업을 진행했습니다. 녹음실에서 같이 작업하는 것 과 다르게 결과물만 받아 보는 형식이었기에 소스를 기다리는 색다른 재미가 있었습니다. 두분 모두 좋은 결과물을 보내주셔서 매우 만족스러웠구요. 혼자 작업하는데 익숙해져 있지만 공동작업도 생각지 못한 아이디어나 음색에 다채로움등 장점이 있는 것 같아요. 둘 다 좋습니다. What messages and emotions would you like to express musically with your next album? 다음 앨범에는 어떤 메세지나 감정을 음악으로 표현하고 싶으세요? I usually decide on that right before I start working on an album so I am not sure at this point. I don’t have anything planned right now, but it’s going to be something lyrical, passionate or dreamlike. One of those three. 보통 음반 작업을 시작하기 직전에 결정 하기에 잘 모르겠습니다. 아직 결정된 건 없으나 서정적이거나, 강렬하거나, 몽환적인 것 세가지중 하나가 될 것 같아요. Lastly, what is next for Sentimental Scenery? I know you will be on a hiatus for a while so what musical journey do you want to pursue next? 마지막으로, Sentimental Scenery는 이제 무엇을 할 예정이세요? 한동안 쉬실거 같은데, 다음에는 어떤 쪽의 음악의 길을 걷고 싶으세요? For a while, I’ll be taking a rest and spending some time working on other projects. I have a lot of ideas for my future projects. I’m thinking of an electronic album with depth, or a continuation of the winter album, or maybe something that’s more fitting to the Korean sentiment. 한동안 외부 작업들을 하며 시간을 보내고 잠깐 쉬고 있습니다. 다음 작업들은 심도 있는 일렉트로닉이나 겨울앨범의 확장판 또는 국내 정서에 좀더 잘 맞는 음반이라던가 여러 가지를 구상 하고 있습니다. 또한 일인 프로젝트Sentimental scenery 가 아닌 밴드구성의 새로운 팀을 시작할 계획도 있고요. Thank you very much for the interview. And the best of luck with everything! 인터뷰 해주셔서 너무 감사하고요, 뭐든 일에 대박나세요! 감사합니다. Thank you. Purchase any of Sentimental Scenery's music here on iTunes Translation: Katy Kim + SangHa Park (Thank You) Photo Credit: Pastel Music HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ Sentimental Scenery's music is really something to shout about. Using a semi-minimalistic approach with grand execution, his music, with its sweeping messages,... http://thislondonchick.com/Five-Essential-K-pop-bands-by-This-London-Chick http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/Five-Essential-K-pop-bands-by-This-London-Chick Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:46:25 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3767006 <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3767006/dummymagkpoplist.png" width="670" height="463" width_o="1023" height_o="708" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3767006/dummymagkpoplist_o.png" data-mid="19661436" border="0" align="left"/> I wrote another article for the UK's Dummy Magazine called 'Five Essential K-pop bands'. Check it out here This London Chick has also newly opened on Facebook - Like here! HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ I wrote another article for the UK's Dummy Magazine called 'Five Essential K-pop bands'. Check it out here This London Chick has also newly opened on Facebook -... http://thislondonchick.com/Dummy-Guide-to-K-pop-by-This-London-Chick-for-DUMMY-Magazine http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/Dummy-Guide-to-K-pop-by-This-London-Chick-for-DUMMY-Magazine Sun, 15 Jul 2012 08:31:50 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3755235 <img src="http://payload72.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3755235/dummyguidetokpop_o2.png" width="670" height="366" width_o="1271" height_o="696" src_o="http://payload72.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3755235/dummyguidetokpop_o2_o.png" data-mid="19522621" border="0" align="left"/> I wrote a piece for the UK's Dummy Magazine about K-pop. It's called 'The Dummy's Guide To K-pop'. Check it out here: This London Chick has also newly opened on Facebook - 'Like' here! HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ I wrote a piece for the UK's Dummy Magazine about K-pop. It's called 'The Dummy's Guide To K-pop'. Check it out here: This London Chick has also newly opened on... http://thislondonchick.com/2012-Korea-TV-Content-Showcase-The-Next-Step http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/2012-Korea-TV-Content-Showcase-The-Next-Step Sun, 01 Jul 2012 06:42:56 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3679862 <img src="http://payload68.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3679862/200903170055307.jpg" width="500" height="361" width_o="500" height_o="361" src_o="http://payload68.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3679862/200903170055307_o.jpg" data-mid="19096918" border="0" align="left"/> A few days ago, I was invited to attend the 2012 Korea TV Showcase hosted by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and organized by KISA just as June was ending and July was upon us. The principal purpose for this event was to display Korean TV programmes from the most established TV networks such as KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, CJ E&M, Arirang TV, CU Media, and YTN to potential buyers in the UK. The invited networks from the UK included Channel 4, ITV, and the good old Beeb (BBC) to help unite our exchanges between the UK and Korea in terms of telecommunications and broadcasting. It was also an opportunity to