SeoTaeJi

서태지 : Seo TaeJi (1972 - ) aka Seo Taiji, JeongHyeonCheol

Related : SiNaWi

LINK : KPDB:1053

1 Biography or Not[ | ]

This is my selection from Seotaiji CDs I have. I finally decided I should put something about them.

SeoTaeJi and Boys are SeoTaeJi, YangHyeonSeok and LeeJuNo. They emerged into the Korean Pop music scene in 1992 with their hip-hop beat, rap and dance, by which many people in the industry think the group has revolutionized the Korean Pop culture scene. They had four albums before they decided to go their separate ways in January 1996. Man, how they influenced Korean teenagers!

I am sure Taiji will continue to work after a brief vacation. I am looking forward to what he will do next. --HongCho, 1997-03-31

2 Seo TaeJiWa AIDeul(1992); Seo TaeJi and Boys; 서태지와 아이들 [ | ]

[Bando Records]

★★★ Dance, Rap, GaYo

SeoTaeJi and Boys are the most popular band in GaYo history. Their debut was with dance music and ballad. First hit song was [Play:SeoTaeJi1NanAlAYo.mp3 Nan AlAYo!; I Know]. Seo TaeJi and Boys have extraordinary ability in dancing. Rhythmic music and gorgeous dance made teenage girls 'crazy'. But the completioness of album is not high. In Korea, commercial artists made the LP similarly EP or Maxi single of US. So album release interval is very short. SeoTaeJi was a bassist of SiNaWi, the nuclous band of Korean Rock/HM. Anyway he started at dance music for commercial success. With the years, their music became rock. Listen the song [Play:SeoTaeJi1HwanSangSokEuiGeuDae.mp3 HwanSangSokEui GeuDae; Fantastic You], too. --DisTort, 1999

I present the album that changed the face of gayo forever. A kid who used to play bass for a metal/hard rock band Sinawe, together with two supporting dancers stormed Korea. Who would have thought he would become a Korean phenomenon. --HongCho, 1997-07-04

Yo! Taiji!
Nan AlAYo	I Know
HwanSangSokEui GeuDae	You in Hallucination
NeoWa HamGgeHan SiGanSokESeo	During the Time I Spent with You
IBamI GipEoGaJiMan	Although This Night Is Getting Deeper
Nae MoDeunGeot	My Everything
IJeNeun	Now
Blind Love
Rock 'n Roll Dance
Missing

3 Seo TaeJiWa AIDeul II(1993); Seo TaeJi and Boys II; 서태지와 아이들 II[ | ]

[Bando Records]

★★★☆ Dance, Metal, Techno, Ballad, GaYo

SeoTaeJi disappeared behind the 1st LP's success. He knew already the megahit make himself one-time-idol. He has abilities of composing, dancing and, most of all, enterprizing. His namevalue is equal to a certain corporation's selling. Title song [Play:SeoTaeJi2HaYeoGa.mp3 HaYeoGa] contains metalic mood and SaMulNolI, the Korean traditional percussion quartet. Except some rock music, results are girlish taste ballads. Anyway he supported by wide fans include not only girls but also rock music listeners. Unexpectedly techno song [Play:SeoTaeJi2SuSiA.mp3 SuSiA] is also in this short LP. He have progressive/experimental taste more than other idols. --DisTort, 1999

The second album that kept their momentum and made them the idol of the decade. The number of tracks dramatically decreased, which shows how hurriedly they were forced to release a new album, and how good their marketing strategy is. :) --HongCho, 1997-07-04

Yo! Taiji
HaYeoGa
WuRiDeulManEui ChuEok	Our Memories
JuGeumEui Neup	Swamp of Death
NeoEGe	To You
SuSiA
MaJiMak ChukJe	The Last Festival
WuRiDeulManEui ChuEok [instrumental]	Our Memories

4 Seo TaeJiWa AIDeul III(1994); Seo TaeJi and Boys III; 서태지와 아이들 III[ | ]

[Bando Records]

