This Saturday, Suji’s Restaurant located conveniently between Itaewon and Noksapyeong stations brings you a great mix of music and munchies. Rock band The Odds Against with guests Brigitte Benecke and Austin Kaufmann will bring their eclectic groove to the stage from 7 – 9 pm with instruments including the mandolin, guitar, harmonica, and cello.  At the time, Suji’s will be having an all-you-can-eat (and drink!) BBQ party on their big rooftop terrace (inside if it rains).  The party starts at 7 pm at Suji’s Restaurant and Bar and the cost is W35,000 for BBQ  and drinks with beer and wine. Make reservations by calling 02-797-3698 or e-mail at seoulsuji@gmail.com

TIME & DATE: Saturday, July 31st  from 7 – 9 pm
LOCATION: Suji’s Restaurant near Noksapyeong Stn.
PRICE: W35,000
CONTACT: 02-797-3698, seoulsuji@gmail.com

HOPE has worked with a few concert promoters to help bring together Korean and foreign bands for a July 24th event that will take place in 3 of the best clubs in Hongdae - DGBD, Ta, and Freebird. Price to get in will be 10,000 won. This will get you in to  **ALL THREE CLUBS** With admission, patrons will receive one free drink. The best part about this is that all of the money made from the door fee will be donated to HOPE. There will be a table for additional donations and email sign up at DGBD if anyone is interested in donating more or learning about HOPE.

The name James Murphy probably doesn’t ring a bell to the average Joe/Kim. Nevertheless, since he’s considered highly influential in the post-modern music scene, you may recognize the name. Don’t get me wrong. No, he did not invent disco. Nor did he invent punk. Come to think about it, I doubt the man invented anything. What he did do, and did well, however, was burrow deep into the proximities of sounds, scenes, genres and subgenres, deconstructing, reconstructing and experimenting with disco, punk, dance and funk, subsequently creating music that has unquestionably defined an era of post-modern music history.

It comes as no surprise that James Murphy’s experimental neo-disco punk band LCD Soundsystem are one of the most talked about, blogged about, danced about and in-demand acts this year. Currently touring for their brand-spanking-new, highly anticipated and highly commended third album This Is Happening, the band will be gracing Korea with their presence at the Pentaport Rock Festival, July 24 (Saturday).

I won’t lie, I’m excited. This album is unquestionably their best to date and will surely do incredibly well in the world charts come May. Zip-tight, poignant, and full to the brim of party starters, this album can only be described as dance music for kids and adults alike – one that touches the hips, head and heart collectively.

If you’re genuinely clueless as to what to expect, think indie. Think electronica. Think funk, disco and punk rock. Think organic. Think synthetic. Think Bowie, Underworld and vintage New-Order. Now reminisce to the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Quit thinking for a second. Now throw all those musical ingredients together, and voila, you have LCD Soundsystem. Perhaps I should leave the definitions to LCD, as they put it in one of their track titles: “Prepare to dance yourself clean.”

Rumored to be LCD Soundsystem’s final album and tour, you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll go out with a bang. For that reason alone, you should catch these guys live–if for no other reason than just because you can.

WHO: LCD Soundsystem (Myspace)

WHEN: Saturday, July 24^th.

WHERE: Pentaport Rock Festival at Incheon Dream Park (just outside of Seoul and very close to Incheon International Airport)

f(x)
NU ABO SM Entertainment
Cynics will remain unconvinced, but the fans have spoken: f(x)’s NU ABO is the best Korean pop album of 2010, successfully capturing the electro-pop zeitgeist of the year by remaining fun, accessible, and above all, fearless. The title track sports intense synths, an unconventional arrangement, and an ambiance that demands audience participation. Though a bit manipulative, it defines the underlying solidarity of the song’s lyrical content by equating the anonymous crowd with, just maybe, you. On the flip side, it offers a shrewd marketing angle positing the group as insanely popular and successful via vocal appreciation. The rest of the album takes influences from techno and idol groups for songs like “Mr. Boogie” and “Ice Cream” whose infectious natures embody both the time and the season of the album’s release. Even staple ballads are courteously tucked away at the end of the record for those who don’t care for sudden sentimentality. Pop music doesn’t get better than this.
by Anna Orzel

