Grammy Award-winning producer searches for local talent at MU:CON

“I don’t think of music as having genres and borders; I just look at music as being good or not so good,” said five-time Grammy Award winning producer Steve Lillywhite at the opening lecture for this year’s second annual MU:CON global music conference. Lillywhite ― who has produced for some of the music industry’s most notable acts including U2, The Rolling Stones, The Killers, Dave Matthews and many others ― was one of the keynote speakers at the three-day MU:CON event, which features a number

Oct. 10, 2013

National troupes to perform signature dances in October

Fall is rolling in fast in Seoul and Korea’s national dance troupes are presenting some of the most poignant love stories this month.The Korean National Ballet and the National Dance Company of Korea are presenting the romantic ballet “Giselle” and traditional Korean dance “Chum, Chunhyang” at the National Theater of Korea from Oct. 17 to 23.It is the first time that the two dances will be performed at the same venue on alternate days. This means the National Theater of Korea staff will be switc

Oct. 9, 2013

IU de-thrones Busker Busker with ‘Modern Times’

Twenty-year-old K-pop starlet IU has swept the charts with her latest studio album “Modern Times,” knocking off Busker Busker, which had been dominating the local real-time music charts since the release of its second album on Sept. 25. The single “The Red Shoes,” the lead track from IU’s third album, topped more than nine major online music charts including Melon, Naver, Mnet and Daum, upon its release on Tuesday. Similar to Busker Busker’s explosive follow-up album comeback, many other songs f

Oct. 9, 2013

2NE1 appointed as KBEE 2013 honorary ambassadors

The four K-pop divas of 2NE1 have officially been appointed the honorary ambassadors for this year’s “Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo” in London. The KBEE ― sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism ― is an annual event held overseas with the purposes of creating the largest hallyu trade fair as well as promoting Korean culture and products while seeking international business opportunities in the creative industries. As one of t

Oct. 9, 2013

Psy and G-Dragon rumored to attend Bieber’s concert

Early last month, Canadian teen pop sensation Justin Bieber tweeted, “Excited to get to Korea to perform on October 10th. Maybe u will see my guys @psy_oppa and @IBGDRGN. Get the bbq ready.” The tweet sparked rumors online that his label-mate Psy and Big Bang leader G-Dragon could be joining the pop star on stage at his upcoming Seoul concert.Bieber and talent manager Scooter Braun arrived in Seoul on Tuesday and photos of Bieber together with Psy and G-Dragon were tweeted by manager Braun, caus

Oct. 9, 2013

Designers speak about future of design in Korea

Understanding the needs of the customers as well as the power of the soft industry are key factors to developing Korea into a design powerhouse, according to two leading Korean designers. Don Tae Lee, co-president of London-based strategic design consultancy tangerine direction & design, and Joon Oh!, the creative director of Amorepacific, a leading Korean chemical and cosmetics company, gave a duo-lecture, sharing their past and current innovative projects. Lee is known for redesigning British

Oct. 8, 2013

Tim Brown: Be Darwin rather than Newton

How does one succeed in today’s complex and volatile world? IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown’s advice is: be Darwin rather than Newton.“What Newton’s laws of motion do is that they predict the future based on the understanding of the present,” Brown said during his lecture.“But the problem is it only works if the present is very, very simple. We can only use Newton’s laws to effectively predict the future of something if we are talking about two components, one thing hitting another thing. As soon as we hav

Oct. 8, 2013

Chung Kyung-wha finds second life, freedom and inner self after injury

In 1958, young violinist Chung Kyung-wha performed a Mozart concerto with her friends and received rave response from the audience. That was the first time she realized the power of the audience and the energy she can receive from people. The now 65-year-old virtuoso is reaching out to the audience once again after an eight-year hiatus, a break that was caused by an injury to her left index finger. Chung has been holding her comeback recital, “Beyond Expectation,” in Asia, starting in Japan in J

Oct. 7, 2013

U.S. scholar receives medal for contribution to Hangeul studies

Robert Ramsey, director of the center of East Asian Studies at the University of Maryland, is to receive an Order of Cultural Merit from the Korean government, along with nine others who have contributed to the study and promotion of Hangeul, the Culture Ministry said Monday.Ramsey, 72, is known for his research into the Korean language. In 2011, he published “A History of the Korean Language,” the first history book on the subject ever written in English. The 2013 list of medal recipients also

