1996.04.04 TV Times Magazine - Kang Wonrae, Koo Junyup (≈CLON) article
Scans credit: yours truly!
Kang Wonrae & Koo Junyup
We were born with the mission to revitalize dance music
[Tomorrow's star] Tak2Jun2's Koo Junyup and Park Mikyung's partner Kang Wonrae have come together, but their group name hasn't been decided. The two are well-known dance machines who hope to hear the words "you were born to do dance music." Coverage: Lee Gyeong-hui
"I can't say that we're a new group—it'd be more accurate to say we've been apart."
Just as the rumors said, Koo Junyeop and Kang Wonrae, who are so in sync it's like they're one singer, have formed a group and are preparing an album. Koo Junyup, all too known from Tak2Jun2, and Kang Wonrae, who brought fun to Park Mikyung's "Eve's Warning" performances as her partner, are already well-known dance machines. No, now it would be right to call them rappers.
"Solo singers can adapt easily to stages on TV shows, but it's hard for groups to coordinate. We can say we're sure we've overcome that difficulty. We're especially proud of our skill in improvised performances."
The two, whose goal is to hear that "they were born with the mission to revitalize dance music," are highly confident in their music.
Proud of their skill of improvised performances
Their group name hasn't been set yet. They plan to release their album in early May. The reason they're being revealed to the world so early is to publicize themselves after they've gotten all the fame they can get.
Koo and Kang's team-up can't be ignored. Their characters can't be something the music industry wouldn't worry about. Furthermore, with their album releasing under Line Production, they've become part of the "royal family" alongside Shin Seunghun, Noise, and Park Mikyung. Fans already know that Kang Wonrae was in Line, but Koo Junyup first came in about 1 year ago. An art school alum, Koo also designed the album covers of his peers. The covers he's designed include Park Mikyung's 2nd album, Kim Gunmo's 3rd album, DJ DOC's 2nd album, and Kim Jungmin's 2nd album. These were all hit albums, but they also drew attention for their unique designs. Kang Wonrae choreographed for all of the "Line family", including Kim Gunmo. Their chronicle of star-related stories is never ending.
The two first met in high school, both attending Gyeonggi High. Although they only became classmates in senior year, they both majored art in college.
While Koo Junyup never loses when it comes to dance, Kang Wonrae has a longer history with the art. To borrow Koo Junyup's words, he's "amazing." Kang first decided he would become a dancer in 6th grade. He picked dance up while his older brother researched through watching TV, and made his brother, who now works as an interior designer, quit dance.
Let's tell an interesting story about Kang Wonrae's family. This story also appeared on a TV quiz show last year.
"Kang Wonrae's older brother is named Kang Wondo. What is his younger sister's name?" (Someone answered "Kang Wonsoong"[1] and got suspected of having an IQ lower than 50. It definitely wasn't a TV Times reporter.)
The answer is Kang Wonmi. Kang Wonrae's father, who recently retired from his position as director of a car company, really loved music. Kang Wondo, Kang Wonrae, Kang Wonmi. The answer clears itself up if you take "Won" out from their names. Doremi. But because he couldn't find a Chinese character with the sound "re", he changed it to "rae". Surprisingly, not many get the answer right.
Want to be received as "cool dance music"
The new style that Koo and Kang profess is dance music that incorporates Miami rap. They're thinking of taking a casual approach without too many bells and whistles. As for their outfits, they're planning to go for a free style. Definitely no uniforms. The group's lyrics are close to "wholesome music,"[2] and their music has an exciting, cumbia-style rhythm.
There is a song in their album, though not the title track, that starts with "the frog can't remember when he was a tadpole, the loach muddies the clear water." It was made to show off Kang and Koo's individual colors. Kim Chang-hwan, known as a hit-maker, directed the whole album. Kang Wonrae and Koo Junyup explained their music with one sentence:
"I think rather than just being good songs, it will be received as 'cool dance music'."
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Translator's notes (marked with small-script numbers in the text)
Wonsoong = short for "wonsoongi (원숭이)", the Korean word for "monkey".
"Wholesome music" refers to songs that had to be put on the end of Korean LPs from the 70s to 80s, which Urimalsaem describes as "songs that can be sung by anyone, regardless of age or gender." As the name implies, these songs usually have wholesome lyrics that promote "enlightening" ideals.
