Violet Sweets

Lala Sweet to release an album

2011-11-24T13:26:00.005+09:00

Female duo Lala Sweet (Kim Hyun Ah, Park Byul) announced their first album 'bittersweet' to be released December 6th.

The title song '우린 지금 어디쯤에 있는 걸까 (Where are we now)' displays the character of the album the best as a ballad with a rock basis.

'파란달이 뜨는 날에(on days the blue moon rises)', adding to the rich imagination through poetic license, '태엽감기(Spring Cold)', making feel the bursting suspense between the powerful arrangement and the contrastively flowing melody, 'Blind Eyes', performed by Kim Hyun Ah, and others, 11 songs are included on the album.

As bonus track, they re-arranged '나의 낡은 오렌지나무(My old Orange Tree)' with which they won second place at 2008 MBC 'Campus Song Festival'.

Lala Sweet comes from the name of a dessert shop called 'lalasweet' they saw when both traveled together to India.

Having won second place at the 2008 Campus Song Festival, they released their debut mini album 'Lala Sweet' last year and were also selected as EBS 'Rookies of September' that year.

The album will be available on online music sites on 29th.

Translated at 5 in the morning. Song titles are just a vague translation and not final.

source: MEWSis

Guckkasten changes to major label

2011-09-14T18:58:00.003+09:00

This article is actually some weeks old. I thought it's interesting and tried to translate it. But I failed and tried instead to type it up myself, fitting in some lines from the original article. I'm sorry for the weird.

Popular indie band Guckkasten recently made a contract with major label Yedang Company. The reactions in general were positive, since it gives Guckkasten a chance to get known more broadly and the conditions of the new contract seem to the band’s advantage too. The label won’t interfere with the musical parts and will also support the band’s advance overseas. Guckkasten’s leader Ha Hyeon Woo says that “We wanted to concentrate on music under a more systematic support as the band is growing, so we decided for a contract with a new label.”

Despite that, the process of the transfer is seen with critic eyes, as Yedang did not contacted Guckkasten’s original label Ruby Salon even once. Popular music critic Park Eun Seok said that “in foreign countries, when a band enters a major label, it is common that each of the labels have a smooth agreement and grope the way of harmony, Yedang ignored this process.”

Guckkasten and Ruby Salon kept a verbal contract for one year. Ruby Salon president Lee Gyu Young is frustrated that “Because there is no contract itself, we have no way to oppose.” A large majority of Indie labels has no documented contract or earnest money and even if there is earnest money, it’s actually at a level below 5 mil Won. Indie music industry professionals point out that ‘the indie scene too has to set up a system’, but they can’t come up with a proper measure.

Also between the colleague bands the opinions cross. One leader of a main indie band, who doesn’t want to be named, says “Looking at the contract conditions, it has positive points since they seem to change to a major label preserving their pride and music” and “That they excluded Ruby Salon, whom they grew with since their debut, completely from the transfer process, seems not a good pattern.”

source

Thomas Cook - Mintpaper Interview

2011-09-04T14:25:00.003+09:00

Thomas Cook was the Artist Of The Month June at Mintpaper's and 3 month after starting, I finished the translation of the interview that came with it.

T/N: I realized while proofreading, that my english is still awkward and fail. I'm sorry for that. If there is something you don't understand, ask!

Highlights:
- talking about the time before his comeback and his search
- talking about producer Kim Dong Ryul
- My Aunt Mary's future (the reason I translated the whole thing, actually)
- the lovely that is Jeong Sun Yong.

Mintpaper: Finally we meet. We waited really long. I mean, there was always the talk about you coming back. I’m glad to meet you.
Thomas Cook: Because it’s Mintpaper, I can say it. Mintpaper had the biggest influence that the album came out even if just now.

M: I don’t really understand? (laughter)
TC: I got a proposal to appear at the Beautiful Mint Life around last winter. The talk about how it would be if it would coincide with the album release when I’m already appearing came and went. Because I also thought it would be better if I came to see the audience with an album, I worked on the album with the Beautiful Mint Life as a goal. But there’s no case where the album comes faster than expected. Still, because Mintpaper urged me on, I’m able to greet you now. (laughter)

M: Even though, I remember you doing a passionate performance last Beautiful Mint Life. It’s a bit late, but I’ll take this chance to thank you.
TC: Last year during the GMF I did it too quietly, so this time I set up a band. But because it rained… (laughter) But I tried really hard. The audience put on their rain outfits and listened really well. So I couldn’t not work hard. But still, I couldn’t follow up to the audience who accompanied me while being hit by the rain. It was a performance that will stay in memories for a long time.

M: After coming back, how long did it take to release the album?
TC: Actually, with the work on the songs 3 months and the recordings about 3 months, the job didn’t take that long. It took long until I was determined to start to write songs. It’s not that the songs come out only by having a notebook and pencil. There has to be a welling up of materials to write until they come out. That time was quite long.

M: So, how did you spend that time?
TC: I often met up with colleagues around me and talked and drunk with them and such. When my seniors had a performance, I went to the waiting room, greeted them and watched their performance properly and after that went with them grilling meat. (laughter) I say it like that but actually, we don’t just chatter, I feel and learn in those conversations about how people write songs and how they unfold their own story. Spending my time like that, the conclusion of it was ‘let’s do my songs. Let’s do my own thing’. All the people I watched where like that. Kim Dong Ryul, Lee Juck, Jo Won Seon, Yoo Hee Yeol, Lee Sang Soon, etc. everyone wasn’t for 1st place, but to make their own world. So that’s why they can do it for a long time. So that’s why there are people looking forward and waiting for them, I realized. The time I spend with them helped me a lot.

M: So did you worry about that in your break?
TC: I always did, but I couldn’t find an answer.

M: Somehow, it must have been a bit of a hard time?
TC: It was really difficult. Roaming around… But it’s like that. I like mellow kimchi. Yesterday I prepared kimchi. Until it’s matured, it needs time. That’s a matter of course. But when you don’t know these natural things, it’s too difficult. But time passes and looking at it, it is natural that it was difficult. Like going to one working place for a long time, I did one work for a long time. With the time passing, there are things I feel. It’s not that everything works like I want, and it’s not that something comes up when I just pretend to be smart… I always go on living. ‘Today there is the lacking, insufficient me.’ To accept that and make up for it, I have to study and work hard. Just thinking changes nothing.

M: Like that the song ‘아무것도 아닌 나 (absolutely nothing me)’ came out?
TC: That’s right. All the 8 songs on the album are products of what I worried about and came to know. I want you to look at it as one album that contains everything you feel while living.

M: So is there a special reason for the album title ‘Journey’?
TC: At first I also thought about making it ‘Essay’. With the thought of 8 Essays written by me. With the meaning of a travel I went on alone, I called it ‘Journey’. Before I started working on the album, I thought ‘it came what had to come’. From always doing My Aunt Mary together, I left and the lone feeling became really strong. There is also the feeling of having started Thomas Cook from 10 years long My Aunt Mary.

M: Looking at the lyrics, the majority are love stories and the vocabulary ‘you’, but taking a closer listen, everyone can become this ‘you’ and it’s also covered in worries about a life that is not just simple love stories.
TC: That’s right. The vocabulary ‘you’ can also become ‘me’. I heard that the majority of the words most people say are stories for themselves. I already said it earlier, but, you just need to look at it as songs filled with the worries and thoughts of me from that time.

M: It became a topic that Kim Dong Ryul participated as a producer on this album. It seems it has been a good experience for the both of you.
TC: I thought while working on my solo album, if I want to express better to the people what I want and what I want to express, wouldn’t I need to work together with a producer? But at my side was Dong Ryul and at first, when I lightly wrote songs or recorded, I asked for advice and requested help. But at some moment Hyung had come every day to the recording room. (laughter) Hyung is surely a huger musician than I am. From the aspect of experience and influence, he is by far a more excellent artist than me.

M: Speaking of which, looking at Kim Dong Ryul’s twitter, there were also a lot telling about the progress of Thomas Cook’s album.
TC: He became Thomas Cook’s press spokesman. (laughter) He says after my album came out he received greetings from people. Instead of saying that they are listening to it well, they said they’re listening to it.

M: Are you satisfied with the work with Kim Dong Ryul? Are you wondering how it would have been had you worked alone?
TC: Of course I’m satisfied. Firstly, if I had worked alone, the album would have been even later. (laughter) I’d maybe have done less of the spruceness that is now. I think if I had done it, I would have been maybe more persistent and it would have taken longer.

M: Jo Won Seon, Lee Sang Soon, and other co-artists participated in the album. Lee Sang Soon also participated in the music video.
TC: She was caught when she came by the shooting place by chance. (laughter) But I like them very much. Being together is nice and fun. Not only as a musician, but also as humans, we’re close and they are people I want to be with.

M: The music video too, fitting to the song’s atmosphere, it’s very lyrical and especially the mixture of the real photos and illustrations is impressive.
TC: It were the people whom I also worked with on My Aunt Mary’s “Green Tin Scooter” music video, the idea came from a really lot of people. They worked hard. (laughter)

M: I get the feeling your music is by far more clean and simple than My Aunt Mary’s.
TC: It’s a really natural flow. Should I say it’s similar to the situation of having used a room as three at first and then came to use it as one? At the place where each of the three used their space separately, you can change the positions of the furniture or can use it more broadly. It’s not something that’s intended on purpose, it’s a result that came out naturally.

M: On the other side, it seems to have the nice melodies and refined sounds one could feel at My Aunt Mary’s. What is the part with the most essential point in the album?
TC: I wanted to let hear the part where the best color of my solo could come out. I thought that also the listeners didn’t want something that is the same like My Aunt Mary. What I cared the most about was that it carries a certain unity and that the songs give a totally different feeling. So I wanted to reduce the superfluity and make it to 8 songs.

M: Looking through the internet, the reaction to ‘솔직하게’ and ‘집으로 오는 길’ seems good.
TC: It had been like that since My Aunt Mary. We take real pains to decide for the title song, and then… (laughter) Recently there are also often times when I release a single or am active with just one song. But since it’s a proof that they love various songs from the album, I’m very thankful. I don’t want to make music only I am satisfied with; I want to make music that can be shared with people.

M: If it’s like that, are there points to how the people should listen to Thomas Cook’s album?
TC: Sometimes, I search (the internet) for my name. There are two different kinds. There are people who are introducing my music. There are people who say who Thomas Cook is and what kind of album his is and people who write about the actual person and upload my music. Of course I’m also thankful to the former type, but I am totally happy about the latter type. Because, it means my music melted into the life of someone. The feelings then, the scenes, the memories; when I think about how they were together with my music in those things, I can’t hope for more. To me there is also such music. It’s not one usual song, but one that can belong only to me.

M: This might be a question the fans are interested in a lot. Will we be able to hear My Aunt Mary’s music again?
TC: Because each of us has his own activities. We’re not active (as My Aunt Mary), but we meet and talk often. Before we were active like this, we met and talked about one thing. For each to take a hold of many more subjects to talk about and then meet again. If we each gather a lot of stories, won’t we meet again and play together?

M: How is it possible to shoot profile pictures so handsomely?
TC: Between the internet Thomas Cook and the Thomas Cook you see for real is Photoshop. You have to use the techniques for the people, right? (laughter)

M: Talking about your future plans?
TC: I’m planning a concert at the Rolling Hall for four days from August 4~7.

M: The last question. Having made music for a long time, when you look into the future, as what kind of artist do you want to be remembered?
TC: Rather than ‘genius’, ‘musician with excellent skills’, I want to do ‘Jeong Sun Yong’-ish, ‘Thomas Cook’-like music. I want to be remembered as an artist having my own color, my own world. I don’t think that a visual result is necessary, it’s more that I have to go on searching for it. The words ‘album after 10 years’ are also a bit uncomfortable. But I know the truth that my greatest learning is not yet. So I want to ask you to look forward to the future Thomas Cook.

original

Mintpaper Compilation vol. 4 is coming

2011-08-11T18:39:00.002+09:00

Just today there has been an update on the fourth Mintypaper Compilation 'cafe: night & day'. A rough translation of one part:

The night and day of a café, starting with busy talk and laughter and ending with quiet thoughts and preparation, carries for us the meaning of a ‘scenery and space to share culture and communication’. The stories and connections, followed by sometimes serious, sometimes futile episodes, and the countless crowds of thoughts are delivered once again with a plain touch.

While the new arisen ‘duos’ and ‘acoustic’ become the centre in ‘café: night & day’ with a tendency to Mintpaper related artists, we will also introduce rare collaborations and rising artists whose growth makes looking forward to.

10cm's new song '안아줘' from the compilation will be pre-released in a digitial single Augutst 16.

The Koxx' performance, talk at Sketchbook

2011-08-10T22:57:00.003+09:00

I'm sorry, I kind of went hiatus without saying a word. This is an inbetween-hiatus work.

I'm sorry for mistakes, which I'm sure of being there. Also, got kind of rusty at doing this.

Kangto's Interview with Mintpaper

2011-06-10T03:16:00.003+09:00

Through Mintpaper's newsletter I came across this interview and translated it. (I may be lazy, but feel free to drop me something.)

T/N: Sorry about weird english

Kangto Interview – A guitarist singing with his heart

In the field I am there are a lot of people who want to make their own original thing. But it’s not easy to enjoy what I do unflinchingly to the surrounding circumstances.

“Becoming happy is my dream. Currently, the closest thing to happiness seems to be the music for me. So I’m making music.”

A young man who grew up with music, playing his guitar since he was little, and even though there were times he worried ‘is this the right path?’, he never let go of the guitar, performed joyfully und raised his dream. Then he met a good mentor coincidentally and finally he was a newcomer releasing his first album under his own name. Listening to his story, it doesn’t seem the ‘coincidence’ simply came. After playing guitar and singing somewhere for a long series of time, how is the feeling of holding the album he finally released under his own name? His name is still unfamiliar, but we met the newcomer, singing with a pure heart, Kangto.

Mintpaper: I know you’re a student majoring in Composition. Are you currently still at college?
Kangto: Yes, I started in 2010. I went in quite late. I went to army and learned one year at an academy until I matriculated.

M: Actually, because your name is unfamiliar and you weren’t active much before, I got curios. How did you start to make music at the beginning? I heard that your father played blues guitar.
K: Yes, he wasn’t famous, but he was active as a guitarist. So I naturally came to learn guitar when I saw my father. Then, during 2nd year of High School, I quit school for family reasons. I went into an exercise band and while playing guitar, I worked, took the exam and went to army, so I was already 24. Because I wanted to study a bit more, I entered university last year. I listened to music from little on and got used to it because my father played guitar. There are instruments in our house, so I got curious and my father taught me cords and I learned with that.

M: Is ‘Kangto’ your real name? I wonder what meaning it has.
K: Yes, my real name is Kim Kang To. There is no special meaning, it means literally ‘river’ (Kang) and ‘earth’ (To).

M: You’re currently signed under Tubeamp, how did you get to know President Lee Han Chul?
K: At first we met as student and teacher. Lee Han Chul was the teacher for my major at school. In class he used to listen to my demos and theses, and he liked them. At that time I was preparing an album on my own, so I came to him for several advices. Then I coincidentally came to stand on a stage with him. That time I worked hard, seriously preparing myself for it. He saw that and suggested to try it together and made the contract. It’s an opportunity I’m really thankful for.

M: Listening to the EP ‘날개의 흔적’ you released, the guitar has a quite huge importance in it. I thought if you leave away the lyrics, it could become a guitar performance just like that.
K: That’s right. That seems to be the characteristic of my music. The music I want to make is music where the guitar becomes the main and the lyrics the message. I tend to make the songs so that I can sing within the possible guitar play. My role models are artists like Eric Clapton or John Mayer. I actually really like them.

M: So do you define yourself as a guitarist?
K: I want to be called like that. At first, I think I’m not a vocalist. John Mayer and Eric Clapton also sing, but they’re called guitarists. I’m still lacking, but I want to become someone who sings while playing guitar.

M: I know that you recorded on your own. Since it’s the first album, it should have been possible to get a producer; what is the reason that you did everything alone, from writing the songs to recording and even mixing?
K: Because it’s the characteristic of this EP that I could make everything alone. More than the refined sound, I wanted to give a maximal acoustic and natural feeling in this album. If there would be maybe even one song with drums or strings, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. Also, at the technical part, the fact that I was used to audio systems because my father also worked on the sound was helpful.

M: Well, the feel of the guitar and also your voice, I thought it’s really acoustic. Rather, I even get the feeling you didn’t refine it on purpose but put it into it like it was.
K: This time I wanted to let out the most natural feeling. More than a refined and clean sound, I wanted to do music that is crude, but can be listened to comfortably. And it is the best junction I could find under those conditions. It’s crude but stylish, it’s not refined but it has feel, isn’t that good? Actually I searched in there for my colors because I wasn’t in a state to record, as the production costs a lot.

M: Listening to your story, it seems your father had huge influence in you making music.
K: Yes, the funny thing is, normally when one is young the parents let their children listen to children songs. But since elementary school my father let me listen to Pink Floyd. I remember that. Back then I listened to it, knowing nothing, and when I grew up, I came to like them. It kind of became an advantage but also a disadvantage. The advantage is that I came in contact with various songs from little on; the disadvantage is that I came to know about modern music after some time passed? (laughter)

M: What kind of music do you like? Somehow it seems similar to the taste of your father… (laughter)
K: I can’t deny that. (laughter) I really liked Queen. Actually, I also thought about majoring in IT, but after listening to Queen in Middle School, I was determined that I have to do music. I was also really touched when I listened to Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’. It’s quite old, right? (laughter)

M: While preparing the EP, where there things Lee Han Chul especially helped you with or where he influenced you? There seems to be a difference between teacher and disciple, and label president and singer.
K: He is really keen about musical parts. I tend to work with the whole feeling and theme, but he picks out the detailed parts and taught me. I’m surprised every time and I think ‘is that the wisdom of experience?’. He is amazing. Thanks to him I really learned a lot.
When he was a teacher, he appreciated it wholly, even though he may have a different opinion, because it was the work of a student. Since he became family now, he helped and taught me a lot. I also want to listen to it positively. Due to the advices from him, I think the perfection level of the album became higher.

M: Since the acoustic was the main this time, is there something new you would like to try the next time? I read the message with the firm intention(?) that ‘next time I won’t do it alone’ on your mini-homepage. (laughter)
K: I wanted to make it alone, but it was difficult. (laughter) The next time I want to go with a band sound. And later I want to try a drum-bass-electric guitar trio. It’s the dream of every guitarist; a trio is the formation where the capabilities of a guitarist can be shown the best. Right now, I’m too lacking for it, but later, when I have more skills and capabilities, I really want to try it.

M: In what kind of style are you mostly doing your work? Just listening to the music one thinks that you did an awful lot of practicing alone in your room.
K: It’s said that when writing songs it’s divided into two groups. The abundant style and the style of grasping a song and holding on; I do the latter. I like travels and, it may not fit my age, but, I like fishing. I express the thoughts I have when I stroll or travel through music and put lyrics on it. No matter how you look at it, I’m a profligate. (laughter)

M: You’ve grown up in an environment near music from little on, but it should be the first time you take your own name, release an album and perform. Your opinions seem different from others.
K: At first, I put a huge importance in it when I searched on portal sites and my name came up. (laughter) I felt really good then. Personally I think that there is not much music in Korea that is sung while performing; it’s good that you can try different things.

M: Your album just came out and you started activities; are there things you want to achieve in 2011?
K: I want to become a singer-songwriter who can sing while performing. And I also have a wish. To work hard and do well, and move the label up to the ground. (laughter) I want us to do well together. My goal in 2011 is to let more people hear my music. I want to share feelings through music and, if there is the chance, I also want to stand a lot on festival stages

M: Lastly, please a word to the members of Mintpaper
K: First, thank you for inviting me like that. I would like you to listen to my album once comfortably. And if you come to listen to it again, if you listen carefully to the sound or feel of the guitar, then it’s perfect. It would be the biggest glee if I could share the senses I felt while writing and singing the songs.
Thank you.

source

Indie Band Names' Meaning Part 2

2011-05-31T02:17:00.003+09:00

This was quite confusing and at times I thought making a part 2 had been a mistake, some parts turned out quite weird.

This time: Dear Cloud, Yellow Monsters, The KOXX, Galaxy Express, Monni, Guckkasten, Sister's Barbershop, No Reply and Gajami Boys

T/N: Names are again romanised on a whim. Cookies for people who can give me romanised name for 가자미소년단. Sorry for weirdness.

Dear Cloud
Consisting of Nine(vocal), Yongrin(guitar), Yirang(bass), Jung Ah(keyboard) and Gwangseok(drums), Dear Cloud debuted 2007 with their first album ‘Dear Cloud’. Connected through the Seoul University of Arts, Dear Cloud’s name was made up by the eldest and leader Yongrin. Dear Cloud has been built with the vocabulary ‘CLOUD’, meaning melancholy and solicitude, and ‘DEAR’ put in front of it, wanting to comfort. Listening to their music, one feels the healing of the heart that had been hurt by human relations.

Yellow Monsters
‘Yellow Monsters’ means the oriental people. It’s not the home of Rock, but does it mean that they are monster-like oriental people? It seems a childish name, but the conveyance of the meaning is sure. They are like a new band, but they are secondhand newbies with a difference of 15 years since their debut. Drummer Choi Jae Hyuk is from Deli Spice, singer and guitarist Lee Yong Won from Gum-X and bassist Han Jin Young comes from My Aunt Mary.

Yellow Monsters don’t like to prescribe the special genre of their music. So their music is offensive and rough, but there is a melody. To express several genres naturally is Yellow Monsters’ charm.

The KOXX
A band made up of Lee Hyun Song(vocal), Kim Yoon Ho*(keyboard), Park Seon Bin(bass), Shin Saron(drums) and Lee Soo Ryun(guitar), when the juniors and seniors of the Applied Music Department at Howon University hit off really well at a yearend party in 2008. They thought of the manly, youthful and passionate image of a cock(rooster), but as there was a foreign band with the same name, they decided for ‘koxx’. It seems to be the better name because ‘koxx’ feels stronger and more passionate than ‘cock’.

*better known as Shaun

Galaxy Express
Lee Joo Hyun(bass, vocal), Park Jong Hyun(guitar, vocal) and Kim Hee Gwon(drums, chorus vocal) of Galaxy Express debuted 2007. Galaxy Express has nothing to do with the phone or the Manga ‘Galaxy Express 999’. It has the meaning of ‘with the feeling of traveling through the universe, let’s make music that spreads in everyone’s miniature universe’. What kind of meaning it is, one knows going to their performances. Listening to the sound with both ears, it is as fun as traveling through the universe.

Monni
Made of Kim Shini(vocal), Lee In Kyung(bass), Jung Hoon Tae(drums), Gong Tae Woo(guitar), and debuted in 2005. Monni means after the dictionary: ‘the character of being unkind in order to assert one’s claims, when not able to get the proper treatment’. Monni has a lot of greed. Even though they always work hard to get the best valuation, but to not become avaricious. Monni released their 3rd album ‘단 한 번의 여행’ in march and are now in midst of their activities.

Guckkasten
Ha Hyun Woo(guitar, vocal), Jeon Gyu Ho(guitar), Lee Jung Gil(drums) and Kim Kibum(bass) of ‘Guckkasten’ started their activities in 2003 as ‘The Compass of Music’(더 컴) and changed their name in 2007. ‘Guckkasten’, meaning zograscope, stands for the music similar to the psychedelic videos hidden in the analogism.

Sister’s Barbershop
Consisting of Lee Seok Won(vocal, guitar), Lee Neung Ryong(guitar) and Jeon Dae Jung(drums), it’s been 15 years since Sister’s Barbershop’s debut. With the pretty special mixture of words, ‘Sister’s Barbershop’ comes from a Japanese adult movie ‘The Sister and the Barbershop’ vocal Lee Seok Won watched during his high school times. The motive of forming the band is just as interesting as the name.

When Lee Seok Won appeared on one radio show, he introduced himself in the confusion of the moment “I am guitarist and vocalist of Sister’s Barbershop”. After the broadcast he hurriedly learned guitar and formed a band. Even now, 15 years later, Sister’s Barbershop is at the top of the Indie Scene, but, it’s interesting that the start was impromptu.

No Reply
The male duo ‘No Reply’, consisting of Kwon Sun Gwan(vocal, keyboard) and Jung Wook Jae(guitar), made their debut in 2008. No Reply, who received lots of love with their wonderful lyrics and melodies after their debut, made up their name in a hurry, when they had song festival ahead.

It’s a name made of song titles from the Beatles and Yoko Kanno. When they made the contract with the label, they also thought of ‘Reply’ without the ‘No’, but there were requests of fans and so they pushed it away. No Reply, making music contrary to their negative name, can have various experiments thanks to it, and it’s said that they’re pleased with their name now.

Lastly…
3 member band Gajami Boys. If you thought of the flatfish*, that’s wrong. The meaning of Gajami Boys is ‘Let’s go, pretty boys!’**

*flatfish in Korean: gajami
**gaja, misonyeondan (sonyeondan=boys)

10cm's Americano doesn't die

2011-05-19T19:01:00.003+09:00

10cm and Ha Ji Won acted together in a cf for coffee where 10cm's hit song 'Americano' had been rearranged with Ha Ji Won joining them. Even though it was their first time appearing in a cm, 10cm performed without a NG.

Indie Band Names' Meaning

2011-05-05T17:08:00.004+09:00

Yesterday, I was searching for Achime(as searching with this name one finds everything but the band), I stumbled upon an article explaining the meanings of names from indie bands. Probably interesting to know that most of them don't have a real meaning, I did a quick translation.

This had been called 'part 1', so I hope there comes more. The first part contains Gloomy Monkeys, Soran, Daybreak, Munk, Neon Bunny, Broccoli you too, Oyster Boys and Joa Band. Please excuse me if there are names romanized wrong, I write them simply as I feel like.

Gloomy Monkeys
A 5 member band consisting of Lee Jae Chul(vocal), Park Min Young(guitar), Kim Yeon Jun(guitar), Kim Ji Man(bass), Park Byung Seok(drums). They themselves comment that the forms of their faces are similar to monkeys. Their Applied Music teacher decided to call them ‘Monkeys’ and as they were plain and dull, it has been decided to be ‘Gloomy Monkeys’. They emphasized the Monkeys as emotional but not as the gloom of ‘Gloomy’. They introduce themselves as ‘singing, emotional monkeys’.

Soran
A band formed in 2009 with Go Young Bae(vocal), Seo Myeon Ho(bass) and Pyun Yoo Il(drums). Go Young Bae thought of the name before and formed the band then. There were also members who expressed their discontent that the musical style fits them, but they don’t like the name. But, Go Young Bae, who liked the name ‘Soran’, pushed them. It’s Soran with an ironic meaning. Instead of noisy and mind losing music, they create a calm and dignified music style. Asking for an episode related to their name, they say that “there are a lot of people who think of us as female ballad singers and are surprised when they see us, and people who still think our name is Sorani”. They added to their discontents that “it is difficult to search for their news articles in the internet”.

Daybreak
Consisting of Lee Won Seok(vocal), Jung Yoo Jong(guitar), Kim Seon Il(bass) and Kim Jang Won(keyboard), they debuted in 2007. When they wanted to participate in a Melon rookie project, they had to decide for a name quickly. Kim Jang Won found the form of the small letters ‘db’ looking like a headphone interesting, and they searched an abbreviated word for it. Database, Decibel, and several other ideas came out, but Jung Yoo Jong, who is playing the guitar, suggested ‘Daybreak’. All the members agreed right away. ‘Daybreak’ means the early morning when the dark night goes and a faint light comes. Like that, the calm and positive meaning of ‘daybreak’, this is Daybreak’s musical color.

MUNK
Seo Young Jun(vocal), Kwon Ik Hwan(guitar), Jung Seok Won(bass) and Lee Hyun Gyu(drums). The band formed in 2009 and, in order to perform, needed a name. When they played together before a performance, they thought of several names, but they couldn’t decide and simply chose, because they liked the nuance, MUNK. Famous painter Munch*, Pianist Monk*, it was their goal to become the MUNK* famous in the world of popular music. If they maybe had liked the nuance of Yi Sun Shin or General Euljimundeok, their name might be different.

*in Korean it’s all written as ‘뭉크’, all the same

Neon Bunny
Real name Im Yoo Jin. Neon Bunny, who played keyboard in The Black Skirts, released her solo album. The name Neon Bunny has been made by friends. There is no special meaning. She likes to collect things related to bunnies and her friends counseled her bunny simply because she likes bunnies. It just had been put ‘neon’ to it. Anyhow, the name Neon Bunny is hard to forget once you heard it. Will she become a sparkling bunny?

Broccoli, you too?
The modern rock band consisting of Deok Won(vocal, bass), Jandi(keyboard), Ryuji(vocal, drum) and Hyangi(guitar). Having achieved success with their 1st and 2nd album, they are the icons of the indie scene. Broccoli, you too made their name thinking of the last words from Rome emperor Cesar “Brutus, you too”. There is no huge meaning. Of course, the members don’t have any grudge against broccoli.

Oyster Boys
Consisting of Kim Won Gu(vocal, guitar), Kim Dong Hyun(bass), Jung Shin Woo(drum, chorus), Jang Ho Ra(keyboard) and Choi Sae Rok(guitar), they made their debut in 2007. They were impressed by Franz Kafka’s short story ‘The Burrow*’ and, driven by the liking for oysters, they went almost every day to the restaurant in the neighborhood and ate a bowl of fried oysters and rice. One day the owner said “the oyster boys came” and like that they took it as their band name. Who thought it would have a gloomy meaning, was on the wrong track. Oyster Boys-like they made their name joyfully.

*굴 has two meanings, ‘burrow’ and ‘oyster’

Joa Band
Joa Band, consisting of Jo Jun Ho(percussion), Son Hyun(guitar), An Bok Jin(accordion) and Baek Ga Young(bass), was formed in 2008. What meaning does ‘Joa Band’ have? It’s just as thought*. There is no special meaning. At the time they performed without having decided on a name, someone asked after their performance ‘what is the name of your band?’. One member answered then “We’re a band that does it because we just like to.” Made like that, the name is now ‘Joa Band’. Probably they won’t change their name before they get sick of their band activities.

*please remember that their original Korean name is 좋아서 하는 밴드 which can be roughly translated to ‘band we do because we like to’

source

The KOXX, No Reply and 2 new artists at Happy Robot's

2011-04-21T17:37:00.004+09:00

Happy Robot posted some news on their blog today, also mentioning a new albums from No Reply and the KOXX. No Reply plans on gather new, unpublished songs and make an album out of them. If I understood it right, it's supposed to be released before their performance at the Olympic Hall in July.

The KOXX will release their first full-length album with the title 'Access OK'. It's supposed to come out in the beginning of June.

Happy Robot has also signed two new bands, Soran and Lala Sweet.

Something small Mintpaper-ish

2011-03-17T21:29:00.003+09:00

By chance I stumbled over a blog entry by Sombrero (head of MPMG) about the plans of the 4th Mintpaper project album. He writes that it will maybe be released in September, latest before GMF 2011 in October. There are still no songs, but the participants have been decided to a certain extent. Also, there will be a lot of new faces, he says.

On another small note, No Reply's song '낡은 배낭을 메고' that had been on the digital single '끝나지 않은 노래', has been used for a cuckoo rice cooker advertisment with Won Bin.

Guckkasten's new EP

2010-12-08T21:00:00.002+09:00

Most of you probably know already about the new EP which has been released yesterday, December 7. Next to the instrumental 'Tagträume' it contains the 2 songs 'Manicure' and '붉은 밭', additionally with respectively an electronic and acoustic version.

A music video of 'Manicure' has been pre-released as a 'Performance Version', the full version with day and night performing, story part, VFX effects and 3D(?) will be released December 11.

Besides that, a kind of background description of the two songs has been brought up. I tried to translate it here. But be warned, it's a hell of confusing ~~which may be partly due my translation skills~~.

Broccoli You Too applies for reexamination for the song ‘졸업’(Graduation) from KBS

2010-11-29T22:41:00.002+09:00

October 25 Broccoli You Too released their 2nd album 'Graduation', asking for an examination concerning broadcast possibility from each broadcast station. Contrary to all the other broadcastings which judged the 12 tracks (including hidden track) fitting for broadcast, KBS rejected the one song 'Graduation' with the reason the lyrics being sex-appealing. On November 26, the band Broccoli You Too requested a reexamination without special changes in the song.

Following the article from Kukinews reporter Lee Sun Hee, the part of the lyrics with the sexual appealing problem is '꿈에서 아직 덜 깬 아이들은 내일이면 모든 게 끝날 듯 짝짓기에 몰두했지' (roughly translated to 'when it becomes tomorrow, the children that are still half asleep in their dreams, will be absorbed into copulation(짝짓기)') and '우리들은 팔려가는 서로를 바라보며 서글픈 작별의 인사를 나누네' (roughly translated to 'looking at each other, selling (ourselves), we say our lonesome farewells'). The KBS committee for examining songs reported that "With the word 'copulation'(짝짓기), meaning the pairing behavior of animals, it associates with the sexual act of humans. And, 'selling'(팔려가는) associating prostitution and human trafficking, [the song] is not advisable."

Broccoli You Too can't agree with the quested part being seen as 'sexual appealing'. The expression 'copulation'(짝짓기) means, following to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary of the National Institute of the Korean Language, a pairing behavior of animals and sexual act of humans, but can also have the meaning of 'people who like each other pairing up or being paired up'. Broccoli You Too thinks that connecting this word with the sexual meaning out of those two, was because of a simple analysis, not considering the context of the lyrics. Also at the second problem considering 'selling', the lyrics have not been taken in context properly. It has to be understood, that this is a metaphor of the state after graduation, choosing a workplace you don't want, just to earn money. Understanding that, it is impossible to connect this line with prostitution or human trafficking.

source: boonga boonga records (very rough translated)

Live THEY 2010 Compilation (missed updates)

2010-11-27T16:38:00.003+09:00

There have been a lot of updates on the Live THEY 2010 performance and compilation on the Happy Robot Blog, that I've missed.

