The highly anticipated Korean indie band OBSG (O-Ban-Sing-Gwa) is making their first appearance in Japan. Even with indie artists from across Asia regularly performing in Japan, it’s truly remarkable that a large ensemble of ten members is making the trip. This can be described as nothing short of a miraculous debut.
The central figure is Lee Heemoon, a singer of Gyeonggi folk music and an unconventional figure in the Korean indie scene. He previously gained international attention as the frontman of the folk group SsingSsing, which appeared on NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk Concert.” Since the group’s disbandment, he has been involved in various projects, including a recent performance in Japan with the three-member jam band CADEJO. OBSG is a project of Lee Heemoon, and their debut in Japan will feature their latest release, “SPANGLE.”
Overseeing the band’s musical aspects is bassist Noh Seon-teck. He also leads NST & THE SOUL SAUCE, a band that mixes traditional Korean folk performance pansori with dub and reggae, and has performed at the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL.
In anticipation of OBSG’s debut in Japan, a roundtable discussion with the Minyo Crusaders, who also work with folk music, has been organized. The participants include Lee Heemoon and Noh Seon-teck from OBSG, and Freddy Tsukamoto, Katsumi Tanaka, and Koichiro Osawa from the Minyo Crusaders. In today’s increasingly globalized music scene, how are OBSG and the Minyo Crusaders approaching and expressing the roots music of folk?
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Cultural Encounters: Folk Music Traditions of Japan and Korea
Did you know about the Minyo Crusaders?
Lee Heemoon: Of course, we do.
Noh Seon-teck: I knew about them too.
Tanaka: Thank you [laughs].
Lee Heemoon: Even though the countries are different, there is a common ground in our dedication to folk music. I also feel a sense of affinity in how you’re presenting it as contemporary music and aiming to enjoy it with modern audiences.
Noh Seon-teck: I have a basic respect for bands that have been active in Japan for a long time, but I’ve particularly been interested in the Minyo Crusaders because of their incorporation of South American musical nuances. It’s different from the usual music based on existing recipes.
How did Tanaka and Freddy perceive Lee Heemoon and his group?
Tanaka: Heemoon appeared on the “Tiny Desk Concert” with his previous band SsingSsing. SsingSsing had an eccentric visual style, so at first glance, I didn’t feel that they were doing the same thing as us. However, I thought, “Interesting people are emerging.” It’s fascinating to see how people from around the world are engaging with their roots music in new ways, and it’s exciting to see that there are such people in Korea as well.
Freddie: I’m quite unfamiliar with music in general… so I didn’t know about Heemoon and his group.
I’d like to ask about everyone’s relationship with folk music. Heemoon, your mother is a Gyeonggi folk music singer, right? How did young Heemoon feel about the folk music your mother sang?
Lee Heemoon: My mother had been singing folk music long before I was born, so for me, it was as natural as the air around me. I was surprised to learn that folk music was considered something rare by my classmates. To me, folk music is my mother.
When you were a child, was folk music no longer part of everyday life?
Lee Heemoon: That’s right. I was born and raised in Seoul, where I wasn’t exposed to folk music. My uncle lived in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, which still had a rural atmosphere at that time, and I remember that folk music was still being sung there.
How did Freddy and Tanaka perceive folk music when they were children?
Freddy: I didn’t hear folk music at all when I was a child, except for at local bon dances. My interest in folk music only developed when I was an adult. I happened to hear folk music by chance and was so surprised, thinking, “What is this!” That’s when I became deeply fascinated by it. I originally came to Tokyo to become a jazz vocalist, but I switched to folk music instead!
Tanaka: Like Freddy, I also became interested in folk music as an adult. Until then, I only heard famous folk songs on TV or at bon dances. As Heemoon mentioned, it seems that folk music is taught in schools in Korea, but that wasn’t the case for me.
How about you, Seon-teck? Did you have any exposure to traditional music like folk music when you were a child?
Noh Seon-teck: No, I hadn’t had any exposure to it at all. I became interested in folk music after meeting Heemoon.
So you’re in the same situation as Tanaka and Freddy.
Noh Seon-teck: Yes, that’s right. While NST & THE SOUL SAUCE approaches pansori, I had never encountered it before. I’ve been involved in bands all my life, so I hadn’t had much interest in traditional music. I’m currently learning about folk music and pansori from knowledgeable people like Heemoon.
Note: Pansori is a traditional Korean performing art and oral narrative. It involves a solo singer and a drummer performing narrative music. It was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003.
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Common Grounds in New Approaches to Folk Music
Heemoon, you majored in folk music at Seoul Arts University. Do all graduates typically pursue a career as professional folk singers?
