Hongdae (Korean: 홍대) is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs, cafés and entertainment. The area is located in Mapo District in the western end of Seoul, stretching from Seogyo-dong, Hapjeong-dong & Seogang-dong.
Crying Nut (Korean: 크라잉넛) is a punk band from South Korea. They are often credited as being pioneers of the Korean punk and indie rock scenes.
The music of Cardiff has been dominated mainly by rock music since the early 1990s with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and metalcore music. It, along with the nearby music scene in Newport, has brought a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in South Wales.
Korean rock is rock music from South Korea. It has roots in American rock, which was imported to South Korea by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War and stationing in U.S. military bases in South Korea after the war. Around the U.S. military bases, local musicians could have opportunities to learn American rock music and perform it on stage for U.S. soldiers. As a result, many Korean rock bands, called Vocal Bands or Group Sound, started their musical careers in the 1960s. Under the military administration in the 1970s, rock music and its subculture were classified as a depraved youth culture and restricted. After the Korean Fifth Republic, the censorship policies under the military government were abolished and rock music became a mainstream genre in South Korea until the end of the 1980s. Today, rock music is not the main genre in the music market in South Korea, but it still occupies a big portion of music consumption in the nation.
Stephen Budd is a British music industry executive based in London. He is a director of artist and producer management company Stephen Budd Music Ltd, the OneFest Festival, the Africa Express project and is the co-founder of the NH7 Weekender festivals in India. He is a recognised TV commentator on music industry issues, regularly appearing on a variety of British TV news shows. In June 2017 he completed his 3-year term as co-chairman of the MMF. He is a co-executive producer of Amnesty International and Sofar Sounds' ‘
Kingston Rudieska(킹스턴 루디스카) is a nine-piece South Korean ska band formed in 2004. Their sound is mainly influenced by first-wave Jamaican ska, as well as other Caribbean genres including reggae and calypso music. They are heavily influenced by the Skatalites and frequently perform Skatalites covers. Many of the members are jazz musicians, and their sound is heavily influenced by ska jazz, with band members frequently performing solos during performances.
The Barberettes (Korean: 바버렛츠) is a South Korean retro, doo-wop female group that debuted in 2014 as a trio, and is based in Seoul. With their covers and original music, they reproduce the sound of the 50s-60s music, and are referred to as a time slip girl group who travel back to the times of barbershop music and harmonizing girl groups. The group is composed of Shinae An Wheeler (Korean: 안신애) and Seon Lee Kyeong (Korean: 이경선). In 2019 The Barberettes and Sweet Sorrow form a harmony collab group SBSB (Korean: 스바스바).
Love X Stereo is an electro duo from Seoul, Korea. Consisting lead vocalist and synthesizer player Annie Ko and guitarist and producer Toby Hwang, the duo debuted in 2011 by releasing an EP album called Buzzin'.
Seoulsonic (SEOULSONIC), is an annual concert tour in the United States and Canada, organized by the DFSB Kollective with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which began in 2011 in an effort to introduce South Korea's indie music culture to the West. The tour includes annual stops at SXSW in Austin, Texas and the Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada.
Danpyunsun and the Sailors is a four-piece group that was formed in 2013, with veteran folk musician Hoegidong Danpyunsun at the center. The members, whose resumes cover a diverse range of music from classical and jazz to folk pop and experimental rock, continue to push for a new pop sound with a mixture of both Eastern and Western influences.
Whang Bo-ryung = Smacksoft, commonly known as Smacksoft, is a South Korean post-punk and experimental rock band formed in 2000 by the lead singer-songwriter Whang Bo-ryung.
Diealright (Korean: 다이얼라잇), often stylized as DIEALRIGHT, is a post punk band from Seoul, Korea. Consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Chae Song Hwa, bass guitarist Kim Seung Il, and drummer Baek Soojung, the band debuted in 2014. Since then, they have released two singles, and EP and an album. The album presentation showcase was held in Club Freebird in Hongdae. The band played their first European tour dates in the summer of 2017.
I Wear* Experiment is an Estonian rock band formed in 2012. Their sound leans towards experimentation and cinematic soundscapes. The band members are Johanna Eenma (vocals/keyboards)and Hando Jaksi (guitars/synths/sampler). The band began their journey into electronical pop music at the beginning of 2012. I Wear* Experiment has released three 3 EPs and their latest debut album “Patience” was released in 2016. The second single of the album - "Patience" was one of the finalists of Eesti Laul competition.
...Whatever That Means is a South Korean melodic punk band based in Seoul, South Korea. Alternative Press called them the "pop-punk face of the Korean music scene." The two key members are married couple Jeff and Trash. Both are promoters who have organized concerts and brought foreign bands to Korea. They organize annual Halloween shows and previously managed the monthly 2nd Saturdays concert series. They have been associated closely with the venues Club Spot, Ruailrock, Club SHARP, and Thunderhorse Tavern.
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir is a punk rock band from Daegu, South Korea, made up of bassist/singer Meena Bae, drummer/singer Myeong-jin Kim, and guitarist/singer Megan Nisbet. The band's name reflects their love of drinking, their youth-oriented fashion style, and their gender inclusiveness. The band is active in the LGBT Pride community in their mostly conservative home city. They cite the Japanese bands Hi-Standard, Dustbox, and Judy and Mary as influences, as well as the Korean bands Crying Nut, and ...Whatever That Means.
DMZ Peace Train Music Festival is a music festival held in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is held close to the border with North Korea, and is intended to promote peace and unification at a place symbolizing division of the Korean Peninsula. It was held as relations between the two Koreas warmed up.
NST & the Soul Sauce(노선택과 소울소스) is a South Korean reggae band formed in 2014. They have received critical attention for their unique blend of Jamaican genres such as reggae and dub, as well as jazz, afrobeat, funk, soul, and psychedelic, with traditional Korean music, especially pansori. Members of the band have also been part of reggae band Windy City, retro rock band Kiha and the Faces, Kingston Rudieska, and I&I Djangdan, qualifying them for "supergroup" status. They received international attention at Fuji Rock Festival for their song dedicated to late great trombonist Rico Rodriguez.
Bamseom Pirates (Korean: 밤섬해적단) was a grindcore band from Seoul, South Korea. Their work is marked by satire, and they frequently parody South Korean and North Korean governments and ideologies.
Growl of Clown is a Mongolian deathcore band formed in 2014. They formed a band and prepared their first songs and music in a Mongolian Yurt at a traditional cow firm. The band currently consists of 4 people and includes vocalist Khurelbaatar Battulga, drummer Altan-Erdene Erdenechimeg, lead guitarist Barkhuu Otgonbayar and bass guitarist Yeruult Yostoi.
Focus Wales is an international multi-venue showcase music and arts festival held annually in Wrexham, Wales. It is Wales' biggest music industry event and was first held in 2011. The event showcases emerging Welsh musical talent, as well as a selection of international emerging acts, film screenings, and conference events.