The compilation will be given first this weekend at the performance itself and be sold then in official stores starting November 30. There will be a limited edition which will contain so called 'heart cards' (not sure if it’s a name or a weird translation, simply cards expressing someone's heart) with signs and new year's greetings of each artist in a random order (one card each CD). As a special, the about 20 original Polaroid that are used for those heart cards will be randomly put into the CDs too.

The track list looks as following:

01. 추억을 머금은 그와 희망을 보듬은 그녀 (He who keeps the memories and she who clasps the hope) – Tearliner
Tearliner provides the opening and ending for the THEY 2010 compilation ‘Night Train’, serving as entrance and outlet
02. 크리스마스 약속 (Christmas promise) – THEY 2010
written and composed by EZ Hyung; The Koxx’ Saron on drums, Daybreak’s Kim Sun Il and Jung Yoo Jong on bass and guitar, Lim Young Jo on keyboard and strings; vocals are No Reply’s Sungwan, Naru, Daybreak’s Lee Won Seok and Jung Yoo Jo (usually guitar, makes his singer debut here.) and EZ Hyung
03. 들었다 놨다 feat. ROBO(apls) (DJ Schedule1 SNS Remix) – Daybreak
the loved track from Daybreak’s 2nd album, remixed with a hip hop rhythm, using a break beat(?) as base; ROBO keeps with his witty rap lyrics the song’s context of a cowardly man’s heart
04. 밤의 열차 (Night Train) – Naru, Oh Ji Eun
to the soft electronic song Naru made (of course all alone, composing, instrument play, arrangement), Oh Ji Eun put the lyrics to it in 10 minutes.
05. 시야 (Shaun Remix) – No Reply
The Koxx’ Shaun remixes No Reply’s at live performances well received song with a strong electro beat and gorgeous synthesizer arrangement
06. 얼음땡 feat. Joe Brown (Toy Rock remix) – The Koxx
Joe Brown adds his essay-like lyrics in a solid rap
07. It’s You – Daybreak, EZ Hyung
composed by Daybreak, lyrics added by EZ Hyung; guitar pop; sung in a duet
08. 누구라도 있어줘 (whoever you are, be with me) – Serengeti, No Reply
Serengeti’s Boss nova track with Sungwan’s loneliness, touching lyrics telling of the everyday life of an insignificant man
09. Arch – LOZIK(apls), Shaun, Naru
reminding of Havard’s works in the latter half of their activities; English lyrics written and sung by Naru, also contains Shaun’s composing abilities
10. Your Body (Shaun remix) – Joe Brown
Shaun changing the Hip Hop House track to a strong rock sound
11. 사랑하는 나의 악사들에게 (To my dear musicians) – THEY 2010
composed by Daybreak’s Lee Won Seok and Kim Jang Won, lyrics added by Oh Ji Eun; Serengeti playing each their respective instruments, Sooryun playing guitar, Shaun on synthesizer and Daybreak’s Kim Jang Won on piano; vocals are Oh Ji Eun, Serengeti’s Yoo Jung Gyun and Jang Dong Jin, Daybreak’s Lee Won Seok and Lee Hyun Song; following Oh Ji Eun’s words, the lyrics are about a fan who sees his/her favorite musician’s performance
12. 너를 보며 (두번째 이야기) - Tearliner

Trailer and such have been uploaded too a lot on youtube.

Another short-shorter-very short Short News Compilation

2010-11-23T21:42:00.001+09:00

Phonebooth will have their last stage on November 28 before the band will head to the army. Guests will be Haneumpa and Bye Bye Badman. The acoustic live performance and supposedly everything that will happen there will be recorded and released as a special album.

Guckkasten’s new EP is in work and Ruby Salon stated on their block November 10 that it is planned to be released November 30.

DoT, the guitarless female band releases her first full length album at label Soundholic November 26th

Mongoo and Han Hee Jung will star together in a movie called ‘Dancing Zoo’ (춤추는 동물원). It will have its release December 2. You can watch an English (by me) subbed trailer here.

December 22 KBS Music Window will broadcast a ‘Moonlitght Nymph Special’ and is currently searching for material like interview and performance videos.

Moonlight Nymph Deceased

2010-11-06T16:31:00.001+09:00

Moonlight Nymph (37), who was brought into hospital due cerebral hemorrhage November 1, passed away November 6 at 8.13 in the morning. His mortuary has been prepared at Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital.

Jaejoo Boys disband

2010-11-03T00:04:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, November 1, Jaejoo Boys announced their disbandment on their homepage. Park Kyung Hwan and Yoo Sang Bong stated that they will go their own ways and that their 4th Album, which was released August 18, will be the last album of them as Jaejoo Boys.

Pastel Music said that there were absolutely no troubles between them and that they decided to go their own ways for showing a better image not as Jaejoo Boys, but as Park Kyung Hwan and Yoo Sang Bong.

Even though the announcement may be surprising, they stated that “since after the 2nd album in 2005, we talked about that ‘for making music we will go with our whole life, let’s try alone at a good time’ and ‘if there’s music we just have to release as Jaejoo Boys, let’s think about Jaejoo Boy’s path again’. After a long meeting, that time has been set for this year’s autumn.”*

Jaejoo Boys attended the ‘14th Yoo Jae Ha Competition’ November 27, 2002, released their first album November 27, 2003 and will have their last performance November 27, 2010.

*rather freely translated.

Sources: Jaejoo Boys homepage, several news articles (ㅠㅠ), Whidi♥

Moonlight Nymph in critical state with cerebral hemorrhage

2010-11-02T15:59:00.001+09:00

Moonlight Nymph’s Lee Jin Won collapsed yesterday, November 1, in his own house due cerebral hemorrhage and was transferred into the ICU.

It is known, that he is currently unconsciously hospitalized at the Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital. The hospital stated that he was brought yesterday 11pm into the emergency room and moved to the intensive care unit at 4.30am today.

Jang Yoon Jung, an acquaintance of Moonlight Nymph, twittered under the ID ‘Lilydiaa’: “If there are people who know Moonlight Nymph and like his songs, please pray in your heart, even if it is just once. He has a lot of pain right now. He is struggling for his life in the ICU.”

Moonlight Nymph was supposed to guest at Hi Mr. Memory’s performance November 13, but it’s unclear if he will attend or not.

October 31 he left a message through twitter saying ‘cleaning anchovies while watching the World Series*’. That such a seemingly active and healthy Moonlight Nymph suddenly collapses, is still a shock for the fans.

*talking about Baseball.

sources: Hankyung, Herald

Horan appears as MC

2010-10-29T21:23:00.000+09:00

Horan takes over a reality program as MC for first time in her career.

Singer and actress Horan has been chosen as MC for the new program 'Extreme Survival Racing Queen' on cable channel XTM starting November 5.

Horan appeared in various programs of different genres, but it's the first time she has the role of a MC. Her abilities as MC have been acknowledged when she showed her individual proceeding with her fantastic charm through tvN's 'Real Story'.

Ha Jung Seok PD, who is in charge of the direction, said that "Horan is the best Entertainer who lives her life more intense than anyone else." And "Her passionate image that fits the program will be the best role model for the challengers who will enter in order to create a new image racing model."

'Extreme Survival Racing Queen' is a project to create a new image of 'Racing Models'. It is a new idea of creating a new value as professional models in the industry related to motor sports and cars. The show will be led by singer Horan as MC, stylist Chae Han Suk and automobile specialized editor Shin Dong Heon will participate as judges.

source: Newsen

MPMG to release THEY 2010 compilation

2010-10-15T17:28:00.000+09:00

It has been posted on the Happy Robots blog that the Master Plan Music Group* will release a compilation of THEY 2010.

It will contain the songs that have been introduced already through Serengeti Jang Dong Jin's personal radio show 'Night Train', means EZ Hyung and Daybreak's 'It's You', The Koxx Shawn's remix of No Reply's '시야' and Naru and Oh Ji Eun's song with the same title 'Night Train'. The last episode of 'Night Train' guests No Reply and Serengeti, who are also working on a new boss nova styled song. Besides those there will be some new songs and one song featuring all MPMG musicians.

Another interesting point at this year's live THEY is, that Serengeti's Jang Dong Jin and Naru became team leaders and will separate the MPMG musicians. What exactly stands behind that will be seen when the event starts with a video October 18.

The live performance live THEY 2010 will take place November 27 and 28 at Sang Sang Madang.

* Master Plan Music Group (MPMG) consists of Master Plan, Happy Robots, The Park Studio, Mintpaper and Live Paraid.

Short News Short

2010-10-07T17:28:00.000+09:00

*After their performance in Nanjang October 26, Guckkasten will rest for a day and then start October 28 with the recordings for their new EP.

*Ruby Salon’s new band Gate Flowers (Hello Rookies of October 2009) will release their first EP October 20.

*Oh Ji Eun and the Wolves are also working hard on their full length album, updates on that can be seen at the homepage.

*For this year’s upcoming THEY 2010 compilation, Tearliner will do the opening and ending song, which can also be heard at the THEY performance.

The present situation of Jang Gi Ha and The Faces

2010-10-07T06:22:00.000+09:00

Having not much of activities, Jang Gi Ha receives questions about what he’s actually doing and answers that in an entry at Boonga Boonga Record’s blog.

The reason for leaving for a vacation was the abruptly increasing schedule that got hard to handle. So the first half of the year they didn’t do any performances in order to take care of their bodies and hearts. In the last half of the year, starting with Jisan Valley Rock Festival they will slowly start to have performances.

What changed at Jang Gi Ha and The Faces is the member constellation. First, the Mimi Sisters left the band. They will continue activities in future as an independent duo and not as a part of Jang Gi Ha and The Faces.

Keyboard player Lee Jong Min joined the band. Lee Jong Min is a part of the band ‘Kingston Rudieska’ and has beside that a lot of session performances. He was originally also a session musician for Jang Gi Ha and The Faces, but as he has been participating in songs and the need of a keyboard became bigger, especially in the 2nd album, he has been made a formal member.

Hasegawa Yohei (aka Kim Yang Pyung), the guitarist of Kim Chang Wan Band, became a guest member to bring more variety into the band’s sound.

Jang Gi Ha and The Faces will have their performances in Japan November 22 and 23, and the release of their 1st album ‘별 일 없이 산다’ November 3. They are currently at making their 2nd album, more than half of the songs being finished. Maybe end of November they will start recording. Until the result will be released it may take over a year though. He excuses himself for that and asks for your understanding that it needs that time to make an album that just deserves to be heard.

Besides other appearances on TV, Jang Gi Ha himself will be in ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook’s corner ‘만지다’(touch) as the ‘Singer Of The Month’ of October.

Music Travel Lalala discontinues

2010-09-30T00:29:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, September 28, MBC announced their plans for re-arranging their programs for the upcoming autumn season. It has been said that 6 new program shows will be established and that 9 programs therefore will be discontinued. Under those 9 programs is 'Music Travel Lalala' that got appraisal for their music-concentrated content and artists that are hard to catch on TV. But the in 2008 started program couldn't surpass the low average ratings of 2~3% and has been decided for MBC's strengthening competitiveness to be discontinued.

Live-Planet.Net

2010-09-30T00:04:00.000+09:00

A new website called Live-Planet.Net has been started. It is a studio live project, letting artists perform at a studio at the Welcomm Theater for a better sound and different visuals, for a live that can't be seen at broadcasts.

The first episode contains Galaxy Express, the next episode will be viewable October 3.

Broccoli, You Too 2nd Album

2010-09-29T16:04:00.001+09:00

Broccoli, You Too?’s 2nd album ‘졸업’(Graduation) is said to come out October 20. It will be produced by the bands own label ‘Studio Broccoli’ and distributed by Boonga Boonga Records distribution label ‘Boong Boong Pacific’. The band will also hold a concert from October 29 until 31.

Oh Ji Eun and 10cm for Anime

2010-09-28T17:39:00.002+09:00

Yesterday started the new animation series ‘Kimi Ni Todoke’ (in Korean 너에게닿기를) in korean TV. The opening song therefore has been sung by 10cm (original song sung, written and composed by Tanizawa Tomofumi). It has the same title as the series and is called ‘너에게닿기를’.

네에게닿기를 Opening korean version (10cm) from wassereis on Vimeo.

And Oh Ji Eun has been in charge for the ending song for the series (original song sung, written and composed by Chara). Also the title has been taken from the Japanese original, ‘짝사랑’(One-sided Love).

너에게닿기를 Ending Korean version (Oh Ji Eun) from wassereis on Vimeo.

[Infocorner] One More Chance

2010-09-24T05:57:00.002+09:00

One More Chance is a project group consisting of vocal Park Won and composer, writer and singer Jung Ji Chan, both winners at the Yoo Jae Ha Music Contest (respectively 19th and 8th Contest). They want to release an album or single about every 3 month, starting with their single ‘시간을 가슬러’ May 18 and a mini album September 14. The single consists of two songs, ‘시간을 가슬러’ and ‘Luxury Bus’, both also being on the album. With a 2 month interval they also hold concerts at Hongdae Rolling Hall, their next dates being September 24 and November 26.

Their name forms from Park Won’s ‘Won’ (One) ‘plus’(More) Jung Ji Chan’s ‘Chan’(Chance). They found together through the motto ‘Music is a play’(음악은 놀이다), worked hard for 2 years and recorded and re-recorded in a repeat to perfect the title song of their mini album ‘자유인’(Freeman)

The cover of their single ‘시간을 가슬러’ is a hand holding a 3-leaved clover. It has been drawn by Park Won who explains that when he thought of what would fit best to ‘One More Chance’ he first thought of a hand holding a 4-leaved clover. In the language of flowers a 4-leaved clover means ‘luck’, a 3-leaved clover means ‘happiness’. Park Won thought that the meaning of ‘holding luck’ is nice too but in the end liked the meaning of ‘holding happiness’ more.

Profiles of both and youtube links under the cut.

Jung Ji Chan

Jung Ji Chan was born 8th February 1972, graduated from Hongik University and is nicknamed ‘Chance’(or Jichance). He was the winner of the 8th Yoo Jae Ha Music Contest in 1996 and has been active in different groups since. Together with Na Won Joo he formed the band ‘Self-portrait’(자화상) and released one album in October 1997 and the second in November 1998. He released one solo album under the name HUE in 2003, under his real name ‘Jung Ji Chan’ he released an album ‘One Man’ in 2006 and a single ‘간다, 시베리황단열차에서…’ in 2008. His song ‘기억이… 눈물이…’ off his album ‘One Man’ also got a music video. He joined Kim Hyun Chul, Shim Hyun Bo and Lee Han Chul in the band ‘주식회사’(Stock-Company) and released two singles, ‘좋을거야’ in July 2007 and ‘Woman’ in October 2007. Ji Chan also participated at the ‘Dog Story’ compilation and Sweetpea’s 3rd album in the song ‘은하수’(Milky Way).
As a writer and composer he participated in sever artist’s albums, like Lee Seung Hwan, Lee Sora, Leeds and BMK. (He also composed and wrote Daesung’s ‘Cotton Candy’)

His homepage is www.jchance.com or follow him on Twitter.

Park Won

Park Won was born 11th January 1985 in Busan and is studying Industrial Design at Kyunggi University. He participated with his band Arpeggio at the 2007 MBC University Music Festival and won with his song ‘Like a Wonder’ the grand award, award for best lyrics and award for best singing at the 19th Yoo Jae Ha Music Contest. His song ‘Like a Wonder’ comes from his admiration towards Stevie Wonder and talks about a boy who wants to become Stevie Wonder and someday surpass him. He was moved by the words ‘Music is a play’(음악은 놀이다) which was written in front of Ji Chan’s workroom and through this motto and the shared feelings about it, they came to form One More Chance.

You can also follow him on Twitter.

Youtube links (open in new window):
Park Won with his band at Yoo Jae Ha Music Contest performing and recording "Like a Wonder"
Their single 시간을 가슬러
One More Chance performing Like a Wonder
One More Chance performing Luxury Bus together with 10cm
performing Luxury Bus while taking a walk(?)
them practicing for their performance tomorrow

sources: Daum Music, Cyworld Music, TV Report, Kuki News, 만만한 blog, Music Travel Lalala, here and there ^^;

The Behind Story of Lee Juck’s ‘Laundry’

2010-09-17T18:08:00.002+09:00

Lee Juck’s song ‘Laundry’ from his upcoming 4th album was made public on several music sites. It shot up to high ranks and even reached rank 1 on a popular music site the time it has been published.

The song talks about ‘laundering’ his hurting heart, not knowing how to deal with the hollowness after a separation. It starts off with “I have to do the laundry. It may be raining in the afternoon.”

Now he revealed the story to that introduction part: “When I was talking with Lucid Fall on the phone, I asked ‘What are you going to do now?’ ‘I want to do the laundry. Did they say it will rain in the afternoon?’ That moment suddenly. ‘Can I write that down as lyrics?’”

His 4th album will have its release September 30 and be called ‘사랑’(Love). It will consist of 10 songs and the title song will be ‘그대랑’(With You).

src: Lee Juck's Twitter, Arts News

Han Hyo Joo makes her debut as singer together with No Reply

2010-09-17T17:14:00.002+09:00

Currently busy with her Drama ‘Dong Yi’, Han Hyo Joo is the festival lady of this year’s Grand Mint Festival. Despite her murderous schedule, she had the shooting for the poster and the official trailer. She even participated as main vocal in the GMF song ‘Don’t You Know’.
The song has been composed and performed by No Reply, who are currently at their 2nd album activities.

