Seoulsonic Explained

Seoulsonic 서울소닉
Location:Canada, United States
First:2011
Dates:(dates vary)
Frequency:Annual
Genre:Korean indie, Rock music, Electronic music, K-pop
Organized:DFSB Kollective
Website:Seoulsonic

Seoulsonic (SEOULSONIC), (Korean: 서울소닉) is an annual concert tour in the United States and Canada, organized by the DFSB Kollective with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which began in 2011 in an effort to introduce South Korea's indie music culture to the West.[1] [2] The tour includes annual stops at SXSW in Austin, Texas and the Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada.[1]

History

Seoulsonic evolved from a quarterly concert series, hosted by the DFSB Kollective in South Korea, into an international tour with the goal of assisting Korean indie bands, in particular "alt-rok" bands, to build an international audience for success beyond Hongdae. The tour started in 2011, at which time the music scene was described as follows: "the rock genre is still the obscure cousin of pop, dance and hip-hop, and other revenue streams such as product endorsements and television appearances aren’t readily available to its musicians."

Band selection

The selection process takes place in Seoul, usually at the annual Seoul International Music Fair or MU:CON SEOUL, hosted by KOCCA, which brings in international music scouts from around the world.[3] [4] James Minor, director of the large U.S. annual festival SXSW, has attended and handpicked his choices.[3] [4] After selections are made, the bands are designated for their international trips, including locations like SXSW and the Canadian Music Week for this tour; and for France’s Midem, Singapore’s Music Matters and international K-pop head-lined concerts, including K-Pop Night Out at SXSW.[3] [4] For the SXSW event, Bernie Cho, the president of DFSB Kollective said while selecting bands, "I look for passion. But it is a business decision. As cool as flashy K-pop may be, the cold hard facts and figures tell us the American music market is marching to different beats. We are targeting what the U.S. market is listening to."[2]

2011, the first year

In March 2011, the first group of bands set out for SXSW in Austin, Texas. The three bands were: Vidulgi OoyoO, (electro-dance), Idiotape, (rock hybrid) and Galaxy Express (rock).[5]

Prior to the tour, other South Korean bands had performed at SXSW, including YB and Seoul Electric Band in 2007,[6] [7] and Gong Myoung in 2009.[8]

The 2K11 "Seoulsonic North American Tour" started on March 9, 2011 at the Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada, and held other shows,[9] including the Knitting Factory in New York City and the Roxy in West Hollywood, California.[8] Apollo 18 made additional stops in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.[5]

Also, in April 2011, a fifth band, EE (electronic performance art) became the first Korean act to perform at Coachella in Indio, California);[5] not followed by another Korean act until 2016, when Epik High, was announced to play the festival.[10]

Yearly line-ups 2012 - 2015

2016

2K16 scheduled to start at SXSW on March 18, 2016, at the Majestic Music Hall in Austin, with Neon Bunny, Guten Birds, Bye Bye Badman, HEO, Windy City, WYM.[23]

List of bands, genres, years

Reception

In 2014, KoreAm said, "The Seoulsonic Showcase at Icenhauer’s proved the strength and diversity of Korean music at SXSW."[18]

In 2015, The Austin Chronicle said, "Seoulsonic is different from the previous night's K-pop Night Out, in the sense that it focuses on the less bubbly and less commercially viable corners of the Korean music industry."[19] Also in 2015, KoreAm said, "several underground rock bands showed how South Korean music is more than just catchy K-pop tunes.[24]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cho. Chung-un. Korean rock bands to take on North America. March 4, 2012. The Korea Herald. March 15, 2016.
  2. Web site: Bringing Korean sounds to SXSW. April 10, 2015. The Korea Herald. March 15, 2016.
  3. Web site: Lee. Sun-young . Five indie acts chosen for SXSW. October 15, 2014. The Korea Herald. March 15, 2016.
  4. Web site: Yoon. Sojung. K-music sweeps SXSW. March 17, 2014. Korea.net. March 15, 2016.
  5. Web site: ROK Heavy. February 28, 2011. KoreAm. March 15, 2016. October 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161010213707/http://kore.am/rok-heavy/. dead.
  6. Web site: Japaniversary Japan, China, and southward along the Pacific Rim. February 23, 2007. The Austin Chronicle. October 9, 2016.
  7. Web site: About Yoon Do Hyun Band. https://web.archive.org/web/20160408195043/http://www.mtv.com/artists/yoon-do-hyun-band/biography/. dead. April 8, 2016. MTV. March 15, 2016.
  8. Web site: Min. Ines. [Weekender] Korean indie bands to rock North America]. February 17, 2011. The Korea Times. March 15, 2016.
  9. Web site: Han Benefit Concert. March 19, 2011. KoreAm. March 15, 2016.
  10. Web site: Sung. So-young. Epik High to perform at Coachella 2016. January 12, 2016. Korea JoongAng Daily. March 15, 2016.
  11. Web site: Oko. Dan. Seoulsonic Showcase SXSW Showcase Reviews. March 16, 2012. The Austin Chronicle. March 15, 2016.
  12. Web site: Dunbar. Jon. Korea's musicians honored at KMAs. March 5, 2013. Korea.net. March 15, 2016.
  13. Web site: Seoulsonic at SXSW 2012. March 15, 2012. Roxwel. March 15, 2016.
  14. Web site: ROKNROAR 2K13 Seoulsonic North American Tour Dates. March 8, 2013. Yam Magazine. March 15, 2016.
  15. Web site: Intro to Korean Indie: Seoulsonic 2K13. March 1, 2013. Korean Indie. March 15, 2016.
  16. Web site: Dunbar. Jon. Korean bands tour North America. April 17, 2013. Korea.net. March 15, 2016 .
  17. Web site: Zimmer. Cindy. Review: Seoulsonic 2014 at SXSW. March 20, 2014. ATK Magazine. March 15, 2016.
  18. Web site: Cha. Jonathan. SXSW Hosts More Music From Korea. March 14, 2014. KoreAm. March 15, 2016.
  19. Web site: Friday Showcases - Korea Night 2: Seoulsonic. March 20, 2015. The Austin Chronicle. March 15, 2016.
  20. Web site: Yoo. Reera. SXSW 2015 Features Korean Musicians. November 21, 2014. KoreAm. March 15, 2016.
  21. Web site: Culture Collide LA returns October 8-10, 2015. Culture Collide Festival. March 15, 2016 .
  22. Web site: Hong. Tae. Seoulsonic tour brings Korean indie acts to Los Angeles. October 8, 2015. The Korea Times. March 15, 2016.
  23. Web site: Minor. James. Lineups for K-Pop Night Out and Seoulsonic Showcases Confirmed. February 18, 2016. SXSW. March 15, 2016.
  24. Web site: Kim. Ruth. South Korean Bands Rock Out at SXSW. May 7, 2015. KoreAm. March 10, 2016.

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