★★★★ Dance, Metal, Ballad, GaYo

He returned with metal. Cynical lyrics and excellent marketing made this 3rd LP also million sellor. Union anthem of North and South, [Play:SeoTaeJi3BalHaeReulGgumGguMyeo.mp3 BalHaeReul GgumGguMyeo; Dreaming of BalHae] and [Play:SeoTaeJi3GyoSilIDeA.mp3 GyoSil IDeA; Ideal Classroom]. Most of all [Play:SeoTaeJi3GyoSilIDeA.mp3 GyoSil IDeA]'s critic of middle and high school education made a big sensation. He was already icon of teenage, his affect at teenage is greater than teacher or parents. He can be a revolutionist of GaYo. Listen the punk inspired simple song [Play:SeoTaeJi3NaeMamIYa.mp3 Nae MamIYa; It's on My Mind.] also. AhnHeungChan,of Thrash/Death Metalband Crash, sessioned in this song. --DisTort, 1999

Ha! Now my favorite Taiji song is in RealAudio format!!! Can you guess which? --HongCho, 1997-06-07

Yo! Taiji
BalHaeReul GgumGguMyeo	Dreaming of BalHae
AIDeulEui NunEuRo	Through Children's Eyes
GyoSil IDeA	Classroom Ideals
Nae MaEumIYa	Who Cares?
JiKil BakSaWa HaIDeu	Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hide
YoungWon	Eternity
BalHaeReul GgumGguMyeo	Dreaming of BalHae [Instrumental]
Neol JiWuRyeo Hae	Trying To Forget You

5 Seo TaeJiWa AIDeul IV(1994); Seo TaeJi and Boys IV; 서태지와 아이들 IV[ | ]

CD:2014566 [Bando Records]

★★★★★ Rap, Ballad, Dance, Metal, GaYo

In this album his ability of hybrid shone. [Play:SeoTaeJi4PilSeung.mp3 PilSeung; Certain Victory] or [Play:SeoTaeJi4ComeBackHome.mp3 Come Back Home] shows you his brilliant sense. Always he knows what his fans want and how to change style. So I recommend his LPs in spite of low completion. JeongTaeChun, resistence folk singer, fought with censorship of Government but its meddle was weak. But when SeoTaeJi was censored cause of [Play:SeoTaeJi4SiDaeYuGam.mp3 SiDaeYuGam; Regret to the Age], the meddle was powerful. It shows the cultural authority of SeoTaeJi. But I think JeongTaeChun as a sacrificial pioneer, Seo TaeJi as a brilliant manager of himself. He retired suddenly. His retirement became social issue. But it was interval of rest. He came back home with solo LP in 98. Also became bestseller. --DisTort, 1999

From the brochure of the best album, "I say '&', but everyone else says 'End.'"

Yo! Taiji
SeulPeun APeum	Sad Pain
PilSeung	Victory
Come Back Home
SiDaeYuGam	? [Lyrics not approved by the government]
1996, GeuDeulI JiGuReul JiBaeHaetSeul Ddae	1996, When They Ruled The Earth
Taiji Boys
Good Bye
Free Style
INeoBiRiSeuNeoBi

6 SiDaeYuGam EP(1996); Regret to the Age; 時代有感 [ | ]

CD:2029890 [Bando Records]

★★★☆ Rap, Ballad, Dance, Metal, GaYo

This is an album release after their break-up. It has a song from the fourth album whose lyric was censored, SiDaeYuGam. Other than that, it is more like a single album. --HongCho

Taiji Boys
SiDaeYuGam
SuSiA
I BamI GipEoGaJiMan(remix)	Although It's Getting Late at Night
Free Style

7 Seo TaeJi(1998); 서태지 [ | ]

[Samsung Music]

