I&I DJANGDAN are one of the few reggae and dub artists in Korea. After the release of their EP, Culture Tree, earlier this year, I&I DJANGDAN took the time to talk about their music and the future of the Korean reggae scene.
Could you please introduce yourselves?
Francois: We are I&I DJANGDAN, the first generation of dub music in Korea.
How did you meet and what made you decide to form the band?
Francois: I met Bang-jan in a club where we both played a few years ago. I'd been choosing reggae since I arrived in the country and Bang-jan was leading the only known reggae band in South Korea, Windy City, so our common interest in reggae music made us form a bond; it's not everyday that you find someone with that passion here. The reggae and rasta music scene is really young in Korea.
We later met in the studio and I controlled the mixer while he played the drums. That is the genesis of I&I DJANGDAN.
What does the band name mean?
Francois: "I & I" basically means "us". This is Jamaican patois (note: Jamaican slang). We liked this way of saying "us", because it means that a group is made up of different individuals and that the differences make the group special.
"DJANGDAN" means "rhythm" in Korean. So, our name means simply "our rhythm", "our beat".
Reggae/dub doesn't seem like a very well-known music genre in the Korean music industry. How did you first discover this kind of music and why did you decide to start making it?
Francois: I discovered reggae music about 15 years ago while my sister was listening Bob Marley in her room. After that, I would sit by my parents' stereo for hours with Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Israel Vibration and all the legendary roots reggae artists. Since that time, I have always been close to the lyrics and personalities of rastas. Most of all, I was very impressed with the fact that even though it was the 70's, the music was still very realistic. Reggae music has been a very big influence on me since then.
I decided to start making the music myself a few years after when I bought a drum machine and an old keyboard from a friend. Then I got an old computer and realised the potential of music software and started building my own home studio step by step.
Which artists have inspired you?
Francois: Well, Bob Marley, of course, and King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Johnny Clarke, Sugar Minott, Earl Chinna Smith, all good Jamaican artists. Also, Lee "Scratch" Perry because his way of working is really special, both technically and spiritually. People say that he is kind of crazy, but I think he is closer to being a genius than a crazy man. He has always been very innovative in his recording and engineering style and he is indeed the papa of dub.
We are also really attracted to the UK dub scene, like Jah Shaka, Aba Shanti I, the mighty Iration Steppas, Conscious Sounds, Vibronics, Zion Train, etc. They use much more digital processing but it is still the continuity of the Jamaican masters' work. The first time I saw Aba Shanti I or Iration Steppas' live session was a very important time for me. The way they controlled their sound and made the bass "physical" completely amazed me. At that time, I could feel the music, not only hear it.
How well received is your style of music in Korea? Is there a big following of reggae and dub music in Korea?
Francois: Our music is quite well received here even though it has never really been a popular genre here. We sometimes have the satisfaction of seeing some very surprised faces enjoying our performances. There is not a huge following for that sort of music yet but it's growing fast, we can see it.
Instead of just following the example of other dub bands, you have mixed it with some Korean influences. Why have you chosen to do so, was it in order to make it a little bit more accessible and familiar to the Korean audience, or is there another reason?
Francois: We chose to do so because we really like Korean traditional music and dub music. Personally, the idea came before I arrived in Korea, when my wife sent me a CD of traditional music. I was into world music I actually thought this kind of thing already existed here, but I only heard what is called "fusion", which is not really my taste, even though I really like traditional music. I think fusion is really a mix of surfaces and doesn't reach very deep into the elements used.
Jang-Goon, you often sing in a traditional Korean vocal style. How did you learn to sing this way? What made you decide to combine this with reggae?
Jang-Goon: I went to a Korean traditional music institute by myself when I was sixth grade in primary school. I thought it could be very helpful to sing well if I learned pansori at that time. Since then, I studied pansori until university. I know and have learned more about pansori since I've gone deeper into it.
I think I started to get closer to my music and people in the last ten years and so I continue to experiment with combining my music with other kinds.
Francois, as the only non-Korean member of the band, do you feel that you bring a different influence to the group?
Fracois: I think the main influence I bring is the Rastafarian culture because I have been into it for more than ten years. Music is the way that Rastafarians have come to be known outside of Jamaica, so I think it is good to keep talking about it that way.
Before the band started, I used to select dub tunes mixed with some traditional flutes and string instruments. At that time, I realised the potential of Korean roots and traditional music when they are mixed with a reggae groove. But technically the main influence I bring is the dubwise: mixing all members' live sounds in the model of the first Jamaican dub masters such as Lee "Scratch" Perry or King Tubby, and the adding of samples.
Being the only non-Korean member is a good thing, mainly because I have to communicate and understand mainly through music, while most of the time, the other members have discussions in Korean. It's because of this that I feel as if music is a real universal thing. He who feels it, knows it!
Ban-Jang, as a member of Windy City you helped bring reggae to a larger domestic audience; how do you feel about this achievement?
Ban-Jang: I wouldn't say that I have any accomplishments or achievements in reggae music as a reggae musician or messenger yet. The Korean reggae music scene has only just begun and what I am proud of myself for is taking reggae music and the message sincerely for 8 years, since I was in a reggae band called bus-riders. There were, and still are, few reggae musicians but it was all about trend, not about a conscious message. I can honestly say that they don't know reggae. Reggae music is the future of music in this generation.