At the recording September 14, she showed skills as good as a singer and did the prepared part flawlessly in a short time. At the drama set, Han Hyo Joo practiced and memorized the lyrics in the car every free time she had for a smooth recording.

No Reply and Han Hyo Joo’s single ‘Don’t You Know’ will be available on online music sites September 28.

src: The Star Chosun

New Hip Hop Duo DOZ

2010-09-14T04:57:00.003+09:00

New Hip Hop Duo DOZ (Yoo Joon Sung, 26, and Lee Ki Wook, 26) uploaded their UCC music video to their self-written song ‘Arigatou Gozaimasu’ and gained a lot of attention through it. The lyrics are about a girlfriend who goes to Japan for studying and breaks up with her boyfriend. It consists mostly of the words ‘arigatou gozaimasu’ and ‘sumimasen’, still finds some place for stuff like ‘Dokdo is our land desu’. Despite the title and the overflow on Japanese words, the narration still stays Korean. The music video has been shot and edited by themselves, mostly through camera or mobile.

Reaching over 310.000 watchers they released a digital single August 23, with also a Korean version called ‘긴 생머리의 처음 봤던 그녀 모습’ or –how they translate it themselves- ‘Very long magic straight perm girl’.

They are signed under Sniper Sounds since 2 years, and were preparing for an album release when they published their UCC videos.

thanks to vyeol for the tip~

Casker changes to new album

2010-09-10T18:17:00.002+09:00

Some time ago I wrote that Casker are working on a new singe.

The songs on the single changed a lot, the number of songs increased and the single became a full length album.

Lee Juck's Solo comeback

2010-09-10T01:45:00.002+09:00

Lee Juck will release a new full length album September 30. Tomorrow, September 10, the song '빨래'('Laundry') will have an on-line pre-release. That song is not the title song though. The title song is a ballade song said to have a high level of perfection, exceeding even the 3rd album's title song '다행이다'.

An unexpected band at Music bank: Galaxy Express

2010-09-09T00:01:00.002+09:00

3 Member band Galaxy Express will perform on Music Bank coming September 10 100% live.

For all the musicians who appeared on Music Bank, it was difficult to play 100% live due equipment and system problems. That’s why most performers used MR (Music Recorded) and had just to sing. Galaxy Express are the first ones in the last 5~6 years to play 100% live.

Searching for bands that can play well live, Galaxy Express has been discovered. They impressed with their outstanding abilities, and for their high musical level. But the problem was the live, as Galaxy Express’ music wouldn’t come out well using MR. It has been decided that Galaxy Express will record their live performance in a prerecording September 10 in the afternoon.

This week’s concept is ‘Autumn Band Special’ and also features bands like Boo Hwal, Rumble Fish, FT Island, Trax, Shinee etc.

More Infos on No Reply's 2nd Album

2010-08-24T22:55:00.003+09:00

News about No Reply's 2nd Album have been posted on the Happy Robot Blog.

The album release has been pushed back to September 15 and the current schedule for the album is a photo shooting on August 30, mixing finishing on August 31 and mastering September 1.

Photo and art direction will be done by Saeng Seon (ifishcamp), design by Hong Hwa Ki and Joe Brown, Song Yoon Ik (balance our eARTh) and Yoo Kyung Woo will be in charge of the video recording.

The album title has been decided to be ‘Dream’ to 70%. It will contain 11 songs (including one instrumental) and the title song is slowly settling for ‘내가 되었으면’.

No Reply did all composing and writing, except the lyrics of one song that was written by a high sunbae artist. Beside the ‘family’ (like Daybreaks Kim Seon Il and Kim Jang Won, Serengeti’s Jang Dong Jin and Jung Soo Wan, The Koxx’ Shaun and Naru) also strings, a choir and a brass band has joined No Reply at the performing of instruments.

There will also be a ‘listening event’ at Yes24 starting August 25. The winners will take part at the ‘listening event’ September 9, which will consist of a full listening of the 2nd album, an explanation by No Reply to their album, a small acoustic live (1~2 songs) and a question-answer session.

Another event will be a fansign at Hot Tracks in the Kangnam Kyobo Store September 18.

They will hold their concert for the 2nd Album September 25/26 at Sang Sang Madang. It will be a standing concert, 2 hours full of No Reply, as there will be no guests.

K-League dedicated album

2010-08-24T16:42:00.006+09:00

For the '2010 FC Barcelona – K-League All Star match' the K-League Supporter Alliance decided to make an album called 'INTO THE K-LEAGUE'. 6 month later the album has been produced by Rokstarr Music and published on August 4, the day of the match. 13 bands (No. 1 Korean, Super Kidd, Sugar Donut, No Brain, Galaxy Express, Yellow Monsters, Lunatic, The Strikers, Yellow Puffer, Napoleon Dynamite, GoGo Star, Sweet Revenge, GoGo Boys) participated with songs about friendship and dedication to the K-league. The intro 'Here is the Glory' by No Brain's drummer Hwang Hyun Sung was also made the entrance song for the K-League All Star players and decided to be used as the 'K-League Anthem'.

The 13 songs plus intro can be downloaded for free at the K-league website here.(continues on page 2).

Decide for Jaejoo Boy's 4th Album Cover!

2010-08-05T21:29:00.003+09:00

Jaejoo Boy's 4th album has been finished and is to be released August 18.
Just the cover of the album is yet to be decided.

In spring they went to Jeju-Do and shot here and there photos without any goal (and played soccer with kids at school and met a child at the bus station that carried a bag larger than their body). Out of the hundreds of photos that have been made there, 5 were filtered out and make possible covers.

Now you can choose which one you like the most and give them your opinion. Look at them and write your answer here. (You don't need an account for that.)

Bye Bye Sea takes a fictional 5th member and goes Drama

2010-08-05T04:37:00.005+09:00

Next to some U-Kiss members and a special performance by Teen Top in the 'Inkigayo' studio, Indie band Bye Bye Sea had a surprising appearance at SBS' new drama 'I am Legend'. The drama is about a divorced woman who forms a band and Bye Bye Sea plays here the role of an idol band that's been taken care of by Manager Kang Soo In (played by Jang Shin Young).

The usual 4 member band got an additional 5th member in the drama, Ha Min Gyu (played by Kim Jin Hyoung).

They were chosen to play this role because of the positive recommendation by music director Lee Jae Hyuk. It also has been searched for a talented rock band that's currently active. Producing company A Story thinks that "with the sudden appearance of a real band that's active, the degree of perfection of the drama 'I am Legend', which is centering around music, is raised a lot." And "even though it was their first time acting, they all are looking secure. Please look forward to Bye Bye Sea's high level performance and fresh acting."

Also watchers were surprised by them, saying "Bye Bye Sea's acting is so fresh", "I want them to be regulars in future", or "them acting looks so cute"

On another note, bass Myung Je is giving private lessons as a teacher to actors Hong Ji Min and Lee Joon Hyuk, who need abilities in performing.

The drama will be subtitled by B.O.N. subs.

[Infocorner] 10cm

2010-07-26T16:18:00.006+09:00

Trying to find out more about some artists, I decided to make an infocorner. Starting with 10cm. Unexpectedly it was easier to find infos than pictures.

10cm, consisting of Kwon Jung Yeol (vocal, percussion) and Yoon Chul Jong (guitar), became a trend. On a list of 'bands that had the most performances in Hongdae Clubs in 2009' they reached the 2nd place.

They describe themselves as 'expressing music full of sexiness with the smartness and arrogance of the NY Manhattan style'. But asking what exactly the Manhattan style is, you'll always get the answer 'it's just a bluff'. Never having been in Manhattan, not knowing where it is, Jung Yeol explains that it is just to make it look as if there's something; it's just the coolest word he knows.

They are lazybones who just do what they want, enjoying coffee and cigarettes. They search for 'the new world where you can pay monthly rent, communication bills, price for coffee and cigarette, PC bang and Date expenses through making music.'

Warning! CUT~

Starting in High School…

Both coming from Gumi in Gyeongsangbuk-do, they know each other about 12 years, when they came together in their High School band. It was a Middle School+High School complex. One day Jung Yeol send a self-recorded tape and a letter saying (with a heart) that when he enters High School he will join the band. When he finally entered High School, there was this rumor that he is really good at singing. So Chul Jong, who was the leader that time, just had to take him, or else he might have been scolded. Actually Chul Jong wanted to do the vocal, but changed to guitar then. In their High School band they rather made "loud, cute and lively music".

…Continuing in the Army…

After graduating, everyone went their ways. They met again in 2004 and formed a 4-member band called 'Ghost Of Sea' (with Chul Jong as bassist). They have been active and released an album called 'Virus' in 2005. Then, they went together to the army. They wanted to continue to make music, but there was no proper room. So they pretended to go to church and practiced there. A band in disguise. The band's name was 'Seven Hills' because their corps had the name '칠봉' (~seven hills). They say that probably the motive of 10cm's music already started back then.

Ghost Of Sea. After an amateurish look, the two on the right seem to be 10cm.

…And came till here

After leaving the army, the band broke up, but they still wanted to continue (as in "we have to do something for living"). So they came to Seoul, but it was difficult for them to organize members and they didn't have a proper practice room. So they started to practice on the streets. Jung Yeol's voice is quite loud and a lot of passersby stopped, watched and even gave money. Like this it became street performance. Half a year passed and when it got cold, it was impossible to play on the streets. So they decided to call themselves '10cm', their height difference, and started to perform at clubs.

Finally making their EP

As expectations, support and demanding were rising, they felt they had to record something. They even got proposals from labels, but they rejected with the reason "If it’s not SM, we won’t make a contract. If it’s not making us Idols… Because we’re people who are able to suddenly dislike doing the schedule tomorrow, we’re sorry, but we can’t make a contract." (Considering here that Jung Yeol is said to actually have gone to official Auditions.)
So they had to do it themselves. They started to prepare an EP. And then they prepared the preparations for an EP. And when they decided to start the preparations for preparing an EP, half a year was over. They recognized that they "never will be able to release anything like that".
One day Chul Jong posted on his cyworld "End of March EP will definitely be released". After that the atmosphere of the fanclub changed and they couldn't push it back anymore. They recorded the nights through at Chul Jong's home and since they made the EP themselves they had the idea to also make the case themselves. A leather case with '10cm' on it. It even would be not as expensive.
At the end it was really difficult. Friends who helped them were staying up several nights to finish them and it was as double as expensive as they thought. They were sorry to their fans but limited the quantity. And after one year since debuting, they released their first EP.

As it is their first EP, they wanted to test. They excluded the songs that are charming people right away and took those, which "stay in heart after listening to them several times". The title song of the EP is 'Good Night'. The reason? Well, "just without any special meaning, it seemed okay … this song seems the best, so we decided for 'Good Night' to be the title song."

On a final note, all songs are fiction and it's Jung Yeol who likes americano (he generally really likes coffee, drinks 3~4 cups per day), Chul Jong rather likes coffee latte.

Recently, there also has been a 10Asia Interview, I hope to translate it soon (if no one else does) as it seems to contain lots of info.

sources: Mintpaper, Hyang Music, hani TV (interview and video)

Soran working on their first EP

2010-07-24T16:57:00.003+09:00

Modern Rock/Pop group Soran, which has been once introduced in Janet's Videophile at Indieful ROK, are working on their first EP. The songs that will be recorded for it are 잊어야해, 타임머신(feat. Monni's Taewoo), 가을목이, 그때는 왜 몰랐을까, 이렇게 행복해, 너에게(feat. 10cm's Jung Yeol, Serengeti's Soo Wan). They will have an album release concert August 6. You can watch a kind of music video of 너에게(feat. Jung Yeol, Soo Wan) here and listen to 잊어야해 here (not sure if this is already the album version though).

Band Soran was formed in autumn 2009. Even though it's a young band, every member has its experiences. Vocal Go Young Bae studied Classic composing at Chugye University For The Arts, guitarist Jun Hoon is currently guitarist at Lee Seung Hwan's band and active as a session artist for the musical 'Legally Blonde', bassist Seo Myun Ho is active as session artist for Beautiful Days and drummer Pyun Hyu Il won the first prize at 'Seoul Drum Festival Drum Contest' in his High school time.

The KOXX' Shaun models

2010-07-23T02:41:00.002+09:00

While fashion manufacture uglybros goes for the 2nd Season, they have chosen The KOXX' Synthesizer Shaun to be their main model. There have been some photos posted on the Happy Robot Blog, the real advertisement will be out in August in the magazine 'Scooter n Style' and on the official homepage of uglybros.

Besides that, Shaun has opened a new MySpace for his remixes: http://www.myspace.com/djshauun

Ruby Salon's new MCs

2010-07-23T02:13:00.004+09:00

Cha Seung Woo from The Moonshiners got a new radio program on iTVFM (90.7MHz). His music program (consisting of Korean and foreign songs) will go from 12 in the night until 2. His first broadcast will be on August 2.

Guckkasten's Ha Hyung Woo got a position as a MC at OBS' TV program '꿈 꾸는 U' ('dreaming U'). He will join announcer Kim Won Kyung, film director Jang Hang Joon and Kim Eo Joon from website ddanzi. Starting today (July 22) he will introduce short films in his own unique manner every Thursday night at 12.30.

[New Albums] Musicians at work

2010-07-21T19:30:00.005+09:00

Some news about albums I caught on.

On her 2009 travel in Hokkaido Oh Ji Eun started thinking about making more lively songs. She gathered her session musicians Jung Joon Yeob(guitar), Park Min Soo(keyboard), Park Soon Chul(bass) and Shin Dong Hoon(drum) and formed 'Oh Ji Eun and The Wolves' (after 'Oh Ji Eun and The Blockheads' was disliked by the members). Their digital single '미리듣기' came out yesterday, July 21, and consist of the title song '너에게 그만 빠져들 방법을 이제 가르쳐줘타이틀곡' and '아저씨 미워요'. They also have an official homepage.

New team Yellow Monsters decided their first album release to be June 22. The self-titled album consists of 10 tracks.

After Yozo postponed the release of her album due performances, cf, broadcasts etc, she's working now on it next to her radio broadcast. If everything goes well, it may be released beginning of next month already.

Super Kidd are coming back with their 3rd album. No release date yet, an event will take place at Kubrick in The Forest August 1. They'll talk about their 3rd album and it will probably be released after it.

Also Jaejoo Boys are at finishing their 4th album (mixing process is said to be finished) and it will be released after Jisan Valley Rock Festival.

After 3 years Daybreak will release their 2nd album. It is called 'Aurora' and has already a full track list and title song here. There is also a full concert planned for August 29 at Sang Sang Madang.

Han Hee Jung started the recording of her new single. It will probably consist of 5 tracks and be released around October.

Casker is also working on a new single, seem to have some troubles and a lot of worries though. For the first time, they take external lyrics and work in an outside studio for a longer time.

Listen to Naru's 2nd Album

2010-07-01T15:44:00.003+09:00

Two days ago Naru released his 2nd album after working for 2 years on it. Like the 1st one, he composed, wrote, played the instruments and recorded all himself. There even has been a music video release, made by a friend of him, for '키'(height).

On Happy Robot Nina's youtube account have been also uploaded teaser videos (him playing on a balcony) and full songs from the new album.

Little update on Delight's current work

2010-06-23T16:04:00.004+09:00

Delight's dk posted on twitter that '절름발이' is a digital single being released tomorrow, June 24. He also said that they finished preparations for a promotional CD, promotional stickers, a music video and some special event.

No Reply's Keyboard Sungwan gets a guitar

2010-06-23T15:43:00.005+09:00

During their concert Road 4, No Reply's Sungwan and Wookjae changed instruments on request of the fans. Even though Sungwan said he don't like to play guitar, because his fingers hurt, he just bought his very first electric guitar.
He wanted a guitar for simple recording, but after all his desires grew and he spent more money than he thought he would. Nevertheless he has no regrets about it, he loves his guitar and its icetea color.

No Reply is currently working on their 2nd album that is supposed to have it's release September 9. Besides that Sungwan is appearing in Lee Seung Hwan's music video '완벽한 추억'. He composed the song himself and it is the 2nd(or new?) titlesong from Lee Seung Hwan's 10th album.

Music Travel LaLaLa brings Indie and Idols together

2010-06-23T13:52:00.003+09:00

Today, June 23rd, one day after South Korean football team got into the 16s, MBC will boradcast a new (already recorded) episode of Music Travel LaLaLa, bringing a new variety of collaborations. Those are Super Junior and Park Sae Byul, Guckkasten and f(x), Jung In and Zitten, IU and tomtom.

List of songs is as following:
Super Junior & Park Sae Byul - 그대 내게 다시 (from Park Jin Sup)
Super Junior & Park Sae Byul - 사랑인가요
Super Junior & Park Sae Byul - 미인아 (BONAMANA)
IU & tomtom - Slow Motion (from Karina)
IU & tomtom - 1994년 어느 늦은 밤 (from Jang Hye Jin)
Jung In & Zitten - TV Show
Jung In & Zitten - 미워요
Guckkasten & f(x) - Vitriol
Guckkasten & f(x) - Don't Speak (from No Doubt)
Jung In & Zitten & Kim Chang Wan - 내가 갖고 싶은 건 (from Kim Chang Wan Band)

You can watch a preview here.

Guckkasten and CN Blue performing live on Music Core

2010-06-19T01:28:00.004+09:00

Idol band group CN Blue and Hongdae Indie band Guckkasten prepared a special live for Music Core. Due problems with time and technical specials, it has been prerecorded June 16 and will be broadcasted in the live show June 19.

Representatives said that it has been a worry to not have enough genres and to be not able to satisfy the audience with just ballads and danceble tracks. They hope to fill the watchers needs through this.

~~One article said that CN Blue performed Guckkasten's 'Mirror' (other articles are not going further on who played what) so a guess is that Guckkasten performed CN Blue's 'Love'.~~
Everyone performed their own songs.(thank you rina)

[New Albums] What’s Coming Up?

2010-06-15T15:42:00.009+09:00

After 5 years Modern Rock Band Monni brought out their 2nd album yesterday, Monday June 14. The album has been produced by Jaurim’s Guitarist Lee Sun Gyu and mixed by Bassist Kim Jin Man. The title song of the album ‘This Moment’ is 나를 떠나가던 and there is also a music video for it. At the same time of the release, their official homepage www.monni.co.kr has been opened.

Today, Tuesday, June 15, the KOXX’ very first EP ‘Enter’ will be released. Happy Robot gave some head ups on the band and the tracks. The Electro Rock band started through at the 2009 Hello Rookie and their average age is 21,5. They gathered around drummer Shin Sa Ron at the end of 2008 and before they had the current line-up, vocal Lee Hyun Song was also drummer and Synthesizer Shaun was also a guitarist. They appeared on festivals and performed in small and big clubs and received attention not just from national clubbers but also foreigners with their Daft Punk medley.
The first song on their EP ‘531’ is an intro to the 2nd track ‘ACDC’, 531 being the number of days from their forming to their first mini album release. ‘ACDC’ has nothing to do with the band AC/DC, it is simply the name of notes, like ‘Ra Do Re Do’. The next song ‘Over and Over’ is a new song they didn’t perform that often. Under the members it’s called ‘super song’; it’s based on garage rock, but has a relatively popish sound. ‘A Fool Moon Night’ is a ballad; the members explain it is best to listen to during a jogging in a bright moon night. The song ‘얼음땡’ is a love song to the expression ‘Koxx’. The last song ‘Trouble Maker’ is a danceable number that represents the Koxx with its dynamic sound and at every performance it made the audience enjoy to their limits.

A lot of you may already know, Zitten releases their new EP ‘Wonderland’ June 17. Yesterday, June 14, Pastelmusic released next to a two part reality video, a music video for ‘TV Show’. A live version of this song will be posted June 22.
After Yoon Hyung Ro came back from army last autumn, they worked on the EP and it looked like they’d be finished in winter, but Sung Yong Uk got sick and it had to be delayed an uncertain time. Yong Uk recovered and they finished the work. The album art will be done by Japanese illustrator Marumiyan, who already worked for the 1st album.

Naru’s 2nd album ‘Yet’ is set to be released on June 29th. A track list and cover have been revealed. You can also listen to 3 previews on Hyang. ‘Yet’ has, compared to the first album, more electronic elements. So is for example the interlude ‘Spring!!!’ that can be compared to ‘Take Off’ a more electronic arrangement.
Even though there have been made plenty of jacket photos, it is still not sure if there will be actually photos in it or if the album will consist like the first one just of Naru’s own drawings.

A new formation called ‘Yellow Monkeys’ has been brought up, consisting of GumX’ Young Won as lead vocal and guitar, Delispice’s Choi Jae Hyuk as drummer and vocal, and My Aunt Mary’s Han Jin Yeong as bass and vocal. Han Jinyeong wrote on his personal blog ‘see you in July’ and some time ago he posted that recording has been finished. They have performed already at the Time To Rock Festival though. Their homepage is yellowmonsters.net

Delight’s dk gives his fans a new mistery announcing that Delight is working on something(a new record) called ‘절름발이’(cripple)

[Misty Blue] Last Performance

2010-06-06T21:02:00.003+09:00

Pastelmusic's twitter announced that Misty Blue will have its last concert 'Goodbye Misty Blue' June 20th at club ta. This will be the last performance under the name 'Misty Blue'. Bass Kyung Hoon wrote at his blog "During the first performance in 2003 there was just one person watching; that we could come until here was a generous happiness. Thinking of it, there are so many people I'm thankful to. Thank you to all the people who took interest in us."

[Lala Sweet] Interview with Mintpaper

2010-06-06T19:21:00.002+09:00

Lala Sweet consists of guitar and vocal Kim Hyuna and keyboard Park Byul. April 29th they released their first EP and made their song ‘good bye’ known through the Mintpaper compilation LIFE and the 1Night 2Days preview on next episode with Kim C leaving the show. They made their debut with ‘나의 낡은 오렌지나무’ winning silver at the University Music Competition.
Growing up with listening to rock music, they met in their teens at a place where they went to learn instruments. After some time they decided to make their own music that is just made of guitar and piano and they started Lala Sweet.
When they were traveling to India, they discovered a store called ‘Lala Sweet’. They found the name cute and wrote it down. When they were searching for a name for them that was ‘easy to say, pretty in Latin letters and Hangeul and without any embarrassing meaning’, they remembered it.

Mintpaper had a little Interview with them that I thought was interesting (and easy) enough to translate.

Mintpaper: You prepared a demo long time ago and now you finally brought out your first EP; how’s your feeling?

Hyuna: Actually, I don’t really know. We talked about it earlier; an album seems to be like a license.
Byul: ‘Because we got the permission, from now on we can perform in Hongdae’ such a feeling? (laughter)
Hyuna: Even if people see our performances and like our music, when they come home, they have no way to listen to it. We thought we have to make an album. At first, we thought about making it alone, but we got help and our EP came out like this.

M: You two know each other since before Lala Sweet; how and when did you meet?

B: I was in High School and Hyuna was in Middle School; we went to a place called Haja Centre to learn to play instruments and met there. Hyuna played electric guitar and I played bass. We didn’t have a band together. We spend continuously time together, being close. We had our bands, went to school, did our part time jobs, and then in 2008 we thought ‘Won’t we really do anything together?’ and we came to start Lala Sweet.

M: If there was a moment that made you interested in music or made you go to learn an instrument, which was it?

H: Normally Elementary School girls don’t listen to rock music. My 7 years older brother listened to music like Black Sabbath and X-Japan in his puberty. We lived on the 9th floor that time; when the elevator with my brother in it came just to the 4th floor, you could already hear his music sound; it was that amazing. Like that I naturally came to listen to rock music and got interested in it.
B: When I was little, I went to a Piano institute, everyone went to. In 4th class of Elementary school, my mum said it would be better to go to an institute for mental arithmetic. So I said that I will quit the piano institute, but my teacher stopped me saying “You can’t quit. I barely see a child doing well like you.” But after all I couldn’t win against the persuasions of my mum and quit. I believed the teachers words until I was 20. My friends said “When you tell them you will quit, they all say so.” (laughter) But because I always believed her words, I learnt an instrument with the thought ‘I have a talent for music, so don’t I have to continue with music?’

M: In 2008 you received silver in the University Music Competition. There seem quite some people remembering the winning song ‘나의 낡은 오렌지나무’(my old orange tree).

B: Asking if we shouldn’t try out something, Hyuna made songs. We first worked on them, and then we reached them in at two places, the University Music Competition and the Yoo Jae Ha Music Competition. We actually had Yoo Jae Ha as goal, but the announcement from the UMC came out first. So we thought ‘Huh? That’s not it’, and we passed the 2nd round and then the 3rd round too. We really were in the state ‘Huh? We didn’t think it would come out like that at all’.
H: When we first made the song, it was 5min 30sec. The regulation for the UMC was 3min 30sec. We also made it difficult when we made the song, but I particularly didn’t have the confidence to shorten the song. After all, right before going on broadcast, it went through an inspection and was fit the time. We also never thought that it was a song made for such a huge stage, so we crazily went through that time always thinking ‘Huh?’

M: When you started with Lala Sweet, how did you decide the vocal between you two?

B: When we were little, we often went to karaoke; Hyuna sings well.
H: We actually thought about a male vocal, but as we two made it together, it seemed to be difficult to get someone as a new member. At first someone had to do it; because I couldn’t tell unni to do it (laughter) I made it.
B: But isn’t Hyuna’s voice filled with sadness? There is a power to even make bright and vigorous songs melancholic. (laughter)

M: On various club performance posters your name started to show up since last year.

H: We started performing in December 2008. It seems we have already passed the 100 times.
B: I found it in the internet, the artists with the most performances in 2009 are on 2nd place 10cm and the one after the next, on place 4, is Lala Sweet.

M: Out of the performances you did that time, there also has to be one that was fabulous or you can’t forget; will you talk about just one?

H: We really went to all strange places. The president of a concert place once told us just ‘known people are performing, if you have time, come when they left’, so we went there clueless….
B: That was the office of Yeomni-Dong. An office we really know well. (laughter) In the Basement was a music room, so we performed there. In there were some fitness equipments and a mirror… the audience was from 7 to 60 years?
H: We were performing and some person did some fitness. (laughter) We had to sing ‘good bye’… It was the first time in my life it was so difficult to keep back my laughter like that. After all, when we sung, I couldn’t hold it back at all and I stopped, saying sorry.

M: Lala Sweet’s ‘good bye’ is one song out of the songs that got a lot of love during the performances; it was recorded on ‘LIFE’ this time.

B: I like it because it seems more people got interested in us after the LIFE album came out.
H: Wook Jae (No Reply’s Wook Jae participated as producer) put the song into the right direction and when we worried ‘Will that work?’ he easily said ‘why shouldn’t it? Everything will work’ and he really made it work, so it was marvelous and a nice experience.

M: How was the EP showcase that was some time ago? I heard that you prepared a special present for the audience.

H: It was our first concert; after the rehearsal ended, we suddenly got nervous. We also didn’t tell the people around us to come and watch, so we really started to worry what we should do if no one comes. We held it in, to not tell each other and pretended it would be nothing, but we were really worried. Thank god a lot of people came.
B: All the people came to watch just us. So, if it was the degree of concentration, or the response, it was totally different; so so nice.
H: We actually also even thought ‘should we bake a cake and give it as a present?’, but the performance stood before and because I was hurt, I didn’t have the senses to make one. But still, we wanted to do something, so we prepared an easy thing similar to an Indian, sweet snack. We wrote messages with hand, packed it up and gave it to the people who came. Until right before going on stage we were crazily busy with packing and putting stickers on it.

M: It seems to be a really happy thing to feel that ‘someone listens to our music and likes it’.

H: Preparing the showcase, a lot of difficult things piled up. One day I came home really tired and someone send me a friend invitation writing ‘I like listening to your songs’ (lit.: I am listening to your songs well’). Now we, as Lala Sweet, making music is not something that has a visible result; it’s also not something where it’s just either pass or fail. Sometimes I also get the thought that in other people’s eyes it can look as if we don’t make anything at all. But at those words I got the feeling that everything gets solved.
B: Actually, when we packed the sweets during the showcase and wrote the messages, it felt like writing a love letter to a person you really liked for a long time.

M: It’s not just Lala Sweet, but also Joa band, 10cm, Dalmoon etc who are receiving a lot of love with their simple composition music.

H: When we started performing, there really weren’t a lot artists with a similar disposition, so when we went to the clubs to perform, we had to do it after a band with strong music. It’s good that these days the bands we can perform together with became more. It’s also amazing that the point of time everyone started is similar.

M: If there is a goal you want to reach as Lala Sweet, which one is it?

H: Making a nice 1st full length album. And performing at the GMF? (laughter)
B: Of course appearing at the GMF, also performing at Space Sympathy, being chosen for this week’s album, appearing on Sketchbook; I want to do all these things. Because it’s not that kind of music that’s difficult to listen to, I’d want that a lot of people listen to our music and sympathize with it.

[Sogyumo Acacia Band] Free Down for New Album

2010-05-30T17:21:00.003+09:00

Sogyumo Acacia Band put their album for download on their official homepage www.sogyumo.com.

The album, consisting of 7 tracks, carries the title '저녁, 아이들' (Evening, Kids) and stands under the theme 'children's songs'. They are Songs that are good to listen to or to sing with children, but after all, made for the grown-ups to listen to, they are made as a 'present'. So everyone can go to the homepage and enjoy the songs.

Going onto the homepage, you get on a fairytale like picture, clicking on the right items (the title will come up when you hover it) you get to another page where you can listen to and download the songs.

The 7 tracks are following:

01. 생각
02. 룰루랄라
03. 보고싶은너
04. 개나리본부
05. 노래
06. 안녕슈퍼맨
07. 숲

[10cm] Restricted From Broadcast

2010-05-30T17:00:00.005+09:00

Mintpaper 3rd Compilation LIFE's titlesong '오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요'(tonight the darknss is scary) from 10cm didn't get through the controls of TV broadcast stations MBC and SBS. Besides indicating criminality, there have been various other reasons.

Nevertheless it passed the controls of KBS. 10cm will have a recording June 8th for 'Yoo Hee Yeol's Sketchbook' which is to be boradcasted 11th in the evening. They will perform said song '오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요' and 'Americano'.

[Delight] Working for Maplestory

2010-05-27T15:00:00.004+09:00

Following Delight dk's Twitter, Delight wasn't just busy with helping Norazo for their 4th album, but also made some logo songs for radio broadcasts, you can listen to here.
Also they've been active for Nexon, making the opening song for the Nintendo DS game Maplstory. The full and short version of this song are downloadable on the left side at the Maplestory DS homepage(works just in IE). They(especially dk and yumi) also did the dubbing for a new Nexon community game's teaser videos. There is a Beach Version, Cafe Version and PC Room Version and also a short kind of making of for the Beach Version here.

The plan for a single to come out in beginning of June has been mentioned too, and dk is also posting new profile photos of him and the photo shoot, so some new song from Delight as 'Delight' may be not too far.

Not so new news

2010-05-26T17:37:00.004+09:00

I have been away from blogging for a while, I'm sorry for that.
I didn't really kept up on the news that time, so I will just try to summarize what got under my nose.

- Younha and Super Kidd filmed a CF for chicken together. Younha's 'Password 486' lyrics have been remodeled a bit and Super Kidd changed their positions. You can watch it here.

- There have been lots of updates on Mintpaper's LIFE. Mainly about the A-Live Concert, preorder and such stuff. I uploaded the teaser here. I just want to count up some background stuff that has been mentioned and I thought may be (more or less) interesting.
Besides the Artists of the 16 songs on the track list, a lot of performers(playing the background instruments and chorus and such) and 10 labels participated on this compilation. In the case of 10cm, Lala Sweet and Serengeti, the songs have been discovered at performances and decided to be on the compilation. So it was not easy at first to decide on one theme that fits to them all.
Sweet Sorrow's Sung Jin Hwan worked for the very first time together with Serengeti.
No Reply's Wook Jae worked for the first time as a producer for Lala Sweet.
Joa Band was the very first team that got in mind of the organizer when they decided for the compilation LIFE.
Earip's song 'our house singer' are episodes about her all day life with her cat 'Nawa', so the cat sounds in the song are not recorded accidentally.
Omega3's Go Kyung Cheon participates at Lonely H's Band's song playing the keyboard.
For a better feel for the lyrics, Autumn Holiday's song has been simplified compared to the demo.

- 10cm got Model Jung Hye Sun as their stylist. As she liked the band from the very first time, she decided to try out as their stylist. You can watch her 'challenge' on the Elle homepage, here.

- Some Musicians of Happy Robots are currently working on their 2nd album, which includes Naru (who finished his mixing process, bought a new guitar and will have a haircut soon and a profile photo shoot tomorrow), Daybreak (rumor has it that it will come out around July), No Reply (who are at the preparing status) and Tearliner (who also works on his Travel Essay).
Besides that, No Reply's Sungwan also participated with '완벽한 추억' at Lee Seung Hwan’s 10nd album and Joe Brown will be the director for KOXX’ music video ‘Trouble Maker’.

[Mintpaper] LIFE 5th Update

2010-04-07T17:55:00.000+09:00

Due to a delay the mastering has been pushed a bit forward and the day of release has been decided on May 4 (TU). (It will be still pre-sold at Beautiful Mint Life)

The tracklist that has been revealed is 70% sure, the 100% sure tracklist will follow April 14.

01. 10cm - 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요(The darkness tonight is scary)
02. Daybreak - 팝콘(popcorn)
03. Sung Ji Hwan - 포근해(cozy)
04. Lala Sweet - Good Bye
05. Lee Neung Ryong with Im Ju Yeon - 없는끝 이야기(Endless story)
06. Han Hee Jung - 오늘은 휴일입니다(Today is holiday)
07. Dalmoon - 구제불능(hopeless)
08. Lonely H's Band - 고향에 살어리랏다(survive in hometown)
09. neons - 달빛 스쿠터(Moonlight Scooter)
10. naru - 무지개(rainbow)
11. Autumn Vacation - 취미는 사랑(hobby is love)
12. Earip - 우리집 싱어(our home singer)
13. 달빛요정역전만루홈런(Moonlight Nymph) - 주성치와 함께라면(being together with Stephen Chow)
14. Joa-Band - 유통기한(expiration date)
15. Oh Ji Eun - 겨울아침(Winter Morning)
16. Serengeti - Hakuna Matata
(*do not take 100% on title translations)

Serengeti's Hakuna Matata is said to be a follow up to 'We Are The World' with No Reply's Gwon Sun Gwan, Oh Ji Eun, Daybreak's Lee Won Weok and EZ Hyung participating in the chorus.