Lee Heemoon: Not necessarily. It’s very challenging to make a living solely from traditional music, including folk music. Many graduates end up working with national institutions or arts organizations that deal with traditional music. There are very few freelance singers like myself. On the other hand, there has been a resurgence of new movements in traditional music in Korea, and some interesting groups have emerged.
Speaking of which, I recently went to Seoul and bought a folk music USB in Dongdaemun. Who typically listens to these kinds of recordings?
Lee Heemoon: From the USB that Mr. Oishi showed me, it seems to include several of my mother’s friends (laughs). People who study traditional music might buy such recordings for educational purposes, and there are also a few folk music enthusiasts.
I see. It seems there are similarities in the situations surrounding traditional music in Korea and Japan. As exemplified by the Minyo Crusaders, there has been an increase in artists approaching folk music from new perspectives in Japan in recent years.
Freddy: Over the past few years, it feels like some traditional folk singers have started to emerge more publicly. The younger generation is starting to listen to it, and folk music itself has become more familiar. For example, “Aizu Bandai-san,” which is a folk song from Fukushima Prefecture, was once known mainly by locals, people within the folk music world, or older generations, but now more music enthusiasts are becoming aware of it. I think it’s a positive development.
In Japan, there has been a divide between folk music and other types of music (except in some regions like Okinawa), and opportunities for them to blend have been rare. How is it in Korea?
Lee Heemoon: The situation in Korea is similar. Although there have been attempts at crossover between traditional music and jazz by some pioneers, it was never common. In recent years, however, young players of traditional music in Korea have been changing this situation. I think the increasing number of musicians trying to find connections between the rhythms sought by the current generation and traditional music has significantly altered the landscape.
NST & THE SOUL SAUCE, led by Seon-teck, is a prime example of this.
Noh Seon-teck: Yes, that’s right. Various approaches to traditional music are now being explored, and I personally enjoy witnessing these changes.
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Folk Music Interpretation through Band Performance
In the Minyo Crusaders’ film ‘Bringing Minyo Back,’ there’s a scene where Tanaka says “Minyo is dead” during an MC at a live show in Europe. Can you explain the true meaning behind this statement?
Tanaka: People around me questioned this expression, and it is indeed quite a bold statement [laughs]. I wanted to succinctly express what we were trying to achieve on stage abroad, and personally, I’ve also enjoyed playing with the idea of replacing conventional music phrases with “Minyo” [laughs].
So it’s similar to the feeling of “Punk is dead”?
Osawa: It’s not meant to be taken as a serious statement, right?
Tanaka: Exactly, it’s not serious at all. I hoped that by using such expressions, it would provoke thought about folk music.
Freddy, what did you think when you heard those words?
Freddy: I don’t believe that “Minyo is dead,” and I have a completely different perspective. However, it is a striking phrase. For people who haven’t really thought about folk music, it might seem like a dead genre to them.
As we discussed earlier, the situation is changing. People are starting to enjoy folk music more openly. What was once seen as a niche interest for some in the folk music world is gradually becoming “everyone’s” music again. I just want people to get to know folk music. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
I believe that Minyo Crusaders have been restoring an environment where folk music is enjoyed in daily life through their live performances. This is exactly what Heemoon and Seon-teck are doing with OBSG as well, isn’t it?
Lee Heemoon: Yes, I think that’s true. However, personally, I have a lot of things I want to express. Beyond music, I have strong intentions regarding visuals and other aspects, which are based on my personal desires. So, while the band draws inspiration from traditional elements, on a personal level, I have a desire to “throw a fuck at the world.”
Whether it’s SsingSsing or OBSG, it seems that your personal desires are at the core.
Lee Heemoon: That’s right. Many bands in Korea that approach folk music or pansori use traditional instruments, but I think “as long as my voice is based on tradition, that’s enough.”
How about you, Seon-teck?
Noh Seon-teck: I’m neither a folk music expert nor a researcher; I’m just a musician. From that perspective, what OBSG is doing is not folk music itself, but rather a new form of pop music through folk music. I don’t have a sense of mission like Heemoon.
Lee Heemoon: Well, I don’t have a sense of mission either [laughs].
Is that so? As Freddie mentioned earlier, there doesn’t seem to be a strong sense of wanting everyone to know the greatness of folk music?
Lee Heemoon: Of course, I do have that awareness. However, the stronger feeling I have is “wanting to share the enjoyment of folk music.” OBSG is more of a “fun project” for me. As both a frontman and a director, I want to create performances where the individuality of all ten members is properly conveyed.
In a previous interview with NiEW, you mentioned that you continued to create works that explore “why you keep doing traditional music in this era” as a way to search for answers. Have you found that answer?
Lee Heemoon: In Korea, there is a term called “Palja” (팔자), which is derived from the Four Pillars of Destiny and means “fate.” It refers to a predetermined destiny from the moment of birth. In that sense, I believe that doing traditional music is my Palja.