DePhazz
LaLa 2.0 Phazz-A-Delic
DePhazz, the ongoing creative endeavor of Germany’s godfather of lounge Pit Baumgartner, have just released their 8th album and taken his idiosyncratic vision even further ahead. Where previous albums regardless of stylistic derivations pretty much stayed within the boundaries of the cool down-tempo realm, LaLa 2.0 sees Baumgartner use his talents to much more eclectic effect. Astute listeners will notice all kinds of genre-bending influences here: it’s modernist in presentation yet rooted in traditional forms. Incorporations touching on reggae/blues (“Hot Little Harp”), funky bop (“Rat Pack”), white soul (“Chez Clerambault”), and Tommy James-ish 70s pop (“In My Power”) abound, and even Steely Dan gets a nod (“Slums Of Monte Carlo”). The themes explored are as diverse as the music, which adds another layer to the already rich mix, and with an international cast of singers setting the pace under Baumgartner’s direction, the mood stays lively. Breaking out of a mold – even a successful one – should always feel this good. 
by Michael Berry

Josh Roy
Self-titled EP Self-produced
A product of the Ugandan music scene, Josh Roy is now domiciled in Seoul, and a string of well-received live performances are already generating a serious buzz. With his latest tune now atop the Ugandan charts, he has just released a 5-song EP that offers a tantalizing glimpse into an often under-represented genre of soul-livening music. Roy blends an astute feel for reggae with a more contemporary sense of vocal style in a light, hip hop vein (especially on “Motherland”) to create a most satisfying, breezy lilt. Reggae styles from the Skatellites (“Valentine”) to more rootsy sounds that evoke the best of “rock steady” give this EP a definite boost and offer local lovers of this under-appreciated genre something both to pique curiosity and raise expectations. One fervently hopes that this EP is only the first step on Josh’s path to well-deserved artistic success in Korea and beyond.
myspace.com/jjjoshroy Facebook: “Fans of JoshRoy”
by Michael Berry

July 13th

Opulent stage sets, sentimental plots, and lyrics in foreign languages make opera not only one of the most decadent art forms but also one of the most difficult to understand. Fortunately for the uninitiated, events like this one offer a chance to sample the beauty of opera without taking a college course on the subject. You don’t need to know the whole back story to enjoy this selection of arias from classic operas like The Magic Flute (Mozart), Romeo and Juliet (Gounod), Carmen (Bizet), and La Boheme (Puccini). But a beautiful tune wouldn’t be much without a beautiful voice to carry it, and soprano Hei-kyung Hong and tenor Woo-kyung Kim are here to accomplish just that. These singers are famous as the first Asian couple to play the starring roles at the New York Metropolitan Opera during its 127-year history. Romanian musician Vlad Iftinca will accompany the two on the piano. Daejeon Culture and Arts Center. 7:30 pm. W30,000 – W120,000. 100 min. djac.or.kr 042-610-2222

The popularity of 2008’s classical music-themed drama The Beethoven Virus led to a series of concerts the following year based on the soundtrack of the series. Now 2010 brings us “The Jazz Virus,” a concert that aims to combine the classical music of the original concert series with the exuberance of jazz.

Join the Millennium Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hui-tae Seo and guest musicians including Danny Jung (saxophone), Shin-ju Kang (tenor), and Bo-yeong Hwang (piano) for an exciting program bringing listeners the best of both musical genres.

DATE: July 11^th at 2:30 pm
LOCATION: Concert Hall at the Seoul Art Center
TICKETS: W20,000 – W70,000 02.580.1300 www.sacticket.co.kr / 인터파크 1544-1555 www.interpark.com
INQUIRIES: 02-6377-1250~4
PROGRAM:
Highlights from Chicago the Musical
Soundtrack from Pirates of the Caribbean

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
etc.

Whether you like K-pop or classic rock, you are likely to be one of many who consider music nearly as important as breathing. The Korean music group ‘숨[suːm] refers to this deep connection between music and life with their name, which means “breath” in Korean. With Ji-ha Park on the piri and Jeong-min Seo on the gayageum, the group has worked hard to translate the things that we learn and feel in our lives into the form of music. Their diligence and talent has been recognized by the Seoul Culture Foundation, which selected them as “Young Artists” in the music category, and the Ministry of Tourism, which gave them an award for “Experimental Vision.”

DATE: July 13^th – 14^th at 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Seoul Art Center near Nambu Terminal (line 3)
ADMISSION: W25,000 (W15,000 for students)
CONTACT: 3272-2616
Seoul Art Center website

Get ready for an exciting weekend full of dance, music, and style. The R16 World Championships, the biggest B-Boy/breakdance competition in Korea, is an international event featuring eight teams from countries around the world. R16 is not only a B-Boy competition but also an international Urban Arts festival, aimed at uniting youth and celebrating urban culture throughout the world.