The track that will be released before the CD comes out will be one song out of Sung Ji Hwan's '포근해', Lonely H's Band (still pronounced like Lonely Husband) '고향에 살어리랏다', or Serengeti's 'Hakuna Matata'.
The title song will be decided by the staff in a meeting.

Due to high expenses for the merchandise, it has been decided that there will be no merchandise for the limited edition. Instead there will be no limited edition with being both the same. But they will work hard for a nice package.

The booklet with photos and lyrics is organized with 32 pages.
The photos fitting to the LIFE concept will be done mostly by Starry-Eyed's duck and a little by Kathrin Jin(head of Mintpaper) and Sombrero(head of Master Plan).

[EE] Marriage

2010-04-07T06:11:00.000+09:00

Singer Lee Yoon Jung (33) is going to marry her EE colleague Lee Hyun Joon (27) coming June.
Place and date are not announced yet, but planned is a wedding ceremony with parents and family, and after that a party at a club in EE-style.

They met for the first time at a House Rulez music party and developed a lover's relationship during their activities as duo EE. Especially their interests in art got them together.
Lee Yoon Jung currently works as a fashion stylist whereas Lee Hyun Joon works as installation artist and sound producer.

[Seoul Electric Band] Going to Beatball

2010-04-06T20:52:00.001+09:00

Seoul Electric Band goes with Beatball Music starting April 2010.

After making the 1st album together with Mezoo Music, they did released everything themselves without a label.
It is planned to produce and promote Seoul Electric Band's 3rd album and member Shin Yoon Chul's Solo album.

While Shin Jung Hyun, the father of members Shin Yoon Chul and Shin Suk Chul, had a re-release of one of his older albums at Beatball in 2003, contact was made through the participation at the soundtrack of the movie 'Go Go 70' and the performance 'Rock sounds of the youth'.

[Galaxy Express] Making a Record in 30 Days Project

2010-04-06T19:54:00.002+09:00

April 1 Galaxy Express starts their project to make an album in 30 days. No songs are recorded or organized, the project started at point 0.

The members made an extra blog for it, galaxy30.tistory.com, where they stated that the recording, mixing and mastering will not proceede with normal methods. They rather want to put their basic sound, just as it is, on it.

Until the project is finished, Galaxy Express updates their blog with their songs they are working on.

[Mintpaper] LIFE 4th Update

2010-03-26T17:32:00.002+09:00

Planned on 14 songs first, then decided to 15 the number of songs changed now again to 16 songs. The last 4 added songs are following:

01. Sung Ji Hwan - [title to be announced]
02. Serengeti - Hakuna Matata
03. Daybreak - 팝콘(popcorn)
04. naru - 무지개(rainbow)
05. Earip - 우리집 싱어
06. Lonely Husband - 고향에 살어리랏다
07. 달빛요정역전만루홈런(Moonlight Nymph) - 주성치와 함께라면
08. Dalmoon - 구제불능
09. Han Hee Jung - 오늘은 휴일입니다
10. 10cm - 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요
11. Lee Neung Ryong (feat. Im Ju Yeon) - 없는끝 이야기
12. neons - 달빛 스쿠터
13. Joa-Band - 유통기한
14. Lala Sweet - Good Bye
15. Autumn Vacation - 취미는 사랑
16. Oh Ji Eun - 겨울아침
*order of songs is not related to the final tracklist. correct tracklist will be announced after the mastering April 5.

Sweet Sorrow Sung Ji Hwan's Solosong. The recording has been finished a while ago but he is uneasy as he has no title for the song now. He did the song together with Serengeti.

It has been decided that the full band version of the song Hakuna Matata, which gained much applause during Serengeti's first arthall concert, will also be recorded.
It will also be fun to see who participated in the chorus.

The song Daybreak is going to record for LIFE has been changed 3 times. The other two songs that got almost on the compilation, '머리가 자란다' and '에라모르겠다', are now playing a role in Deb's album recording.

The last song that has been decided on is Naru's '무지개'. He did all the performing, vocal, recording and even the 1st mixing alone. It will probably the song that boast the most powerful decibel on the compilation.

7 songs have been mixed, it is planned to have 10 songs finished(mixing) this week and have all songs by thursday next week.
Mastering will be finished April 5 and after ten days from today on the correct tracklist can be announced.

Changes have been made to the schedule:

4.02(FR) | Finishing mixing
4.05(MO) | Finishing mastering
4.06(TU) | Announcing correct track list
4.10~11(SA~SU) | Releasing as entrance music for live ICON audience!
4.14(WE) | First Design release
4.19(MO) | Open for preorder
4.26(MO) | MINTPAPER RADIO special LIFE release broadcast - first release of full songs
4.27(TU) | Pre-release of a part of tracks online
5.01~2(SA~SU) | First sale of limited amount (Beautiful Mint Life)
5.03(MO) | Release in shops in the whole country
5.06(TH) | Opening radio publicity
5.28~29(FR~SA) | MNET 'AURA' - LIFE Release Concert @ Timesquare CGV Art Hall

[Mint Paper] LIFE 3rd Update

2010-03-21T03:19:00.001+09:00

A new update on LIFE has been made on the Mint Paper homepage.

The 3rd line up of songs+artists has been revealed and the list looks like this now:

01. Earip - 우리집 싱어
02. Lonely Husband - 고향에 살어리랏다
03. 달빛요정역전만루홈런(Moonlight Nymph) - 주성치와 함께라면
04. Dalmoon - 구제불능
05. Han Hee Jung - 오늘은 휴일입니다
06. 10cm - 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요
07. Lee Neung Ryong (feat. Im Ju Yeon) - 없는끝 이야기
08. neons - 달빛 스쿠터
09. Joa-Band - 유통기한
10. Lala Sweet - Good Bye
11. Autumn Vacation - 취미는 사랑
12. Oh Ji Eun - 겨울아침

Kim C (Hot Potatoes) and Lee Sun Gyu (Jaurim) work together as the project band Lonely Husband to record a song with fabulous sound.
Sweater vocal Earip's small and lovely solo song after a long time.
Moonlight Nymph' humor and resolution about seperation.
Dalmoon's song about self-reflection and gloomy confessions.

12 songs have been official announced by now, but the whole song number to be recorded is 15. The 3 left songs and artists will be probably announced sometime during the next 2 weeks.

A schedule for the LIFE release has been announced:

4.02(FR) | Finishing mixing
4.05(MO) | Finishing mastering
4.06(TU) | Announcing correct track list
4.10~11(SA~SU) | Releasing as entrance music for live ICON audience!
4.14(WE) | First Design release
4.19(MO) | Open for preorder
4.26(MO) | Pre-release of a part of tracks online
5.01~2(SA~SU) | First sale of limited amount (Beautiful Mint Life)
5.03(MO) | Release in shops in the whole country
5.06(TH) | Opening radio publicity
5.28~29(FR~SA) | Album Release Concert

This is the program but it also may change a bit.

Other Infos about the album say that the normal album will have a 'digipack' with illustrations and photos. The first limited print will be produced with a special bag and will even include some kind of Merchandise.

The limitation of the first print is not decided yet but will be at least 3,000 and max 5,000 CDs. It is also planned to procede an event at the BML where the limited first press will be sold to a normal price. The normal album and the limited version will have a price difference and it will be possible to buy them in every store.

[Guckkasten] 1st Album Re-Release

2010-03-18T18:00:00.000+09:00

Ruby Salon announced that the 1st album from Guckkasten will be re-released in the first week of April.
The re-release has the songs from the 1st album re-recorded plus an acoustic version of '꼬리'. Also the CD jacket will have a new design.

[Phonebooth] Guitarist leaves

2010-03-18T05:05:00.000+09:00

Phonebooth' guitarist Lee San Mi left the band due personal reasons. He had his last performance March 12.
Thus he will not participate in the activities for the 2nd album. Kim Tae Woo announced that they will have a new guitarist.

[Naru] New Infos on 2nd Album

2010-03-08T14:48:00.000+09:00

Happy Robot twittert new infos about Naru's 2nd album.

Naru's 2nd album will be out soon and it contains 11 songs, under it a huge song that goes over 8 minutes. The title of the album will be 'YET'.
Naru performed the song 'YET' at Soundholic's 'Holiday - Promenade' at February 7. A video of that has been posted at the Happy Robots blog, but it has been taken down again to raise the anticipation for the 2nd album.

[No Reply] In Interview with Kim Ki Ja

2010-03-04T22:53:00.001+09:00

The Kim KiJa Daum Cafe (which revolves around Indie) has a new corner "Alive, Deep Inside", showing other sides of the artists to the fans. Their first artist was No Reply.
At first a video was released with cuts from the interview and a live performance.

Later the full interview has been revealed (click on 'Read More'), followed by snapshots, to look at here and No Reply's favorite music, see here

The first site of 'ALIVE, DEEP INSIDE' is filled with emotion duo No Reply. No Reply are Jung Wook Jae and Kwon Sun Gwan, a 2 member band rising people’s expectations through winning the 2nd place at 17th Yoo Jae Ha Music Competition in 2006. After releasing their debut single '고백하는 날' in 2008 and their first full length album 'Road' in 2009, they are widening their fan base in high speed with music that has not just musicality but also popularity. While their popularity also comes out on several festivals and performances, their concerts have been sold out. No Reply finished their activities for their 1st album with the performances at Seokang University Mary Hall February 26~28. In this cold winter we're pulling out a package of their warm and small stories.

Q. 6 month after you released your first album 'Road', how did you spend that time?

Wook Jae(WJ): It went past really fast. After the release, performances were proceeding tightly and we also had a lot of broadcast and radio appearances. There were various works we experienced for the first time and we were crazy, but it was fun. More than anything else a lot of fans appeared and they gave a lot of love, so one glad year went by fast.

Sun Gwan(SG): The time we made the album felt far too long, and the time we were active felt too short and as if it passed in just a moment. That the flowing of time can feel so different... At first, when the album came out, we didn't do anything for 2 weeks and were just watching the reaction through the internet. But suddenly the work came blowing like a storm. Of course it was not like as for Idols, but we were unpracticed at broadcasts, unpracticed at performances, and also unpracticed at speaking, so we were in a flurry, and it went over like in one moment. Of course there were also difficult experiences. We thought much of meals and when we went to work without eating, our nerves became sensitive, but in general we really enjoyed work.

WJ: I remember the concerts. We had the first concert in July in Hongdae, and a lot of people came, it was even sold out. That time over 200 people came to our concert. I thought that really a lot of people came, but there came by far more people to repeat the party Thanks, once again.
(Q. It was sold out quite fast.)
WJ: At the second time, we even couldn't realize it. I didn't thought I would be able to do a performance that gets sold out. Once I wanted to invite my parents and also went into the preorder battle, but it was really hard to get a ticket. I merely made it because people were cancelling their tickets.

Q. While being active, is there a question you hear very often?

WJ: Normally questions about what we are spending our time with are many. In the corner 'ask whatever you want' of our club, a lot of questions are coming up, if it's about our family relations, or maybe where our houses are, such things are often uploaded. Because I like sport, I do sport to pull off the stress and I also like games.

SG: People are curious what meaning the name No Reply has. It is not a name we built putting in a big meaning. There are colors about names; if you say 'cool', you think of summer. But if you say 'Radio Head', it feels like an achromatic color. Like that we wanted No Reply to have several colors through music, so we built the name without any special meaning. They also ask a lot about fashion and clothes. Especially where I bought the socks. They are also giving us a lot of presents.

Q. Not just during concerts, but also other performances, how is your feeling?

WJ: I'm lost at how the planning gets bigger and bigger every time. There is also the burden of the 2nd album. But still, because there are a lot of people liking us, I feel good. The fun thing during the performance is, when the performance ends and we are shooting a Polaroid photo and give it to the audience; the fans like it a lot. I tried it at the GMF; in 2007 I watched Jason Mraz' performance and was inspired, so I tried and it was really good. Fans said they were really thankful and they will keep it well, they also scanned the photo and uploaded it at the club.

SG: I feel it every time we perform, it is fun and as if we would play with the fans. It is fun, but still, I am always thinking I am lacking. ‘How to do it that it will become better’, I am always thinking and really feel this lacking. I want to go out satisfied, but it won’t work; but I am working hard to get better.

Q. While the performance proceeds, is there a change in the flowing of the atmosphere?

SG: After all, it looks as if we were close. At first we were stiff like ice, we also had cramps. (laughter) But still, we're getting better bit by bit. When we're doing performance these days, we're still nervous, but we grow comfortable, and also the audience seems to get more comfortable seeing us like that.

Q. Working on songs, is there something you refer to?

SG: It is not limited; I get inspiration from my own feelings, circumstances in the environment, and express that. Of course what I get the most inspiration from is music. I think of wanting to move people. On the other side, I like to take a walk; I get directly encouraged by the environment of the surroundings and get touched by it well. Because it is an up and down of emotions. Those things are expressed with music.

Q. When you're composing, how do you do that?

SG: It's a narrative of my personal experiences. It's always the thoughts I am feeling. People seem different, but they are similar. There are various, ubiquitous emotions I feel. I am not a special person, and because I am a normal person, the sound of such ubiquitous stories seems to fit to each other.

Q. (Jung Wook Jae) is running his solo project called TUNE(튠), what meaning does it have to you?

WJ: My major is Environment Engineering. Looking at it, people have duplicity. I am not always using expressions about the seriousness, expressions that carry my-self to that extent, but through the project TUNE those expressions are slowly coming out. You can also feel that it is a heavy subject to a certain point, but I started the project to express that I have such thoughts about environment, politics, policies etc. Because the culture of expressing in Korea is not that spread, I want that such communication becomes livelier because of the project TUNE. Consideration about environment, starvation, child policies are surely not always a heavy subject. If communication between the people goes well, it will somewhere draw some result like that. From that point, it is saying ‘let's approach it more easily with the medium of music.’ It's responding to each other with music through TUNE. 'So this person is thinking that', I thought it reaches more people, showing it with art more than with words. Artists are putting importance into their activities. I think, opening the mouth of the people bit by bit, we will make the world a bit better.

Q. What do you think is the secret to No Reply's popularity?

SG: It's freshness. We are people with many defects. (laughter) We also make a lot of mistakes. But people are seeing that and seem to like us even more. They like it more our voice cracks or we sing wrong. While forming this motherly smile.. recognizable 'right right, you strain yourself.' Is it that feeling? (laughter)

WJ: Well. Looking at the awesome bands that make similar music around us, there are many good looking people, young and tall (laughter) We're not exactly like that. Free and easy, insignificant, fans seem to like that image a lot. As we show it, our characters are different; looking at it, because two different people like that met, it is as if you can comprehend the variety.

Q. Kwon Sun Gwan is for Jung Wook Jae?

WJ: I see him since I was quite young. I have seen him since elementary school 3rd, 4th class, so it's been 17, 18 years. For me Sun Gwan is an existence like socks. It's a famous episode; every time we perform Hyung prepares a lot of socks. The color of the socks have to fit exactly to his clothes concept, that is his completion of his preparations. Because socks are something people need, it is something that is always there. If you put on your shoes without socks, you always graze the feet. Because you have to stick to them. I do not think so deep like that. (laughter) It's scary, how shall I tell him.

Q. Jung Wook Jae is for Kwon Sun Gwan?

SG: Just, someone who is there. (laughter) Someone who's just by my side. Not different from family. Because I see him more than my little brother. I see him even more than my mother. He really is someone who's always there. I am always thinking grateful of him.

Q. About the 2nd Album that will come out some time.

WJ: We're under pressure. First, the 2nd album will proceed more tightly than the 1st. When the last concert ends, from then on, we will start right away with a tight and severe recording, and we are now working on the sketch.

SG: We also have a concept for this album. The concept is a matter of national secrecy. Compared to the 1st album, we will do more things with music we want to do. We also wanted to make the 1st album similar, but if there was a lot of fresh music that time, we made in the process of making the band, and music from before No Reply released their 1st album, the 2nd album is music made after No Reply's formation. Maybe the changed musical taste will also be reflected. It will be as if the color changed. It is planned for the last half of this year. But I am worrying too much working on something, so when working on unusual music I morbidly become detailed. Normally it is just my free and easy character, but strangely, just when I start to work, even a little sound I approach with too much importance. So I am looking forward that the moment it will be finished is the last half of this year.

Q. Music is for No Reply?

WJ: To a certain point there is a difference between the music of No Reply and the music of Jung Wook Jae. For me personally, music is like letting know what kind of person I am. No matter how well or bad people can talk, in the music someone can show what kind of person he is. When you listen to music of masters, you can feel that. When I see them making music and listen to it, I am guessing 'ah, that person maybe lives like this'. For me too music has this existence. Also in No Reply's music, we make music that gives the fans to understand that we lived like that until now.

