Taking a big leap this morning straight into the world of Kpop by way of Seventeen at this years Glastonbury Festival – recorded on June 28th by BBC 6 Music.
Around for a while, at least 10 years, Kpop is only now getting known about in the English speaking world (Kpop is enormous in every Spanish speaking country in the world and huge in most Latino communities all around the U.S.) – so how come it’s taken so long for this genre to get a foothold in the non-Spanish speaking parts of the States, or the UK?
Kpop has become something of a well-kept secret, as is evidenced by the enormous influx of African-American writers/producers/musicians and choreographers who have found a fertile and welcoming working atmosphere in Seoul and with the South Korean Music community. There is a strong bond between the essence of Hip-hop, coupled with the tight presentation in choreography and theatrics – leading some to mis-characterize it as cultural appropriation (which it’s not) but rather an homage to a performance heritage that goes back many decades. Kpop has its roots in 80s and 90s R&B – the brilliant bits – the bits that are timeless; the babies that got rescued when they threw out the bathwater.
There is something very traditional about Kpop as a genre – instilling the idea that showmanship is key and that presentation and connecting with the audience is crucial – that the performance rules everything – in short, giving the audience their money’s worth – its a concept that goes back at least 100 years. We’ve lost much of that here, but parts are coming back particularly in the mainstream where seeing an artist is no cheap proposition – spending $500 for a seat and not getting much more than selfies, indigestion and a hangover wear thin after a fashion – the audience wants and needs something more – Kpop is doing that and I see a future where the bond between those elements of our cultures that bring joy and deep meaning come together – diversity is cool when you’re all joining hands.
This performance by Seventeen is short and considerably different then their usual stage presentation – not enough time, not enough stage and really not enough preparation -it’s kind of an abbreviated version but it gives you an idea of what is going on in other parts of the world and how much is continuing to grow and expand and reach for new audiences.
Seventeen is not going to replace my love of Portishead, Radiohead, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey or Tinariwen but they are all going to share shelfspace and room on my turntable – it’s what the love of Music is all about.
Have a listen – keep an open mind and GO EXPLORING!
And grab a coffee while you’re at it:
Or head over to PayPal:
Or subscribe and be a Patron:
