Korean Job Discussion Forums

[KiwiRob]

I'm a professional musician moving to Seoul for some ESL teaching and was wondering what the Music Scene was like there?

For busking on the streets do I need a buskers permit? If so where would I obtain one?

How hard would it be to start up a band or join a band? (Not concerned of what genre just as long as I'm playing.)

How many venues (clubs, pubs, bars, cafe's e.t.c.) host live music?

Thanks for any input. BTW my instruments are Guitar, Bass, Ukulele and Vocals.

[KiwiRob]

Bump

[Seoulman69]

I don't know about busking.

Starting up a band is not that difficult. Get on Craigslist and see what's on offer. As with most places people are usually looking for drummers and bassists.

A lot of venues host live music. They are mainly around the Hongdae or Itaewon districts. Some places in smaller cities do live music too. It's usually the foreigner bar.

Why not post some of your recordings on Craigslist and see who wants to jam?

[KiwiRob]

Thanks Seoulman helpful info

[KimchiNinja]

[NQ]

The electronic dance music scene blows here. All the big clubs play like the cheesiest of electro house. You can't find any tech-house or techno, except in the small secondary rooms sometimes.

Also, there aren't many international DJs coming here. They get some...Ellui is the only club that does, but the past few months have been flop. They used to get them more regularly. Yeah there's UMF coming up and World DJ festival but most DJ coming are just straight up cheese. Koreans have this obsession with cheesy electro house and you hear it in the popular places.

Maybe it's the lack of drugs, or because the scene is still sorta new. But there could be more variety in the style of music they play out. This is such a huge country, I'm sure there's a market for it.

EDIT: Locals at Ellui play proper tech-house, sorry about that. Still could bring inter'l DJs on a more consistent basis, though.

[happiness]

also a pro musician here, but as said, lack of drug culture and no respect for creativity, makes for a dull scene. if for people to pose to, not for interesting music.

busking? only in front of hongdae, and dont expect ppl to like it for your music, theyll be interested because they can snap pictures of a foreigner with their phones. no way

[cj1976]

In terms of live music, there a lot of young bands who try to hard to be cool. Black clothes, dark glasses, cigarette hanging from the corner of the mouth etc.

[NQ]

[happiness]

http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/People/view?articleId=105795

i found this, interesting.

Just because they tour doesnt mean theres an audience for a following. Yoon Do Hyun also did a East Europe tour with no single or real promotion. Just KOREAN (all caps, natch) rock band.

RockTigers? No thanks, a milktoast waterdown copy of Japans SHEENA AND THE ROCKETS, who are majorly awesome.

Music and film are very different, creatively. Yes, they both are art, but the methods, inspiration, etc are not related.

Maybe there is more music, but Im not impressed just because Korea didnt have it, and now they do. Thats not art. Thats just being trendy.

ALSO, are they catchy songs? Are they musically pleasing. Some K-pop idol bands have great hooks in their music. Is the K-Inde stuff doing that?

Do they have a good image? Not just copying US/JAPAN bands with cheaper clothing and no sense of history?

I was having this same conversation with a guitar shop owner yesterday, actually, I always have these convos.

If you have no real experience with music, you may be impressed. If youre married to a local, you may HAVE to be impressed.

But for me, as someone who has worked in the industry (not here), I cant say I have found anything recently I liked or was impressed by. Maybe Deli Spice (Cure meets Oasis, but good melodies) or Peter Pan Complex (a bit). Nell was ok for a few minutes.

[happiness]

oh, in one more thing, Im sick of the damn thing here, when bands or jazz people play, and they thing they sing a song in ENglish makes them credible. I saw one in Hongdae last night, and my god, SINGING IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE DOESNT MAKE ANYTHING BETTER! Bland is bland.

music hagwons and all the shit mean people learn technique, and we all know thats the norm here. No history, no musical experience, no drugs (I dont do drugs, but psychedelia, jazz, and alot of the such comes from that, but thats another story entirely.)

id even rant on foreigner bands here, just being bored, and deciding to make music is a pisspoor excuse. you have to a nurturing environment. playing to people who just are interested in you being a foreigner isnt art. it may not even get you laid?!? WTF

sorry all for the rants...ths is something important to me, ive never played here in Korea but once (the bar owner was a sonic youth fan, so I looped some jazz chords, and blasted feedback for 10 minutes, the crowd backed up, but i got free beer all night). ha

and before someone says, that I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! PLAY AND SHOW PEOPLE...i dont belive in that at all. Its the dulling culture, cronyism, lack of respect/understanding for art, anti-innovation, and the general lateness of adopting music/genres here. Its the audience/as well as the venues.

Patti Smith came here, who the hell listens to Patti Smith here?!?
You cant get into music from blogs and illegal downloads. That doesnt make vibrancy, that makes cheap audiences who..pose.


grrr.. angry guy out.

[Seoulman69]

Two posters here claimed to be professional musicians. If you are professional musicians then why are you in Korea teaching English? Should you not be in a studio somewhere recording your next masterpiece living off the royalties of your last album?

[happiness]