Oct. 7, 2013

Warhol paintings up for sale in New York could fetch $120 million

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Two masterpieces by U.S. artist Andy Warhol go under the hammer in New York next month, with the highlights of the auction season expected to fetch up to $120 million.“Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” seen in public only once in the last 26 years, will be sold by Sotheby’s on Nov. 13 for an expected $60 million.“Coca-Cola (3),” one of Warhol’s most famous pop art paintings that has been widely exhibited, is expected to sell for $40-60 million at Christie’s on Nov. 12.Warhol,

Oct. 7, 2013

Ambitious Yellow Lounge project has a little more to do

Classical music forayed into one of Seoul’s trendiest nightspots Thursday, as the Yellow Lounge project invited The Philharmonics ensemble and DJ Pascal Dior to present their interpretations of classical music at Club Octagon in southern Seoul. The Philharmonics, consisting of members of the Berlin and Vienna philharmonic orchestras, played refined, but reworked scores. Under the bluish and pink lighting with flamboyant LED displays as the backdrop, the ensemble gave a modern and somewhat Jewish

Oct. 6, 2013

Drunken Tiger returns with message of hope

This is the ninth in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae and Bizzy have seen it all. From their beginnings in the hip-hop industry when Tiger JK would perform for free tapas, up to now, with the release of a new album, Drunken Tiger’s ninth, they have seen both ups and downs.All three got into hip-hop in different ways. For Yoon Mi-rae, or Tasha, it was her dad who first influenced her. She said he was in the U.S

Oct. 6, 2013

The Killers prove you don’t need to be a soldier to have soul

Chants of “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier,” filled the Olympic Hall on Saturday night with thousands of rock fans singing along in unison with the chorus line of The Killers’ hit single, “All These Things that I’ve Done.”In the band’s first ever performance in Korea, the Las Vegas natives Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. rocked Seoul during their live concert over the weekend. Although getting off to a bit of a late start, keeping the audience waiting anxio

Oct. 6, 2013

Eyelike: Find healing with ‘The Cure’

Find healing with ‘The Cure’Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi-rae, Bizzy“The Cure” (Universal Music) “The Cure” is the first album churned out by FeelGhood Music, a label founded by Drunken Tiger, including fellow hip-hop artists Yoon Mi-rae and Bizzy. Unlike the recent “dissing” mood in the current hip-hop scene, the trio have compiled an album filled with hope for a better future. The album starts with “Beautiful Life,” a hip-hop and pop hybrid about realizing that life is beautiful despite any pain and

Oct. 4, 2013

From Kanye to Pharrell, rap stars embrace Cyrus

NEW YORK (AP) ― While Miley Cyrus has a batch of critics, there is a group rallying behind her and praising her as a vital talent: rappers.Pharrell produced several songs on Cyrus’ new album. She has been featured on the latest albums from Snoop Lion and will.i.am. Big Sean requested her as the star of his “Fire” music video. And to top it off, Kanye West invited her to appear on the remix to “Black Skinhead,” his anti-racism rant from his eerie and dark “Yeezus” album. Cyrus’ album “Bangerz,” o

Oct. 4, 2013

Asia Song Festival unveils full lineup including 2PM, Crayon Pop

The 10th annual Asia Song Festival is getting ready to kick off its music-filled festivities with a night of energetic K-pop performances as well as a sprinkling of international flavor by a number of popular trending acts from other parts of Asia. This year’s Asia Song Festival, to be held at the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium on Oct. 9, will partner with the annual global music conference MU:CON to highlight a number of international acts including Japanese pop singer Aoyama Thelma; girl group 7i

Oct. 3, 2013

Korean classical music stars to make harmony in concert series

Korean musicians have long been emerging as stars in the international classical musical scene, winning competitions and performing at world-class concert halls with renowned orchestras and musicians. From Oct. 10 through Dec. 14, concert goers will be able to enjoy their musical world and philosophy at the Seoul Arts Center IBK Chamber Hall. The “SAC Classic Star Series” will feature soloists as members of chamber ensembles, harmonizing with one another.  MastersVirtuoso violinist Kim Nam-yoon

Oct. 2, 2013

Franz Ferdinand to bring the ‘Right Action’ to Seoul

The members of Franz Ferdinand are gearing up to rock the house as their worldwide tour brings the Scottish rock band back to Seoul. Franz Ferdinand, which is composed of Alex Kapranos on lead vocals and guitar and fellow band mates Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy and Paul Thomson, will be playing their global chart-topping hits in the band’s upcoming solo Seoul concert slated for the end of next month. The band formed in Glasgow in 2002 and quickly experienced large-scale commercial success with only

Oct. 2, 2013