Blog Elements

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Dynamic Duo’s ‘Jam’ Music Video & Song Review

November 19, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Eve Backhouse

Rating

Rating It’s been just over two years since Dynamic Duo‘s last solo offering and they are back with a brand new song and music video, entitled “Jam,” released on November 16th. Amoeba Culture’s Gaeko and Choiza, two of the coolest rappers on the Korean hip-hop scene, have dispensed completely with their sharply dressed and mean and […]

Telling Korean History Through The ‘Reply’ Series

November 18, 2015/in Entertainment, Television /by Tamar Herman

Invoking the past in a way that makes it very much alive is something that the tvN “Reply” series has perfected over the past view years. The newest series, “Reply 1988” premiered earlier this month. As the third reiteration of the “Reply” or “Answer Me” family, there was a lot of hype and expectations surrounding the retro show, […]

Dynamic Duo’s ‘Jam’ Music Video & Song Review

November 19, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Eve Backhouse

Rating

Telling Korean History Through The ‘Reply’ Series

November 18, 2015/in Entertainment, Television /by Tamar Herman

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Dynamic Duo’s ‘Jam’ Music Video & Song Review

November 19, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Eve Backhouse

Rating

It’s been just over two years since Dynamic Duo‘s last solo offering and they are back with a brand new song and music video, entitled “Jam,” released on November 16^th. Amoeba Culture’s Gaeko and Choiza, two of the coolest rappers on the Korean hip-hop scene, have dispensed completely with their sharply dressed and mean and moody image for the video and the results are nothing short of hilarious.

Song

“Jam” is a smooth and sophisticated blend of strings, synthesiser, and funky bass, mixed with understated rapping and a surprising amount of vocal harmonies from the guys. A soulful guitar solo, which wouldn’t be out of place in an Isley Brothers composition, features towards the end of the song, as well as some clever puns based on the names of Big Bang members. Sung in Korean, the English translation of two such examples are as follows: “We’re feeling like we’re on top,” and “my heart breathes fire like a dragon dragon.” “Jam” is such an addictive song, I challenge anyone to listen to it just once.

Also on KultScene: Which TWICE member are you? [Quiz]

Videography

The video opens with a father (Choiza) and son (Gaeko) sitting at a breakfast table, with the latter asking questions about the honey he is spreading on his slice of bread. Intrigued by his father’s response, a conversation ensues which is clearly a euphemism for the “birds and the bees.” As the song begins it cuts short an explanation of how bees make honey and zooms into Choiza’s face on a jar of the spread. We then see an adult Gaeko, resplendent in absurd bee costume, working on a “Honey Jam” production line while daydreaming about cavorting with the girl of his dreams.

The company boss, also a bee and played by Choiza, reprimands him for slacking off and the dejected Gaeko consoles himself with a trip to a nightclub after work. There he finds and flirts with his dream girl (the aptly named Honey Lee), only for her to be stolen away by the ostentatiously wealthy Choiza. During this scene a well observed and affectionate parody of Big Bang’s “Bae Bae” takes place, featuring Gaeko, Choiza, and Crush as the members. The video returns to the setting of the first scene, with the father telling the son to stop fooling around with his food and finish eating it. The boy then cheekily says: “YOU eat it.”

Styling

The video features highly saturated colours, giving it a bold, bright, and cartoonish quality which is Disney-esque in places. The insect costumes are similarly garish, but it is still possible to tell the social standing of each wearer by the individual styling touches. Choiza, for example, is seen as a bee wearing various items of clothing usually associated with the wealthy, such as a bow tie, a tuxedo and a brocade smoking jacket. Gaeko’s bee outfit is utilitarian by comparison, but he attempts a cooler image by donning a pair of red and white rimmed shades to go clubbing in. The Big Bang lookalikes are also presented as bees, but instantly recognisable by their trademark hair and clothing!

Also on KultScene: B.A.P’s ‘Young, Wild & Free’ Music Video & Song Review

Overall Thoughts

This is Dynamic Duo like we’ve never seen them before and full marks to the guys for giving us the most inventive video of the year so far. Gaeko, Choiza, and their assorted pals clearly had a ball making “Jam,” but not half as much as I had watching it! The music video will stand up to endless repeat viewings, so miss it at your peril.

