There have always been people that look down on different genres of music because they find it, for whatever reason, less than. Lacking. Not smart enough. Not cool enough. Lame. Too mainstream. I admit that in my late teens and very early twenties, I was one of those people. I didn’t get pop music. Not really at all. I couldn’t understand how people could throw on the radio and just sing along with what came out. Why would you listen to Britney when there was Modest Mouse? In at least this one way, I have grown up. Pop music is awesome. I don’t have to like it to know it’s awesome. And not only that but not all pop music is the same. There are a million different influences and styles. So while I might not like a song, there are tons of other folks that do and we probably have a different pop song in common. So cheers for growth.
Kpop, as I have lamented in the past, gets a bad rap. People hear Gangnam Style and are pretty sure they get the gist of the whole Korean music scene. Now we all know soooo much better, but even we, the keen Kpop audience isn’t fully aware of the vast array of Korean artists out there and the sheer depth of talent just waiting for us to discover them. Today, we are going to talk a little about an artist that I have recently stumbled upon, but who has been putting stuff out there for a few years. Her newest music is unbelievably great, but as this is Thursday, I will share a specific song from March 2016…to keep with the throwback theme.
Echae Kang is a classically trained violinist from Korea. She grew up trying her hardest not to let her love of gypsy jazz influence her playing. But failed (triumphed?) when she was finally given permission by her parents to study at the Seoul Jazz Academy and then to continue her education on a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since graduating, she has moved back to Seoul and begun putting together her own music as well as collaborations with various artists on the Korean music scene. She sings, she plays, she arranges and produces, she has an amazing sense of personal style. I have fallen in love, fast and deep. Her music is jazz, pop, hip hop and alterna influenced and you can just feel her personal style seeping throughout.
The song I am sharing today is actually a violin and bass duo called Echae en Route…they have a few songs out there that you should check out. This one, though, I will lay out on a silver platter because I love it so much. Night Drive is the perfect song for a, well, night drive. Her voice is deep and smooth and the English lyrics in this particular song are really well written so it’s not actually distracting for me to be able to understand what’s being sung (sometimes I find lyrics to be too cheesy which is often why I prefer to listen to music in languages I don’t fully understand). The visuals are gorgeous…exactly like that road trip we all wanted to take with some amazingly attractive soulpartner while wearing awesome clothes.
Now look up her other stuff too…it’s painfully good.
Echae Kang, Night Drive
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