I was inspired by the good reactions that I got when I played some of this music on Plug GAF and in the listening threads. Yay.
Okay, so there's nothing wrong with K-pop
but it makes me sad that it's the only Korean music that gets any exposure, so here's some Korean music that isn't K-pop.
못(Mot)
Trip-hop/Rock band. A bit like a hard edged Portishead or a more jazzy Massive Attack. Their first album, Non-Linear is much more depressing and louder than their sophomore album, Strange Season. Highly recommended.
Cold Blood
상실
I Am
서울은 흐림
날개
eAeon
The vocalist of the aforementioned Mot, who only recorded one album that released this year. It's much more mellow than Mot's stuff, and as the guy wrecked his vocal chords pretty bad during the 5 year period between the release of his album and the last album of Mot, his voice is a lot more softer too. Not nearly as good as his efforts in Mot, but it's still pretty good.
Bulletproof
Drug
김두수(Kim Doo-Soo)
Acid folk singer/songwriter. One of my favorite artists of all time, he isn't easily describable. His lyrics are incredible, and his music really does have a uniquely melancholic Korean emotion and feeling to it. Beautiful voice too. After being disowned by his father for pursuing music and living like a hobo for years, when he finally began to get on his feet, one fan committed suicide to a song of his titled Bohemian, while another saved herself after listening to it.
Needless to say, this little incident fucked with his mind pretty bad and he went into hiding in a mountain and lived like a hermit for 10 years. He eventually came back after a fan begged him to record another album and funded it out of his pocket.
보헤미안(Bohemian)
들꽃
열흘나비
시대는 전사를 거두지 않는다
Romantic Horizon
김광석(Kim Kwang-Seok)
Another folk artist, although he was much more conventional than the aforementioned Kim Doo-Soo. Not that there's anything wrong with that, since his material is still fucking incredible.
너무 아픈 사랑은 사랑이 아니었음을
서른즈음에
일어나
이등병의 편지
산울림(San Ul Lim)
An experimental psychedelic rock band, highly influential in the Korean indie scene and were pretty incredible in the '70s/'80s. They ended up turning into a fairly cookie cutter band in the end though
내 마음에 주단을 깔고
그대는 이미 나
둘이서
내 마음은 황무지
해파리소년(Jelly Boy)
Electronic indie pop. His stuff reminds me a lot of the soundtrack from Cave Story.
Infant Song (For Siryu)
혼잣말
해파리 비행
Nothing Can Change My Life
어어부 프로젝트(UhUhBoo Project)
Korean Beefheart/Tom Waits would best describe this great band. Oh yeah, the soundtrack of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was done by these guys so if you liked that make sure to check these guys out.
아름다운 세상에 어느 가족 줄거리
양떼구름
무더운 하루
종점보관소
불충분조건
사각의 진혼곡
Asoto Union
Fell good reggae/funk. Not much else to say really, but still very much worth a listen or ten.
Think About 'Chu
Dynamite
Make It Boogie (We've Got Funky Jazz)
Windy City
They're made out of the same members of Asoto Union, but they added more members and turned to a more experimental dub reggae band.
All Time Rockers (Gorgonn's Rockers Dub)
Countryman
Silky Silky Love Song
언니네 이발관(Onnine Ibalgwan)
An indie rock band formed in a reaction to counter the overwhelming metal scene in Korea. Very sentimental, but not melodramatic. Their name, which comes means Sister's Barbershop came from a Japanese porno.
가장보통의 존재
DJ Soulscape/Espionne
Think of a less sentimental, more 'fun' Nujabes and you come pretty close to describing him.
Summer 2002
Piano Suite / Loop of Love
Heartbeat
Cascabel de Navidad
More will be coming later. Maybe with writeups and descriptions that aren't terrible.
Update 1: Some traditional Korean music. More songs from these artists will be added later
김무길 (Kim Mu-Gil)
한갑득류 거문고 산조 - 자진모리
김영길 (Kim Yeong-Gil)
한갑득류 거문고산조 - 아쟁과 거문고 병주
김덕수 (Kim Deok-Su)
영남농악 연결 연주
유경화 (Yu Gyeong-Hwa)
철현금 시나위
정재국 (Jeong Jae-Guk)
한
This isn't really done by an artist, it's old Korean court music
수제천
Update 2
Virgin Lab
A new indie electro two-man band. Very chill.
