Korean Job Discussion Forums

[william beckerson]

Okay, I know it's a boy-band wasteland here in Asia. But there must be some local act you like. Maybe some underground acts, or those rarely seen Crying Nut cats?

Or do you like BoA, Psy, and Mina? Dont be afraid to admit it.

I'll take the first step and tell you my Korean CD collection.

Psy 3
Crying Nut 3 & 4
Seo Taiji and Boys Goodbye best album
Roora 8th
Jadu 2
Rebirth of Kross

I almost bought BabyVOX's last CD because I couldnt get the Uyeon song out of my head, but thankfully I held strong!

[matko]

When I lived in Korea, I didn't particularly care for the music. It all seemed to be crappy dance music and sappy love ballads. In the year I was there, I think that I liked approximately 5 songs total.
The thing that really made me laugh however, were the love ballad music videos. In almost every video someone died......and usually it was death by some sort of vehicle. What does that say about the Korean heart? Or better yet, their DRIVING?!
Anyway, I don't know how much has changed in the past 5 years. Has it gotten any more eclectic or is it still these two genres that still dominate the airwaves? Are the videos still the same? People still getting hit by cars?
Just my two cents!
BTW Boa is HUGE here in Japan. She sings all her songs in Japanese. Don't care for her though.

[mathmatica]

matko, peeps still dying every second video, ya gotta love it

I got various stuff by psy, boa, pipi band & pipi longstocking, jaurim. country koko's a favorite too.

all time favorite though is any kind of bbongjjak by song dae gwan. makes me feel like i'm ridin the rollercoaster taxi everytime

[Cabbit]

My Korean CD list
Jang Na Ra
Jadu 2
Cherry Filter (nearly indie!!)

[dmaster]

I find some of it comical since a lot of it is 80's music from back home. I do like some if it though. Most of it is just sexy girls with so-so voices, of course that is not bad if you just like to watch the videos.

Personally I do like Boa, I think she has a great voice. SES, Brown Eyes, Baby VoX, LUV, and some other intials that I can't think of.

I haven't bought any music off the street though, are they cheap???

[Confused Canadian]

Try listening to some of the older stuff (late 70's and early 80's), some of which is commonly referred to as the "Group Sound". You can hear some of the songs in the Korean movie, "The Waikiki Brothers". Bands in Korea that actually play instruments...go figure!

Ahn Chi Hwan
Shin Joon Hyeon (the Godfather of Korean rock)
Oxen 80
Key Voice
Sand Pebbles
Gang San Ae
Geon Ah Deul
Kim Gwang Seok

[IconsFanatic]

J-pop/K-pop is the Devil.

[mokpochica]

I really like Jo Sung-mo and Hong Kyung-min.

Jo Su-mi is a wonderful operatic singer.

I'd like to learn more about Korean music, especially good ballad singers. I hate trot though! If you have any music suggestions pass them on here...

[simulated stereo]

Good Korean music...

Crying Nut
Deli Spice
Rainy Sun
Crash
Rollercoaster
Huckleberry Finn
Jaurim
Cherry Filter
The The's first album (only, everything after is crap)
Pippi Band (if you can find them, first two albums only)
No Brain
Sam Chon Gyo yuk Dae (harcore similar to Black Flag, Agnostic Front, and the Cro Mags)
Han Dae Su (very Dylan-esque)

[william beckerson]

Did anyone see that... Shin Sung Hun I think... video with the two stop-motion highschool kids? The one when the girl puts the decorations on the tree for the tall boy?

Still chokes me up, thinking about it.

[weatherman]

Yeah, I love K-pop, some of my favorites are:

Park Hye-kyoung (great voice)
Kim Hyun-jung (very sexy)
Uhm Jung-hwa (knows how to be on stage)
Kim Jang-hoon (another great voice)
Fin.K.L
Roola (hot, sexy, and with attitude)
Lee Jung-hyun (little anti-american protester these days though)
Ju-Ju club (remember those guys)
S#arp (fun girls)


These days I am liking:

Cherry filters (fresh)
RollerCoaster (very cool)
Babyvox (too cute)
Co-yot-ah (always the best, Shin-gi rules)
Wax (I love her music)

I also like beong-jak music, you know the stuff the grandfathers listen to while they have their midday Mokkoli. (Hey, we really need this board to be Korean language enabled.)

[lighthouse1971]

I like Shin Hae Chul (spelling?) because he makes truly original music in the genre of hard rock/alternative. Check him out, especially his latest stuff.

[kiwifruit]

I went to the Seotaeji, Eerer Taeji festival a few months back with my Korean girlfriend it is was awesome. There were 30000 peopl there and I was there 6 hours and counted 3 others foreigners in all that time.

Don't just think that what you see on TV is all the music in Korea.

Check out
heavy:
Dr Core
Pia
Seotaeji's new stuff (excellent)

There are many good rock groups that play live in Hongdae and even in my local bar in Anyang. That is if you like heavy rock. One group was cranking out linkin park songs recently and they were pretty damn tight. Their own music was pretty impressive also.

I have also seen a couple of very good jazz performances in Hyehwa at the big jazz club there, which overlooks that carpark (forget the name sorry, it is one block back from the main road, on the KFC side?).

hip hop:
MC Sniper (excellent)
Joosuc (excellent)
CB Mass (excellent)
1 Tyme (for a laugh)
or YG Family
Leesung & the honey family (very good songs)

+ I have a soft spot for Yu Seung Jun (even if plenty of Koreans hate him for his draft dodging efforts)

I am forgetting some others.

and of course the k-pop turns something catchy out now and then...or you can just fantasise about the girls and score posters of them from your local hole in the wall music store for your bedroom wall.

All in all Korean music is on a very steep improving course at the moment, just don't expect to see it on TV, because just like western culture, the good stuff doesn't make MTV all that easily. You have to choose your genre and go looking for it.

kf

[kim jong il]

park hwa yobi & kim jang hoon....both have special voices.

[william beckerson]

Is it just me, or is Mina's video really hot?