WHAT: World B-Boy Masters Championship
WHERE: Olympic Hall in Olympic Park
WHEN: Sat 6 – 9 pm (Solo B-Boy, Popping, Locking); Sun 6 – 9 pm (B-Boy Crew Performance, Battle)
HOW MUCH: W10,000 for one day, W15,000 for both days

Additional Events

Urban Art Festival
WHAT: public graffiti, street market, b-boy circle
WHERE: Urban Art Festival at Olympic Park/Meeting Square
WHEN: Saturday/Sunday 1 – 7 pm

Summer Madness pre-party
WHERE: Mega CC Lotte Hotel in Jamsil
WHEN: Friday, July 2^nd pre-event 6 – 9 pm, main event starts at 10 pm
HOW MUCH: W10,000 presale, W20,000 at the door

R-16 official website
R-16 on Facebook
R-16 on Twitter

Enjoy eight hours of live music featuring the biggest bands in Busan along with BBQ including steaks, burgers, and baby back ribs.

Lineup

4 pm – Dynamic Wave (a cappella group)
4:30 pm – Rob Chrisman
5 pm – Mo Junk Station
6 pm – Jin Choi
7 pm – Poko Lambro
8 pm – Lady Goodman
9 pm – Conor Murphy and Band
10 pm – Gino
11 pm – Dope Senators

DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 26 ^th, 4 pm – midnight
LOCATION: Mi-po (at the end of Haeundae Beach)
PRICE: W12,000 per ticket

Only 75 tickets will be sold, so buy yours now. Tickets on sale at Sunset Lounge and Sharky’s.

Facebook event page
Sunset Lounge Facebook page

Words by Sebastien Rousset

Drum ‘n’ bass being the relatively niche genre that it is, before I delve any further into the who, what, and when and how of this concert, I feel it is imperative to give our unfamiliar readers a 101 on the genre. I’ll keep it short…I promise.

Beginning as an off shoot from the very early 90’s rave scene, drum ‘n’ bass is a comparatively new form of electronic music. Nonetheless, it’s one of the easier-to-recognise genres, mainly as a result of its distinctively fast tempo, broken beat drums and prominent bassline. Drum ‘n’ bass is still a recognizable part of British youth culture today with its musical structure and style giving its listeners a sense of freedom, euphoria and chaos – forever sought after by the youth, yet rarely felt in the confines of four-to-the-floor electronic music.

Undoubtedly synonymous with the growth and rise of this genre, London Elektricity have become what can only be described as an essential part of the drum ‘n’ bass furniture. Their prevailing and reigning reputation wasn’t created from thin air however. Beginning as a duo between Tony Colman and Chris Goss, the pair first started production together in 1996, releasing their debut album Pull the Plug in 1999. Made public during an era where a heavy emphasis was placed on deep, dark- almost sinister sounding drum ‘n’ bass, London Elektricity successfully liberated the genre, taking it to a different level, differentiating themselves through absorbing influences from jazz, soul and funk and in turn creating uplifting, fun and funky drum ‘n’ bass –what they like to call “fast soul music.”

Today, London Elektricity is a solo act under Coleman, with Goss focusing his energies on managing their thriving record label Hospital Records. Nonetheless, London Elektricity have since released five further albums, a long list of remixes, played a set on the infamous “Radio 1 Essential Mix” and present drum ‘n’ bass around the globe through their Hospital Records podcast which recently won Best Podcast at the BT Digital Music Awards and has over 30,000 downloads a show.

London Elektricty are currently on their world tour and will be dropping a set in Seoul and Busan next week. Whether you’re a diehard drum ‘n’ bass head, or a newbie simply intrigued by this genre, it’s certainly worth your time coming to check out one of the undisputed pioneers of drum ‘n’ bass. See you there!

WHO: London Elektricity

WHAT: Drum & Bass/”fast soul music” (Myspace link)

WHEN: Seoul - June 26^th (21:00-5:00) / Busan – June 25^th (22:00-5:00)

WHERE: Seoul – Miller Project Space (Fiore Bldg. B1F 648-6 Shinsa-dong / 50m ahead between Cine City and Seven Monkeys Coffee)

Entrance:

Seoul – Free invitation only

* free invitation request/general inquiry: bepartofitnow@gmail.com

Busan – Club Maktum (20,000 Won)