Midnight Journey(한밤의 여행
Lucid Fall
Ballads everywhere. Lyrics are incredible, shame most won't understand them.
노래할게
국경의 밤
새
너는 내 마음속에 남아
서울전자음악단(Seoul Electric Band)
Soft alt rock.
꿈에 들어와
서로 다른
날아
장기하와 얼굴들 (Jang Gi-Ha and the Faces)
Pavement, more quirky and humorous I guess. Kind of hit and miss tbh, but they're notable for being the first successful Korean indie band in a very long time so I added them.
싸구려 커피
별일 없이 산다
느리게 걷자
한대수 (Han Dae-Soo)
Another great folk artist.
하루아침
물 좀 주소
바람과 나
사랑인지
Some more traditional Korean music
판소리(Pansori)
Sort of like improvised spoken word
흥보가
적벽가
심청가
사물놀이(Samul Nori)
Traditional percussion quartet
호남 좌도풍물 가락
산조(Sanjo)
Improvised instrument playing, mostly involving just one instrument and one percussionist.
성금연류 가야금 산조
한갑득류 거문고 산조
More will probably be coming. Man, this takes a lot of time.
Thanks to atmosk. I know virtually nothing about Korean hip-hop so his tastes may be very different from mine though.
Okay, so there's nothing wrong with K-pop
although I hate it with the intensity of a thousand suns
못(Mot)
Trip-hop/Rock band. A bit like a hard edged Portishead or a more jazzy Massive Attack. Their first album, Non-Linear is much more depressing and louder than their sophomore album, Strange Season. Highly recommended.
Cold Blood
상실
I Am
서울은 흐림
날개
eAeon
The vocalist of the aforementioned Mot, who only recorded one album that released this year. It's much more mellow than Mot's stuff, and as the guy wrecked his vocal chords pretty bad during the 5 year period between the release of his album and the last album of Mot, his voice is a lot more softer too. Not nearly as good as his efforts in Mot, but it's still pretty good.
Bulletproof
Drug
김두수(Kim Doo-Soo)
Acid folk singer/songwriter. One of my favorite artists of all time, he isn't easily describable. His lyrics are incredible, and his music really does have a uniquely melancholic Korean emotion and feeling to it. Beautiful voice too. After being disowned by his father for pursuing music and living like a hobo for years, when he finally began to get on his feet, one fan committed suicide to a song of his titled Bohemian, while another saved herself after listening to it.
Needless to say, this little incident fucked with his mind pretty bad and he went into hiding in a mountain and lived like a hermit for 10 years. He eventually came back after a fan begged him to record another album and funded it out of his pocket.
보헤미안(Bohemian)
들꽃
열흘나비
시대는 전사를 거두지 않는다
Romantic Horizon
김광석(Kim Kwang-Seok)
Another folk artist, although he was much more conventional than the aforementioned Kim Doo-Soo. Not that there's anything wrong with that, since his material is still fucking incredible.
너무 아픈 사랑은 사랑이 아니었음을
서른즈음에
일어나
이등병의 편지
산울림(San Ul Lim)
An experimental psychedelic rock band, highly influential in the Korean indie scene and were pretty incredible in the '70s/'80s. They ended up turning into a fairly cookie cutter band in the end though
내 마음에 주단을 깔고
그대는 이미 나
둘이서
내 마음은 황무지
해파리소년(Jelly Boy)
Electronic indie pop. His stuff reminds me a lot of the soundtrack from Cave Story.
Infant Song (For Siryu)
혼잣말
해파리 비행
Nothing Can Change My Life
어어부 프로젝트(UhUhBoo Project)
Korean Beefheart/Tom Waits would best describe this great band. Oh yeah, the soundtrack of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was done by these guys so if you liked that make sure to check these guys out.
아름다운 세상에 어느 가족 줄거리
양떼구름
무더운 하루
종점보관소
불충분조건
사각의 진혼곡
Asoto Union
Fell good reggae/funk. Not much else to say really, but still very much worth a listen or ten.
Think About 'Chu
Dynamite
Make It Boogie (We've Got Funky Jazz)
Windy City
They're made out of the same members of Asoto Union, but they added more members and turned to a more experimental dub reggae band.
All Time Rockers (Gorgonn's Rockers Dub)
Countryman
Silky Silky Love Song
언니네 이발관(Onnine Ibalgwan)
An indie rock band formed in a reaction to counter the overwhelming metal scene in Korea. Very sentimental, but not melodramatic. Their name, which comes means Sister's Barbershop came from a Japanese porno.
