Damn Idol Episode 6
* * *
I believe in the power of music.
That's why I believe that good music is sure to succeed.
To be honest, this is not a matter of believing or not believing.
It must be so.
Otherwise, wouldn't my long return be a meaningless wandering relying on luck?
So I spent a lot of time honing my songwriting skills, and now I think I've perfected them.
I'm not saying that every song I write is a hit.
This means that there is no one who can express the music I imagine better than me.
But what I was imagining now wasn't any melody or sound.
They were friends.
First of all, GOTM's drummer.
Andrew Gunn.
I played the drums, remembering Andrew Gunn's usual self.
Drudduddudduddud!
Andrew is serious and sincere, but he likes funky music.
While most drummers like the sound of kick drums or snare drums, this guy was a unique guy who liked hi-hats.
Moreover, his sense of rhythm was excellent.
When I was playing with the Ghost Note and a thunderous sound suddenly erupted, I was in a state of ecstasy.
The drum line in <The Hunters> I tried to replicate Andrew Gunn's feel.
However, since I can't play the drums, I filmed it with a virtual instrument.
Jiiiing-!
The electric guitar was played by guitarist Dave Logan himself.
What should I say about this guy, a friendly pessimist?
His head is full of all kinds of negative thoughts, but he is kind when it comes to relationships between people.
Even though people all over the world are talking about us becoming Grammy winners, the awards have already been decided and people are wondering how many awards we will win.......
'We won't get it. We're not the traditional bands that the Grammys like.'
He was a guy who had resigned himself to the idea that he would never win the award on his own.
Dave's guitar is loud.
Even though the guitar is the most prominent instrument in the band, I've never seen a guy stand out as loudly as Dave.
You're a pessimist.
To correct his bad habit, I once gave him a second guitar to scratch the chords, and he had fun scratching the chords while even doing air swings.
Such a fool.
However, that is why he was a player who was really suited to the guitar, which is called a six-string orchestra.
Next, it contained the feelings of a bassist and keyboardist.
There was nothing particularly difficult.
What was surprising was that when I started composing I thought it would be a funky song, but when I actually started making it, it turned out to be a rhythmic song.
I think the public might call it funky because it has a rhythmic feel centered around electronic sounds.
However, when considering the intention of composition, funkiness and rhythm are as different as heaven and earth.
It seems like a good song to dance to, right?
I had no intention of making idol music, but I thought it would go well with a free hook and a simple yet catchy top line.
Now that we've moved away from funkiness, I thought it would be good to bring the overall rhythm of the song to two fours (2-4).
I know that black music rhythms are popular in Korea around this time.
Maybe this could be my idol debut song.
Because it is my belief that songs that commemorate past lives should be sung by oneself rather than given to others.
So, little by little, the sounds began to accumulate.
* * *
Lee Hyun-seok, the president of LB Studio, was a popular producer in the early 2000s.
Among the songs he produced, there are songs that everyone in the country will know when they hear them.
The reason he decided to retire after receiving such first-tier treatment was when idol music using hook songs as a weapon took over the music industry.
Perhaps because he was behind the times, the idol songs he made did not sell at all.
There were songs that barely sold, but failed miserably.
It was a natural step for a producer who was behind the times to set up a studio with the money he had already earned and the connections he had built up.
The life of a studio owner that started like that was pretty good.
First of all, business is going well.
As his wallet became bigger, he felt more relaxed, and as he helped talented indie musicians, he got to hear himself as a big brother in the scene.
Entertainment business cards asking people to contact them at any time if there is a musician he can recommend have also become plentiful.
The reason Lee Hyun-seok went to work at the studio on the weekend was because of persistent calls from his part-time worker.
Because she screamed that a monster had appeared.
"Uncle!"
"At the store, I am the boss."
"Samjang-nim!"
>삼장님 = A person who represents a company and is responsible for corporate affair.
"...... why."
"Quickly listen to this. Isn't it crazy?"
Lee Hyun-seok had conflicting thoughts as he received the monitoring headset his niece gave him.
First of all, there is no way that a boy named Han Si-on is a real monster.
There are more than 10 entertainment companies in Korea whose names you will recognize, and there are at least 20 entertainment companies whose names you may not know, but whose singers you may know.
There will be about 20 entertainment companies that have avoided losses, and there will be about 20 entertainment companies that are enduring losses but surviving.
This means that there are a huge number of companies that nurture singers.
However, this is only talking about proper companies, and if startups are included, the number increases to hundreds.
These people are looking for talented young people with their eyes lit up.
Twenty-year-old monster?
There's no way a kid like that would rent a studio with his own money.
He probably already has a company.
However, he was concerned since his niece is a music student.
Although she is still a student, she made music her profession.
There was no way she could be impressed by music that wasn't even basic.
'But then again, the albums of the idols that she admires are so bad.'
Lee Hyun-seok had such double thoughts and began to listen to the music coming from the headset.
It was just 5 minutes.
Lee Hyun-seok was shocked.
"Crazy, what is this?"
"It's awesome, it's really awesome, right?"
"No, wait a minute. I'll listen more."
However, Lee Hyun-seok's astonishment did not subside.
