Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Taeyeon arcade stick #2
Shortly after I finished my first artwork modification of the SF4 Tournament Edition arcade stick, I set about working on my second design last September. Because my second stick was located in my Los Angeles home, I did not actually complete the project until last week when I returned home for Christmas break. I am now a proud owner of these two beauties!
The concept for stick #2 was inspired by how Taeyeon’s military hat and M. Bison’s Shadaloo cap looked remarkably identical. Since stick #1 was predominantly white, I wanted stick #2 to be black for contrast. #1 is still my favorite design as that shows more aesthetic sense, whereas #2 is just two people plastered on either side of the controller. I contemplated #2 for awhile because I was not satisfied with the design. However, the continuation of the Taeyeon theme and the link between the hats were irresistible.
e.via - Korean rapper debut
The Korean music industry has been dominated by girl groups lately: SNSD (my favorite), Kara, 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls, the list goes on and on. Which is why e.via’s debut a couple months ago has been so refreshing. At first glance she looks like a typical cute innocent singer, but she’s actually been an underground rapper for years and just recently released her first CD.
I first heard of e.via because in her album she had a collaboration with Sori, another promising 2009 rookie who I like. The song they produced is called “Diary” and has a smooth, ethereal flow. (I missed out on writing about Sori because she debuted during my blogging hiatus, but check out her catchy “Real Lips” music video and a sexy dance to “What a Feeling”.)
e.via’s debut didn’t begin smoothly as she was promptly banned for vulgar and provocative lyrics by one of the major Korean TV networks. I don’t know what stopped her from trying to perform on the other big music programs, but getting banned most likely was a publicity stunt. What’s so interesting about e.via is that she looks like any other super cute, “I’ve never kissed a boy before” K-pop girl, but then she opens her mouth and starts spitting crazy lyrics. The clash between her image and music style is original and makes her completely awesome.
Taeyeon arcade stick completed!
The mailman delivered a nice surprise yesterday: my custom artwork and plexiglass from ArtHong! I keep plugging his site because he makes quality products and his customer service is phenomenal. If you’re interested in customizing your arcade stick, I give him my highest recommendation.
SNSD — 2 months of “Genie” promotions
This past weekend, SNSD concluded promotions of their mini-album “Genie / Tell Me Your Wish” after 2 months of nonstop activity. Although their military image concept was phenomenal and the CD was well received, “Genie” wasn’t quite the blockbuster “Gee” was.
Nevertheless, to commemorate all their hard work, here’s a look back at the variety of outfits they’ve worn during live performances. I focused only on appearances on the big 3 TV programs: KBS Music Bank, SBS Popular Song Inkigayo and MBC Music Core. Hard to pick just one favorite costume, but I love the girls in camo.
SF4 arcade stick custom art
Today I started working on a new project: customizing my Street Fighter 4 TE arcade stick! At this point, I am only focusing on creating some custom artwork. In the future, I may possibly go beyond that and upgrade the joystick and buttons. But baby steps first…
Here are 2 SNSD designs that I made featuring Taeyeon, the leader of the group. I would really appreciate some feedback as to which one you like better, as I’m having a hard time deciding which one to finalize and print.
SNSD concept timeline
It is so great to finally be back in my apartment and sleep in my own bed after three weeks of wandering around Europe and the USA East Coast. I love the adventure of traveling and the escape from responsibility, but the many flight delays and general logistical annoyances were wearing me down so I’m happy to be home. I’ll be posting travel photos soon, but I’ve spent the entire day catching up with my RSS reader.
For instance, in the time I was gone, SNSD (aka Girls’ Generation, my current favorite K-pop group) had announced, promoted, and released their latest mini-album. I didn’t like SNSD’s music until their “Gee” mini-album came out early January 2009. “Gee” is the single most addictive pop song I’ve ever heard and it instantly became a phenomenon, shattering records in South Korea and attracting new SNSD fans the world over. There were rumors that SNSD would be making a comeback this summer after stopping “Gee” promotions a few months ago, and while I was in Europe, they revealed their new military concept for the next mini-album. I loved it instantly when I saw it. HOT!
The featured song “Tell Me Your Wish” isn’t as perfect and catchy as “Gee”, but I like it. Click the link to see the music video and be wowed at their legs. Whoever designed the choreography and costumes are geniuses. I’m always on the fence about Korean celebrities and their plastic-surgery good looks, but you can’t manufacture those kinds of legs!
This military image is just the latest in the evolution of SNSD concepts over their career. Continue reading for a barrage of girl photos
Perfume - Attack of the exploding balloons
In the most amusing performance in recent memory, Perfume appeared on Music Station’s Christmas special, where the producers thought it was a good idea to roll out giant balloons into the crowd. The balloons bouncing around the stage created an attractive visual, but as they were batted around by the audience, they started exploding, flinging debris onto the stage. I thought it was hilarious.
The Perfume Music Station performance is on Youtube so you can check it out for yourself. Perfume is one of the biggest success stories in the past year and a half, vaulting from obscurity into a very popular group in the Japanese music industry. I’m a big fan of their electropop music and their inexplicably hypnotic and bizarre dances.
I’ll walk you through the performance. Perfume begins with an abridged “Polyrhythm”, the song that made them a household name. Before you ask, yes they’re lip-syncing, as they do in pretty much all their performances because of the vocoder use in their songs. At 2:10, they transition into “love the world”, which is when the balloons start rolling out. The balloons explode throughout the song, but the best part is around 3:55 when… well, Kashiyuka gets attacked.
Amazingly, aside from a quick flinch, she was unfazed and continued her dance without a break. A true sign of a professional!
Images from Jpopmusic, you can find a high-res copy of the performance at Jpopsuki
Latest pick-ups
My order of melody.’s final album (a “Best Of” collection) came the other day, along with a nice poster. I went to Target to look for a cheap frame and was dismayed to see that none of the frames fit the poster exactly. Then I realized that I could flip the paper insert around and use it as a white background. I think it looks great!
I also got a couple Bathing Ape items from Yahoo Japan Auctions: the black Aoyama city camo shark hoody and a red BAPE letters crewneck. In general, I’m not really into clothing or fashion, but for some reason I’m a big Bape fan and keep up with the latest releases.
What I like most about the brand is its exclusiveness and the flashy designs, as well as the spectacular store designs by Wonderwall. So far I’ve been to the Taipei, Hong Kong, Harajuku, and Aoyama stores. I intended on visiting the newly opened Shibuya store this past summer, but I arrived 5 minutes after they closed for the night and didn’t get a chance to return the following days. Truthfully, Bape didn’t have any new releases at the time that I wanted, but visiting the stores is an experience in itself.
I also now have a near complete collection of catalogs/magazines. I’m just missing the first 2 issues.