exhibit some new 3D TV technology that Korea has been producing and pioneering in and it was very amazing to watch and participate in. We began with an introduction in both English and Korean by our hosts of the afternoon followed by a speech by KCC representative Song Chang Young. The most notable moment of the speech arrived when he highlighted the timing of this event. We have concluded celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee and are hosting the London Olympics so this time is an important one. Not only that, he also highlighted the fact that with the Hallyu wave in full swing; this was the perfect opportunity to sustain our close ties between the east and the west. The Hallyu wave, the Korean wave - the spread of Korean Culture is thriving in regions such as Asia, South America and Europe, so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Korean Broadcasters to showcase what Korea has to offer beyond technology. But now a different form of entity was being presented to us: entertainment. There were video presentations from the broadcasters that exhibited the TV programmes that were on offer. Highlights included historical dramas (MBC’s Moon Embracing The Sun), action- thrillers (SBS’s Athena) to contemporary tales of love (CJ & EM’s Queen & I), and documentaries (EBS’s History of Life, YTN’s The New Seven Wonders of Nature: Jeju Island). As well as other offerings by CU Media (Gourmet Road), Arirang (Last Mermaids), and KBS (IRIS). This presentation led me to question - could these TV shows entertain a British audience? An Asian, a South American market yes, but…a European one? My answer? Maybe. With our heads already too doused in X-Factor and American exports, (E4 anyone?) perhaps there is potential to be offered something else? This is a question I am sure many of you, especially those already with a keen interest in K-pop or K-Dramas, may be able to answer with a resounding “YES!” And while a part of me supports the idea of watching SBS’s Rooftop Prince or Mnet Countdown on my TV every Saturday morning (I would so love that by the way), a good part of me needs to be realistic. Apart from the documentaries presented by EBS, KBS, YTN, and Arirang, a great deal of these TV shows need to be adapted to relate more for an western, UK audience. I’m not suggesting that any of them should lose any of their format or distinct qualities, like with shows Edventure in Asia with Edward Kwon for example. But, perhaps these qualities just need to be adjusted instead so that the format is one we can relate to. An average UK audience won’t be able to digest most of what is going on in a programme, not even because of the language, but because of the specificity of the content. It’s easier to sell and export a TV programme to an Asian country like China or Japan because there is already an established common communicational language, an idiom if you will, or in South America where they already have a history of displaying a keen interest in Korean content. However there is potential within the Korean entertainment programmes if the right person gets their hands on it. If they fine tune it, and re-packages it as something that is even more appealing than what we will ever see on our TV’s, I have no doubt that it could potentially be attractive to broadcasters in the UK. It will be a challenge but there is enough time and I’m hopeful. Especially with this thing called K-pop hidden under their belts. I am glad I went to this because I gained a great insight to the programmes and TV Networks in Korea. It allowed me to see the fantastic shows they have to offer and the compelling stories they want to tell us. I hope one day in a couple of years I’m eating my words. Sipping a cuppa tea on a Thursday evening watching a fascinating documentary like Noodle Road, or drinking banana milk whilst watching a documentary learning about Jeju Island and soaking in that culture. Soaking in those riveting stories. We’ll see. Your opinions are appreciated. Good or bad – just constructive. Can you envision seeing Korean TV programmes here? Let me know! HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ A few days ago, I was invited to attend the 2012 Korea TV Showcase hosted by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and organized by KISA just as June was... http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Trampauline http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Trampauline Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:24:11 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3663856 <img src="http://payload68.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3663856/549472532.jpg" width="600" height="888" width_o="600" height_o="888" src_o="http://payload68.