jamesinseoul

29/10/2008

Robots are cool

If you had asked me, before I left Brazil, why did I want to come to South Korea, I probably would have made some silly statement about robots, and then answered more seriously about the fascinating culture, excellent standard of living etc. But really, it was all about the robots. So when Bruna asked me if I wanted to go to a robot expo, I was only too happy to go.

The exhibition mainly consisted of big industrial robots that I left me clueless as to their function, toys that were relentlessly manhandled by toddlers, and service robots meant to clean your home. Their were also competitions where kids had to build their own robots and enter competitions to complete puzzles, win football matches, and navigate mazes. There was also a fascination with dancing robots, and you can see a couple of low res videos of that below.

Laura Barrett - Robot Ponies

Alexander Robotnick - Dance Boy Dance

My Robot Friend and Antony - One More Try

21/10/2008

Two days in Samcheok

Being the diplomats husband is a not something that has made much of a difference to me so far (apart from the fact that I live Korea, something I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done otherwise). When we lived in Brasília, Bruna came home from the office at 7.30, and that was that, she could have been working in any office, the fact that she was in international affairs was neither here nor there for me. However, when you come abroad, it all changes. We've only been here less than three weeks, and we've already had invitations to functions, dinners, expos, and festivals. Now I'm really feeling the effect of her job on my social life, which is lucky as I don't have one of my own, or a professional one either when you come to think of it. Last week we were invited away to Samcheok, a town in the north-west of the country, for an international festival of traditional costumes. It was a surreal, unique, and downright funny experience, which I'll try to explain with words and pictures.

Arriving in Samchoek, we were puzzled by the hundreds of squid that were hanging up to dry all around town. Dried seafood is a popular, and probably gross, snack here:

The festival was the opening act for the SAFEM expo, an opportunity for fire safety experts around the world to gather and discuss fire and emergency equipment. It was never explained where the costumes of the world fitted into this, but there you go. The idea was that the various diplomatic representatives would do a little catwalk wearing their national costume, then return wearing the Korean traditional hanbok, the Korean version. Fortunately, Brazil does not have a traditional costume, so Bruna could only participate in the second part. I offered to wear my football shirt and havaianas, but it didn't seem appropriate, and I left my beefeater costume in England, so I sat it out. What we weren't told was that this performance would happen on a stage in front of about 1500 people, which made me all the more pleased I passed up the opportunity:

Bruna did a sterling job of wearing the hanbok, which she got to keep (handy for fancy dress parties one day, no doubt):

Other entertainment included Thai dancers:

and a Brazilian samba troop, which was pretty funny, as sequinned bikini clad girls with feathers on their head are not an everyday sight on the streets of Korea:

Other entertainment included a quartet of modern classical performers, but they were so horrible I didn't think they deserved to be photographed. Two words: classical techno. I still shiver when I think about it. They were also some traditional Korean drumming, which was great. There's something about five people banging great big drums that appeals to my primordial inner tribesman, probably explains my love of the Boredoms:

The evenings festivities finished with some K-pop, and it was awesome. Suddenly there were hundreds of screaming fans (the only previous sign of their existence was when the samba boys started gyrating), and three K-pop acts. The first two I can't name, but they were a pretty generic boy band, followed by a pretty dull crooner:

But they were followed by Korea's new pop sensation, the Wonder Girls. Now, in general, I'm not a big fan of highly polished girl groups, but their new single "Nobody" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in years. Listen, if you dare, because that chorus will be swimming around your head all day:

I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being nicked by Girls Aloud, it's a guaranteed hit.

The next day was no less odd. We were shepherded back to the expo to participate in the opening ceremony, which was attended by the usual gathering of officials, local dignitaries, business types, the military:

and men dressed as the Mask:

and Inspector Gadget, clowns, Russian carnival girls, and a rubbish Batman:

There was a large military presence at the event, which always unsettles a yellow bellied liberal like me:

Interestingly, due to national service in Korea, most of the soldiers were in their late teens or early twenties, and many of them were actually American or British with Korean passports who had to come back to motherland to keep them. There was none of the uptight, non-expressive Colonel buzzcut manner about them, it was just like chatting to an normal American teenager. They also seemed to enjoy manning the target practice area, in which anyone could tool up and take out a few targets. For some reason, this area was particularly popular with middle aged Korean woman:

and kids loved the tanks:

Then a helicopter put out an imaginary fire:

and we left.

One thing that surprised us was the total chaos of the event. If you had asked me name Korean characteristics before we left, I would have named characteristics like politeness, organisation, and efficiency. Well, the total lack of structure to these events left me feeling like I was still in South America, where disorder is the natural way. Our guide, the professor, was very nice and enthusiastic, but with his broken English, habit of saying "no" at random points in the middle of sentences, and refusal to tell us just what we were doing next, left us in a bewildered and amused haze until we returned to Seoul, with a hanbok and fruit basket as reward. It was great, and I can't wait for next year.

Postscript: a week later, Bruna received a box of dried fish as a thank you for coming gift.

10/10/2008

I only live in countries with cool flags...

Note: this entry replaces the post 'Welcome To Seoul', which was deleted by the Google cowards, as a result of the efforts of the hopelessly out of touch and drowning RIAA.

Welcome to the all new Jamesinseoul. If you are a regular, I hope you like the new colour scheme, and if you are new around here, then welcome. Things won't be changing too much around here, I'll still be talking about music I like, but now the cultural focus will be on all things East Asian instead of Latin, obviously. I hope you like it, please get involved by leaving comments below and by joining my facebook group. Thanks.