가장보통의 존재
DJ Soulscape/Espionne
Think of a less sentimental, more 'fun' Nujabes and you come pretty close to describing him.
Summer 2002
Piano Suite / Loop of Love
Heartbeat
Cascabel de Navidad
More will be coming later. Maybe with writeups and descriptions that aren't terrible.
Update 1: Some traditional Korean music. More songs from these artists will be added later
김무길 (Kim Mu-Gil)
한갑득류 거문고 산조 - 자진모리
김영길 (Kim Yeong-Gil)
한갑득류 거문고산조 - 아쟁과 거문고 병주
김덕수 (Kim Deok-Su)
영남농악 연결 연주
유경화 (Yu Gyeong-Hwa)
철현금 시나위
정재국 (Jeong Jae-Guk)
한
This isn't really done by an artist, it's old Korean court music
수제천
Update 2
Virgin Lab
A new indie electro two-man band. Very chill.
Midnight Journey(한밤의 여행
Lucid Fall
Ballads everywhere. Lyrics are incredible, shame most won't understand them.
노래할게
국경의 밤
새
너는 내 마음속에 남아
서울전자음악단(Seoul Electric Band)
Soft alt rock.
꿈에 들어와
서로 다른
날아
장기하와 얼굴들 (Jang Gi-Ha and the Faces)
Pavement, more quirky and humorous I guess. Kind of hit and miss tbh, but they're notable for being the first successful Korean indie band in a very long time so I added them.
싸구려 커피
별일 없이 산다
느리게 걷자
한대수 (Han Dae-Soo)
Another great folk artist.
하루아침
물 좀 주소
바람과 나
사랑인지
Some more traditional Korean music
판소리(Pansori)
Sort of like improvised spoken word
흥보가
적벽가
심청가
사물놀이(Samul Nori)
Traditional percussion quartet
호남 좌도풍물 가락
산조(Sanjo)
Improvised instrument playing, mostly involving just one instrument and one percussionist.
성금연류 가야금 산조
한갑득류 거문고 산조
More will probably be coming. Man, this takes a lot of time.
obligatory k-hop post
as someone who listens to a lot of k-hop, I figure I should probably contribute (was kicking around the idea of starting a k-hop thread, but thought better of it)
1TYM
Ready or Not Yo
Nasty
Hot
Put'em Up
B-Free
Where You At (feat. Minos, R-EST)
Flashy (feat. Dok2)
All Day
Let It Show (feat. Okasian, Beenzino)
Dok2
Microphone Solo
Beyond
Dub G
Dok2 & Double K
Takeover
21세기형 나그네
Break Beatz (feat. Rado)
Drunken Tiger
Final Fantasy
W.O.R.D.
Foundation
Liquor Shots
Isolated Ones, Left Foot Forward
Die Legend (feat. Dok2, Double K)
Monster (feat. Rakka, Roscoe Umali, Tasha, Rakim)
Dynamic Duo
Retire
해적 (feat.YDG)
Dynamic Sinsa Rangers
Jinusean
A-YO
Welcome (feat. Lexy)
Phone Number
JTONG
구구가가
개판
(and I can't link the video for Titty Twister cause its quite NSFW, google search 찌찌뽕
Perry
Know What I Mean (feat. Masta Wu)
Bounce (feat. Masta Wu, Teddy)
Get Ready (feat. YG Family)
Simon Dominic
서커스 2008 (Feat Dok2, E Sens)
Body Rock
Complex 3
The Quiett
Keep Right (feat. Loptimist)
Sky's The Limit (feat. Dok2)
Airplane Music (Feat. Basick, Rimi, Beenzino, Fana & San E)
YDG
Chilly (feat. Bizzy)
Run (feat. Tiger JK, Tasha, Bizzy)
양좀마니
-------
Obviously I am just scratching the surface here, and this post has already taken me about an hour to put together... so some other names to throw out there if you find any of this stuff nice.
(AMOTAI, Minos, Cho PD, Bizniz, Comma, Crucial Star, Dead'P, Double Trouble, Goblin Laboratory, G-Slow, illinit, Kenvo, MYK, palo alto, RHYME-A, ScaryP, Swings)
Thanks to atmosk. I know virtually nothing about Korean hip-hop so his tastes may be very different from mine though.