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3663856/549472532_o.jpg" data-mid="19006601" border="0" align="left"/> Trampauline, headed by Cha Hyosun is a musician who with her use of new romanticism, 1980's new wave tendencies and honest approach, represents some of the young creative female talents in Korea's Indie scene. Check out what things she had to say about her music! Can you introduce yourself and your role in the group? 자기 소개, 그룹 안에 각자 파트에 대한 소개 부탁드릴게요. I am Cha Hyosun, the only captain and crew in a ship called Trampauline, I do pretty much all the parts when making music. (2nd album I worked with guitarist Naeun and producer Eunchurn). In shows, I sing and play synthesizer. What made you decide to pursue music? Music had been my passion but for a long time [and] I was occupied in lots of other things like working and living a life like everyone else did. Then I found that I didn't want that kind of life and decided to make a move. How would you describe your musical sound? 그룹의 음악적인 사운드를 표현하신다면? Coastal curves and sea foams of Korea. Who inspires you musically? 누구한테 음악적 영향을 많이 받으시나요? Well, changes everyday, whoever makes great music mostly. Why did you decide to call yourself Trampauline? What is the story behind that name? 왜 Trampauline이라는 이름을 갖기 되신건가요? 그 이름에 대한 비하인드 스토리가 있나요? When young, I used to go jump on trampolines and I liked the image of movement that the word has. So I picked it up and changed the spelling a bit to be away from the direct connection to the word. You started out with your self-titled album in 2008 and most recently released This Is Why We Are Falling For Each Other in 2011. What has changed musically between both albums? 2008년 앨범으로 시작하여 최근 2011년에 This Is Why We Are Falling For Each Other라는 앨범을 내셨는데요, 그 두 앨범 사이에 음악이 어떻게 변했나요? [The] 1st album was random collection of my daily work. There's more acoustic guitar and it's more paradise/chaos of me alone. With 2nd album, I worked with guitarist Naeun, and tried to have a sort of character in the album. More pop, more synth-y, more electric feeling. Tell us more about This Is Why We Are Falling For Each Other. What themes are you trying to convey through the songs in this album? This Is Why We Are Falling For Each Other에 대해서 좀 더 말씀해주세요. 이 앨범에 실린 곡들로 인해 어떤 테마, 어떤 메세지를 전달하고 싶으셨나요? The album Avalon by Roxy Music's romanticism was on my mind when I was making the 2nd album. Not sound-wise, but theme-wise. Love is the theme. Love twisted, love in and out, love fulfilled, promise broken, energy for life in [a] hard situation, desire to be the one important to somebody. Tell us about your live performances. What is that experience like for you? 라이브 공연에 대해서 말씀해주세요. 라이브 경험은 어떤가요? It's one of the best parts of being a musician really, you make your music reach to people and they come to see you because they love your songs and we share the feeling and energy. it's great. This part is an experience totally opposite to music making process. When you make music, you're isolated. Then you walk out in an open space and share it with people. You sing most of your songs in English – was that something you always wanted to do from the beginning? Why? I remember when I was making the very 1st song in English, and I didn't throw that habit away for some reason. I am an unrealistic person and simply thought it would work in Korea. Well it didn't at the beginning. But it's OK now. If you got the chance to work with any other musicians’ - who would be your dream collaborator? 다른 뮤지션들과 함께 작업을 할 수 있다면, 최고의 콜래보레이터가 누구인가요? Johnny Jewel from Glass Candy. I'd love him to be a producer of Trampauline. Lastly, what’s next for Trampauline? 마지막으로, Trampauline의 미래에 대해서 말씀해주세요. 2nd album was released in Japan and I am going there in September with live members. [I'm] anticipating. Thank you for the interview! 인터뷰 해주셔서 감사합니다! Purchase the latest Trampauline album on iTunes here Translation: Katy Kim Photo Credit: Dazed & Confused Korea via Trampauline.com HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ Trampauline, headed by Cha Hyosun is a musician who with her use of new romanticism, 1980's new wave tendencies and honest approach, represents some of the young... http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-With-The-Pony http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-With-The-Pony Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:40:08 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3633135 <img src="http://payload66.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3633135/256523061_640.jpg" width="640" height="360" width_o="640" height_o="360" src_o="http://payload66.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3633135/256523061_640_o.jpg" data-mid="18827349" border="0" align="left"/> The Pony were one of the first Indie bands I came across when I began to show an interest in the Korean Indie music scene. They remind me a lot of the British Indie bands that came out in 2004-2007, but that is not why I enjoy their music. I enjoy their music because they have a unique energy and style that is all their own and enjoyable to listen to. So see what their front man had to say! Could you begin with introducing yourself and stating your role in the band? I am Choi Sang Min; I’m in charge of vocals and guitar etc. in Pony. 포니에서 보컬과 신디, 기타 등등을 맡고있는 최상민이라고 합니다. What is the origin of your band name? I was looking for the simplest name, something that was easy to remember. I chose Pony because it was simple. 가장 심플한 이름을 찾던 중에, 기억하기 쉽고, 심플하다는 이유로 포니로 정했습니다. What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who or what are your major influences? At first, when I was just debuted and worked on the EP, I was influenced a lot by The Smiths and Joy Division. Recently, my taste and my view of the world changed a lot so I don’t think you will be able to feel those past influences in my future works. Recently I have been attracted back to some of the music I listened to in my late teens like the British label Warp’s music (Broadcast, Boards of Canada, Vincent Gallo, Aphex Twin) and also Blond Redhead. In the next album, I believe those influences will be shown. 처음에 시작할 때나 ep를 제작하는 중에 The Smiths나 Joy Division 등의 밴드에서 영향을 받았으나, 최근에는 취향이나, 세계관등이 많이 바뀌어, 아마 앞으로 나올 음악들은 앞에 언급된 밴드들의 영향이 전혀 느껴지지 않을 거 같습니다. 최근에는 10대 후반때 듣던, 영국 Warp 레이블의 음악들(Broadcast, Boards of Canada, Vincent Gallo, Aphex Twin)이나 Blonde Redhead같은 음악에 다시 끌리는 중이고, 아마 다음 정규앨범에 그런 것들이 반영될 거 같습니다. How long have The Pony known each other for? How did you meet? I have known Seung-bo (bass) and Woo-suk (drums) for about 4 years. I met them at their own parties and concerts. At the time, we didn’t really know how to perform and we hadn’t learned music professionally so the fact that each of us could have our own part was the reason why we came together to make the band. In the case of Kwang-ho (guitar) who joined later, I saw him performing in a different band. I felt that he was an extremely talented guitar player so I asked him to join. 승보(bass)나 우석(drums) 의 경우는 안지 4년 정도 됐고, 각자 파티와 공연장에서 만나게 됐습니다. 사실, 연주도 제대로 할지 모를 때고, 전문적으로 음악을 배운적도 없어서, 각자 연주하는 파트가 있다는 사실 하나 때문에 같이 하게 된거 같습니다. 나중에 들어오게 된 광호(guitar)의 경우는 다른 밴드에서 공연하는 걸 우연히 목격하고, 굉장히 뛰어난 guitar player 라고 생각해 같이 하자고 제안하게 됐습니다. <img src="http://payload66.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3633135/257618389_640.jpg" width="640" height="353" width_o="640" height_o="353" src_o="http://payload66.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3633135/257618389_640_o.jpg" data-mid="18827273" border="0" align="left"/> You’ve released a new EP named Little Apartment. What can listeners expect from this EP in comparison to your earlier work? ‘Little Apartment’ was a bit more personal than the first official album. When I look back now, after a few months of the release, there are many aspects that are lacking something. However, to the members, just recording the album itself was pleasant experience. 리틀 아파트먼트는 정규 1집 앨범보다 좀 더 개인적이고, 모호한 면이 있다고 생각합니다. 몇 달이 지난 지금 돌이켜 보면, 뭔가 아쉬운 구석이 정말 많은 앨범이기도 하지만, 멤버들한테는 레코딩 하는 자체가 즐거운 그런 앨범이었습니다. What is your music-making process like? When I make music, songs are made in the process of playing. Although the demo that I make is close to electronic music, I restructure that into band music. Recently, I felt that this kind of process was irrational; therefore, I am planning to either keep the demo feel in the music or record the spontaneous playing of music like a “jam”. All the albums until now, in a way, have been recordings of the ensemble and live music. I thought it lacked charm of the unintended sounds that could be found in demo tapes. 제가 노래를 만들어가면, 합주하는 과정에 음악이 만들어집니다. 사실 제가 만들어가는 데모 자체는 일렉트로닉 음악에 가깝지만,그걸, 밴드 음악 형태로 다시 재조립합니다. 최근에는 이런 과정이 좀 비합리적인거 같아, 데모 음원 그대로의 분위기를 그냥 유지한 음원이나, 그냥 아주 즉홍적으로 연주된 잼(jam)을 그대로레코딩할려고 계획중입니다. 여지까지의 음원들은 뭐랄까, 그냥 합주와 라이브의 결과를 녹음하는 느낌이 많아서, 데모음원에서 애초에 의도했던 음원 자체의 매력이 떨어지지 않았나 하는 생각이 들더군요 What are the biggest obstacles you face as an Indie band? The Korean indie scene is only present in a local scene in Hongdae. One can’t help that the audience and producers are always similar. It’s as though in this part, all the exercises and the flow had risen but then has disappeared. It means situations where a song that was a hit in New York is played in London the next day, can never happen. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult to expand this space, but I believe it is the limit of indie bands and that it’s like a piece of homework that needs to get done. 한국 인디씬은 홍대라는 한정된 로컬씬 안에서만 진행되고 있습니다. 어쩔 수 없이, 수용자나 생산자나 언제나 비슷하고, 이 범위 내에서 모든 운동이나 흐름이 일어났다 사라졌다고 보면 됩니다. 뉴욕에서 히트친 어느 인디송이 다음날 런던에서 연주되고 있고,이런 상황이 일어날 수 없다는 이야기죠. 결국, 이 이상의 공간으로 확장이 되기 어렵다는 얘기인데, 이런 확장성의 문제는 인디 밴드들이 가지고 있는 한계이자, 풀어야 될 숙제와 같다고 생각합니다. I assume it must be a fun experience getting to play your music live in front of an audience. What is touring like? And do you guys have aspirations to tour other cities besides Seoul? Performing, it can be such a happy experience that gives one so much energy. But more often, it can be a nightmare that one does not want to experience. Although I love the city Seoul, I have also resented it that much. Personally, I am planning to travel around a few cities in the US. I am hoping that it will give me some stimulation. 