SG: That's a difficult Question. Music was simply the part I liked the most since I was young. It was like that and from one moment on, I started to think from one time on that I also want to express my heart and feelings with music like that. One moment I run after it like mad, searched for a way, and now I try to make the result of that. It just came naturally like fate. Music is for me the shape of the life I live, so without music, there is no story possible. I am so insecure and a weak human, like that I can tell everyone stories with music. For me music is also something like a miracle.

Q. Mupeul (Fans) are for No Reply?

SG: It's like a fortune. The Number of members also went over 3000 some time ago. When you can't make good music you will vanish some time. Because I said 'fortune', it doesn't have the meaning of property, we are getting much strength from them and they are always moving us.

[Mintpaper] 2nd Update on LIFE

2010-02-25T13:38:00.000+09:00

There has been news about Mintpaper's 3rd compilation LIFE.
To the first list of 4 artists and songs, new 4 songs have been added.

Han Hee Jung - 오늘은 휴일입니다(Today is holiday)
10cm - 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요(The darkness tonight is scary)
Lee Neung Ryong - 없는끝 이야기(Endless story)
neons - 달빛 스쿠터(Moonlight Scooter)

없는끝 이야기 is the first solo project of Lee Neung Ryong, guitarist of Sisters Barbershop.
neons is the solo project of MONGOO, keyboard and vocal of the Mongoose.

There have been changes to the 1st Line-up though and some explanations were added:
Joa-Band - 유통기한 (song has been changed)
Lala Sweet - Good Bye (together with No Reply's Jung Wook Jae as producer)
Autumn Vacation - 취미는 사랑 (Gyepi and Boby Chung's new unit)
Oh Ji Eun - 겨울아침(Winter Morning) (worrying a bit as spring came so early, but...)

A big staff meeting is planned for March 2nd and the exact schedule will be settled there. As for now, the planned progress looks like following: in 15~20 days a sparta recording, end of March/beginning of April mixing parade and album design and in mid of April the release!(would be awesomeㅠ)

[Phonebooth] Vocal Laser to Stop Smoking?

2010-02-22T17:53:00.000+09:00

Laser, Vocal of Phonebooth, wrote February 17 that he stopped smoking. But already after 15 hours, he wrote, he feels like dieing. One day later, February 18 about 7pm he gives up.

Seems giving up on smoking is quite hard and it is questionable if he will try it again.

Stay tuned, Violet Sweets keeps you up on this serious issue.

[Serengeti] Soowan in a Documentary About Pama

2010-02-22T17:48:00.000+09:00

In an epiode of the series '30 Min Docu' on 19.September 2009 Soowan had an appearance. The Episode was about pama hair and of course Soowan had to be there too.

[Lucid Fall] Mintpaper Interview

2010-02-17T17:11:00.000+09:00

As Lucid Fall is Mintpaper's Person of the month February, they did an interview with him.

It is a rather comfortable one and nice to read. I didn't gave his radio appearance a listen yet though.

Mintpaper: Because of your schedule of the level from an Idol, there were a lot of people worrying about your health.
Lucid Fall: Actually, it’s not so good. So I’m drinking almost no alcohol. A difficult point is also that the radio broadcast (EBS World Music Travel) is in midst of the day.

Mintpaper: Is it one year now since you came to Korea after the end of your long oversea travel? How did you spend that time?
Lucid Fall: Since I came back last year February 3rd, it’s exactly one year. When I came back that time, I had the live ICON performance right away. After that I looked around for a house, after moving in April I arranged the house and… I worked on the album and it came out. Like this one year passed.

Mintpaper: Did you do a lot of travels in Korea?
Lucid Fall: I couldn’t go to a lot. To that extend that I stayed for just one or two days. I went to a hot spring in Icheon once, went with my parents to Hadong, and went with my school friends to the Southern Sea. I thought I would be able to go on a quiet travel, but it didn’t go well.

Mintpaper: It seems you decided the title ‘Les Miserables’ for the 4th album long time ago, didn’t you had any difficulties because of that?
Lucid Fall: I decided it 2 years ago. There was nothing especially difficult; my thoughts were connected to it all the time. Because I didn’t wrote some exceptional lyrics. As I was connected to the title, the process was a rather fluent one, like flowing water.

Mintpaper: Different from your 2nd and 3rd album, you continuously stayed in Korea from beginning to the end and made the album during living here; it seems to be something special.
Lucid Fall: As I told at the Mint Radio, first, the way of doing the job was different. It is also different that the mixing and mastering has been all done in Korea. During that time I always wasn’t there when the mastering was done. I just did the mixing and had to go in a hurry. So it’s not that there aren’t inconvenient points. Of course it is a nice feeling to see everything from beginning to end on site. The album jackets before where just talked about per cable, this time, continuously seeing each other, we could talk about it.

Mintpaper: That’s why the fish, which you like, appears on the jacket.
Lucid Fall: The person who shot the photo said that it would be nice to have a fish in it after listening to the demo, so the person went to the Coex Mall Aquarium, I think, and shot the photo.

Mintpaper: Who is the female vocal that participates at ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘문수의 비밀’? I’m curious why you worked together with a female vocal.
Lucid Fall: It was also like that at the last album, but, I don’t really like my voice and I wanted to avoid that it becomes monotonous. So I always had other vocals in view. From the beginning I thought of writing ‘Les Miserables’ for a female voice; people said ‘it wouldn’t be bad if there’s a version with you singing’, so I wrote the lyrics again and two versions were recorded. I also wanted to write ‘문수의 비밀’ for a guest vocal. I wanted to let it be sung by a child, but that seemed to be too conventional, so I made a compromise.
I continuously searched, and received recommendations from several people. Bong Nina wanted a voice like a little girl, so after searching I came to know her through a friend; she’s a student majoring in vocal now and I came to know Lee Darang through Yoon Jung Oh.
People also talked about why I worked together with a vocal with an unknown name; I didn’t thought of anything, I just wanted to find the person with the fitting voice to the song.

Mintpaper: Seeing the album with all its flow, ‘문수의 비밀(Munsoo’s secret)’ seems a more jumping track. Because of that cute charm, there are also a lot of people coming to know and like Lucid Fall through ‘문수의 비밀’. Munsoo also seems to have a lot of popularity.
Lucid Fall: Am I benefitting from Munsoo? (Laughter)

Mintpaper: I know that you tend to write lyrics and song at the same time. As I am interested in your lyrics, I am curious how you write them. Do write down the lyrics really fluently or do you rather worry a lot about them.
Lucid Fall: These days it also happens that the song comes out first. In the case of the lyrics, that can be divided into two kinds, I wrote ‘고등어’ and ‘문수의 비밀’ really fast, and ‘그대는 나즈막히’, ‘외툴이’ took a really long time. ‘평범한 사람’, ‘걸어가자’ were also written rather fast.

Mintpaper: I saw an interview that said that writing poems is your dream. If there’s a difference between writing poems and writing lyrics, what is it?
Lucid Fall: They’re totally different. You feel it when time goes by, ‘lyrics are listened to by the ear, poems are read by the eye’. There are still countries in which poems are read, but in our land’s culture poems aren’t read anymore. It seems the rhyme(각운), you feel when a poem is read, is being substituted by the rhyme(라임) of the lyrics now. When you write lyrics, the feel of rhythm, can it be called like that, there are also times it comes out unconsciously. On the other side you’re not talking of rhymes in poems now.
With the time I came to think that poems and lyrics are different fields. Both have the form of poetry, but one is very visual and the other one is very auditory.

Mintpaper: Did you ever thought of going on the platform?
Lucid Fall: I don’t know. I met Ma Jong Ki, and thought about doing it… That time I didn’t thought of poem and lyrics the way I do now. I thought ‘lyrics are the form of an imperfect poem’; my thoughts changed a lot.

Mintpaper: Different from the album trend these days, it has a long running time and the number of songs is a lot; don’t you hear that often?
Lucid Fall: I actually planned to leave 3 songs away and go with 10 songs. But I absolutely can’t take away songs. Still, I wanted to pick out some this time, but at the end every song has been included.

Mintpaper: Seeing people who like Lucid Fall, there are a lot of cases that all have another favorite album; why is it like that?
Lucid Fall: Maybe it is because the album styles are bit by bit different. It will be in future also like that. Looking at it, it’s not that you know an artist right from the start, so it is that the album you come to hear first stays strong, that’s why. In my case, I listened to ‘Chrysanthemum(들국화)’ backwards. I listened to ‘추억 들국화(EP, 1987)’, then the 2nd album and after that the first; my preference is exactly this order. A lot of people say they like the first album the most, I don’t feel like that.

Mintpaper: It seems it is the first time for you being able to be active so long like this after the album release. There is really a lot on the schedule you have to follow, there seem to be also some difficult things.
Lucid Fall: Photo shooting becomes uncomfortable. There are also things I don’t like to do because it is difficult for my body… I don’t like it the most, when I get the feeling that I become the subject for photography. It can also be that I have a good mood at the same photo shooting; ‘Please try it once like this. Please take your hand up once. Please take off your socks.’ Those things are when it becomes uncomfortable. It is as if I become a pierrot… I mean, my job isn’t model.

Mintpaper: There’s also another point that changed because you’re in Korea, the frequency of seeing the name ‘Guest: Lucid Fall’ on other concert posters became more.
Lucid Fall: There are three types of doing a guest performance. Either I really like the music, or we are personally really close, or there’s a debt. In the case of Oh So Young, I do it because of the debt that she did a featuring before; I do it for No Reply because I really like their music. I think No Reply’s ‘그대 걷던 길’ was the single of last year.

Mintpaper: The encore performance is over, what do you want to do if you have free time?
Lucid Fall: I want to do a hot spring travel.

Mintpaper: Lastly, a word to Mintpaper members please.
Lucid Fall: Please come to the Beautiful Mint Life in May. Because it is something new Mintpaper does, I’m also curious. Would be nice if we see each other in spring.

[Pony] Guitarist found

2010-02-05T02:01:00.000+09:00

A short while after the first guitarist left it seems Pony found a new one. They also had already a performance, but as there are no pictures from that, there's only one picture Sang Min uploaded unto the fancafe:

with their new guitarist Pony are currently preparing their new acoustic EP that's supposed to come out in May.

[Serengeti] Digital Single

2010-02-03T02:57:00.000+09:00

Serengeti has been working on a new digital single which will be released today, 3.February.

The first track of the single, 'Hello, Bye...' is a 'remake' of 'Hello' which was released on the Mintpaper compilation 'Man and Woman ... and Stories' together with Yozoh. The new track is said to go deeper into Soul and contains more of Serengeti's feelings. Also the lyrics have been extended.

The second track 'Fly Higher' is a new version of the first track 'Fly High' from the second album Oasis. It has been new remixed and recorded by DJ Schedule1 who currently receives much attention as party DJ. The added rap of rapper Joe Brown makes it an even more powerful track.

Serengeti holds a concert 1.March where the visitors will get a copy of the digital single. Guests for the concert have not been published yet. Tickets can be bought at Interpark, and there are still a lot of seats. To preorder go here.

[EZ Hyung] New Minialbum

2010-01-27T23:10:00.000+09:00

7 month after finishing his activities for his 2nd album 'Spectrum', EZ Hyung comes back with a new mini album called '봄의 기적' (Wonder of Spring) and a concert to it.

The mini album, filled with warm and simple melodies, comes out 23rd February; the concert is 13th March.

EZ Hyung's first mini album 'Coffe&Tea' came out 2007 in a limited amount.

For people who have a cyworld account, there is currently (27.01.~08.02.) an event where you can listen for free to full songs of several Happy Robot artists here ^^;

[9 and the Numbers] Who are they

2010-01-27T15:46:00.000+09:00

Or rather who is 9.

Through a Interview from Mintpaper with 9('ku') and some internet articles I found out a bit about 9.

9 is Song Jae Kyung, the President of Tune Table Movement and he also was the guitarist in a band called '그림자 궁전'(Shadow Palace).
He started to freely write and compose songs about life and started like this a band that was totally different from Shadow Palace, calling his music electro folk or guitar synth-pop.

A music video for '말해주세요' is in work, planned is a music video with the feeling of an old Korean movie. 9 and the Numbers also have their first concert 27th February at club ta, guest is Oh Ji Eun.

9 also informs about the album of a new band called ‘Miracle of the Hangang’(한강의 기적) in mid of March, an album from Frenzy, a new album from Heureun and a remix album from Loro's.

To read the whole interview and get to know much more about 9, go here.

[Zitten] New Album in March

2010-01-26T00:31:00.000+09:00

Reading Pastelmusic's retweet on Twitter, Zitten came together for a meeting on their next album today. The album is supposed to be released in March already and a concert will follow in April.

[MaryJane] First EP Coming

2010-01-21T03:15:00.000+09:00

When I picked up a photo of MaryJane today with a sticker on the back saying that their first EP will be buyable at the Label Market in January, I was disappointed that I couldn't find anything. But going into their cyworld club it offers already a beautiful album art, a tracklist and the words that the release of the first EP isn't far.

On the tracklist there is also 'Super-Showman', which has been on the Beyond compilation, as Indieful ROK reported.

tracklist:

So Well
Super-showman
The Answer
Feeling... Over You
Breakout
Love Of Century

[Guckkasten] Japanese Album

2010-01-19T16:26:00.000+09:00

I can't say for sure how far the process is, but Guckkasten are releasing a japanese version of their first album. This album won't be just a japanese version; songs from the first korean album will be/are sung in japanese. It seems that there will be also two new songs,'붉은밭' and '매니큐어', and an acoustic version of '꼬리'.

On 17th Vocal Ha Hyun Woo states that 5 songs have been finished and went into mixing, making 6 songs left to be recorded.

[Mate] New Minialbum

2010-01-19T04:18:00.000+09:00

Mate's new Minialbum comes out tomorrow (20th January) and brings even a short trailer with it. As Mate said that they want to show different colors I am curious what they will bring this time.

메이트 (Mate) - With Mate (MINI ALBUM)

Tracklist
01. It's all about love
02. Better
03. 이제 다시
04. Go
05. Dear my mate
06. 긴 시간의 끝
07. 이제 다시 (again)

[Amado Lee Jaram Band] Working on Album This Year

2010-01-18T14:58:00.000+09:00

The band around Lee Jaram announced that they won't have any activities for the next 10 month. Their goal is it too release their first album in mid October. They are also preparing for a concert 25th April.

It also has been announced that drummer SaengSeon, who is currently on a travel in Island, left the band. He apparently rather wanted to be a writer. (But I think he is still making photos for Mintpaper.)

[Midnight Stitch] New Single

2010-01-18T00:35:00.000+09:00

The designer, cafe owner and musicians in one, Midnight Stitch, posted info on a third single on their homepage. The track 'Deadman Walking' isn't uploaded on myspace yet, but this may change.

It was originally planned to be the last single before the full length album, but Midnight Stitch says that they will now have one more song released in February.

[Lee Han Chul] becomes Professor

2010-01-15T17:53:00.000+09:00

Singer Songwriter Lee Han Chul(38)has been assigned as a professor at Dong-Ha Institute of Media and Arts for the 'singer songwriter major'.

Lee Han Chul, who stepped into the world of singers through winning the great price at the 1994 MBC Campus Song Festival, won 3rd place at the promising YooJaeHa Music Competition and made several hit songs like 'Superstar'.

Lee Han Chul says "I will give my best to teach the singer songwriter juniors with the curriculum that is made up by my own personal know-how which I gained through a lot of music activities."

[Mintpaper] New Infos about LIFE

2010-01-15T14:31:00.000+09:00

Mintpaper has been updated with some infos about the 3rd compilation 'LIFE'. More updates will probably follow at the beginning of February.

Artists that are currently recording or will start soon are

Joa-Band - 안부
Oh Ji Eun - 겨울아침
Lala Sweet - Good Bye
Autumn Vacation - 취미는 사랑

It has been said that Sisters Barbershop's guitarist Lee Neung Ryong (이능룡) will participate with his first solo song.
All in all 13 artists will participate.

The release date has been pushed from 'end of March' to 'mid of April'.
SaengSeon, who is in charge of the photos, will soon travel for a while to Island...

[Annyeong Bada] Interview

2010-01-13T13:55:00.000+09:00

In an interview from 24th December 2009 (that I got to translate just now u_u) it turns out that 'Annyeong Bada' or 'ByeBye Sea' is not the full name of the band but 'I cross with you the sea' (난 그대와 바다를 가르네) and was shortened for an easy use.

They also reveal a little story behind this huge balloon.

In a part that was not interesting enough to be translated, the journalist mentions that ByeBye Sea will start to work on a full length album that is supposed to come out this year(2010).

To read the interview click 'Read more'

ByeBye Sea, “will become the bridge between Indie and Mainstream music” (Interview)

The band consisting of Namu(Vocal, Guitar), MyungJae(Bass), JoonHyuk(Drum) and DaeHyun(Programming, Keyboard) is drawing huge interest from a fan base on the Hongdae stage and receives recognition as a ‘talented band’.

With releasing their first mini album ‘Boy’s Universe’ under their name, they push off the name ‘the band specialized for openings’ for performances of many singers like Lee Seung Hwan, Sisters Barbershop etc., and reveal their hidden image.

