Funky Korea: SsingSsing and "Cheongchunga"

Today's random song, Cheongchunga, is by South Korean band SsingSsing. Formed in 2010, SsingSsing combines glam rock, disco and psychedelic rock with Korean folk music. They are also known for their extravagant stage visuals and performances, which include dressing up in drag to, in Korean tradition, allow for the channeling of both male and female spirits. The group draws from traditional music of Seoul, called Gyeonggi Sori, and North Korean traditional music called Seodo Sori, the shamanistic-ritual based Seoul Gut, and rock based on Minyo styles that call attention to peasant lives. The band has been praised for bringing Korean music other than K-pop to the attention of global audiences. In fact, they performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 2017. You can find Cheongchunga on their self-titled EP (2017).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SsingSsing

I'm Here to Eat: Coreyah and "Let's Make a Feast"

Today's group, Coreyah, as its name implies in Korean, draws upon the "inheritance of the past" in its music. Melding Korean music steeped in traditional folklore with other genres such as Anglo-American rock, Balkan gypsy, and a variety of musical genres from South America and Africa, Coreyah hopes to create "living Korean music." The ensemble makes its unique sound by using traditional Korean instruments, along with a guitarist and a world percussionist. They have had much success since, taking top honors at the premier of the Cheonchamanbyeol (all kinds of music) Concert, and the following year making the round of 16 in Korean Broadcasting System's band survival show Top Band II (competing against a lot of K-pop bands). This song, Let's Make a Feast, can be found on their 2014 album Songs of Our Ancestors.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://coreyah.kr/

Waiting Over Coffee: SEVENTEEN and "Falling For U"

We go to South Korea today for some K-Pop with multi-faceted group Seventeen. A boy group formed in 2015 by Pledis Entertainment, Seventeen consists of three sub groups, or units. One unit specializes in hip-hop, another in vocal and the third in performance. Each member of the group is very involved with the composition of music as well as choreography and discography, and therefore the band is considered to be self-producing. The band has released two official albums, though it also released a third which was a previously released album with four new songs included. Today's song, Falling For U, features the talents of the vocal unit, particularly Jeonghan and Joshua, and it can be found on that third album called SEVENTEEN Special Project: Director's Cut, released in 2018.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_(band)

Korean Masquerade: Black String and "Mask Dance"

Today's random song is by South Korean group Black String, who creatively fuse traditional Korean music with other contemporary elements such as jazz in both improvised and composed pieces. Founded in 2011 as part of a Korean-UK cultural exchange, they have played at WOMEX as well as a number of other international music festivals. They build their sound around traditional Korean instrumentation such as the geomungo, bamboo flutes and percussion and incorporate jazz guitar. You can find this song, Mask Dance, on their 2016 album of the same name. However, we got it from a various artists compilation CD called Music of Korea, though I was not able to find a date of release.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://sori.nyc/blackstring/

Last One Left, Turn Out the Lights: Jambinai and "Time of Extinction"

An amazing riot of noise makes up our random tune for today. The song, called Time of Extinction, is delivered by Jambinai, a South Korean indie band that blends traditional music and instrumentation with hard rock. In their music, you will hear South Korean instruments such as the haegeum, piri and geomungo provide a meditative sound, but incorporated into electronic post rock and building into what Womex describes as "metallic sheets of postapocalyptic angst." While South Korea's indie music scene isn't as well known as K-pop, Jambinai is helping put it on the world map. You can find Time of Extinction on Jambinai's 2012 award winning album Différance.

Red Flag: Ladies' Code and "Bad Girl"

Some K-pop in store for you today by Ladies' Code, a South Korean girl group formed in 2013. They released their first mini-album in 2013 which featured this tune, Bad Girl. They followed up with another mini-album. They continued to release hit singles through 2014 until September of that year, when they were involved in a tragic accident while returning to Seoul from a concert. Two of the group's members were killed when their van, piloted by their manager, lost control on a wet road and rolled over several times. The manager was later convicted of causing a fatal accident. The remaining three members of Ladies' Code have not officially reunited, though it is rumored that they are practicing together. Bad Girl can be found on the Code01-Bad Girl EP (2013).