공연이란건, 가끔씩 에너지가 엄청나게 분출돼 행복한 경험이 될 수도 있고, 더 많은 경우, 그냥 별로 경험하고 싶지 않은 악몽같기도 합니다. 서울이란 도시를 사랑하지만, 그만큼 지겨워 지기도 했고요. 개인적으로 여름에 미국의 몇몇 도시를 여행할 계획인데, 어떤 자극점이 되기를 기대하고 있습니다. You've been a member of The Pony for a good couple of years now. What would you say you’ve learnt the most from being in the band? I think the biggest outcome is that I met members who are now my very good friends. 좋은 친구와 같은 멤버들을 만난게 가장 큰 성과가 아닌가 싶어요 What can we look forward to next with The Pony? I am working on a new album. The band Pony is getting tired of their existing colors and images that they have portrayed so I am planning to make a completely different style for the new album. 새앨범을 구상, 작업하고 있습니다. Pony 라는 밴드가 기존에 가지고 있던 색깔, 이미지, 활동등에 상당히 지친 상태이고, 이런 이유로 기존의 앨범들과는 완전히 다른 스타일의 앨범을 만들 예정입니다. Purchase Little Apartment on iTunes here Translation: Katy Kim Photo Credit: FRED PERRY SUBCULTURE What do you think of their music? Comment below! HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ The Pony were one of the first Indie bands I came across when I began to show an interest in the Korean Indie music scene. They remind me a lot of the British... http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Pastel-Music-CEO-Mr-Lee-Eung-min http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-with-Pastel-Music-CEO-Mr-Lee-Eung-min Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:18:36 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3573967 <img src="http://payload63.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3573967/156119_107253282680630_106579739414651_62101_5557689_n.jpg" width="670" height="366" width_o="684" height_o="374" src_o="http://payload63.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3573967/156119_107253282680630_106579739414651_62101_5557689_n_o.jpg" data-mid="18493092" border="0" align="left"/> In order to gain future knowledge about Korean Indie Music, I interviewed Mr. Lee Eung-min who heads one of Korea's largest Indie labels Pastel Music. Read below in English OR Korean to see what insightful things he had to say about Pastel Music's achievements and future. Why did you originally decide to launch Pastel Music? 왜 레이블을 설립할 생각을 하셨는지요? Rather than having a huge goal, I think it’s more accurate to say I wished to share the kind of music I enjoyed with lots of people. Also at the beginning, the company relied a lot more on foreign music licenses. After signing with local teams like ‘Underwears Band’, ‘Tearliner’, ‘Humming Urban Stereo’, the company started to license as well as produce albums. 어떤 원대한 목표를 가졌다기 보단, 내가 좋아하는 음악을 여러 사람들과 함께 나누고 싶은 소박한 의도였다는 게 더 정확할 듯 싶네요. 그리고 회사 초기엔 주로 외국음반 라이센스 위주로 운영이 됐었고, '우리는 속옷도 생겼고 여자도 늘었다네', '티어라이너', '허밍어반스테레오' 같은 로컬 팀들과 계약을 맺으면서 라이센스와 앨범제작을 병행하게 되었어요. Your record label is celebrating 10 years in the Korean music industry. How has Pastel music developed over the last 10 years? What have been the biggest changes? 파스텔 뮤직이 한국 음악 산업에 있어서 10주년을 기념하는데, 10년동안 어떻게 발전되어왔는지? 어떤 점이 가장 크게 변화하였는지? If I look back at the last 10 years, while expanding the size of the company, the company has expanded the spectrum of producing through producing albums, organizing performances and events, producing drama OSTs and film soundtracks, and other various contents. The change, improvement, growth of Pastel can be seen through the expanding scene of Indie music in the center of Hongdae. 10년을 뒤돌아 보면, 회사 규모의 성장과 더불어 앨범제작, 공연 및 이벤트 기획, 드라마나 영화 ost제작, 등 종합 컨텐츠 제작 회사로 스펙트럼을 넓혀갔던 시간이었다. 파스텔의 변화, 발전, 성장은 홍대를 중심으로 한 인디씬의 성장과 궤를 같이 한다고도 볼 수 있을 듯하다. What obstacles or challenges do you face being an Indie record label in Korea? 한국 인디 레이블로써 어떤 장애와 도전들이 맞서고 있는지? Unlike countries that have a well-developed music industry such as Britain, US and Japan, there is lack of variety of music genres and respect for them, which is a huge obstacle to the growth and improvement in the Indie scene. Although it is improving, it is still a difficult aspect. 영미, 일본을 비롯한 음악선진국과의 가장 큰 차별점인 다양한 음악 장르가 존중받고 공존하는 시스템의 부재가 인디씬의 성장과 발전에 큰 걸림돌이었다. 점차 개선되어가고 있지만 여전히 쉽지 않은 부분이다. What factors do you think make Pastel Music artists special? 어떤 요소들이 파스텔 뮤지션들을 특별하게 만든다고 생각하는지? Honestly, I believe Pastel has a variety of genres and style, more than what the outsiders see. But, the public could take in without being unfamiliar with the ‘emotion’ that shares the style and genre. 사실 외부에서 바라보는 파스텔의 색깔보다는 훨씬 다양한 장르와 스타일을 갖고 있다고 본다. 단, 스타일과 장르를 아우르며 공유하는 '감성'이라는 코드가 일반대중들에게 낯설지 않게 받아들일 수 있었던 것 같다. What does success mean to a label like Pastel Music? What is success to you? Does success matter? 파스텔뮤직 같은 레이블로써 성공이란 의미가 무엇일까요? Until now, I didn’t feel the rush for ‘success’. However, at this point, after 10 years, I do feel deep responsibility for our musicians and the fans that love our musicians. The growth in size of the company and the fact that we have aged cannot be seen as a success, but I think the fact that we survive stably for a long time is like homework that was thrown to us, that is forever, that we cannot finish. 그 동안 '성공'이란 것에 우선 가치를 둔 적이 없지만, 10년을 맞는 이 시점에선 우리의 뮤지션과 우리와 우리 뮤지션을 사랑하는 팬들에 대한 깊은 책임감을 느낀다. 나이 먹는 것과 혹은 규모의 성장이 성공이라 말할 수는 없겠지만, 오래도록 단단하게 살아남는 건 우리한테 던져진, 영원히 끝내지 못할 숙제 같은 거라 생각한다. As a label what are your main priorities? 한 레이블로써 제일 중요한 것, 우선순위는 무엇이라고 생각하시나요? Music and vision. 음악과 비전. Some Pastel Music artists have featured their music in popular Korean Dramas in the past. How important is showcasing Indie music artists through T.V Dramas? 몇몇 파스텔 뮤지션들의 음악은 과거에 한국 드라마에서 나온적이 있는데, 한국 인디 뮤지션이 T.V 드라마속에서 모습을 드러내고 보여준다는 것(showcasing)이 얼마나 중요하다고 생각하시나요? First of all, Pastel’s music is emotional. As emotional music (our music) is played through TV dramas, we can stimulate people’s emotions to appeal to the public through showing what kind of messages are contained in our music. Also, the fact that people, who do not necessarily know much about Indie culture, could listen and enjoy our music and consequently expand the amount of listeners. I believe widening the sympathy is important. 일단 파스텔 음악은 감성적인데 이런 T.V 드라마 속에서 감성적인 음악(우리 음악)이 흘러 나오면서 사람들의 감성을 자극하면서 우리의 음악이 어떤 메세지를 담고 있는지 좀 더 어필할 수 있다는 점. 그리고 인디 문화에 대해 잘 모르는 대중들도, 우리 음악을 듣고 함께 좋아하면서 좀 더 리스너들의 영역이 넓어진다 는 것. 공감대가 넓어진다는것이 중요하다고 생각한다. I suppose sites like Youtube create a wider accessibility to your artists to a global audience. What other communication styles have Pastel Music utilized to gain and maintain an audience and how has that changed in the last 10 years? 해외팬들이 파스텔뮤직 아티스트들을 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 웹사이트들은 유투브 같은 것들 같다. 파스텔뮤직은 리스너들을 유지하고 얻기위해 또 다른 커뮤니케이션 스타일을 활용하고 있나? Generally, SNS (ed. Social Network Services) is used a lot but out of the Indie labels in Korea, we were the first ones to use twitter. It is true that most of the tweets are in Korean, but through Facebook, we are getting a lot of feedback from foreign fans. Also, when videos are released on Youtube, there are a lot of foreign fans that give feedback. 주로 SNS를 많이 사용 하는데 우리는 한국에 있는 인디 레이블들중 가장 먼저 트위터를 사용 하였다. 사실 한국어로 주로 올리긴 하지만, 페이스북을 통해서도 해외 팬들의 많은 피드백을 받고 있다. 그리고 유투브에 영상을 공개할때도 보면 주 피드백도 외국팬이 많다. Do you feel the need to introduce your artists overseas? 해외에 파스텔 뮤지션들을 소개할 필요성을 느끼고 있나요? 그 이유는 뭔가요? At the moment, K-pop is in fashion all over the world. It is necessary to let people know that there is Indie music in Korea as well. As K-pop artists hold showcases abroad, I believe our country’s Indie bands will be able to perform at famous rock festivals abroad, and in order to do so, it is crucial to attract more of a variety of fans. 요즘 K-pop이 세계적으로 유행하고 있는데, 한국에도 이런 인디 음악이 있다는 것을 알려야한다고 생각한다.그들이 해외에서 쇼케이스를 가지는 것처럼, 우리나라 인디 밴드들도 해외에 유명한 락 페스티벌에도 출연할수 있을 것이고, 좀 더 다양한 팬들을 확보해야한다고 생각한다. Have you begun to notice international attention for your artists? What is that like? 파스텔 뮤직의 아티스트들이 국제적으로 집중을 받고 있다는 것을 깨닳았나요? 언제 그렇게 느껴졌나요? To be honest, The Pony gets more demands for interviews from abroad than in Korea. It is really surprising. Also, it’s surprising that the Pony gets mentioned a lot in websites about K-pop and Facebook fan pages. 사실 The Pony는 국내 인터뷰보다 국외에서 인터뷰 요청건이 많이 들어오는데 이에 대해서 놀라웠다.그리고 K-pop을 소개하는 웹 사이트, 페이스북 팬 페이지에서도 우리를 많이 언급을 하고 소개를 하여서 놀라웠다. And lastly, where do you see Pastel Music and the Indie music genre in Korea heading in another 10 years? Do you feel the appetite for alternative music will grow? If so, in what way? 마지막으로, 파스텔뮤직과 인디음악 장르는 앞으로 10년동안 어떻게 변할 거라고 생각하나요?다른 음악의 성장에 대한 전망과 그것에 대한 욕구가 느껴지나요? 그렇다면 어떤 방법으로? Even more than now, a wide range of music will be made and the variety of fans will expand. Even if it takes a long time, it will catch up to the level of the music industries in developed countries. Of course, it is not easy; it may take more time than expected. What I am sure of is that if the music market is to expand to make different kinds of music, the basic technology, especially improvement in unrestricted flat rate abolition and the distribution rate, is urgent. 지금 보다 더 다양한 스타일의 음악들이 출현하고 , 팬층도 더 확대될 것이라 생각한다. 오랜 시간이 걸리더라도 음악 선진국의 수준으로 도달할 것으로 본다. 물론 쉽지 않은 일이고, 생각보다 더 오랜 시간을 필요로 할지도 모르겠다. 분명한 것은 음악시장 전체의 성장과 다양한 음악이 존중받을 수 있는 분위기는 기초적인 인프라의 정비, 특히, 무제한 정액제 폐지나, 음원분배 비율 등의 개선이 시급한 상황이다. Purchase any Pastel Music albums here or here Translations: Katy Kim & Luna Shin Photo Credit: Pastel Music HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ In order to gain future knowledge about Korean Indie Music, I interviewed Mr. Lee Eung-min who heads one of Korea's largest Indie labels Pastel Music. Read below... http://thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-With-Glen-Check http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/An-Interview-With-Glen-Check Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:04:11 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3167005 <img src="http://payload43.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3167005/GlenCheck_profile_03.