Danpyunsun and the Sailors creates a type of music that combines the musical elements of psychedelic, indie folk, and world music, centered around singer-songwriter and guitarist Hoegidong Danpyunsun. The four-member band, which also includes a violinist, percussionist, and bass player, has a sound that is simultaneously powerful and appealing. The group’s music is a testament to a particular aspect of 21st-century Korean society in which Eastern and Western cultural elements coexist side-by-side. This brand of chaos might register as esoteric to some, but it’s also greatly Korean, with the addition of a poppy appeal. I recently had the opportunities to sit down with Hoegidong Danpyunsun of Danpyunsun and the Sailors to discuss the band and its music.

Peeling Off the ‘Indie’ Label

Q (Kwon Seok-jeong): How does it feel to be selected for PAMS Choice?

A (Hoegidong Danpyunsun) : The selection is significant for me on a personal level. In Korea, musicians are often categorized as either "mainstream" or "indie," but I don’t want that. I dislike the indie label, while having no particular desire to enter the mainstream, either. My music contains the influences of music from all over the world. It’s been influenced uniformly by Korean traditional music (gugak), jazz, and rock, as well as folk music from all over the world, frequently called "world music." I’ve always wanted to escape the categorization that exists here in Korea, where even music like mine is simply called indie. In that sense, I am anticipating that the PAMS Choice Selection will turn out to be a great opportunity. Of course, I have no expectations that my music will sell well. But I think the mere act of seeing and hearing the wide range of music overseas and talking to the musicians of these countries will stimulate me creatively.

Q : It’s unprecedented that a team that does not play some sort of fusion gugak is selected for PAMS Choice.

A : You can feel the current of Korean music today in our music. In Korea, you can find a mix of cultures, from the products of Western culture to the cultures of various Asian countries. Danpyunsun and the Sailors reflects the diverse music of the wide range cultures that have joined the mix here in Korea. To some, this might come across as chaotic, but the dominant feeling I have about Korea today is the collision of different lifestyles and this chaos. That too is one aspect of Korea, so in a sense you could say that our music is incredibly Korean music.

Q : You won the award for Best Rock Album at the Korean Music Awards back in February. Would you and your band members consider your music to be rock?

A : I don’t want to limit our music with the category of rock. I can see why people might see us that way, since I was influenced by both rock and folk music. The type of music I aspired to create with Danpyunsun and the Sailors was psychedelic pop. I consider the album Animal to be pop, but this doesn’t fit the mainstream concept of pop music. Of course, it was a great honor to be selected. Danpyunsun and the Sailors is indie even among the indie bands, and underground even among the underground, so I never imagined that we could win the award. But I was happy at the thought that the award represents the fact that we were able to connect with many people through the path we took and the methods we chose, rather than only having these things remain among us.

Danpyunsun and the Sailors Meet, and . . .

Q : How did the group Danpyunsun and the Sailors form?

A : When I was working as a solo artist I had a lot of interest in experimental, avant garde music. I released the solo album A Hundred Years and after receiving an offer from the show EBS Space Gonggam, and so I started to look for bandmates who could perform with me for the broadcast. The musicians that I found thus had not much to do, musically, with the music in A Hundred Years. While trying to create an ensemble with these new members, I began to go in an unintended direction musically and I really liked the feeling. That’s the feeling that led to the album Animal.

Q : The organization of Danpyunsun and the Sailors is unique. It’s a four-piece band with you, Danpyunsun (vocals, guitar), Jang Do-hyuk (percussion), Choi Woo-young (bass), and the recent addition of a new violinist. I find this makeup to be very intriguing.

A : For the Space Gonggam broadcast we only had the percussion and violin, without bass. There wasn’t enough time until the broadcast, and I also thought that with drums and bass I would not be able to arrange the music the way I wanted. We started practicing as a three-piece band, but the music we produced was better than expected. At the time I had a lot of interest in French pop, so that was one reason I really wanted a violinist. When I released my solo album, I also performed as part of an 11-person band called Danpyunsun and the Orchestra. The orchestra had an electric guitarist, a keyboardist, a chorus, and a violinist, along with a variety of other instruments. I did this because I had dreams of big band music. But while working with that group I realized that I did not have the capabilities to properly handle a large-scale band. On the other hand, Danpyunsun and the Sailors was smaller and more manageable for me to direct. There were relatively fewer instruments, but we emphasized the details. After performing for the broadcast program as a three-piece band, we recorded an album and ended up adding a bass player.

Q : What kind of music did you aspire to produce with the group Danpyunsun and the Sailors?

A : When I first started writing songs, there wasn’t a particular format I was aiming for. After we made the songs, we had some people say it was like Buddhist music, while others called it Western music. There’s a more Eastern message in the text, but the composition of the pieces themselves is Western. So, basically, it’s music that’s a rambling mix of East and West. The lyrics contain references to the gods and histories of the East and West, as well as social concepts. I believe that the final product is a natural result for a Korean living in Seoul.