Dynamic Duo "Jam" Music Video

How did you like “Jam?” Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Telling Korean History Through The ‘Reply’ Series

November 18, 2015/in Entertainment, Television /by Tamar Herman

Invoking the past in a way that makes it very much alive is something that the tvN “Reply” series has perfected over the past view years. The newest series, “Reply 1988” premiered earlier this month. As the third reiteration of the “Reply” or “Answer Me” family, there was a lot of hype and expectations surrounding the retro show, and it definitely delivered as a entertaining show. By tugging at the viewers heartstrings, the show weaves in didactic messages to created an image of what South Korea was.

More than just a good drama, the “Reply” series has become a way of introducing modern day Korean history to television audiences, both domestically in South Korea and internationally. Like BBC period dramas a la “Downtown Abbey,” “Reply” has continually acted as a visual textbook, or reminder, of South Korea’s recent past.

[Disclaimer: Slight spoilers are included.]

While period pieces are typically older, “Reply” is always, relatively, new. Many viewers were alive during or shortly after the shows’ timeline and the world doesn’t always seems so different from ours. But South Korea in 1988, 1997, and 1994 was very different than it is now, and the show acts as a guide to many of South Korea’s recent historical triumphs and tragedies.

Also on KultScene: What We’re Watching This November From Korea

By interspersing important moments into the lives of the characters of each “Reply” series, the production team is able to make seemingly remote events seem very much alive and relatable.The oldest series so far, “Reply 1988” is still relatively recent in the sense of history, but feels very removed thanks to the fast paced world that we live in.

But the first two episodes, while hilarity-inducing thanks to late 1980’s fashions and VHS tapes, don’t feel so old. The anticipation of the 1988 Olympics feel very much alive and high school life isn’t so different, even if the teenagers have to do without being glued to their smartphones.

Similarly, the political and financial struggles of South Korea are also portrayed in ways that are relatable, and yes, informative. The political reality of the day — the first time that South Korea had a true democratically elected leader since the 1960’s– is alluded to multiple times by characters commenting on college-age Sung Bo Ra going to protests.

Thanks to captivating storytelling, someone who has no knowledge of this period in South Korean history is drawn into the period tvN series’ world as if it is current. The previous series, “Reply 1997” and “Reply 1994” similarly bring to light events that are both familiar and historical to South Korean audiences (and likely unknown to many international fans of the series).

Also on KultScene: B.A.P’s ‘Young, Wild & Free’ Music Video & Song Review

In “Reply 1994,” one of South Korea’s most disheartening years was brought to light. While the country is now one of the wealthiest in the world, South Korea was wartorn in the 50’s, and only intense pushes for progress have helped the country get to where it is today. But in “1994,” the feelings of South Korean dismay following the International Monetary Fund (IFC) crises and the collapse of Sampoong Department Store were brought to the surface, evoking sympathy and renewed concern for the events that occurred nearly a decade before the show in 2013. (Alternatively, the show also renewed interest in South Korea’s 1994 success in soccer with their Red Devils taking to the streets of Seoul).

If “1988” is (so far) showing an exuberant country dealing with modernization and democracy and “1994” focused on the changing world of modern day South Korea, “1997,” the first series which aired in 2012, was the most familiar to many viewers but at the same time still introduced “retro” elements of K-pop, video games, cell phones, and many of the popular fashion brands of the day interspersed with historical events.

As each series presents its story, it showcases a way of life that is familiar to us but disappeared with the fast-paced world hardly blinking an eye. The obsession with “20 Things 90’s Kids Know”-type lists is alive and well, and “Reply” takes it to a new format, educating the viewers of 2015 about all the things we’ve forgotten about the past few decades.

Melodrama and comedy make “Reply” loveable, but it’s also a way to remind the audience of the struggles and success that South Korea has faced over the years. These elements of nostalgia that makes “Reply” popular enough to warrant not one but three seasons, and hopefully more in the future (I’m hoping for a 1999 one, with everyone freaking out about Y2K!)

What do you think about the “Reply” take on history? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.