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1200" height_o="800" src_o="http://payload43.cargocollective.com/1/7/226118/3167005/GlenCheck_profile_03_o.jpg" data-mid="16197978" border="0" align="left"/> Now this is honestly the best new band I've heard in a while. Their latest album is abundant with infectious, electronic goodness. Don't believe me? Then read my interview with Glen Check and check-check-check (that's an awful joke, I'm sorry) their latest album Haute Couture out now! Could you start off with your names and your roles in the band? Hello, I'm June-One Kim, I sing and play the guitar in the band Hi, I'm Hyuk-Jun Kang, I play the bass and synths Hi, I'm Jeon-Yeol Ryu and I play the drums. How did you guys meet and form a band? H.J : June-One and I were in the same high school. We were not interested in forming a band or releasing any album at the time, but we still had this common interest in making music. After graduation we were doing different things and it was getting kind of boring. So we decided to have fun making music in weekends, but this plan started to become bigger. That was when we met Jeon Yeol and he became our drummer. We always wanted three positions in the band. When I first heard your music I recognised a lot of similarities with groups from the UK such as Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party, The Cribs, amongst others. But your sound is quite distinctive too. What bands influence your music? J.O : We don't like to confine our music to a specific genre or make links with other bands. We just make what we like and what sounds the most natural to us. We do enjoy listening to bands from the UK! I was intrigued to read somewhere that you were influenced by African music. I can definitely hear that with the track 'Concorde' and being African myself I found that great! Are there any particular African musicians you were influenced by once you began creating your sound? J.O: By chance, we found this little shop in Seoul where they had traditional instruments from Africa. We thought the idea of using African traditional rhythm and instruments was a cool thing to try. So we made researches on African traditional music, but we finally got the ideas from the basics that we can't even name one artist. J.Y: We also got some of the ideas from Korean traditional percussions. We were not quite used to traditional sounds but it sounded cool at the time and thought it's worth a try collaborating with the instruments we had. With K-Pop getting popular across the globe do you envision Indie music and Indie bands like Glen Check receiving the same type of attention from fans around the world in the future? Is that type of attention important to you? J.O: Attention is obviously a great thing. K-pop fan or not, if any person like our music, it's a happy thing for us and to the listener. But we honestly don't know how K-pop is effecting the music industry in Europe. We just hope our music spreads world wide. Are there any obstacles you face with being an Indie group in Korea? H.J: Well, indie music business here is small for sure. It's not easy to spread our music world wide or get attention in short period like June One just said. I'm not sure how other bands are going [through] with these obstacles but I think we're making progress going our own way. How do the songs on Disco Elevator EP differ to tracks on the latest full album Haute Couture? J.O: Disco Elevator was like the first piece we showed to people. Speaking of music style, it was a bit far from what we intended to express. We wanted something else, but we lacked knowledge in the studio, Haute Couture is an upgraded piece, a result of our practice and studies. We still feel that we need more upgrades. But we're always happy with what we made. We're looking forward to what will come next. Where did the album name Haute Couture come from? (It's a good name!) J.Y: After finishing mixing the record, we thought the record sounded more "custom made" than the previous one. If Disco Elevator was a project 'in the box', the latest project contained coincidences from recording experiments and elements that we could not recreate later. We were looking for a name, and thought "Haute Couture" would fit in a way. What is your song writing process like? Do you have a particular method or..? J.O: It depends. For some tracks we made the chords and the melodies first, then designed the sound. For some other tracks we just did the opposite. However before everything happens, we gather ideas together and discuss day and night until we have a clear direction. In this process, we usually share visual elements such as photographs, films or just vague visuals in our heads. What's next for Glen Check? And where would you like to tour next? H.J : We're always making new things in our studio. We'll be showing the new stuffs later, since for now we would like to spend some time with "Haute Couture" Seoul is the only place we played since our debut. We would love to play