★★★☆ Hardcore, GaYo

SeoTaeJi, born Jeong HyeonCheol, told he wanna be free. So disappeared from the entertainment world for a long time. After disbanding Seo TaeJi and Boys, he gone to US and enjoyed his life as Jeong HyeonCheol, not Seo TaeJi. He made this 1st solo album alone in US. All instruments produced by his sampling. And he released this album in Korea without his return. His namevalue is still powerful so it became millionseller at once, in spite of it contained metal/hard core material (which is not a popular genre in Korea). His music is still sensitive partly. But running time of this album is short as his past SeoTaeJi and Boys albums, and monotonous. I think he has the talent on smooth mixing of popular style and rock style. But he hoped that people call him as an rock artist[he was a bass player of SiNaWi]. He thought he could be a rock musician alone, not band. So he failed. Rock music is an ensemble. Only the harmony of other people's sense can be rock music. Of course solo artist can do rock music. But different from band's. Anyway he didn't return to Korea till this point. --DisTort, 1999

[Play:SeoTaeJi5Take2.mp3 Take Two]
[Play:SeoTaeJi5Radio.mp3 Radio]
[Play:SeoTaeJi5Take4.mp3 Take Four]

Well, he did it... Not much of a bang, but he did it. This slightly-short-of-30-minute CD with supposedly 9 tracks (realistically, only 6 tracks) is a somewhat disappointment for a comeback album. This is an extension to his last works; alternative rock with a soft voice. Taiji did everything on this album, as usual. I guess this is what he has been doing while he has secluded himself somewhere in New York. As I mentioned earlier, I am disappointed a little. Nice groove and sounds (mixing is superb) and all, but we (at least, those in the States) are listening to this alternative rocks all the time on the radio. Most of the tracks are heavily influenced by hard/alternative rocks. With some rap/scratch (Beasty Boys-like Take Two), sampling, mixing... He created familiar musics which are quite appealing (to me, at least). One of the track (Take Six) reminded a lot of Green Days (when they were really popular).

Bottom line: Sounds great, but nothings really new. More of alternative/hard/rap. You might like this popularized rock. --HongCho, 1998-08-06

8 UlTeuRaMaenIYa(2000); Ultraman~; 울트라맨이야 [ | ]

CD:2223980 [GoiSu DaeBaekGwa SaJeon]

★★★☆ Hardcore, GaYo

He returned finally with hardcore/pimp rock. Also short and more sensitive than 1st solo album. He did comeback live with his new band and started the music business. At first he boomed hiphop/hardcore fashion. But his music is not popular like his 1st album so it can't make big bang. Of course became a million seller also. Nothing is new. He does sensitive sampling and makes his own style, but he is just hanging on his old fame. In spite of all of this not so good points, he sold his hardcore style[not popular] albums more than million copy. It contributes to widen the music market and press the dance music trends of GaYo scene, but temporary. We need 10 or 20 SeoTaeJi s. SeoTaeJi have cultural power. But the real energy of Korean rock is on independent scene. Distorted & effected sound, lyrics not easy to deliver, textured & machinary mood, kitsch & Japanese culture, overabundance of image, hybrid of hardcore & GaYo... and showbusiness. That's the keywords of this album. --DisTort, 2000

[Play:SeoTaeJi6Ultraman.mp3 Ultraman]
[Play:SeoTaeJi6InTeoNetJeonJaeng.mp3 InTeoNet JeonJaeng; Internet War]
[Play:SeoTaeJi6Tank.mp3 Tank]

9 Discography[ | ]

As	Year	Album Title
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1992	1
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1992	Live & Techno Mix
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1993	2
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1994	MaJiMak ChukJe
		Last Festival[Live]
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1994	3
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1995	SaeRoUn HaNeulI YeolLiGo
		Opening of New Sky[Live]
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1995	4
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1996	Goodbye & Best[Best]
SeoTaeJi & Boys	1996	SiDaeYuGam
		Regret to the Age[EP]
SeoTaeJi	1998	Seo TaiJi
SeoTaeJi	2000	Ultraman~

10 Links[ | ]

http://www.taiji.or.kr/  http://seotaiji.1004.cc/ http://seokihei.alpha.co.kr/