Rather, it was amplified.
It's amazing that he's so incredibly good at it, but what's even more amazing is the diversity that one person can create.
How can it produce so many different sounds and different feelings?
The moment he first heard the soft guitar melody, the album cover automatically came to mind.
Refreshing music with the blue sea against the backdrop of a pure white sandy beach.
However, the guitar riff suddenly changes into something that feels like being stabbed by an awl.
Extremely aggressive.
It feels like it's attacking his lungs with a fencing knife, but it is so sharp that it makes him gasp.
No matter what drums are added on top of this, the guitar riff seems to be the main character.
If you put a loop on it and then throw some drums on it and throw it to the rappers, it would probably cause an uproar.
While he was thinking that, he suddenly heard a bass player.
He thought he was playing Victor Wooten's performance.
If it weren't for the occasional miss touch, it was so groovy that it would be hard to believe it was played by a Korean.
What was even more surprising was that these various changes occurred quickly and without any reference point.
The fact that there is no reference point outside means that there is a reference point inside.
In other words, even if he does not know technique, he is already a mentally complete musician.
'A superman has appeared!'
He believed that someday, a superman riding a white horse would appear in the Korean indie scene.
But the superman is in his studio.
"Not including a brief nap on the sofa in the break room, he recorded the song for over 30 hours.......I feel crazy."
"Handsome? He is twenty years old?"
"Yeah. He looks like an idol."
"You...... Didn't you get the code?"
"It's crazy?! No!"
It happens sometimes.
They write down chords or melodies they hear in the studio.
If such a rumor spreads even once, the studio will go out of business.
The reason Lee Hyun-seok asked this question was not because he thought that his niece actually got the code.
Because he wanted to win.
These were melodies that he wanted to pick the moment he heard them and announce them as his own.
He asked to endure it.
"Uncle, you said that last time you came from entertainment. They want to make a band. They asked you to contact them."
"They did."
"Let's recommend it! It's crazy!"
"........"
The company will definitely pick him up.
But why do we have a friend who makes music at this level?
The entertainment only said 'band', but the omitted word is obvious.
(Idol) Band.
Appearance is more important than playing, and entertainment is more important than composing.
Would such a position suit this friend?
Wouldn't it be possible to become a great producer if he just provide a little bit of support?
If he wants to be a star rather than a producer, he can form an indie band.
Due to the nature of the Korean market, to become a superstar, one must borrow the power of broadcasting.
However, completing your own music and becoming a broadcaster is a completely different matter than becoming an entertainment trainee.
'If that's the case, he probably would have been all over the stage, so he won't be able to sing. If you can find just one amazing vocalist.......'
It is not just a dream to become like the famous brother and sister musicians.
It was the moment when Lee Hyun-seok was thinking like that.
The door to the studio A opened and Han Si-on appeared.
His niece was right.
Handsome.
It was an attractive mask even though he could see that he was exhausted from working all night.
Han Si-on approached the desk and opened his mouth.
"Can I have it delivered here?"
"Ah yes. If you eat in the break room......."
"Thank you."
"Uh, that. Student!"
"Yes?"
His voice is good too.
Perhaps he also has some vocal ability.
"I'm the boss here, where did you learn music?"
"I'm self-taught."
"...... You can do that by self-taught?"
"Yeah, whatever. Because I did it."
"The songs you played were your own compositions, right? Are you looking for a songwriting session?"
"Yes. Why are you asking that?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. When I see talented musicians, I help them, so......."
"Thank you, but it's okay."
Cool.
He had talked to a lot of musicians so far, but this is the first time he has had a reaction like this.
Even if you don't know that he was a producer, he is the president of such a large studio.
At that time, his niece intervened.
"My uncle is the one who made that. Toothbrush!"
Korea's representative rock ballad that swept the early 2000s and even won the Music Awards.
There have been many remakes, and it has been selected in many audition programs, so even students these days know this song.
Indeed, Han Si-on's eyes changed slightly.
Maybe he was so surprised by his great talent because he spoke so recklessly that it seemed like a fraud.
"Do you have a contract with any company?"
"No. There isn't."
"Then I think I can help you. Oh, I'm not saying you should sign with a company I know."
At that time, Han Si-on, who was thinking about something, opened his mouth.
"Then, the poster over there."
"Poster?"
When Lee Hyun-seok turned his gaze, he saw a poster next to the entrance door.
But he doesn't know what it is.
The boss doesn't even care about things like that.
When a delivery arrives, he just tells the part-time workers to put it on and take it off after the period has elapsed.
"Can you give me a recommendation? I heard that if you get a recommendation, you get a first pass."
"Sure. Sure."
It's probably a poster for a composition competition held by the city of Seoul, a large practical music academy, or a small agency.
It makes him smile.
It seems like this young genius doesn't realize the extent of his talent.
Thinking about that, Lee Hyun-seok looked at the poster pointed to by Han Si-on.
He thought he saw something wrong.
He looked again.
But still nothing changed.
In the end, Lee Hyun-seok blurted out his true feelings without realizing it.
"Why, Why are you acting like an idiot..... ?"
—