After abruptly ending promotions for their last album, “Red Light”, and becoming a quartet instead of a quintet, f(x) is back. The four members Luna, Krystal, Victoria, and Amber are ready to show their new sides with their latest album, “4 Walls.” It’s an album full of experimental pop, deep-house, EDM, techno, and even some Latin […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-design-11.png7681024Alejandro Abarcahttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlejandro Abarca2015-10-28 08:02:422015-12-20 15:18:45f(x)’s “4 Walls” Album Review
Seoulsonic returned to New York City last week as part of CMJ’s 2015 music marathon with a new set of acts performing at SOBs (Sounds of Brazil) in Manhattan on Oct. 15. Three Korean indie acts — Sultan of the Disco, HEO, and WYM— performed throughout the night to showcase the music coming out of […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sotd2.png12001600Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-10-27 16:06:532015-10-28 14:16:21Sultan Of The Disco Does Funky Right At Seoulsonic NYC 2015 [Interview]
After abruptly ending promotions for their last album, “Red Light”, and becoming a quartet instead of a quintet, f(x) is back. The four members Luna, Krystal, Victoria, and Amber are ready to show their new sides with their latest album, “4 Walls.” It’s an album full of experimental pop, deep-house, EDM, techno, and even some Latin […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-design-11.png7681024Alejandro Abarcahttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlejandro Abarca2015-10-28 08:02:422015-12-20 15:18:45f(x)’s “4 Walls” Album Review
Seoulsonic returned to New York City last week as part of CMJ’s 2015 music marathon with a new set of acts performing at SOBs (Sounds of Brazil) in Manhattan on Oct. 15. Three Korean indie acts — Sultan of the Disco, HEO, and WYM— performed throughout the night to showcase the music coming out of […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sotd2.png12001600Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-10-27 16:06:532015-10-28 14:16:21Sultan Of The Disco Does Funky Right At Seoulsonic NYC 2015 [Interview]
After abruptly ending promotions for their last album, “Red Light”, and becoming a quartet instead of a quintet, f(x) is back. The four members Luna, Krystal, Victoria, and Amber are ready to show their new sides with their latest album, “4 Walls.” It’s an album full of experimental pop, deep-house, EDM, techno, and even some Latin influences. f(x)’s return is better than ever, showing that they don’t need to be a five member group to shine.
“4 Walls”
The album opens with the title track “4 Walls,” which was cleverly accompanied by amazing marketing for presenting f(x) as a quartet. The girls have us going back to what SHINee did with their comeback for “View” earlier this year.
“Four Walls” sees the girls singing on a deep house track with sultry and raspy vocals combined with added sound effects to impact the mystery of the song. The lyrics are unclear about who the girls are professing their love to but the title’s idea of keeping things between “4 Walls” leads to interpretation of a secret love affair.
The continuous drum beat in the background creates anxiety and adrenaline for the listeners, mimicking the feeling of being with your lover behind four walls. The chorus quickly comes in with the members singing “love is four walls…” behind a heavy bass and synth. But the best thing about this track is Amber’s rap after the first chorus drops. She keeps improving over the years and this track convinces the listeners of how important her role in the group is. There are also seapunk influences, very a la Jamie XX and Blood Diamonds, on this song that make “4 Walls” great.
With the next track, “Glitter,” f(x) has all the ’90s kids nostalgic for one of the best cartoons, as the first three beats seem very familiar to “The Rugrats” theme song. The girls leave their sultry and raspy vocals from the past track behind and their vocals become sweeter for this record. The track is a hybrid of electronic and organic sounds, from guitars to applause and synthesizers. A quick song, which falls under the average industry run time of three minutes, about falling in love that uses glitter as a metaphor for the bright future you can see in a romantic relationship.
“Déjà Vu”
“Déjà Vu” quickly explodes into a heavy EDM beat as soon as it starts. The song feels a little chaotic with all the crazy heavy beats in the back but they mix very well with the girls vocals and give that crazy feeling of when you get a déjà vu. A great song that seems familiar to what we are used to hear from f(x), that crazy experimental pop that they pull off so well. The chorus is very addicting and has a great flow that almost feels like a rap. The fast beats never seize in the track, making it a perfect dance song to get crazy to.
“X”
With “X”, f(x) slows us down after the chaotic “Déjà Vu,” and gives us some more ’90s cartoon refrences –Chemical X from “The Powerpuff Girls.” This track has the members singing very seductively, which is probably their sexiest vocals yet. Pay close attention to how the girls stretch their vocals throughout the song, making them increasingly sexier and sexier. The subtle bass that repeats in the backtrack has heavy influences from the late ’70s and early ’80s funk tracks. The record is dark, sexy, and mysterious in many ways, feeling retro and modern at the same time.
“Rude Love”
The following track “Rude Love” carries the tropical deep house theme of “4 Walls.” It’s a track that seems to come from the late ’90s and early 2000’s when techno and house where at their peak. The repetition of the title in the chorus gives that feeling of being a song from those era but still feels very current and fresh. It’s a sound style that SM Entertainment started experimenting with SHINee that definitely suits f(x) very well. Amber is being used more as a singer than as a rapper on this song and her voice is very nice as we had seen in her solo track “Beautiful.” The chorus is so catchy and addicting, it makes the listeners keep singing “I want your rude love” repeatedly. This song is definitely a contender for the best record on the album.
