Hip Traditional Korean Musicians of This Era Come Down Through the Online Stream

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The National Gugak Center announced on the 23rd that it will hold an online performance series titled ‘Sarangbang Broadcast’ from the 4th to the 25th of next month through its YouTube and Naver TV channels in collaboration with Gugak Broadcasting.

Lee Heemun, a Gyeonggi folk singer known as an eccentric figure in the gugak community, will open the first stage of Sarangbang Broadcast with the ‘Lee Heemun Project Nal’. This team is a project group formed by Lee Heemun along with janggu player Park Beomtae, drummer Han Ungwon, and sound performer Lim Yongju. They embark on an adventure at the boundary between tradition and creation with raw, unfiltered sounds.

The second stage will be taken by Sangjaru. Sangjaru is a team formed in 2014 by Jo Seongyun (guitar/composition), Kwon Hyochang (percussion), and Nam Seonghun (ajaeng, yanggeum, taepyeongso), recognized for their musicality both domestically and internationally, having won awards at the Edinburgh Festival and Jeonju International Sori Festival. On this stage, they will present a tradition full of novelty with pieces such as ‘Sangjaru Taryeong’ and ‘Gyeongbuk Swing’.

The third stage will be curated by Baek Dasom, who plays daegeum, sogeum, danso, and saenghwang. She will perform tracks from her first album released last year, ‘Mu (無): Nothingness’, as well as pieces from a soon-to-be-released new album recorded with Argentine cellist Violeta, delivering them in her unique sound.

The final stage of this performance will be by the team ‘Chudahye Charges’, formed by Seodo folk singer Chudahye, guitarist Lee Simun, bassist Kim Jaeho, and drummer Kim Dabin. This team is gaining popularity for their modern and sophisticated melodies that reinterpret shamanistic music by blending punk and hip-hop. The team name ‘Chudahye Charges’ signifies that the music centered on Chudahye is entirely the ‘charge’ of the performers and the audience. In this performance, they will present key songs from their full-length album released last year, ‘Tonight Under the Dangsan Tree’, along with stories from the members.

The event will be hosted by announcer Jang Yewon, who recently declared her freelance status after working as an SBS announcer. This online live broadcast performance will accept concerns and stories shared in advance via email to introduce them during the show, and provide opportunities for real-time communication with the performers through live chat during the performance.

A representative from the National Gugak Center said, “We planned this performance to allow everyone to conveniently enjoy an online concert and experience the friendly and unique charm of gugak,” adding, “We hope many audiences will find joy in the fresh stages created by the new host and the distinctive performing teams.”

Sarangbang Broadcast will be available for free live streaming every Thursday at 7:30 PM from March 4th to 25th on the National Gugak Center’s YouTube and Naver TV channels.