Discovering the Korean Underground

DKU is a news source devoted to covering the Korean underground music scene - with a little bit of mainstream thrown in for good measure. All about hip-hop, R&B, reggae, soul and more. var sc_project=9218281; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_security="d9ace021"; var sc_https=1; var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://www."); document.write("");

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi! Recently found out about you. I'm lost about what I really want to do in life. I feel like music is my passion and to best invest my time I would like to be in the entertainment world. The thing is I just graduated in science while in college. I don't mind starting as an intern, but since I found a really old blog of yours (where you feat the supreme team-throwback) I found out you had worked at arirang? Do you know how foreigner find their way in there? other places? or is it w/ connections

Most (perhaps all?) media companies in Korea that hire foreigners only hire foreigners who are already here. And some only hire foreigners that are on residency (three-year) visas, or F-series visas, because they can’t afford to sponsor work visas or don’t have enough work to hire them full-time - which you have to be a full-time worker to get visa sponsorship.

In terms of finding jobs, some places do advertise openings online, though they often take recommendations from people already working there. Where I am at currently, most of my jobs come from recommendations - but I’ve been working here for nearly 11 years and have made those contacts. It’s not impossible to come here and start fresh, but you’ll have to do a lot of digging around. Seoul Global Center sometimes posts new job openings. Craigslist Seoul is another place to find work. Facebook groups like AAJA (Asian American Journalism Association) will also post a lot of job openings and you don’t have to be Asian American to join the Seoul group. I believe I saw some intern spots open at Soompi recently (but that could have been last month... I can’t remember exactly when I saw it...). 

Best thing is to start looking around and get some experience in. Try writing for blogs or websites in your free time to build up a writing profile and such so you have something to show potential employers. Or even start your own blog - anything to get a byline. It might take some time, but with some work and effort, it’s possible to break into entertainment media over here.

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi! So me and my roommate are big fans of Korean hip hop music, and we are going to Daegu next March to see a friend of his. Any recommendations of places in Daegu to catch a show? Thanks (:

Gah, so sorry. I think this one has been here awhile. I think there is one club that I know of, Club Heavy. Outside that, I’m not sure...

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi! I have a question... can foreigners only purchase ticket from the global Interpark site or we can do it via the Korean site? Thanks for your help!

If you have a Korean credit card or account, you can use the Korean site. But only the English site (last I knew... I haven’t bought tickets on the Korean site since August) allowed you to use foreign credit cards.

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi, film students here. Currently on exchange in Seoul. We're looking for some underground hiphop artists in Seoul to collaborate on a music video with. Any suggestions to how/where to hook up with some young talent?

Hmm, you could always go walk around Hongdae and approach the guys who do busking or the cypher in the park. Any sort of small underground show, the artists are usually very approachable and eager to work on collaborations. 

If there is someone in particular you want to work with, social media is always a good way to go as well. Especially the younger and lesser known folks are typically good about replying there.

Hope this helps!

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hey ! I am studying in Daejeon for a year. Do you know any good hip hop clubs in the area? Or should I go to Seoul to enjoy korean hip hop...

Ooo, that I do not. I asked my friend who used to live in Daejeon and he said that all the hip-hop clubs he used to go to had closed when he went to visit this summer and he wasn’t sure where the new ones were - if there were some.

A decent amount of foreigners live there, so I would think that there must be at least one or two. I just don’t know what or where they are... Sorry!

I do believe that shows go on there. I don’t know how often (surely there’s some sort of underground scene there), but I have seen some artists do tours down in Daejeon.

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi, Emma! I recently discovered this blog and am really enjoying your insights/info – thank you for all of your hard work!! I'm wondering if you know anything about how Korean hiphop artists (both underground and more established, like AOMG) work with artists/designers? I'm in my last year as an art student in the US and my dream is to move to Korea and do album art/graphic design/etc., but I don't know where to start looking to get my foot in the door.

Thanks so much! I’m glad that you enjoy it! And I apologize that it’s been forever since I’ve updated or wrote anything. Life has been super busy at my day job and ever since I took over as music editor at the magazine, I haven’t had much time to work on the blog.

Hmm, usually the bigger groups/companies will have someone in the crew who is a designer that does most of their work. Or they use friends of theirs that they know personally. At least, this is what I’ve noticed with the groups that I’m familiar with. I don’t know about AOMG, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a designer in house. Even clubs like In2Deep has a bartender/staff member who is designer. 

I wouldn’t know how to get your foot in the door, but I do know that it probably wouldn’t be enough for a full time job. You’d have to have a main job to make money and then work on design on the side - at least until you’re able to build up a decent client list. That is if you want to freelance. You might be able to get on with a company, but again, I don’t really know much about the design industry.

My friends that I know who are freelance designers here usually make their money designing event posters for bars and clubs but it’s not a whole lot, to be honest. Just because there are a lot of freelance designers to compete with. I’m currently working with two different designers on two different events and they are charging 50-80,000 won for a poster, Facebook banner and other miscellaneous design work just because there is always someone charging cheaper. When I asked for recommendations, I got a list of about 10 in a matter of 5 minutes.

Again - I’m not a designer so I don’t know all the details, so take this with a grain of salt. I hope it helps somewhat... 

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

The Koncept of hip-hop - Groove Magazine

Rapper releases new album, signs with Vismajor Story By: Emma Kalka / Photos by: Steve Smith The rapper, Koncept, has a lot going on. Last month, he released a full-length album in both Asia and the United States, titled, “14 Hours Ahead.” At the time of print, he had dropped two music videos from the current …

And finally it’s up online. My interview with Koncept on his latest album and being signed with Vismajor that came out in the July/August issue of Groove!

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hey, I just wanted to aks if there are any Shows in August and September? Thanks in advance :)

Yes, there are, but I haven’t had time to update the show list in a few weeks due to covering music festivals and conventions and taking on the cover story for the magazine’s latest issue. Apologies! I’ll just to update it next week after I cover and write my article on Comic Con Seoul. You can always check out Hiphopplaya.com for a list of upcoming shows as well.

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

LOVE X STEREO: Pushing Farther - Groove Magazine

Story By: Emma Kalka / Photos by: Steve Smith and Daniel Kim Love X Stereo embarks on year-long, ambitious project The pressure to release albums is real for many an artist. For electric duo Love X Stereo, it’s no different. “People, especially critics in Korea… whenever we released a good EP, they always say they want …

Here is my music feature from our June issue on electric duo Love X Stereo!

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Also, check out the video...

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Chaboom releases “Sour”

SOUR 앨범이 발매되었습니다. 진심으로 감사드립니다.

A post shared by 차종혁 / 차붐 (@chaboombox) on Jul 20, 2017 at 11:52pm PDT

Check it out! (Also... I kinda sorta may have done some of the narration....)

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Is there anyway a person outside Korea could join the rap community? Like online or something?

It’s a little tricky to get into the scene without being here, though I’m sure you could reach out to other MCs and producers through social media and give it a go. I know of a French group that works with Korean producers and singers a fair amount, however, they come to Korea a couple times a year to work in the studio here and network. 

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi , my name is maky lavender. im a rapper/producer from canada. im going to korea for the second time in september to promote my music. I was wondering if you had any idea if there were clubs where i could perform or any other way to promote my music in South Korea. Thank you

Off the top of my head, I would suggest talking to Onesun at In2Deep. If he can’t get you in at his club, he is friends with all the club owners in Hongdae and could point you in the right direction. Cream might also be a good club to check with as well. Hope that helps!

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Events

Just a heads up, finally updated the events list! 

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Long time no post! So so sorry, guys! My company has started us on this ridiculous work schedule that has me in the office 13 days in a row, and yea. It’s not fun. I’m barely keeping up with stuff between my day job, the magazine and trying to get everything ready to apply for my F2-99 visa over the summer.

But, in the mean time, here is a new release by indie singer Jenesis and indie producer HENDRICKS. Check it out!

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Hi! What are your thoughts on Untouchable? I learned about them in 2010, and that led me to discovering the whole Jiggy Fellaz family, and I feel a little out of the loop now. Do you know if anything is happening with them currently?

I haven’t listened to their latest stuff, but I enjoyed “Trip,” their first EP after military service back in 2013. I’m not sure what they are up to, but I noticed Sleepy had done some TV appearances (I think... just saw it in passing). 

[discoveringkoreanunderground]

Events

Apologies for being a bit behind on this! Finally updated the show list.