Building their position on the stage of Hongdae without an album that time, they declare this time a transfer to the world of mainstream music.

Namu (Vocal)

-After changing to Fluxus, it’s your first album; please think back of some memories.

At the stages of Hongdae we gained relative lot of recognition and popularity. We didn’t have an album released, but we performed with the songs we worked on a lot and had self-confidence like that. Then we got the offer to work together at Fluxus Music. When we first came into Fluxus, how to say it, we became a bit arrogant. Haha. But right after coming in, we got discouraged. We couldn’t help but become small in front of the outstanding Sunbaes that were much more famous than us. After 2 years at this place we released our album, it brings memories back. We think that our abilities are still lacking, we’re working hard to mature. (Namu)

-The nickname ‘the band specialized for openings’ followed you. Didn’t you hate it when you stood on the stage of others?

We didn’t hate it at all. Even if it was just that, being at the performance of the Seonbaes we liked and respected, we felt good doing the opening performance. It was a feeling as if I could approach the people I dreamt of and was longing for during that time. (Namu)

After they pondered the last 2 years, the album they released, is filled with a refined feeling, adding an electronic sound to the 5 songs like ‘내 맘이 말을 해’, ‘별빛이 내린다’ and ‘SOON’.

Especially the title song ‘별빛이 내린다’ with its star pouring sound that gets stuck in the ear, is a song made when Namu thought about the time he spend as a child at his hometown and stands out with its refined electronic sound.

JoonHyuk (Drums)

-Your band name is special. How did you come to the name ‘ByeBye Sea’?

Our whole name is ‘I cross with you the sea’. We were making relations with business cards, but other people were saying that it’s difficult. It’s also a lot of characters… While changing the label, we kept ‘sea’ and made a new name with an average expression. There is the meaning of the wide sea for ‘바다(bada, sea)’, but it can also mean to ‘accept’ everything (받아들이다 badadeurida). So it’s not that we changed the name. ‘ByeBye Sea’ is the name made to approach the mass more easily. Haha. (JoonHyuk)

-We’re curious of the reason why the members came together. How did you meet?

At first I did performances on the street. That time JoonHyuk came as audience sometimes. So one day he came to me and offered “I am playing drums, let’s try to make a band.” While doing so, he bought me a potato stew. After performing I was so hungry, so I ate the potato stew and promised to make a band. And when I lived in Hongdae, away from my parents, MyungJae lived next to me. He was a close neighbor. We drunk together and became close, then he participated as our bassist. DaeHyun, who plays the keyboard and makes the programming, is a classmate from High School times in Jeonju. (Namu)

Their first official debut stage was the Ssamji Sound Festival 2007. ‘ByeBye Sea’ received last year(2008) at the same festival the price, being selected for ’Best Group’.

“Since we performed in front of thousands of people, we were really nervous. We wanted to try to make a quite extraordinary event, so we took the money together from every member and bought a huge ad-balloon. But actually we didn’t have the money for the gas to fill the balloon with. In a hurry we started the engine of a car on the parking lot and filled the balloon with the waste gas. When it was brought up at the performance, it was thrown at the audience and they caught and picked the balloon. Thank god it didn’t rip; what if it had… I don’t want to even think about it. Haha.” (DaeHyun)

MyungJae (Bass)

-These days, it is difficult to find a band in the world of singers. Don’t you feel a burden about the popularity?

The truth is, it’s a big burden. But still, we think we’re different from Idols. Unexpectedly there are also people who want a different kind of music. We’re thinking of promising them that. In some way the masses can also get fed up from dance music or music that is lead by Idols, you know. We’re going onto a bigger stage, but we’re full of confidence. (DaeHyun)

We changed the label and the masses turn their eyes on us. We worked hard to exclude the sounds the people don’t like and carefully select the best. That time we worried a lot about making our music smoothly with the sound we went through. Now we want to lay the focus on a sound the masses like. (Namu)

-What is the so called ‘modern pop’, ‘ByeBye Sea’ makes?

In our music now, rockish elements do clearly exist. The genre to approach the masses better? We want to be a band that is able to get familiar with the masses. Even when we open our hearts and show from then on step by step what is really inside us, I don’t think it’s too late. (MyungJae)
Music critic Mr. Kim once commented that “’ByeBye Sea’ can take the role of a bridge between Indie music and Mainstream music.” Of course there are a lot of great artists, but it’s often that the masses don’t know the music. We want to try that role of standing in between and connecting Indie music and Mainstream music. (JoonHyuk)

DaeHyun (Programming, Keyboard)

-The expectation and sight of your surroundings is big. How is it?

That time it was just our world. Members were friends and lovers. Because we have released an album now, we get the sights and expectations of the people around us and that makes us nervous. Standing in front of those people is as if we would get into a new world and so our anticipation is also big. (Namu)

We were always curious. We didn’t release an album. We had a lot of anticipation how will we look for the audience that came just to the performance places that time. Well, can we do more than doing well. Haha. (MyungJae)

[Pony] Guitarist left

2010-01-13T13:00:00.000+09:00

Pony's guitarist Kim Won Jun left the band for personal reasons. They are now searching for a new guitarist. Sang Min and Won Jun started the band with two other members first, taking in Seung Bo and Woo Suk later.

Nevertheless, Pony plans to bring out a new EP with a new feel during the first half of the year.

[Happy Robot] 2 Newbies

2010-01-08T20:07:00.000+09:00

Now it has been made official. The new bands that are joining Happy Robot this year are Daybreak and The Koxx, both have been participated at the GMF through Hello Rookie.

Both bands join the MPMG-'party' in the Live Club Ssam on Clubday January 29th together with No Reply and Serengeti. Daybreak is releasing their EP 'NEW DAY' under Happy Robot January 19th.

Daybreak
The Koxx

[Mate] Joon Il and Heon Il taking over 푸른밤

2010-01-07T20:37:00.000+09:00

Mate's Heon Il and Joon Il have been active every sunday as DJs for the MBC radio program '푸른밤'(blue night). Moon Ji Ae was DJ of 푸른밤 over the other days, but due to the death of her father she is taking a break and Heon Il and Joon are taking over her place until the 10 January. With their soft voices and flowing way of speaking they show a not-rookie-like appearance and get good comments from the viewers.

At the same time Mate is busy with preparing the last part of their 5~6 track minialbum that is supposed to come out at the end of January.

[Daybreak] Daybreak's Name

2010-01-07T18:45:00.000+09:00

Like EZ Hyung said, first you search the name, something that sounds good and think of the meaning at the very last. Daybreak started with their abbreveation. They found that 'db' was looking nice and it looked like headphones. So they started to think of names that could be abbreviated with 'db'. After suggestions like 'Daebak'(big success) or 'Dubu'(Tofu) they finally came to their name 'Daybreak'. But before that another name with in discussion, 'Kangnam Boys'. At EZ Hyugs question who of the five came from Kangnam it turns out that noone comes from there.
Daybreak is the time when everyone sleeps, but like people who are already preparing for work or the daily life, Daybreak is the name with the thought of them wanting to sing about this daily life they're living silently.

Daybreak is going to release their EP this month (probably 19th) which contains 5 tracks including an intro, new versions of 사진, 범퍼카 and Urban Life Style, which were already on their first album, and the song 좋다 which they promoted during 'Hello Rookie'. In the broadcast of Mintpaper radio on 3rd December they also said that they plan to release a 2nd album in midst of 2010.

[No Reply] Narration job from 2008

2010-01-03T00:17:00.000+09:00

2nd July 2008 the spanish group La Casa Azul, lead by producer Guille Milkyway, releases their Album 'La Revolucion Sexual'. The title song with the same name is a spanish song with japanese narration. The album contains several versions of this song, also a korean one with Yeongene on vocals. The japanese narration has been replaced by a korean one by No Reply's Jung Wook Jae.

cr:kosymo

His voice can be heard around 1:38 and 2:46.

[Dr. Core 911] New Bassist?

2010-01-02T03:02:00.000+09:00

- Not really.

At a broadcast of SBS' 'Bae Ki Wan, Choi Young Ah, Jo Hyung Gi's Nice Morning' from 30th November actress Lee Ji Ah was shown on the concert of Dr. Core 911 on 29th November. That day she said that when she was little she also played 'a bit' bass and went up to the stage, playing. Dr. Core 911 Leader and bassist Shogi said about the surprising performance "When she first said she'll do it I thought she would do just a bit, but she played a lot. She played very well" he didn't spare with compliments.

Lee Ji Ah is mostly known through Dramas like 'Style' and 'Beethoven Virus'.

[Naru] The Name 'Naru'

2010-01-02T02:05:00.000+09:00

As I was asking myself how Naru actually came to his name, as it is usually translated with 'ferry, ship', I found accidentally an article (from may 2008) where he explains it.

"You ask why 'Naru'? Friends called me 'Kkangnaru'. When I wrote on the Ssamji Sound Festival Board, I left without thinking the 'kkang*', which is the last name, away and wrote as 'Naru'. At the end this became my name. It really has no meaning. It's a bit boring, isn't it?"

* His real name is Kang Kyung Tae, Kang being the last name.

When Naru was in a school band in High School, playing the guitar wasn't more than a hobby, but listening to friends he participated at the Ssamji Sound Festival (which takes place every year), uploading two of his home made songs (meaning he did all - guitar, bass, drums, singing). Even though he didn't came through, Happy Robots who heard his songs was calling him and taking him into their 'family'.

Next question that has to be solved: How did the friends come to call him 'Kkangnaru'.

[No Reply] Fashonista Gwon Sungwan

2009-12-31T01:18:00.001+09:00

Now it has been finallyy revealed. Sungwan is a fashion leader.

As fashionista Sungwan points out the importance of the socks. The socks are the main point of every outfit, so he carefully chooses his socks together with No Reply's stylist before every performance, preferably fitting to his jacket for a perfect look.

Fashion Leader Gwon Sungwan!

Fashion's finish: socks?!

socklove. Sungwan!
This day ... fitting to the color of the jacket,
so you chose these socks ^^

(from Sweet Sorrow's Tenten Club)

[No Reply] Little View on 2010

2009-12-28T18:08:00.000+09:00

After finsihing their Encore Concert 'Road 4' successful, No Reply will hold a 'Final Road' concert end of February next year. This will be the last performance for their first album, right after that they will go over working on their 2nd album which is planned to be released around May~June.

During that time Sungwan helps one of his Seonbaes with composing for his new album and Wookjae becomes a producer for a newcomer for the new Mintpaper compilation LIFE.

[Super Kidd] Digital Single for Snowboarders

2009-12-27T01:15:00.001+09:00

After their special summer album 'Music Show', Super Kidd comes back with a special digital single for snowboarders in winter 2009. The single has been released 22th already but just got a music video later. The song, produced by guitarist Jwanikim(좌니킴), reminds of an exciting snowboard ride in the fresh snow, so it has been decided that Korea's best snowboarders Bong Min Ho and Lee Ki Young will appear in the music video that was be shot in New Zealand.

some nice carving.

[Broken Valentine] New EP

2009-12-27T00:01:00.000+09:00

I don't know how well known Broken Valentine is.

Broken Valentine was first named '6.August' in 2002, 'B.August' in 2004 and named 2007 as the now known 'Broken Valentine'. Their Discographie contains a digital EP 'Alien' that was released in 2005 and a self-produced EP called 'Answer Me!! Is that what you NEED??' in 2007. Now they're coming back under the same label as Phonebooth and releasing their new EP called 'Calling You'. The title track '내 낡은 서랍 속의 바다' is a cover from Panic.

They are getting the most attention being called 'Korea's represantative Rock Band' as they won 2008 in a contest, chosen to representate Korea in 2009 11th Asian Beat Grand Final. Competing against other Asian countries they won first place and the award for Best Composing.

The new EP also brings a teaser. The EP has been released 22th December already.

if you want to know more about them ask me or visit their daum cafe

[Pony] Activities

2009-12-22T16:47:00.001+09:00

For People who were curious if Flowerboy Band Pony was planning something new, they're not.

Their Fancafe announced that they will be active performing until the end of 2009 and starting January the members will follow their own activities, thus Pony will take a break starting next year.

[Apollo18] Violet Recordings to Start Soon

2009-12-22T16:46:00.000+09:00

Apollo18 Bassist Kim Dae In wrote in the fancafe that despite the cold weather Apollo18 did shoot their teaser video for Violet in a tree garden.
The mastering for Red+ started on monday and recording for Violet will start soon after that.

They are busy but everything procedes well and it seems they can do everything as planned.

[TUNE] And His Tattoo

2009-12-22T16:34:00.000+09:00

Tune posted at his blog the history about his tattoo.

Right after Tune's logo was finished he decided to have a tattoo of "TUNE" and his first album title "TUNE your mind". But since it is the first time he has a tattoo, he was also worried ... for 0.03seconds.

Before getting a tattoo he consulted musicians around him that already have one and mentioned that especially the thoughtful and careful advices from Yozoh were good.
The artdirector who made the logo together with TUNE and the tattoo artist sat together planning out the exact size needed and to avoid any errors during tattooing. Even though a lot of people told that it hurts, Tune said that it was just a pricking, not huting at all. The only thing was the tension during the 1 hour job.
Thinking about what he should call his second album, people around him are starting to ask if he will have a tattoo everytime he releases a new album. He said that if he would do it, he would be all over album titles when he's 50 then and no space for movie mementos...

He also warns before making a tattoo, to think carfully about it, since it stays for a very long time, and to not have regrets later.
For people who think "Tattoo=scary guy", he wants them to see it as a kind of art, like hip hop and rock music, like graffiti or videos are, and wants them to recognize the diversity of tattoos.

Actually TUNE wanted the photo with his fist and the tattoo to be a jacket photo, but even though it wasn't used as that, he's comfortable with showing at the beginning and end of a performance.

On another note, his third music video for '달려가잖아' is in work and is probably going to be released in January next year.

[No Reply] Sungwan's New Hair

2009-12-14T18:02:00.000+09:00

Sungwan complained about his hair during No Reply's 3rd concert. His front hair has been cut too short and he said that he will never trust the person who cuted it again. See it in one of the photos that were uploaded in their fancafe here.

A casual remark from Wookjae revealed then that Sungwan's hair wasn't cutted, he cutted it himself. Sungwan's words to Wookjae contained a several hatred from this point on and the talk about hair went through the whole concert.

The concert went successfully and beside No Reply's family and friends also collegues like Jung Soo Wan (Serengeti), Naru, Kim Dong Ryul and others visited the concert. Naru was also added as guest for the upcoming encore performance 'Road 4' that procedes 26~27th December.

[Happy Robot] New Artists for 2010

2009-12-07T21:22:00.000+09:00

Posting new informations on the Happy Robot Blog, it has been said that 2010 2 new Teams will come to Happy Robot. Both of them are said to be fully male. Probably not being able to hold it back, exact informations may already follow at the end of December.
Hints have been posted in form of little, photoshopped photos. Eagle-eyed(?) fans recognized easily that the second group is Daybreak, who also participated at the Hello Rookie this year.

It also implies a project group, with one member out of each team. Maybe a soccer team. A male synchronized swimming team would work too... that's what the entry says...

[W&Whale] Marriage

2009-12-07T19:27:00.000+09:00

W&Whale member Kim Sang Hoon(34) will marry on 12th December.

He will marry the 4 years younger ex-stylist of W&Whale in Kangnam at 1pm.
Who will join the meal hasn't been decided yet but marriage photos have been revealed.

Congratulations~
(He normally plays the Drums, sometimes also Bass and Guitar)

Collaboration Album for Jo Duk Bae

2009-12-07T19:16:00.000+09:00

Wheesung, W&Whale, Black Skirts, MBlack, M To M, JK Kim Dong Wook and others gathered for the 25th Anniversary Album for Jo Duk Bae. On 7th 'Part 1' has been released, consisting of two songs; one is the song '슬픈 노래는 부르지 않을 거야' in a new version by W&Whale and for the other one Black Skirts collaborated with Kebee, remaking '뒷모습이 참 예쁘네요'. All in all 10 songs will be published and 'Part 2' and 'Part 3' will follow beginning of the next month. Whereas 'Part 1' was made in an electronic arrangement, 'Part 2' and 'Part 3' will be remade under the R&B and pop-dance genres.

Jo Duk Bae made his debut 1984 with his song '나의 옛날 이야기' and gained after that a lot of popularity through songs like '꿈에' and '그대 내맘에 들어오면'. He suddenly collapsed due to a cerebral hemorrhage in April, what made the singers helping him with an album. He has recovered a lot and also went to the recording studio to greet the singers and participated in the album, watching over the recordings.

[Midnight Stitch] Homepage Open

2009-12-04T20:59:00.000+09:00

Midnight Stitch released their first single 'Moonlight' 9th October. Now they come with a new single 'Broken Ear'. Both are digital singles, but an album release is set for March and before that at least one more single.

Midnight Stitch is also the name of their cafe in Seoul. They are also Designers, what is not deniable seeing their cafe. the coffee tastes good too.

Anyway, for a long time the address www.midnightstitch.com didn't contain much but a picture. Now the homepage is finally opened, even though not everything is enabled yet.

They also have a myspace where you can listen into their songs here.