NEXT (Korean band) explained

NEXT
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Seoul, South Korea
Label:Danal Entertainment
Past Members:
  • Shin Hae-chul
  • Jeong Gi-song
  • Lee Dong-gyu
  • Im Chang-su
  • Lee Su-yong
  • Kim Se-hwang
  • Kim Yeong-seok
  • Won San-guk
  • Devin Lee
  • Dr. Juny
  • Dong Hyeok
  • Ji Hyeon-su
  • Yun Te-ra
  • Jade
  • Kim Dan

NEXT (Hangul: 넥스트; stylized as N.EX.T as an abbreviation for New EXperiment Team) was a South Korean rock band known for its provocative songs that critiqued social injustice.[1] The band was formed by iconic Korean experimental rock singer Shin Hae-chul and debuted in 1992 with the album Home.[2] NEXT went through several line-up changes over the years and has been inactive since Shin's death in 2014.[3]

History

NEXT (New EXperiment Team) was the band of singer/songwriter Shin Hae Chul (신해철). The group split up following the 1997 release of Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera, and the instrumentalists formed the alternative metal band Novasonic with rapper Kim Jun Pyo.

N.EX.T reformed around 2003 following the disbanding of Novasonic, and they released the soundtrack to Guilty Gear XX #Reload. A few of its instrumental songs were re-worked into songs with vocals on the following album, The Return Of N.EX.T Part 3: The Book of War/The Diary of a Soldier. The Return of N.EX.T Part 3 included the song "Dear America" which featured many prominent Korean vocalists such as Kim Jun Pyo and Crash's Ahn Heung-Chan. Guitarist Kim Se-hwang released his first solo album, Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, on June 27, 2011.

In 2014, group leader Shin Hae-chul died after poor medical treatment for cardiac arrest. On August 8, 2015, the band made their last appearance at the Pentaport Rock Festival, along with other musicians, for a special memorial stage for Shin.[4] Since then, NEXT has been considered to be on hiatus.

Themes

NEXT's songs contain many cultural criticisms, with "Turn Off the T.V." and "Money" pointing to mediation and consumerism. Criticism of human disregard for the environment can be found in "Lazenca, Save Us" and "The World We Made," which creates musical contrasts between a pleasant, natural world and a terrifying, industrial, human-influenced world. "Cyber Budha Company Ltd." tells of a dark future in which humans can purchase small amounts of divinity through the use of machines and credit cards.

Members

NEXT went through multiple line-up changes between 1992 and 2014.

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsSales
KOR
[5]
Home
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Jigu Inc., Danal Entertainment
rowspan="4"
The Return of N.EX.T Part I: The Being?
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Danal Entertainment
The Return of N·EX·T Part II: The World
  • Released: September 15, 1995
  • Label: Daeyoung AV Co., Ltd., Danal Entertainment
Lazenca- A Space Rock Opera
  • Released: November 30, 1997
  • Label: Bugs
Guilty Gear XX #Reload Korean Version Original Sound Track
  • Released: November 6th, 2003
  • Label: Team
--
The Return of N.EX.T Part III: Republic of Korea
  • Released: June 16, 2004
  • Label: Sony Music Entertainment (Korea) Inc.
6
  • KOR: 39,639+[6]
Regame?
  • Released: February 23, 2006
  • Label: Sony Music Entertainment (Korea) Inc.
15
  • KOR: 9,874+[7]
666 Trilogy Part I
  • Released: December 9, 2008
  • Label: OGAM Entertainment

Compilation and live albums

TitleAlbum details
Live Concert Chapter 1
  • Released: May 25, 1995
  • Label: Danal Entertainment
Live Concert Chapter 2
  • Released: May 25, 1995
  • Label: Danal Entertainment
N.EX.T Is Alive
  • Released: February 1, 1996
  • Label: Daeyoung AV Co., Ltd., Danal Entertainment
The First Fan Service: Live 2
  • Released: August 1998
  • Label: EMI Records, Bugs

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart
positions
SalesAlbum
KOR
"Here I Stand For You"1997Here I Stand For You single album
"I Want It All (Demo 0.7)"2014
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

See also

References

  1. Web site: N.EX.T (넥스트). KBS World Radio. En. 2018-01-31. dead. 2018-02-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20180201192806/http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/program/program_artist_detail.htm?No=10093.
  2. Web site: 넥스트 소개. Mnet. ko. N.EX.T Profile. 2018-01-31. dead. 2018-01-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20180131200709/http://www.mnet.com/artist/49496/profile.
  3. News: Singer Shin Hae-chul Dead at 46. 2014-10-28. The Chosun Ilbo. 2018-01-31. en.
  4. Web site: Kim. Bo-kyung. '펜타포트 록페스티벌'서 신해철 추모콘서트 열린다. June 8, 2015. Yonhap. Korean. November 17, 2018.
  5. Web site: K-Pop Record Sales. Music Industry Association of Korea. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219201306/http://www.miak.or.kr/navigator.php?contents=html&usemode=list&DB=117. 2009-02-19. dead. 2018-02-01.
  6. Web site: 8월 국내음반 판매량집계. September 2004. Music Industry Association of Korea. ko. August Korean Record Sales Data. https://web.archive.org/web/20090205224612/http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_200408.htm. 2009-02-05. dead. 2018-02-01.
  7. Web site: 3월 가요음반 판매량집계. March 2006. Music Industry Association of Korea. ko. March Korean Record Sales Data. https://web.archive.org/web/20090518161805/http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/Kpop_200603.htm. 2009-05-18. dead. 2018-02-01.