Korea is one of the first countries who don't care about their roots and traditions. That's why Korea needs reggae music . I feel it stronger and stronger and a few years in the future I will think about this again. Reggae, dub and I&I DJANGDAN have the sound of the past, present, and future. Trees contain all nature as our sound.
It doesn't matter if you play reggae, salsa, or any other genre; our music contains a message and a harmony. It's too soon to talk about the result yet. It's going on now.
When taking a look at older reggae songs, we find various themes such as poverty, oppression, discrimination, and other social issues that were important in Jamaica in the seventies when reggae music was developed. Korea on the other hand, has a totally different background, but you do show typical reggae and Jamaican symbols on your websites. Seeing as the cultural background is so different, what kind of meaning does reggae music have for you?
Francois: Although today's Korea has a completely different background to 70's Jamaica, we still can find poverty, oppression and discrimination all around. It's simply taken from a different angle.
Living in Korea, I see that the development and economic situation is growing at a great speed, but the poverty here is not really about money (even though there are poor people), I think poverty here is a lot about identity and culture in general. Certainly not money anymore. Oppression and discrimination are of course also present in many forms, even though they are very different than the ones Jamaican people experienced in 70's and those they are experiencing today.
I think the purpose of reggae music is talking about the various problems and all sorts of injustices man is experiencing, worldwide. Rasta music didn't speak only for Jamaican people even though it comes from there. Many people in different places around the world have been touched by its message even if they have completely different backgrounds. It is about a universal message, for which the main guidelines are from the words and history of Haile Selassie I (note: Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 1974. Symbol for the God incarnate in the Rastafarian movement). The meaning of reggae music for me is simply to express love in all its forms. It is also used to express what we feel is wrong around us.
Are there any main messages that you want to transmit through your songs? Are you working with reggae's main messages or do you have another message?
Francois: As the Rasta message is about spreading love and understanding in a universal way, we work with that message. We also have some concerns about the situation in Korea, politically, culturally, etc.
Being the first dub band here, I hope that it can show some examples that experimenting with new things is possible, that we don't always have to play "what is working well". Diversity in the Korean music scene in general is actually really weak, compared to many other countries. When we take a look at the line-ups of the few big festivals, or at the Seoul club scene in general, it is not very easy to find something very fresh. Our band is an expression of the need for different things and more variety in the Korean music scene.
On your MySpace you have written posts on political themes such as microchips on passports. Do you strive for political change through your music? If so how much power do you think music has over politics?
Francois: Of course I hope for some political change. If our music can contribute to 0.000000001% of that I'll feel as though I have some small victory. I don't think music exerts much power on politics but music can have some influence on the people, who can have power over politics.
Rasta music in general doesn't deal with politics ("poli-tricks") usually, but more about some spiritual ideas and different "reasonings", which can be very political but from a different point of view.
Concerning the post about the microchips on new Korean passports, I think this is the kind of thing that can be scary if the evolution of that kind of ideas goes far. There are more and more controls around. For example, last time I went to Japan I was quite surprised to see that at the passport check there is now a digital print and photo session. I never have anything to feel guilty about in those kind of places, but those practices make me ask myself "Am I really not guilty?!".
I know that scientifically a biotech (technology for body) is technically ready and I hope that passport microchips do not lead to that because then we will be completely in control of, I don't know what. Maybe in the future we'll need to have a microchip under our skin for example. Sometimes science fiction is so close to reality.
Recently, you released a new EP, Culture Tree. Could you tell us a bit about it, what can people expect from it?
Francois: The Culture Tree EP is the first dub record in Korea, we recorded it "inna dub tradition", with analogue effects and mixers. People can expect to hear some cross-cultural sounds and experiments in the relation between dub music and traditional Korean rooted influence.
How did the song writing process go? Is there a set way you write a song?
Francois: Jam sessions is how we create new songs. We jam, record, choose the good parts, discuss it and then start arranging it.
If you had to pick only one song to be used to introduce the band, which one from Culture Tree would you choose?
Francois: I'd like to choose Irie Rang, our version of Arirang, a very popular traditional song that almost every region of Korea sings in their own way.
I think this song is a kind of icon of Korean culture. My wife told me that most adopted Korean people in other courtiers know that song even if they don't speak the language. Actually, I even thought, before thinking to make our version, that this was the national anthem!
Where does I&I DJANGDAN feel more at ease: in the studio recording or playing live?
Francois: We actually really enjoy both, but I personally enjoy the live sessions because that is when the music is really living fully. But recording session also have their own strengths. They help us produce something that will stay around for a long time.
What can one expect from an I&I DJANGDAN live show? Do you have plans to bring your show overseas in the future?
Francois: People can expect to feel Korean culture coming out from the ground, so jump with it! We have plans to bring our show to Ethiopia this December and we are open to playing in any countries of course.
What are your plans for the future?
Francois: To make a full length album in lots of different formats, some on 7 inch LPs that can be played on sound systems, and we also wan to play lives in as many different countries as we can.
Any final comments for our readers?
Francois: Thanks for reading and have a listen to our sounds if you have some more time! Bless up, every time.
KoME would like to thank I&I DJANGDAN for making this interview possible.