“Diamond”
“Diamond” has a very interesting sound, it almost feels like an older and mature sister of their debut track “La chA Ta.” Luna’s vocals on this track aresolutely aboutstanding. Her voice really shines through in the bridge and blends seamlessly towards the trap section before the chorus. This song is the one on the album that Amber raps in the most. It’s not one of the best tracks in the album, but it’s certainly not a filler. The complex beats and the trap elements mixed with Amber’s raps and the girls vocals create a very interesting track that’s worth a few listens.
The next track has a collaboration from Block B‘s Zico. “Traveler” takes the album back to the ’80s with its experimental synth pop era and industrial music influences. The heavy synth sounds alongside Zico’s rap reinforces the juxtaposition of the song’s dark and happy feeling. Zico provides a certain darkness with his strong voice while the girls offer a sweeter feeling with their vocals that explode into a happier chorus. I only wish we could have heard more rap from Zico and also get an Amber rap in this song. But, nevertheless, the record is incredible and a great contender for one of the best tracks released this year.
“Papi”
“Papi” is the track where we see Latin and tropical house influences coming out. The song has the girls in the chorus cheering atop of a brass soundtrack with dubstep and Latin sounds. The music is difficult to understand at first, but the nonsensical combination of influences works very well with f(x) making this a very fun track for their fourth album.
“Cash Me Out”
The next track in the album is “Cash Me Out,” which is probably the most EDM-influenced track on “4 Walls.” The record mixes seapunk beats with dubstep and typical EDM drops and buildups. The track could have gone without the heavy EDM in the chorus; in all honesty it makes the song mediocre. They could have kept the seapunk vibe and mix it with either deep house or 80s’ synth pop and would have made a much more interesting track.
“When I’m Alone”
The album ends with “When I’m Alone,” an upbeat ballad that serves as the perfect conclusion for this album. The track is full on synth pop and R&B and has f(x) fully engraved in the experimentation of this genre. The repetitive chorus brings the listeners back again to those early 2000’s songs that had choruses repeated over and over and are stuck with us until this very day. Their vocals are back to the sultry and mysterious tones of the title track “4 Walls,” but “When I’m Alone” has their voices exploding in the chorus, showing great harmony between the girls.
Seoulsonic returned to New York City last week as part of CMJ’s 2015 music marathon with a new set of acts performing at SOBs (Sounds of Brazil) in Manhattan on Oct. 15. Three Korean indie acts — Sultan of the Disco, HEO, and WYM— performed throughout the night to showcase the music coming out of South Korea’s indie scene nowadays. I had a chance to speak to each of the acts before the show to hear about their careers and experiences at Seoulsonic.
[This is the second of a three-part interview/review series from the event. The interviews with HEO and WYM can be read HERE and HERE.]
Seoulsonic NYC 2015 began around midnight, but when Sultan of the Disco took to the stage wearing dragon-covered robes, shower shoes, and headbands, it was clear that the night was just getting started. The ‘70s inspired funk band hit all the right notes for the audience, getting everyone involved right away. With a full-fledged band onstage plus one member of the band dancing along to the rest with major aplomb, it was hard to not clap along and move to the sounds.
Sultan of the Disco is, when broken down, physical comedy meeting Korean musical innovation. Singing in both English and Korean, the group began its life as a dance troupe named Sultan of the Disco but over the years transitioned into a band with a heavy emphasis on dance. Their first single, “Magic Prince,” was released in 2007, and their latest song “SQ (We Don’t Need No EQ IQ)” came out this past July. Surpassing language barriers, the group’s played overseas in the past, although this was their first show in New York.
Lead vocalist Nahzam Sue sat down with me for a few minutes before the show began to tell me a bit about the band.
“We want the immediate reaction of the audience to be able to dance and enjoy it,” Nahzam told me before explaining the band’s unusual inclusion of a member who just dances along while the rest of the band performs. “One dancer remains in our team, so there’s that spirit. He just dances… There’s a lot of energy [shared] between us and the audience.”
And indeed, on stage later that night, J.J Hassan stood there on stage, dancing alongside the other members as they played their music. Nahzam also had his own moves to show off while he sang, going back to the group’s origins as a dance team.
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“At the beginning, it was me and three other guys. It wasn’t an official band, but a dance team,” said Nahzam. “One by one, during sessions, guys who played instruments joined us and the Sultan of the Disco dance group became the band we are now.”
The band that they are now has had an album, 2013’s “The Golden Age,” nominated as the best electronic/dance album at the Korean Music Awards, but they’re moving onto the future.
“We’re working on a new single now, that will be released by the end of the year,” the lead singer said. “The single will be a lot slower, a slow jam that’s different from what we’ve done. Even though our music is based in humor, we want to make our music maybe a little slower, groovier in the future [with more meaning.]. We want to be a more emotional band.”
Being emotional seemed like the last thing on their minds that night, though, as Sultan of the Disco connected with the audience through music, dance, and trying their best at talking in English. Pumping up the crowd in all the right ways possible, the band made a lasting impression at Seoulsonic NYC 2015 that the had us all wishing we were living in the disco age.
What do you like the most about Sultan of the Disco? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear you thoughts and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Bloglovin’ so you can keep up with all our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sotd2.png12001600Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-10-27 16:06:532015-10-28 14:16:21Sultan Of The Disco Does Funky Right At Seoulsonic NYC 2015 [Interview]