Everything Coming Together in One Place with "Animal"

Q : To share some of my personal thoughts about the album Animal, I felt that it was a mixture of multiple styles of folk music, from the songs conveying Korean sensibilities, to the recent indie folk of the US and UK, and less recent but beautiful British folk of the ’60s and ’70s, and even psychedelic folk. For music like this, it’s generally the case that the listener responds to the music according to his or her own tastes. I feel like fans of world music might hear Romani music, and fans of art rock or British folk might hear the more unapproachable music in the style of (US jazz fusion band) Spyro Gyra or the psychedelic folk music of late ’60s US band Love.

A : I agree. Spyro Gyra is a group that I really like. To add to what you said, there is almost no American-style music in Animal.

Q : What would you say were some of your musical influences?

A : I listen to a lot of old music. If I had to pick one major influence I’d say Shin Jung-hyeon. But while his music itself was a huge influence on me, I was even more influenced by his attitude toward music. When creating music with Danpyunsun and the Sailors, I place great importance on producing something that sounds contemporary. Of course, I feel that the music of Shin Jung-hyeon embodies this quality; Shin Jung-hyeon never lagged behind the American/British music of his time, and in some ways he even led. I get the feeling that he made his music with an awareness of European music from Italy and France and Japanese music, as well as the psychedelic music of his time. I believe his music was the sort of music that could not have been made without an awareness of the world music of the time.

Q : What are some examples of the contemporary spirit that Danpyunsun and the Sailors value?

A : Rhythm. For music to be fun to listen to, the rhythm and groove must be modern. To say a few words about our own album, Animal, even if you can’t say the groove is completely sophisticated, at the least I believe that there aren’t any tacky or dated songs. Music created in 2010 has to sound like music created in 2010. Although most references lead back to the past, you have to find a way to interpret it in a modern way. One of my goals is to ensure that the music of Danpyunsun and the Sailors doesn’t sound old even to those who are fans of EDM or dance music from Korean idol bands. Some call Danpyunsun and the Sailors progressive rock. I mean, I obviously enjoy progressive rock, too, but I want those who listen to my music to be able to move to it.

Q : The lyrics of Danpyunsun and the Sailors have a lot for contemporary listeners to empathize with.

A : On the one hand, one weakness in my lyrics is the lack of a hook. I only write what I want to say; I don’t pay much attention to grammar or logic. But I do hope that the lyrics successfully communicate my intentions and my attitude.

Q : Why did you title your album Animal?

A : The reason I titled it Animal, as opposed to, for example, Beast, is that I wanted to comment on the idea of physical power. In the East we are more concerned with discussing the human spirit rather than the physical. In the West, too, there is a lot of thought on ideas and the spirit. But I’m more interested in the physical. I think that more than anything else, what we eat, where we sleep, and the places we live in have the biggest influence on us. These physical attributes contain more truths. "Animal" contains narratives about these physical things. In addition, I wanted to speak of my hope that humanity would eventually overcome the chaos of today’s world. It may be difficult, but I do believe that if we pool our strength and try the world can become a better place.

Q : Where do you stand on the political spectrum?

A : I suppose I would consider myself to be a moderate leftist. My music also contains such messages. What is a musician if not a person who talks about his or her desires and dreams. That is the only extent to which my identity is apparent in my music. I don’t think that political inclination is important when making music. If your musical message is overly political, it takes out the fun in it.

Enjoyably and with Gusto, without Any Particular Reason

Q : How have your experiences been so far with overseas performances?

A : I went to Japan about four times as a solo artist. Besides that, I received invitations to perform in Germany, the UK and a variety of other countries, but upon considering the break-even point I wasn’t able to go. Although our album has been written about in a variety of overseas publications, it doesn’t make sense to me to go overseas to perform when the losses overshadow the profits. It’s my firm belief that even for overseas performances, one should be able to earn as much as one has worked. In Japan I received rave reviews from an influential publication. I was also included in a Japanese compilation album introducing Korean New Wave alongside We Dance, 404, Yamagata Tweakster and PIGIBIT$. They said that our music often feels fresher than Japanese music because we offer something different from what Japanese musicians have.

Q : What are some countries you would like to tour?

A : More than the US, I’d like to visit Southeast Asia; places like Indonesia and the Philippines. Koreans don’t really know Southeast Asia. There’s a tendency to subtly look down on Southeast Asia and to insinuate that they are somehow inferior, but I think that there is so much to learn from the countries of that region. They sustained great losses following the pillaging of imperialistic Western powers, losses even greater than we experienced. I’m curious about the sorts of paradoxes that might exist in such countries. I want to see for myself how the paradoxes in me, as a Korean, differ from the paradoxes one might see there. Beyond that, I’m also very interested in Eastern Europe. But the country I want to visit the most is North Korea.

Q : If you had a goal for your overseas performances, what would it be?

A : I just want to enjoy myself and have the audience enjoy themselves and I want to dance. There are many instances in the Korea indie scene where people aren’t able to enjoy themselves when listening to music because they keep looking for some sort of deeper meaning. Of course, that kind of attitude is also praiseworthy in its own way, but I simply want to have fun with my music. I want to continue making music like that.

Q : Please tell me about your plans for the future.

A : I’m planning the next album release for this coming spring. I think the music will sound more like pop music than our current music. I want to get closer to the types of sounds I wasn’t able to approach in the indie scene and wasn’t able to overcome.