in the UK. Invite us! Purchase Haute Couture here Photo Credit: SoundholicENT HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ Now this is honestly the best new band I've heard in a while. Their latest album is abundant with infectious, electronic goodness. Don't believe me? Then read my... http://thislondonchick.com/K-Pop-is-just-on-the-starting-line-in-it-s-beginning http://thislondonchick.com/following/thislondonchick.com/K-Pop-is-just-on-the-starting-line-in-it-s-beginning Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:34:24 +0000 THIS LONDON CHICK 3166883 Cube Entertainment CEO Simon Hong last December just before the Cube United concert at Brixton Academy. It was for my K-Pop article in the Guardian newspaper. For those who may not know the artists under the Cube Entertainment include G.Na, 4Minute, and Beast. Read what he had to say All answers were through a translator How would you describe K-Pop to someone who hasn’t heard it? I think K-Pop has reached a world-class level. The Korean music market contains American RnB and other forms of Black music. All the producers in Korea have reached to the top level so we can compare it to the level of US producers. So since we have good producers and performers in K-Pop, we’re developing to the next level where we can compete with artists overseas. We aim to reach to a really top level. To some people the K-Pop stars training process sounds very tough. How long do your artists at CUBE entertainment prepare to launch their careers? In Korea there are a lot of dance academies and vocal training academies and are trained from a really young age. After all of this process they audition to get into a management company they train for at least 3-4 years. And then they’re in our system and they train for 3-4 years and go through certain steps to get to a certain level to be launched as a singer and as a performer, to compete with artists overseas to get to a world level. With the CUBE United concert in London what are you aiming to show the UK? The UK was one of the origins of Pop music and it’s a major event to come to the country of Pop music’s origins. I’m confident with my artists, with who they are and with their level as artists. It’s a good opportunity to show our artists to a new market and I’m really excited to show them to an UK audience to showcase their talents. When did you begin to realise that K-Pop was gaining a substantial fan base in Europe and the USA? It’s really hard to say when exactly the fan base in Europe started. Because social mediums like Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook began to develop at the same time K-Pop was. So these allowed K-Pop music videos to be seen in other countries other than Korea. It’s not just social networks but also the combination of high quality musical content that the Korean artists hold which contributes to K-Pop spreading across the world. How has your company utilized the Internet to gain a wider audience? Firstly I think its about the artists musical quality, it has to hold a high quality level to compete with other artists. Then it can be spread out and an audience can love the music. Regarding the Internet, it’s about the distribution that’s why we’re working with Universal Music so it’s important we have all the networks to achieve a good distribution of our artists. What are the strengths and weaknesses in K-Pop music? The strengths of K-Pop are artists’ skill of performance and dance skills. K-Pop music is based on RnB music from the US but there is a mixture of Asian philosophy with it. We execute it from an Asian point of view of RnB with a touch of sensitiveness that, with the mixture of performances, touches our audience. What makes CUBE artists standout above the rest of Korean Pop acts and other pop acts around the world? What sets your artists apart from the rest? I don’t think CUBE music hold the only unique music. More importantly, I think what makes us unique is the trust and communication with the fans and with the artists at CUBE. I allow my artists to be free and that freedom allows them to create new musical content. With more than 20 years of experience and 10 years developing CUBE entertainment I’ve learnt that trust and communication with the fans is more important. The music cannot just be the most unique part for CUBE entertainment music. What do you think is next for K-Pop? Where do you see its growth in the U.K and in the west going next? Because we at CUBE have been developing for 10 years we still have a long way to go. The show in Brixton is a good opportunity for this part of the world to get a glimpse of our high level artists in Korea. But there’s a lot more work to be done so K-Pop is just on the starting line, in it’s beginning. HTML Comment Box is loading comments... /**/ Cube Entertainment CEO Simon Hong last December just before the Cube United concert at Brixton Academy. It was for my K-Pop article in the Guardian newspaper. For...