25/09/2008

Underrated: Jim O'Rouke

Jim O'Rourke is probably best known for his production work for the likes of Joanna Newsom and Wilco and his four year membership of Sonic Youth, but he has also released loads of other stuff, and is an established film maker. He has recorded three solo albums on Drag City (all named after Nicholas Roeg movies, film fans), the second of which, Eureka (1998), is really excellent.

The stand out track, Women Of the World, is one of my favourite songs. Originally written by Scottish humourist Ivor Cutler, it's surprisingly lovely for someone so associated with avant-garde music. It's built around the simple refrain "Women of the world, take over, cos if you don't the world will come to an end, and it won't take long", a sentiment I entirely agree with. The song is embellished with piano, cello, violin, viola, organ, steel guitar, synth, bells, and backwards sound effects but it never feels cluttered. Instead it builds, with the lyric and music delivered with more gusto, until it becomes a hypnotic, raga like and quite wonderful.

The album also features some of the wrongest artwork I have seen, even wronger than this. The cover above is wrong enough, but I can't find the included poster by Ma Sekiguchi anywhere to show you. Suffice to say it's a naked man admiring Bruce Lee in the sky, with nunchucks and a red bicycle in front of him. It's worth buying just for that.

Jim O'Rourke - Prelude To 110 Or 220 / Women Of The World

Buy this album, and his new album from here.

23/09/2008

On the market

Mercardo Municipal in Sao Paulo is a very large, lively, pricy food market. If Ilived there, I'd go all the time. Unfortunately, at the moment, I don't live anywhere. But soon...

I include this because it's so appropriate to the subject, but also because it's a great example of how wrong geniuses can go. Prepare yourself.

The Beach Boys - Market Place

04/09/2008

Apples In Stereo

It's always a relief when supposed legends don't let you down. I had heard the name Silver Apples around, and they were on my mental checklist of artist I need to investigate (a list so long and demanding on my brain space that it stops me from retaining any useful information). So when I finally got around to listening to them, I was delighted to hear that they were worth the wait. They were formed in New York in the late 60's, but they sound more like Germans from the early seventies, with synths, nervy vocals and motorik beats, all Neu and early Kraftwerk. But they were there before, totally out of time and place, like an American BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Their influence on a range of artists, mosty noticeably Portishead, is obvious.

Silver Apples - Oscillations

And they still exist, performing and recording, and remixing the kids:

Simian Mobile Disco - Scott 28 (Silver Apples Remix)

Buy Silver Apples records here

01/09/2008

Seoul to Seoul

Note to downloaders: I'm out of bandwidth, so hold on until the 8th September, when it's reset.

jamesinbrasil is celebrating it's second birthday today, and I'd like to thank you for stopping by and reading, listening and commenting. It's appreciated. So now is a good time to announce that there will be some major changes going on around here soon, as I am leaving Brazil for pastures new. That's right, jamesinbrasil is dead, love live...

...jamesinseoul!

I'm off to South Korea for a year, so I will obviously change my focus towards east Asian life, and music, which will be a challenge, as I know nothing about that. But I will dig around, fear not.

Reflections on my time in Brazil will follow, but for now, let's get this pun out of the way, shall we?

Sebadoh - Soul and Fire
Thurston Moore - Ono Soul
David Bowie - Soul Love
Cee-lo Green - Soul Machine
James Brown - Soul Power
Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
Todd Rundgren - Soul Brother
AC/DC - Soul Stripper
Blues Explosion - Soul Typecast
Eels - Souljacker Pt. 1
Joy Division - Heart and Soul
KLF - Elvis On The Radio, Steel Guitar In My Soul
Dexy's Midnight Runner's - Until I Believe In My Soul
Tim Buckley - Grief In My Soul
XTC - The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Armand Van Helden - I Want Your Soul (Crookers Crunk Remix)
Ghostface Killah - Soul Controller
Betty Bibbs - Pounds Of Soul
Run D.M.C. - Soul To Rock and Roll
Beck - Soul Suckin' Jerk
Desmond Dekker - Rudy Got Soul

Photo taken from here.

28/08/2008

Underrated: Nôze

I had never heard of Nôze, until I heard this podcast. It's a live performance from this years Mutek festival, and I was really impressed with their techno meets Tom Waits meets Ricardo Villalobos meets oompah sound. Yes, it's unique, but it works, trust me.

Nôze - Love Affair (from the album How To Dance, 2006)

Listen to their new album right here:

And buy it here.

The 28th of August is the day of bankers, volunteers and poultry farming.

25/08/2008

Solid Gold Popular Music Number Seven

Every week I post a song, for no reason other than it's fabulous. It may be old or new, obscure or over-exposed. No explanation, no fancy spiel, just solid gold popular music. Oh, and it's a secret, so you'll just have to trust me.

Solid Gold Popular Music Number Seven

25th of August is the day of the soldiers, street sellers and people who want to become priests.

24/08/2008

The feel good hit of the Autumn

"Hi James, this is Y.A.C.H.T. We have decided to release a new song called Summer Song, and make it exactly for your listening pleasure. It has a catchy, repetitive vocal hook, funky bass line, male/female vocals, and is eminently danceable. All your fave things. Not only that, we are going to release it on DFA, your favourite label!"

"Thanks!"

22/08/2008

NYC

I know some people think it's lost it's magic, but to me, New York still feels like one of the most amazing places in the world. Maybe it's because I am so in love with the music that has come from the city, I can't help but think that it's the greatest city there is. Trying to choose the songs to put on this blog was impossible, but I managed. Here is my New York selection: